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CVPA students make triumphant return to stage for first time since school shooting

The crowd erupts in applause as Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students hit a final pose in a tap dance number on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
The crowd erupts in applause as Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students hit a final pose in a tap dance number on Monday during the first dance showcase at the Southwest Garden school after a shooting last October left two dead.

Students in costume almost seemed to float across the stage at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday night. They leapt in unison, legs outstretched, in full control of their poses and the crowd’s attention.

The mood in the auditorium was celebratory; throughout the night, the packed room exploded in applause and cheers. That’s exactly what Principal Kacy Shahid was expecting for the students’ first public performance after the October shooting that resulted in two deaths.

“They're going to dance away from pain and dance into joy, into creativity, into grit, resilience,” Shahid said. “We're still processing so we're not at a place where we've healed. We've realized that it is a forever-growth era for us.”

The magnet school attracts talented students who are artists, actors and musicians. In a night of exuberant performances, dancers showcased their range, which includes modern dance, tap and hip-hop.

Hundreds fill the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School auditorium as students perform on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Hundreds fill the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School auditorium as students perform on Monday during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.

The students were assigned a genre and selected music, costumes and choreography for each set. The stakes were high — the students were graded on their performances.

One Super Bowl-themed piece started with a student catching a football, then running through much of Rihanna’s live setlist for the halftime show, with dancers dressed in red and white popping through choreography inspired by the star’s performance. Another student said they have issues expressing themself and put that into their performance — a slower, emotional dance full of flowing spins and back bends.

Many of the students said they worked through the trauma of the shooting with their art. Junior Jaylen Washington performs a little bit of everything, including jazz, tap and modern dance. He said the months after the shooting have been full of restless nights, so for this show he was looking forward to connecting with the audience, to find joy and fulfillment together.

“I still can't fathom that it did happen to us,” Washington said. “You know, dancing has played a major role. I like to dance, I like to make people smile, I like to smile. This is my passion, and I want everyone to see that today.”

STLPR's Kate Grumke discusses this story on 'St. Louis on the Air'

Jaylen Washington, a junior at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, performs on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Jaylen Washington, a junior at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, performs on Monday during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.

Sophomore Mars Sander was also hoping to inspire the audience.

“What I wanted to do was to perform, to show these people that we're still going and to help give other people courage to keep going if they don't have that kind of courage,” Sander said.

At moments, the night was somber. There were projected videos filled with memories of teacher Jean Kuczka and student Alexzandria Bell, the two people killed in the mass shooting at the school.

Early in the show, Shahid and Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard called Keisha Acres, Bell’s mother, to the stage. They presented her with an award in honor of her daughter, and Acres gave a speech encouraging the families and students in the audience.

“I want the kids to know there’s different ways to handle things,” Acres said. “Regardless of what you’re going through, you can make it, especially if you have a team behind you.”

Dr. Kacy Shahid, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School Principal, and Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard (10th Ward) listen as Keisha Acres wipes away a tear while speaking about her late daughter Alexzandria Bell on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a dance showcase at the school in Southwest Garden. Bell was killed in a shooting at the school last October.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Kacy Shahid, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School principal, and 10th Ward Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard listen as Keisha Acres wipes away a tear while speaking about her late daughter Alexzandria Bell on Monday during a dance showcase at the school in Southwest Garden. Bell was killed in a shooting at the school in October.

Shahid said Alexzandria was on the stage that night, in the spirit of her mother, the audience and everyone’s prayers.

Jaylen Washington hopes this return to public performance will be the start of something new for a school community that has been through so much.

“I think this is a new chapter for all of us to keep growing up to keep spreading love and to keep the community growing,” Washington said. “We really are a family. We were close before, but we're even closer now.”

See more photos from the performance by staff photojournalist Brian Munoz.

Aazizah Abdullah, a junior at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, adjusts her hair on Monday, May 15, 2023, before performing in a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Aazizah Abdullah, a junior at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, adjusts her hair on Monday before performing in a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Bryson Jones, a freshman at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, stretches while next to Taryn Vincent, a junior student at the school on Monday, May 15, 2023, before performing in a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Bryson Jones, a freshman at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, smiles while stretching next to Taryn Vincent, a junior at the school, on Monday before performing in a community showcase.
Sophomores Aniston Emily, left, and Le’Nyah Harris, right, embrace on Monday, May 15, 2023, before a dance showcase at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Sophomores Aniston Emily, left, and Le’Nyah Harris, right, embrace on Monday before a dance showcase at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in Southwest Garden.
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students perform on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students perform on Monday during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Dr. Kacy Shahid, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School Principal, reacts as Kaeleigh Clark, 8 and center, and Lauryn Anderson, 5, break it down on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a dance showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Kacy Shahid, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School principal, reacts as Kaeleigh Clark, 8, center, and Lauryn Anderson, 5, break it down on Monday during a dance showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Mars Sander, a sophomore at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, hits pose while dancing to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Mars Sander, a sophomore at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, hits a pose while dancing to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" on Monday during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Ahmylah Gunn, a 16-year-old junior at Central Visual and Performing Arts, cheers on her classmates on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a dance showcase at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Ahmylah Gunn, a 16-year-old junior at Central Visual and Performing Arts, cheers on her classmates on Monday at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School.
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students perform a Rihanna tribute on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students perform a Rihanna tribute on Monday during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students perform on Monday, May 15, 2023, during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School dance students perform on Monday during a community showcase at the school in Southwest Garden.
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday, May 15, 2023, in Southwest Garden.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Artwork adorns the entrance to Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday in Southwest Garden.

Kate Grumke covers the environment, climate and agriculture for St. Louis Public Radio and Harvest Public Media.