Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see all your favorite movie characters come together to dance?
Okay, probably not. But if you’re a Pixar fan, you might’ve wondered that. A dance team from Walden Grove High School in Sahuarita, Arizona, put together a performance that’s now racked up five million views on YouTube. The best part? It features all your favorite Pixar characters.
That’s right: Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mike Wazowski, Dory, Russell, and many more.
The Pixar performance was for Walden Grove’s homecoming celebration in 2016. The moment the characters stepped out, the audience broke into cheers…and that continued with the introduction of each new character.
The performance featured a dance-off between Woody, Jessie the Cowgirl, and Little Bo Peep.
There was also an appearance by Russell from Up — complete with Balloons, of course. Marlin and Dory showed up along Sully, Mike, and Boo not far behind.
The amazing performance isn’t the first one Walden Grove put on. They’ve also received millions of views for their Harry Potter and Marvel rallies. They even competed on “America’s Got Talent.”
But the students say their performances aren’t all about them.
There’s someone behind the magic.
“One thing that I would want people to know is that our coach is behind everything,” said dancer Kayla Brown. “They see us in our dance videos and they see us perform, but we couldn’t do it at all without our coach.”
The coach, Kristi Lopez, has been at Walden Grove since 2011.
Previously, she was a professional dancer in both the U.S. and Europe. But what people might not know is that she operates without a budget — and originally, without a dance space at all.
“Parents didn’t understand it,” Lopez said. “Schools didn’t understand it. The district didn’t understand it. They couldn’t figure out what I was trying to do. Now everybody knows, but in the beginning, it was very hard. I felt like I was just crashing into walls everywhere I turned. It was challenging.”
The team gets all its money for costumes, travel, and props through fundraising.
They work incredibly hard to get the supplies needed. And of course, they practice non-stop.
“We get nothing,” said Lopez. “So, every year on top of everything that the team’s doing, we have to fit in fundraising hours and activities. And we do that on Saturdays or Sundays or really late at night after practice.”
This team depends on bake sales, car washes, and free performances.
It also bears mentioning the dancers are three-time state champions. Their performances usually involve a challenge or a theme, so it’s no wonder they’re incredibly popular — both live and on YouTube.
After all, everyone loves a good dance performance. But watching the characters we love from childhood dance together? That’s even better. It’s no wonder this talented team regularly racks up millions of views with their dance numbers.
Check out the video below to see their amazing Pixar performance.
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Source: YouTube, Cronkite News, Sahuarita Sun
