Chantilly High choral teacher Sarah Pramstaller is the lead choreographer for Jazz & Pizzazz, aided by Glenn Cockrell, Drew Ross and Assistant Band Director Chris Singleton. And while she’ll love watching the students perform the dances she choreographed for them, she’ll also have mixed feelings.
That’s because, when this school year ends, Pramstaller will be leaving Chantilly for a job elsewhere. A 1994 Chantilly graduate, she was a Touch of Class standout, herself, as a student. But she returned for several years to help with the Jazz & Pizzazz choreography and was eventually hired at the school.
But that’s ending soon. “This is going to be my last year working with the group, so the show will probably be bittersweet for me,” she said. “I’m very proud of the students and also proud of the work I’ve done with Touch of Class, both as a choreographer and as a student. I’m moving on to another school, but I’ll miss the kids and everyone here. This was 20 years of my life.”
Still, she’s excited about the upcoming show. “We started working on it in August, two weeks before school began,” said Pramstaller. “Then we added in other numbers throughout the year. I especially liked doing the ‘Time Warp’ number this year from ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show.’ The kids were excited about it, and it’s wacky, so it came together fast and was really fun to choreograph.”
Saying that people in the community know about and look forward to Jazz & Pizzazz as an annual tradition before Memorial Day weekend, Pramstaller said this year’s event will be as spectacular and entertaining as always.
As a choreographer, she said, “The toughest part is continuing to come up with new ideas. But watching your ideas come to fruition on stage and look as you envisioned them, or even better, is very gratifying.”