Burbank High School student wins at dance competition

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A dance called Bigger Picture, choreographed by Burbank’s Josie Nivar, performed by, though not listed in order, Mackie Aladjem, Haven Dragomer, Jesse Baltutis, Amber Perkins, Ella Perkins, Sophia Warren, Stella Markland, Lena Harris, and Josie Nivar, in the Standing on the Edge youth modern/contemporary choreography festival 2018 at Burbank High School on Friday, January 19, 2018. Student choreographers from Burbank, San Marino, Etiwanda, Laguna Beach, and Idyllwild high schools competed for a $1,000 prize. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Burbank student Mackenzie Aladjem performs a dance she choreographed called When You Left in the Standing on the Edge youth modern/contemporary choreography festival 2018 at Burbank High School on Friday, January 19, 2018. Student choreographers from Burbank, San Marino, Etiwanda, Laguna Beach, and Idyllwild high schools competed for a $1,000 prize. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Burbank student Penelope Yokas choreographed this dance called Don’t Leave Me, performed by, though not in order, Mackenzie Aladjem, Haven Dragomer, Lena Harris, Josie Nivar, Amber Perkins, Stella Markland, and Penelope Yokas in the Standing on the Edge youth modern/contemporary choreography festival 2018 at Burbank High School on Friday, January 19, 2018. Student choreographers from Burbank, San Marino, Etiwanda, Laguna Beach, and Idyllwild high schools competed for a $1,000 prize. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Burbank student James Casey choreographed and performed Rain Dance in the Standing on the Edge youth modern/contemporary choreography festival 2018 at Burbank High School on Friday, January 19, 2018. Student choreographers from Burbank, San Marino, Etiwanda, Laguna Beach, and Idyllwild high schools competed for a $1,000 prize. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Burbank student Mackenzie Aladjem choreographed With No Goodbye, performed by, though not in order, Mackenzie Aladjem, Haven Dragomer, Lena Harris, Josie Nivar, Amber Perkins, and Ella Perkins in the Standing on the Edge youth modern/contemporary choreography festival 2018 at Burbank High School on Friday, January 19, 2018. Student choreographers from Burbank, San Marino, Etiwanda, Laguna Beach, and Idyllwild high schools competed for a $1,000 prize. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Judges Christopher Frazier, Dorcas Roman, and Peggy Burt are introduced before the start of the Standing on the Edge youth modern/contemporary choreography festival 2018 at Burbank High School on Friday, January 19, 2018. Student choreographers from Burbank, San Marino, Etiwanda, Laguna Beach, and Idyllwild high schools competed for a $1,000 prize. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

By Anthony Clark Carpio

Jan. 23, 2018 6:15 PM PT

A dance choreographed by a Burbank High School student earned top honors at a dance competition this past weekend.

Junior Mackie Aladjem was the overall winner of the 2018 Standing on the Edge choreography contest for her piece titled “When You Left.” She also won $1,000.

The competition was held in the Wolfson Auditorium at Burbank High, and it was the first time the school has hosted the annual event.

Also competing were students from high schools in Laguna Beach, Etiwanda, and San Marino as well as the Idyllwild Arts Academy, said Penny Zambrano, president of the Burbank High School Dance Boosters.

Aladjem said “When You Left” was the first dance routine she has ever choreographed and said she was honored that the judges found her piece to be the best in the contest.

“I used to always think about choreographing and what I could choreograph about,” she said. “Since then, I always thought about doing a piece about something ending. As a teenager, I thought that it felt right to have the piece be about a breakup or something that was relatable to me.”

But the roughly three-minute contemporary dance piece is supposed to be about more than just a breakup between people. Aladjem said it is a story about someone evaluating their life after ending a relationship, either with a significant other or close friend, and realizing that life will be better in the long run.

“It’s about having to go through that depression phase of ending a relationship and realizing at the end that you’re strong enough to get through it and that you’re better on your own,” she said.

Zambrano said she was impressed with the success of Aladjem and the other Bulldog dancers who performed in the competition.

She added that dance directors Amanda Sandifer and Maggie Ochoa have done a great job of pushing students to try new things.

Aladjem said that, although she loves to dance and choreograph, she will be opting to focus on her acting career when she graduates from high school.

Her largest role to date is playing Fiona Peyton on the Showtime series “Nurse Jackie.”

Like acting, Aladjem said dancing is a powerful way to convey a message because those who choreograph and dance in the performances put their heart and soul into each piece.

“If you have dancers that are so dedicated to the storytelling, the story will just come across,” she said. “I hope that audience members feel something when watching any type of piece.”

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio