The Million Dollar Dance Team (MDT) performed a “choreopoem” titled “For Colored Girls” on Friday, March 13, 2026, at Oxford Elementary School. The showcase was entirely student choreographed. It was the MDT’s first show performed outside of Berkeley High School.
The piece was inspired by excerpts from the choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf,” by Ntozake Shange, an accomplished African American playwright, poet, and novelist. This work was the first ever known choreopoem, an art form that combines music, poetry, and dance.
The cast performed a combination of monologues, dance solos, and group numbers. The ensemble expressed moments of community, power, joy, and connection to God. There were four featured characters, each portrayed by a different color and each representing different life experiences of women of color. For example the “Lady in Blue” character, a partly Cuban woman who loves to dance, was played by BHS senior Carina Thomas. The performance felt raw and real. “They really just poured their hearts into the acting, the dancing, everything,” co-director and BHS African American studies department English teacher Jenell Marshall said.
The show was under an hour long, so every scene, song, and performance, and performance was unique and important. It opened with a slow, emotional, “praise dance” solo choreographed and performed by BHS junior John’Nae Murray, which she reprised later on. It ended with a high energy, ensemble, gospel number, where the cast came into the audience dancing with tambourines. One highlight within the performance included exciting storytelling from BHS senior Mia Surratt who played Lady in Yellow, that spoke about a graduation party. BHS senior Pheona Bun Vongphachanh delivered another notable monologue about ending an affair.
Although there were great acting moments, the strongest aspect of the performance was the dancing. Hip-hop, modern, traditional Latin, and old-school gospel styles were included. All movements were executed with grace and personality.
The MDT is a club at BHS that was founded in the 2024-25 school year, with the goal of making high level dance accessible to everyone. “We hit the ground running and haven’t stopped since,” the program said. It provides a supportive and encouraging community to its members. “MDT means to me, community, expression and diversity,” Murray said. Some cast members are not members of MDT, but were recruited to do acting sections of the show.
Directed by BHS staff members Marshall and Tanzia Mucker — also known as “Ms. Shorty” — the performers rehearsed after school for a month to prepare this work. According to Mucker, the process was challenging because they didn’t have a designated rehearsal space, but they made it work.
“They put in a lot of hard work and dedication and discipline … It’s a big accomplishment, and I’m proud of every last one of them,” Mucker said. The performance showcased student talent and passion in a poetic and engaging way.
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