SACO — On the stage, an enigmatic masked figure does an upside-down crabwalk ”“ palms and feet on the floorboards, stomach and chest raised high into the air, head tilted back ”“ and slinks through a labyrinth of young women in black leotards, their backs heaving and arms gyrating slowly, as if stirring the contents of invisible paint cans in the air. The music is slow, seductive and intense, horror-movie music with undertones of an impending violence. And when it all comes to a crescendo, the undulating limbs freezing in midform as the music abruptly ends, a face is illuminated by a lone spotlight, and locked in a rictus of terror, a girl screams. Cue lights.

Sound macabre? It should. Thornton Academy senior Erica Richardson is trying to creep you out.

Well, maybe not for real. But she is trying to entertain and inspire, along with several other girls in Kathy Nolan’s TA dance class. Richardson’s piece, entitled “Nunca Confie Nadie,” was one of several interpretive dance numbers featured at the school’s annual “Dancelebration” event on Friday night, a showcase for the dance and choreography talents of the Thornton Academy Dance Company, as well as several returning alumni.

With moods, themes and music as diverse as the creators themselves, the event served as an insight into what the dancers have learned in Nolan’s class ”“ and perhaps into what they would like to do in the future.

Richardson chose her music from the “Saw” horror movie franchise.

“I like creepy things,” she said with a smile. “When I watch shows, I like things that make me go, ”˜Ugh!’”

The rest of the music varied from Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber to Sarah McLachlan and Aerosmith.

Melissa Boucher, who built her piece, “Indecision,” around the music of Blink 182, explained that choreographing a successful number depends on choosing music that has a personal connection.

“(For me), it really is based on the words,” said Boucher. “I have to have a story to it; I have to have a reason to dance.”

Nolan, thrilled with how her students have responded to the challenges of putting together the annual showcase, said she believes that lessons learned will pay dividends down the road.

“They really have worked hard to come to this point,” said Nolan. “People just start with an idea. Then they visualize a dance. Then they have to direct it and choreograph it.

“Think about that as a learning process for a student,” she said. “It teaches them leadership ”¦ artistic integrity, and seeing it be born as a work of art. These kids really learn how to put a lot of things together.”

Different students respond to the challenges of choreography in different ways. Emily Plourd, who put together a number called “Are We There Yet?” featuring a medley of music from various artists, takes a cerebral approach to her work, doing most of her choreography in the car.

“I know that when I’m driving, it’s better,” said Plourd, who dreams of one day owning her own studio. “I can’t just stare at the wall.”

Before the show, as parents, friends, fellow students and the merely curious packed into the Thornton Academy auditorium, TA Dance Company members stretched backstage and worked out varying levels of nerves.

Kristen Philbrick said she never gets nervous before a show. Ashley McMoarn said that any nerves she feels before a performance evaporate by the time she steps out onto the stage.

“Once you go on, you’re like, ”˜That was fine,’” she said.

One advantage to Friday’s show was that it was noncompetitive. While the specter of competition can alter one’s mental approach to a performance, a show like “Dancelebration,” said Nolan, encourages exploration. Minor mistakes are not picked apart or dwelled upon. There are only the lights, the stage, the music.

And in this case, there were plenty of returning dancers, alumni from Thornton Academy, who in some instances have started their own semi-professional dance companies. Their return was showcased in such pieces as “Dream,” a number set to the Aerosmith classic “Dream On,” choreographed by Brittany Bolduc from the Class of  2007.

A cacophony of spinning bodies and taut limbs, it was a testament to the sustained passion of these former Thornton Academy dancers, and an inspiration to the current crop of choreographers, who see a future in dance beyond high school.

“They love being here and showing the underclassmen what they’ve learned,” said Nolan. “It comes full circle.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.