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November 2009

WATCH OUT: Musical Mob at AFOB!

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 17:16 Eileen Chow
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No, it’s not the Rose Parade. It’s not as big as Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade either. But Arcadia’s own Arcadia Festival of Bands (AFOB) is not your typical high school parade performance. Featuring approximately 40 bands from all over southern California, and a field show that displays the skills of these high school bands, AFOB definitely classifies itself in the category of “extraordinary.” When asked about her expectations for AFOB, sophomore Colorguard member Vaishnavi Balendiran expected “our AHS Band and Colorguard to give a stellar performance, no different than in the past—impressing all those attending, including visitors from other schools.” AFOB marked the last official Band performance of the year. Stated senior Band member Katie Lee when asked about her expectations for AFOB: “Since it’s the last competition the Band will be having this year, and the last competition for me forever as an Arcadian...I hope we [did] extra well,”
On the morning of Nov. 21, the Arcadia Marching Band and Colorguard were marching down Baldwin Ave at 9:00 a.m., marking the beginning of this year’s 56th annual AFOB performance. AHS, First Ave, Foothills and Dana Middle Schools were the hosts of the parade and AHS hosted the field tournament. “It's a major Southern Californian event in which bands from all over the region came to compete,” said sophomore Colorguard member Johanna Gunawan. AFOB’s theme for this year was “Saluting Community Service,” to bestow thanks upon those who have helped make Arcadia a better place.
As the hosts of AFOB, AHS Band and Colorguard initiated the start of the performance line-up with their performance of the “The Rifle Regiment,” by John Philip Sousa. Pep Squad also performed small, set routines in front of band. AHS’ performance were then followed by performances of Arcadia’s three middle schools: First Ave , Dana, and Foothills Middle School , respectively. Numerous high school bands performed afterwards including Rancho Bernardo and Riverside King, both who were two of AHS’s main competitors this season. Following the band review was the Percussion's performances and the band review award ceremony at AHS’ Salter Stadium. Following afterwards was the field show tournament at Citrus College in Glendora. For their field show performance, Band went with their Egyptian theme. “[We performed] the Opener, Floodplain / Spices, Perfumes, and Toxins, and the Finale. The Nile and Floodplain of the Nile were written by Sam Cardon; Spices, Perfumes, and Toxins was composed by Avner Dorman...the Finale [was] an arrangement of excerpts from Symphony No. 7 Op. 60 by Dmitri Shostakovich,” informed Cynthia Tong, sophomore Band member. For the field show, Colorguard “perform[ed] dance routines, as well as...perform routines with flags, rifles and sabers...while moving according to the music and the drill,” said Vaishnavi.
Band has been practicing all season for AFOB through a regular rehearsal schedule consisting of morning practices on the football field or through the streets, from 7:40 a.m. to the end of first period. The band directors or section leaders also frequently call for extra practices. Said sophomore Band member Jenny Earnest about practice: “The schedule can get pretty rigorous, but Band really [taught] kids time management.” Every Tuesday from 5-9 p.m., Colorguard worked on their dance routines and choreography for the field show. Wednesdays are allotted for drill formations with Band from 6:00-9:00 p.m. “For AFOB, Colorguard was definitely cleaning our routines and working hard to perfect them in order to show everyone our progress this season and to present to everyone what Arcadia is all about,” said Katherine.
“[I really looked] forward to performing in front of the thousands of people at Citrus College...it's always exciting to see more support in the stands,” senior Band member Mandy Chan stated. Many band members looked forward to performing in AFOB; junior Band member Kane Li agreed with Mandy, and said that she was “looking forward to...the field show competition. A lot of our rival bands came to AFOB so it's fun to watch their field shows. Band director, Mr. Tom Landes was also excited “to see some memorable performance by some of the finest bands in Southern California.” Senior Band member Katie Lee was extremely pleased with the fact that “the alumni [came] to visit us [during AFOB]! This is one of the only competitions that I know alumni come back to, because it’s right at home.” Freshman Band member Davina Nguyen exclaimed how excited she was to perform in AFOB, because she “used to always admire the high school marching band, and now that [she is] a part of it, it just seems unreal.” Fellow freshman Band member Ryan Tsao felt the same way, and said that “it’s a great honor to be able to represent Arcadia Marching Band during AFOB...to show the people of Arcadia exactly what Band has been doing the past few months.”
“I expect[ed] this year to be much more rewarding since we put in so much effort for this year’s show...everyone [was] looking forward to doing their best,” said junior Band member Angela Liu. “I'm really proud of this Band, not only for its large size, but also because we're so dedicated to excellence,” said Cynthia. With AHS Band and Colorguard performances and appearances from numerous other high schools, AFOB was, indeed, a parade of grand proportions. As Jenny so rightfully put it, “This year's AFOB...[was] super epic!”
 

The Perfector of Pirouettes, Passés, and Pliés

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 17:15 Christina Zhou
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They’re the highest leapers on campus- literally. They jeté, chainé, and pirouette across the dance floor, leaving us speechless, wanting for more. The Orchesis Dance Company includes some of Southern California’s finest, most exuberant and energetic jazz , hip-hop, and modern dancers, all sharing the same love for dance.

The junior and senior class dance group would never dream of letting their audience down, performing at their very best under any circumstance. “[We’re a] dance company,” junior Amy Teng said, “Not a dance class. We don’t learn how to dance, but learn how to perform, how to take care of our bodies.” Because of irregular practice times, “Orchesis teaches you responsibility,” says senior Bonnie Hoang, “ We get points marked off our grade for things like being late, or if we haven’t memorized/learned dance work.” With many junior and senior dancers taking other AP credit classes, Orchesis stresses the necessity of finishing one’s work, developing strong managing skills in those who previously lacked the talent.

The dance company is currently working on their Charity Dance Show, which will be premiering Tuesday, Dec. 17 in the North Gym. The amount of money that the Charity Show pools in will be donated to the Care Organization and The Girl Affect Organization. Both organizations supply daily necessities to millions of families in developing countries, improving their lives and their village’s lives. The Girl Affect provides a chance to uneducated girls, giving them a cow, allowing the girl to avoid child marriage, possibly diminish the risk of receiving HIV, and support their family. She could use the milk produced from her cow to feed her family, and any excess milk could be sold in the market. The money could then be used to pay for an school uniform for education, which would fundamentally improve the family’s future. Just by giving a girl a cow, she could help take her family out of the cycle of poverty, and then move on to help her community.

One of the first dances of the Charity Dance Show will be accompanied by a video about The Girl Affect, so viewers of the show will understand whom their money will be benefitting. Orchesis will be also be performing “Merry Happy,” a quirky, modern routine choreographed by senior Marissa Tom and junior Heidy Lam; “Wait it Out,” a strong, lyrical routine choreographed by returning seniors Meghan Lim and Celine Yue; as well as “Shake and Pop,” a fun, sassy jazz dance choreographed by returning seniors Katreina Layfield and Kristin Kimura. Orchesis will also be performing”Earth Intruders” from the Homecoming Assembly, and another holiday routine that is yet to be announced, junior Tyler Reeves said.

All songs in the Charity Show are student-choreographed, and each dancer auditions to be in a song, simulating true-to-life situations as a professional dancer. And instead of focusing on techniques like any regular dance class, “[Orchesis] focuses more about the performing arts within dance,” Wendy Wu said. The Orchesis Dance Company is full of students that plan with to keep dancing as a permanent part of their daily life, and most of the members have more than eight years of dancing experience.

The Orchesis Dance Company is a strong group of talented dancers, all expressing the same passion of dance daily. They gear up towards performances like the Charity Show with positive attitudes, and large smiles plastered onto their faces. All their hard work accumulates into an annual jaw-dropping event, starring the enthusiastic audience members and performers alike. “It’s a really fun, happy, energetic show,” Amy says, “And I’m sure everyone will enjoy it.” The Charity Show always leaves us in wonder, amazement, and awe at the talent of our AHS dancers. And this year, on the 17th of December, they’ll leave us in awe again with this year’s performance.
 

The Pep Spirit

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 17:13 Katherine Bay
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“We dance, we jam, we play great music, we slap smiles on people's faces, and we have a lot of fun doing it,” said sophomore Jenny Earnest. They have sprit, spunk, and on top of all that, they play extremely catchy songs. Who are they? They are the almighty Pep Band, here to bring joy to all of AHS.

This enormously spirited musical group is an elite part of the AHS Marching Band. From pumping up the beat at school assemblies, to playing dramatic and exhilarating music at football games, and to participating at local community events, Pep Band is seen nearly everywhere in Arcadia to spread delight through music. According to junior Kimberlie Liang, “this group is compromised of the best musicians AHS has to offer [because] many of [them] have interacted with band and music since elementary school and really grew up with Arcadia’s music program,” which proves that their experience has led each musician to success.

The many songs that the Pep Band play include “Stacy's Mom,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Pretty Fly For a White Guy,” “Alma Mater,” "The Impression That I Get,” “Go Big Red,” and “Fight Song.” Of course, these tunes are merely listened to as background music to the climactic point of football games. When a football player scores a winning touchdown, the songs Pep Band instantly plays add a sense of accomplishment. Pep Band is the heart of sheer enjoyment when watching a school football game because they add enthusiasm as well as a beat for the Pep Squad members to dance and cheer along to. When at assemblies, the average AHS student walks through the doors of the North Gym, for example, and is welcomed by Pep Band’s friendliness and their catchy music.

The Pep Band truly embodies the AHS spirit. Typically, they play a scale called a lip slur to warm up for such performances, but nothing too major to keep them from getting tired. In comparison to marching band, Pep Band performances are viewed as a piece of cake according to the Pep Band members, despite the fact that they have to have the endurance level to last an entire two to three hour game. How they have so much peppiness is “a secret,” according to Jenny, but one thing for sure is that they all have passion for adding school spirit with a musical flair. When asked how Pep Band holds such a high reputation, Kimberlie responded with “The people change every year when the seniors graduate, and different people step up. Although the people change, our spirit remains the same from every year.”
 

Singing Sensation Reconnects with the Past

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 17:13 Hana Rudolph
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1:00 P.M., Nov. 14: AHS show choir alumni revisited their high school memories as they returned to the campus grounds for the annual Homecoming Luncheon. This traditional event commemorated the AHS students previously and currently involved in show choir, celebrating with food—and of course, songs and dance. After all, that's what show choirs do!

The attendees ranged from graduates of years back to this past 2009. All were united by their nostalgic love of show choir, which was as time-consuming then as it is now: think 12 to 15 hours a week outside of school. Not to mention the shows and competitions. So it was no surprise that despite the age gaps, everyone got along: they had each other and, of course, Mr. Rollie Maxson, the choir director, to look forward to seeing again.

As the alumni gathered at the lunch pavilion, current New Spirit and Chanteurs members greeted them with a carefully prepared banquet. Each student had been allotted a dish to bring and the luncheon provided a variety of food, from chips, cakes, sushi, and pasta . Amongst the eating it was soon clear that at least one thing hadn't changed over the years: the former show choir-ers were as friendly and social as ever. Digital cameras were whipped out, and hundreds of photos taken to document the event. People laughingly posed with the knowledge that soon these shots would be spread on Facebook. When the time came to move back to the choir room for the next segment of the day's events, Mr. Maxson had a hard time persuading everyone to relocate. It was only until all the cookies were gone that he finally succeeded-- his dynamic yells only generated loving and nostalgic applause from the alumni.

Once everyone was seated within the choir room, the real festivities began. One by one, the New Spirits and Chanteurs of previous years performed their routines. The members of the ’08-’09 groups led the way, and from there the years were called to as far back as the attendees ranged. Mr. Maxson mockingly frowned in disapproval at his former students' poor memory, but everyone enjoyed it nonetheless. New Spirit then started the show with their upcoming holiday program, and while the all-girls group performed messily in some areas, it was still clear that this year’s team could rival that of previous years. Despite Mr. Maxson's doubt—when previously asked if Chanteurs and New Spirit were ready, he swiftly replied "absolutely not!"—New Spirit was warmly congratulated by their first audience of the season. Chanteurs followed in a similar fashion, and the performance aspect of Homecoming Luncheon concluded with a rendition of "Peace, peace," a traditional holiday piece that Chanteurs has been annually performing for years. Current and former, Chanteurs and New Spirit alike joined in to celebrate Arcadia's show choirs, as well as the upcoming holiday season.

While the event's attendees were dismissed at 4:00, the alumni lingered until well past dark. "It was so great seeing my old family and seeing the new [show choirs] perform their sets. It definitely brings back great memories and makes me miss show choir once again," said alumni Abraham Chen. "I think that the new Chanteurs show a lot of potential this year, and New Spirit looks terrific. Both groups look ready to make a big run in this year's competition season." Here's to the start of another awesome year in the world of Arcadia show choir!
 
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