On Feb. 5, students participated in the first-ever Sadie Hawkins Dance (Sadies) theme elections in the North Gym, choosing from the themes "The Original Sadie Hawkins," "Dance for the Decades," and "Animation Domination."

Junior Council and Prom Committee have been working tirelessly for months to plan and prepare for Sadies set for Mar. 20. The two groups approached the theme decision differently this year; instead of discussing and selecting a theme among themselves as in previous years, they announced three possible themes and let the students decide. Junior Boys’ Relations Alan Zhu explained that this process "eliminates most discontent the school has with [Junior Council] picking the theme."

Each member of Junior Council has a specific task: Junior Senator Winnie Hui leads Prom Committee while President Jon Ma supervises and directs work outside of the group. Vice President Patrick Han plans spirit activities and bonding events, and Secretary Evelyn Park takes minutes at meetings. Treasurer Lisa Zhu organizes fundraisers and manages the Junior Council account to make sure they have enough money for the event. Girls’ Relations and Boys’ Relations, Anne Wu and Alan, manage the publicity aspect of the event, advertising Sadies through the student bulletin, Apache News, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Jon hopes for a turnout of 800 people or more this year, which is almost twice as much as last year’s. However, Alan stated that Junior Council members work very well together and "aren’t afraid to break records." The money they raise from Sadies will be used to fund Prom 2010, which they promise will be "extremely epic this year."

After the votes were tallied, Junior Council assembled in the Rally Court on Feb. 11 during lunch to reveal this year’s student-elected theme. They unfurled two large scrolls, each attached to a colorful festival of balloons reminiscent of the Pixar film Up. Emblazoned in bold letters on the scrolls were the words "Animation Domination." The crowd of students cheered and welcomed this theme with delight, awed by the dramatic display.

The freedom and creativity that "Animation Domination" allows make it particularly appealing to students because attendees can dress up as animated characters from movies, cartoons, comics, and so forth. The color scheme of the dance will be the rainbow to reflect the colorful nature of cartoons. There are endless possibilities for costumes; suggestions include characters from Disney, the Justice League, Pokemon, Cartoon Network, Looney Tunes, Pixar, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, anime, and much more.

Alan welcomed any student with song or other requests for Sadies to mention ahs2010sadies on Twitter or send Junior Council members a direct message. To stay updated on Sadies news, visit the Sadies 2010 Twitter and YouTube pages online.

As Mar. 20 draws nearer, Junior Council and Prom Committee are meticulously planning out every last detail: pictures, DJs, lights, refreshments, security, chaperones, music, and decorations. "We’re hoping that the hype will start building and girls [will] start asking guys [now]," Jon said. From the innovative theme elections to the creative big reveal, it’s clear that this year’s Sadies will be "off the pages!"

While many AHS students participate in various dance groups—from ballet troupes to breakdancing crews—senior Ansis Cheung’s form of dancing is truly unique. Since 2005, Ansis has participated in the San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural Association (SGVCCA), primarily as head of the Youth Group. SGVCCA, a non-profit organization established in 1968, promotes the enrichment of Chinese language and culture and hopes to share these interests with others. The Youth Group consists of 20 to 30 active performers and specializes in Chinese lion and dragon dances. As president of the Youth Group, Ansis leads his fellow dancers during their performances and social functions.

The movements in lion dance are based on Chinese martial arts, and involve two performers in a lion costume mimicking the creature’s movements to express its varied emotions. Dragon dance, on the other hand, entails a team of eight to ten performers bearing a dragon supported by poles and performing amazing stunts through carefully coordinated teamwork.

Clients often contact the organization to arrange a dance performance, and SGVCCA adult advisers schedule these requests into the performers’ schedule. "Sometimes the performances are booked nearly a year in advance," Ansis noted. Since he and his fellow dancers are all volunteers, the money they earn from these performances go directly to SGVCCA to purchase and maintain equipment, fund group functions, and so forth.

To keep up with the deluge of performance requests from clients, Youth Group members meet weekly and sometimes bi-weekly to hone their skills as lion dancers. During the autumn and winter months, they also practice dragon dance to prepare for upcoming Chinese New Year parades.

The trainers who choreograph performers’ stage routines are "extremely dedicated" because they, like all SGVCCA performers, are volunteers. "[Their] motivation, like ours, is the love of lion dance," Ansis explained.

SGVCCA annually participates in the Los Angeles Chinatown parade and Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant. The Youth Group performed 44 times in 2008 and 36 times in 2009. Last Dec. 13, members performed a half-time show for a Los Angeles Clippers game at the Staples Center. During the game, they were featured on the Jumbotron and had a group spotlight. "It was really cool to do a performance at half-court with the whole audience in Staples Center peering down at [us]," Ansis recalled. "The best part was when we got to high-five the whole Clippers team in the tunnel," he added.

"I would like to thank everybody, especially the leaders, who came before me in this group," Ansis declared."They have been a great inspiration for me in most of the things I do."

During his time in SGVCCA, he has learned "everything from business ethic to confidence on stage," Ansis noted. Even when he leaves for college next year, he hopes to return often to help the group that has been "like a second family" to him these past five years. He encourages anyone interested in joining SGVCCA to contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.