![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Elements of Dance: Air, Water, Fire, and Earth
Dancers including Michelle Douglas (12), Darby Millard (10), and Erika Olsen (10), perform “So Hot” in the fire element segment. This year’s dance production took place on Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2.
With balance and flow, students from this year’s dance production performed to music inspired by the Elements of Dance: Air, Water, Fire, and Earth this Friday and Saturday.
Over 130 students and seven teachers demonstrated the four elements through the effective use of music and costumes. The show opened with a dance performed by JV and Varsity dance troupes, followed by the element of air segment. Junior Angela Ma then performed a ballet solo to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
The next dances highlighted the opposing elements, water and fire. The element of fire featured seven faculty members in shiny, bright red costumes dancing to “Disco Inferno”. The dance “Bollywood Masala” was choreographed by Rahul Nalamasu (12). With its upbeat Bollywood music and traditional Indian costumes, the performance received a standing ovation on Friday night.
“[My favorite part] was the Bollywood number because I love Bollywood, [and] because I live for Bollywood. It was really good,” Ishanya Anthapur (10) said.
The show ended with the last element, earth, along with the finale in which the entire cast performed “World Hold On”.
These dances were choreographed by teachers and students, mainly in the Varsity dance troupe or choreography class.
“[My favorite part of being in the dance show] was choreographing,” Rahul said. “It was so much fun working with so many people, thinking of the whole dance, [and] formulating the moves in my head. The difference of how it looked in my head and how it looked on stage was so amazing, so much better than I could ever hope for.”
Many students enjoyed watching their classmates and teachers performing on stage.
“I thought it was nice seeing everyone like all your friends and classmates in a different environment,” Victoria Ding (9) said.
The performers enjoyed not only dancing but also meeting new people while preparing for the show.
“I just love the camaraderie of it; just hanging out with people I don’t get to hang out with as often,” Shenel Ekici (11) said. “It’s really fun–it feels like today has been five days squished into one, but in a really good way.”
The last show will be held tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Blackford theater.
Daphne Liang is a reporter for TALON Yearbook. She is a sophomore and has been a part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Daphne is also...
Priscilla Pan is the features editor for the Winged Post and co-creator of In a Nutshell. She is a senior and has been part of the journalism program for...