![“[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)
Dance Show rehearsals in full swing
Ethan Hu (9) practices his routine during lunch in the dance room while Kai-Ming Ang (9) plays the soundtrack on his laptop. This year’s Dance Show will feature two acts: “Welcome to the Circus” and “Daring Acts and Sideshow Freaks.”
October 5, 2016
Participants in the upcoming circus-themed Upper School Dance Show began rehearsal Sept. 27 after auditions on Sept.17. The show will take place on Jan. 27 and 28 and will feature 162 upper school dancers.
The circus theme lends itself to entirely different genres of music, styles of costumes and use of props as compared to last year’s theme, “Mixtape.” Directors Karl Kuehn and Rachelle Haun chose the theme to be broad enough to create 24 routines, yet specific enough to evoke their artistic vision.
“I think that circus is a very fun theme that incorporates a lot of theatrical elements, and I’m a little bit dramatic myself,” Kuehn said. “Because we’re at the Upper School, I wanted it to be more of a mature circus theme, so we’re kind of going for that vintage, dark circus look when it comes to props and costuming. I think that so far, everyone’s having a really good time and the choreographers are really thinking outside the box and getting crafty and creative in their use of the circus theme.”
Senior David Zhu, a first-time student choreographer and a dancer in his own routine, described his experience in the Dance Show so far.
“I think it’s actually really fun, because it gets you out of your comfort zone a little bit,” he said. “We got lucky, we have some strong dancers in our dance, and they learn very quickly, and luckily for me, they executed exactly what I envisioned almost all of the time. We had a neat formation change that I wasn’t sure was going to work, but it ended up working perfectly, so I was happy with that.”
Junior Amy Jin, who will participate in the Dance Show for the third time in her high school career, suggested that audiences can expect to see vibrant colors in the performances.
“When you think circus, you think [it’s] lively and festive. I think that’s also going to play a role,” she said. “One of the dances I’m in is a hip-hop dance, and we’re going to do some miming in the beginning.”
Haun, one of the directors, remembers teaching most of the participants when they were younger in other school programs, such as middle school P.E.
“There are a lot of new people that I haven’t seen before, but I’d say that the bulk of them are ones that I definitely remember teaching not too long ago, which is nice to see—they’re all just taller,” she said. “It’s been really nice to see how the dancers that I’ve had this year have gone above and beyond what they have in the prior years to make sure that they know their material because they’re excited to perform it.”
Dance Show participants rehearse each dance for about an hour a week in preparation for the show in January.
