![“[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)
Annual dance production features upper school students and faculty
The seniors bow at the end of their finale routine. Themed “Viva Las Vegas,” this year’s show featured approximately 150 dancers in 23 dances.
February 6, 2018
Over 160 students and various faculty and staff members participated in the annual upper school dance production on Jan. 26 and 27 at the Blackford theater. This is the last time the dance show will be held there, as the construction of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center is now complete and will be ready for use for next year’s show.
This year’s show, dubbed “Viva Las Vegas,” is a tribute to all the legends who pass through the legendary city, including classic stars like Elvis and Frank Sinatra, as well as newer celebrities such as Britney Spears and Lady Gaga.
“Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, so I thought that it would be a perfect theme to showcase our vibrant choreography, exciting music and fun costumes,” upper school dance teacher and director of the show Karl Kuehn said. “You will see musical numbers [and] dance numbers to songs by performers like Frank Sinatra, to Britney Spears, to Celine Dion. If they performed in Vegas, we’re going to showcase their magic on stage.”
Dancers performed for the middle school during their Friday afternoon show and held three more shows on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. for the rest of the Harker community.
“When I first heard about it, I got really excited because when I think about Vegas, I think of the big shows—and that’s something I’ve always wanted to be able to choreograph to,” student choreographer and varsity dance troupe member Liana Wang (12) said.
This year’s production also featured the routines eight student choreographers as well as one faculty routine.
With the recent shooting in Las Vegas, all proceeds from the dance production will be donated to the National Compassion Fund, an organization dedicated in part to helping those affected by the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017.
Dancers have rehearsed for this year’s show since late September, following the auditions that took place in early September.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on February 5, 2018.
