![“[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)
Student choreographers begin Dance Production rehearsals
Student dancers extend one arm together while practicing part of their routine. The dancers started rehearsals on Wednesday.
October 6, 2021
Dance Production rehearsals began this week for student-choreographed dances that will be performed in the “Blast from the Past” show in January of next year. Six dances, taught by 10 choreographers total, have their first rehearsals spread throughout this week, with some already having taken place on Monday and Tuesday.
Junior Anja Ree, who is choreographing a contemporary dance with fellow junior Eileen Ma to the song “Wonderwall” covered by Katy McAllister, met with their student dancers on Monday at 4:00 pm for their first practice together. During the practice, the choreographers introduced themselves, and the dancers practiced some “across the floor” exercises and learned four eight-counts.
“[Our first rehearsal] went really well,” Anja said. “Everyone came prepared to learn, and I have a good group who’s very energetic, and I think we’re going to create something cool, so I’m excited.”
Other student-choreographed dances include a hip-hop routine by Sujith Pakala (12) and BB Ajlouny (11) and a jazz number by seniors Irene Yuan and Nikki Kapadia. Both of these routines had rehearsals starting Wednesday. The production will also feature routines choreographed by upper school dance director Karl Kuehn and dance teachers Kimberly Teodoro, Kento Vo and Jessica Arguello-Chatfield, whose rehearsals have not yet started.
The Dance Production will be performed on Jan. 28 and 29 next year, and each song is chosen from a past year’s production in accordance with the “Blast from the Past” theme. Due to the safety protocols of the coronavirus pandemic, only students selected through an audition will participate in the production as opposed to previous years, where everyone who signed up was placed into a routine.
“[Having rehearsals start] is pretty exciting,” Anja said. “I was a little bit nervous, seeing as [the rehearsals] did get delayed by a couple of weeks so we missed out on that time, but I think everyone has adapted well, and I think we’re on track, so I’m really happy about it.”
