The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Dancer Selina Wang (10) performs in the upper school dance production, with an image of her rehearsing in the background. Despite the intense training required of dancers, many forms of dance strive to hide strain on stage.

Studio grit, stage grace: Dancers debate sport vs. art

by Katerina Matta and Tiffany Zhu March 15, 2024

Competitive dancers can practice at least nine hours every single week, or condition to train endurance for up to an hour each time they’re in the studio. They push the human body to its physical...

Mandarin students hold poles supporting a dancing dragon in the Quad on Feb. 22. The dragon followed the movement of a spherical pearl which represents wisdom.

Lunar New Year Gala rings in the year of the dragon with song and dance

by Margaret Cartee and Felix Chen March 8, 2024

National Chinese Honor Society held the first annual Chinese Lunar New Year Gala to welcome the year of the dragon in the Quad during lunch on Thursday. Chinese students and students taking Mandarin...

Many young athletes battle body dysmorphia, driven by a variety of social and athletic pressures. From dances strict emphasis on perfect alignment to the double-edged use of weight classes in sports like wrestling, body image issues manifest themselves in across a variety of athletic disciplines.

Body dysmorphia pervades athletics

by Eva Cheng and Katerina Matta March 8, 2024

Trigger warning for discussion of body image and dysmorphia.  “Did you eat a watermelon today?”  An anonymous dancer recalled hearing the insensitive comment from a teacher at her studio,...

Tap Club members learn the Shim Sham, a classic tap routine. The Shim Sham was first introduced by tap dancers Willie Bryant and Leonard Reed in 1928.

Tapping into tradition: Tap Club explores Shim Sham

by Ashley Mo, Assistant STEM Editor February 28, 2024

Tap Club president Sanaa Bhorkar (11) introduced four members to a tap combination called the Shim Sham in the dance room on Thursday during long lunch.  Sanaa started off by going over the basic steps,...

Riya Samuel (9) and Ivanya Sadana (9) dance to a Bollywood routine during Mondays assembly. The Student Diversity Coalition opened the showcase by introducing culture week and promoting events later in the week like a chalk art activity.

Culture Week Days 1 and 2: Students showcase diverse performances in cultural assembly

by Janam Chahal and Lily Shi February 28, 2024

Upper school students commenced Culture Week by sharing their cultural traditions through song, dance and poetry during an assembly in the Athletic Center on Monday.  Student Diversity Coalition leaders...

Anwen Hao (11) celebrates his Best exit for a ballet dance Hoscar. 40 students performed in the 12th annual Hoscars on Feb. 8.

From comedy to K-pop: Annual Hoscars shows off student talent

by Tiffany Zhu, Mendy Mao, and Emma Milner February 23, 2024

Best four-person co-ed dance to Rihanna. Best and largest gossip session. Best rap song. Best exit for a ballet dance. Best original song and best person on the piano. The “I love Barbie award.” Where...

Arthur Wu (11) extends his arms during Clocking out. This high-energy routine was choreographed by Luke Mehta (12).

‘Night and Day’ Dance Production mesmerizes Harker community

by Young Min and Suhani Gupta February 14, 2024

A cluster of dancers, loosely huddled together, rhythmically undulate in a mesmerizing cadence. A red spotlight illuminates their iridescent leotards and mesh pants as the dramatic intro of “(I Just)...

Juniors Shiv Deokar and Caitlyn Wong sing along on the Winter Ball dance floor. The DJ played a variety of music, from Travis Scott to ABBA, over the course of the night.

Lights, camera, action: Students shine like the stars at “Old Hollywood” themed winter ball

by Gabe Sachse, Assistant News Editor February 3, 2024

Students attended the annual winter ball in the Auxiliary Gym and Main Hall on Jan. 20 from 7 to 10 p.m. Rain forced the dance to shift to an entirely indoor event, changing the typical layout of activities...

Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Embrace EDM’s diversity with Aquila

by Kevin Zhang, Aquila Co-Managing Editor January 15, 2024

Music Monday features a different category of songs on a weekly basis. Each Monday, Harker Aquila will release seven songs, one song for each day of the week. The end of the beginning and the beginning...

Middle school dance team High Voltage performs to a remix of Wham!s Last Christmas. A total of seven groups from Harker performed at Spirit of the Row.

Harker performing arts groups shine bright at ‘Spirit of the Row’ celebration

by Ariana Goetting, Alison Yang, and Gabe Sachse December 31, 2023

Lights strewn across the Santana Row Christmas tree bathe spectators’ faces. Murmuring in anticipation, the crowd surrounds the stage as two students clad in sparkling gold dresses and black scarves...

Students pose with props for a photo at the photo booth. Besides dancing, students could play ping-pong, take photos and enjoy food and drink.

Sparkling in style: Students create memories at annual homecoming dance

by Lily Shi, Ashley Mo, Kairui Sun, and Felix Chen October 28, 2023

Students gathered for the annual Homecoming Dance in the auxiliary gym and quad on Oct. 13 from 7 to 10 p.m.  Due to this year’s location change for the dance from Nichols Hall to the Auxiliary Gym,...

Students dance and mingle as strobing lights illuminate the room. This year’s prom was held at the Blanco Urban Venue in downtown San Jose.

The year’s most prom-inent event

by Felix Chen, Jonathan Xue, and Alison Yang May 8, 2023

Strobing lights illuminate the room as music pounds, the floor thumping to the beat. Students laugh and dance with smiles on their faces as they attend prom, an “International Spy”-themed event on...

Load More Stories

Comments (0)

All Harker Aquila Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest