By LAYANN BASILEH
Staff Writer
Students displayed their diverse array of talents in this year’s Variety Show in the Big Theatre. There was a multitude of interesting and unique acts, from traditional Chinese dance to song covers sung in various languages.
Formerly dubbed The Talent Show, The Variety Show went through the name change in order to promote more diversity in the performances. Drama Club President Corinne Alsop (Sr.) said, “Over the past few years, it has slowly turned from a talent show into a singing show. We wanted to make it clear we wanted all sorts of acts.” This year’s production was also the first to ever be run entirely by Drama Club’s executive board. They organized the order of the performances and created the programs that contained information about the show.
The Drama Club’s hard work paid off immensely: The Variety Show was mesmerizing, every act noteworthy and enthralling. The first act featured a trio of diablo users, Evan Juan (Jr.), Amir Fanaei (Jr.), and Clark Jia (Jr.). They artfully tossed the colorful diablos into the air and spun them along the string between their wooden handsticks. Preston Hong (So.) also captivated the audience his impressive Chinese swordplay and high kicks, demonstrating his skill and agility.
The second act was just as impressive as the first half of the show, with former student Ibrahem Dalati returning to the school to perform a masterfully choreographed dance consisting of fluid movements and smooth transitions with Jacob Johnson (Sr.). Dalati was excited to get the chance to perform again, commenting “I thought showcase would be my last performance at UNI, so when I got the invite to come back I was thrilled to get one more chance onstage.”
The audience was enthusiastic throughout the show, erupting in applause after every performance. Audience member Ryan Khalaf (Sr.) said, “The show was really interesting this year. It was great to see new people participating and old faces coming back for another incredible year.”
