By CHRISTIAN ZARAGOZA
Staff Writer
UHS’s student body exhibited its range of talents in the Big Theater on September 25 and 26. Students displayed a profusion of unique abilities, from pitch-perfect song covers to flawlessly executed dance choreography.
The talent show was directed by Ms. Ranae Bettger (Visual and Performing Arts Dept.) and assisted by Drama Club President Christa Pehrson (Sr.) and Drama Club Vice President Yamini Nambimadom (Sr.).
The show boasted a diverse array of talented performers, such as Rabby Yang (Jr.), Jordan Bodie (Sr.) and Gaby Morton (Sr.), who performed magic tricks that prompted a standing ovation. There were also choreographed dance numbers, one of which was performed by Anastasia Melinkova (Sr.) and Glayol Kashani (Jr.), who danced with hula hoops to Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” The two girls exhibited elegant movements and impressive tricks that both mesmerized and amazed the crowd.
The second half of the show was just as awe-inspiring as the first. “Downtown,” originally by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, was paired with original choreography and covered by Stacey Yu (Sr.), Melissa Lee (Sr.), Elise Rio (Sr.) and Carmel Lee (Sr.).
Donning bike helmets and funky glasses, the group added comedic relief to the show while simultaneously displaying their coordinated rap and dance moves. When asked about the time she invested in the talent show, Melissa Lee (Sr.) said, “The talent show was a lot of fun for me. It’s always been on my high school bucket list to perform on the UHS stage, and I finally got the chance to do it. It was actually a lot of work for not only me and my group, but also for the other performers and those who helped the production come together.”
Reception to the talent show and its performers was overwhelmingly positive. Each of the acts demonstrated diverse talents, receiving enthusiastic cheers from the audience. The show featured singers who performed pieces ranging from contemporary rap to smooth classical. Anne Jang (Sr.), who attended on the second night, said, “The talent show was really exciting and fun to watch. One of my favorite acts was that performed by the UHS Undertones, who performed the Evolution of Beyonce, composed by Pentatonix.”
The talent show’s performers were chosen through a selective audition process just ten days before the show. Variety between acts was highly prioritized in the decision. Christa Pehrson (Sr.) said, “The selections of the acts were so that the talent show displayed a multitude of different performances to keep the audience entertained with diversity.”
Although the audience was clearly impressed with the individual performances, it was nevertheless easy to disregard the amount of work that went into putting the show together – a process just as important as the selection of the acts. Pehrson said,“The performers worked very hard in order to be able to present themselves to their peers as well as they possibly could. In addition to this, the production of the show, from the directors to the stage crew, worked scrupulously to assure that the show went well. It takes a lot of effort to run a show, and I am very proud of everyone who was involved.”
Between the singing, the dancing, the rapping and the magic, every act kept the audience riveted and entertained. The show as a whole made for a stellar performance and a great start to the year for the Performing Arts Department.
