It’s that time of year again. When our chorus and dance classes come together to put on their winter showcase. For the second year, chorus and dance have collaborated to form a fun and festive night, filled with music, singing, and dancing of all styles. With its classic Christmas carols and exhilarating dances inspired by the season, the showcase was definitely the place to be last Tuesday night.

“The winter showcase is one of my favorite things about our school,” senior Isabelle Farias said. “It was my third year doing it and it was so fun to see everything we’d worked on for months pay off and be so great.”

The winter showcase was especially important to all participating. Showing off their talents gave them a sense of pride as they stepped out on stage.

“I found the winter showcase important to me because it was my first showcase as part of the Innovation Dance Team and I knew everyone put in a lot of work for it,” sophomore Abigail Barber said.

For some of the performers, the night was bittersweet. Seniors, who have dedicated their high school years to their performing arts classes, felt a bit heartbroken, knowing it would be their final winter performance.

“It’s really important because this is my last winter concert,” senior Brianna Barrett said. “And it’s kinda sad because I’ve had so much fun and I’m really going to miss this.”

With any big performance, there comes a fair amount of challenges. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get things just right for the big night.

“Some challenges I have faced, among other people in chorus, is probably cutoffs and diction,” sophomore Alyssa Hernandez said. “It’s really hard sometimes to get everyone to finish a word at the same time while also over-enunciating everything so the audience can understand exactly what you’re saying and a way we’ve overcome it is just counting the beats that we need to hold a note!”

Learning music can also be a challenge for students. Whether you are dancing or singing to it, it can be hard to pick up on. Yet, it is just another obstacle to overcome.

“Some challenges have been not knowing the music and not preparing my voice,” senior Grant Powell said.

What helps a student to overcome these obstacles? Practice. Practice. Practice. It is the key to ensuring that your performance will go off without a hitch and it will push you to do your very best.

“I prepared during the performance by singing loudly with my friend at her house,” junior Damiana Alicea said. “We also practiced and then when the time came we ran on the stage filled with adrenaline and did our best.”

Overall, the winter showcase was a major success, entertaining both the audience and students performing. The winter showcase will be a tradition that will live on at UHS for years to come.

“I think the best part of the winter showcase was watching everyone have a good time and seeing all the parents and family proud of their student performing,” Barber said.