PERFORMING ARTS Chinese American Dancing Group:

Chinese American Dancing

By KRISTEN CHAN

Executive Copy Editor

The Chinese American Dancing Group (CADG) is a professional training studio for all ages. It is performing at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on Nov. 5 and 6 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. As an association of dancers promoting Chinese culture and raising multicultural awareness, CADG was created by Dr. Jaw John Chang, who also founded and was president of the American Chinese Dance Association (ACDA). Since his youth, Dr. Chang has been renowned in Taiwan where he grew up dancing. He eventually came to the U.S. where he developed new dances forms and contributed to many others as well as the ACDA through his training and teachings. The ACDA is made up of several different ChineseAmerican dance groups, including Shin Dance Academy, which is well-known as a studio that specializes in a variety of modern styles as well as traditional Chinese dancing. Dr. Chang had been awarded many titles, and has been continuously pumping out productions for the last 40 years out of his love for dance to showcase his students’ growth under his instruction. This year, CADG will be performing its traditional Chinese dances, adding a new type of style in hopes of making an impression and stunning the audience with color and emotion. In his traditional dances, Dr. Chang implements basic movements expanded from his personal training, incorporating tools such as fans to highlight the mood of the dances or colorful ribbons to add fluidity and softness to accentuate different layers of the songs he uses. Some of our very own students study under Dr. Chang. Junior Sammie Ly has been dancing at his studio for almost nine years, and she shared how her “favorite aspect about being in CADG is that [she is] able to pursue [her] hobby in dance while sharing [her] culture that [she]loves to an audience.” So Apaches, if you’re hoping to see something different, try scoping out CADG’s performance coming soon in November.

kchan@apachepowwow.com Photos courtesy of MISSIONPLAYHOUSE.ORG

Talent Tours the Nation

By ASHLEY LEE

Staff Writer

For the past month, famous gymnasts have been making their way around the U.S., bringing their talent to cities of all sizes. The 2016 Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions features members of the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Teams and runs until mid-November. This tour gives people all over the nation a chance to watch their favorite gymnasts perform live.

The show opens with an introduction of each member of the cast, welcomed by the roaring cheers of the audience. A majority of the show features individuals performing their respective personal routines. Simone Biles, four-time gold medalist and star of Rio 2016, stole the show with her gold medal floor routine. Chris Brooks, 2016 U.S. all-around silver medalist, was a star on the horizontal bars. Jordyn Wieber and Nastia Liukin, members of the 2012 Olympic Team, also brought back their routines and showed the audience their talent once more.

Members of acrobatic and rhythmic gymnastics are also featured in this tour. Tiffani Williams and Axel Osborne, mixed pair silver medalists in the 2016 World Championships, performed their unique acrobat routines, which consists of dynamic stunts where they propel one another into the air. The 2016 U.S. Olympic Rhythmic group’s routine was accentuated through their use of ribbons and hoops.

The tour closes with a finale featuring all members of the cast. Acrobatic, rhythmic, and artistic gymnasts join together in one final incredible show. Different components of the last show include joint dances, solos, as well as acrobatic stunts. The gymnasts, dressed in neon apparel, dance to the final song “Don’t Stop Believing”, delivering the crowd one final message—dreams are achievable if you just believe.

Freshman Katelyn Wu recently attended the tour held at the Staples Center and stated that “the whole performance truly was amazing.” She explained that she “had goosebumps the entire time” and “could feel the crowd giving off so much energy.” To be able to unite with other fans sharing the same passion for the gymnasts and the sport of gymnastics itself brings the experience to another level. Fans are united in one big venue and come together in celebration of the gymnasts and their achievements. Audience members are able to cheer on the athletes together and be amazed by their true talent as a whole. One of the reasons that the Kellogg’s Tour is so popular is because it allows fans to watch the gymnasts perform live, instead of having to watch them through a TV screen. Katelyn also mentioned that “it’s an incredibly different feeling seeing them perform in person rather than [on] a TV screen.” It’s not common for people to watch gymnastic performances, let alone competitions, so this opportunity truly gives the audience more than they can ask for in one show. To watch gymnasts perform in a show rather than in a competition is an entirely different experience.

The gymnasts have been making their mark all over the U.S. through this tour, inspiring the young and the old to continue dreaming on. Their performances have played an incredible role in so many lives, motivating individuals to strive for their goals and reminding fans that nothing is impossible.

The Russian Grand Ballet Presents SWAN LAKE & SLEEPING BEAUTY

By SARAH WANG

Staff Writer

The Russian Grand Ballet performed its acclaimed shows Sleeping Beauty and the famous Swan Lake on its 2016 North American Tour. The Grand Ballet was in Southern California from Oct. 13 to 16. Sleeping Beauty played at Glendale’s Alex Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 15. The audience was immersed into the dance’s emotion and expression during the mesmerizing show. Additionally, Swan Lake was performed at LA’s Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Oct. 16! Both shows began at 7:00 p.m. and ticket prices ranged from $30 to $60 and sold out quickly.

This ballet company consists of the three most established schools in Russia: the Great Russian choreographic schools of St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kiev. The ballet is led by Russia’s biggest rising ballet stars: soloists Constantine Mayorov, Yulia Zakharenko, Denis Chernyak, Antonina Radievskaya, Evgeniy Svetlitsa, Dmitry Vasilev, Olga Kifyak, and Akari Kawasaki Sinyavskaya. The soloists were backed up by 18 other dancers in various shows. It is on a 27-stop North American tour and will finish further down on the West Coast.

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was performed in three acts with two intermissions, featuring choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. In case you are unfamiliar with Swan Lake, this 130-minute dance is a beautiful mixture of love and deception to the grand soundtrack of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, also known as Peter Tchaikovsky. The ballet opens with a royal coming-of-age ball during which Prince Seigfried is to select a bride. The prince is gifted with a beautiful crossbow and he decides to hunt a flock of swans that had flown overhead. He follows the swans to a lake in the heart of the forest only to discover that they have turned into beautiful girls. The swan princess, Odette, tells the prince that she was placed under a spell by an evil sorcerer that can only be lifted if a virgin prince swears infinite fidelity and marries her. Seigfried falls in love and invites Odette to the ball. In a tragic twist, the evil sorcerer disguised his daughter as the lovely Odette causing Seigfried to propose to the wrong woman. Realizing his mistake, he races back to the lake to beg for Odette’s forgiveness. Odette tells Siegfried that she must kill herself or forever remain a swan. Siegfried declares that he will die with her and the two fling themselves into the lake, vanquishing the evil sorcerer in their act of love. The two lovers are forever united in life after death.

Most of us are familiar with the synopsis of Sleeping Beauty, but the ballet has altered the storyline slightly. King Florestan and his Queen host a grand christening ceremony to honor the birth of their first child, Princess Aurora. Only six of the seven fairies of the realm are invited, and the evil fairy who was not invited, Carabosse, crashes the ceremony accompanied by her many rodent minions and a clap of thunder. Carabosse punishes the Master of Ceremonies, Catallabutte, for not sending an invitation, by beating him with her staff. She also curses Princess Aurora to die by the prick of a spindle on her 16th birthday, but the good Lilac Fairy alters the curse so that the princess will be awoken after a century by the kiss of a handsome prince. True to the tale, on her 16th birthday, Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle and the whole castle falls into a deep sleep. A hundred years later, a prince named Désiré is selected by the Lilac Fairy to defeat Carabosse and rescue the princess. The quest is a success and Prince Désiré and Princess Aurora marry each other in a grand ceremony and live happily ever after.

The Russian Grand Ballet was only here for three days, but its performances made a lasting impression on audiences all around for they enjoyed an evening of whimsical dancing!

swang@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of ALL-FREE-DOWNLOAD.COM Photos courtesy of STADIUMTHEATRE.COM and LATINLIFE.COM

By MARUKO MYINT

Haunted Hallo-ways

Staff Writer

This year’s “Haunted Hallways” was held on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Ticket prices varied, depending on the time bought and the status of the ticket.

Pep Squad members set up and participated in scaring guests as monsters. Leaders within the program were also given the responsibility of making sure everything was under control. They planned to set up on Oct. 21 during sixth period, which was also their first day of operation. Materials used in this event were all rented or recycled from earlier years.

“Haunted Hallways” took place in the G and E-Halls. Within the hallways, there were sections that displayed different themes and characters. Themes from last year that were used again include the mental ward, scarecrow path, mask room, and baby-doll room. These themes formed a new section dedicated to the popular film, The Purge.

Pep Leader Sophomore Annie Ou said, “The new section included iconic characters from the movie. People who came this year could have expected to be screaming with fear from this part!”

Pep Squad planned to branch out and advertise in new and different places. They also cleaned up earlier this year by closing the event at 10:00 p.m.

Regular AHS students could have also participated in this event by volunteering as monsters. That helped Pep Squad get more volunteers while also offering a unique experience to the kids that participated. Students interested in volunteering attended mandatory meetings and were given a certain role as a monster. They had a choice to either to make their own outfit or be given one by a Pep Squad member. The volunteers were also expected to show up a few hours before the event to prepare and put on makeup.

After going through the hallways, guests enjoyed the carnival food and games. There were various games that offered prizes, and delicious foods were also up for sale. Popcorn, funnel cake, fries, snow cones, nachos, and chili were also available.

Pep Squad hoped to attract over 200 people for this event. The profit was used for funding the numerous events Pep Squad attends, and for purchasing new material for future years. Pep Flags Captain Sophomore Ivy Chang explained that Pep Squad “obtained a majority of [its] funding from this fundraiser to pay for [their] coaches, music, and more.”

“It’s extremely important for us to work hard in order to allow Pep Squad to continue cheering and showing our school spirit,” Ivy said.

We wish Pep Squad the best of luck in achieving and surpassing its goal this year.

mmyint@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of FREE-VECTORS.COM