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HAPPY HOLIDAYS By MARUKO MYINT

theapachepowwow.com

Staff Writer

The holidays are interpreted differently by everyone, but it is undeniable that festivity can lift even the lowest of spirits. Some may cherish this time of year as a religious holiday, but others view it as a festive celebration to spread holiday cheer and family love. In the weeks preceding the holiday season, families, stores, and neighborhoods outfit their places with holidays decorations, turning them into winter wonderlands. Families often organize special meals, inviting relatives over for delicious food and also exchanging gifts with them. Our students have shared their takes on the memorable holidays, sharing their favorite activities during the season and the traditions they have with their family and friends.

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“My family and I always decorate the tree together while listening to Christmas music. We also go to our relative’s house and open each other’s presents on Christmas Eve. With my friends, we always decorate gingerbread houses together and go ice skating. I really love the holiday season so much because you can snuggle up in your cozy blankets and watch Christmas movies.” — Catherine Esguerra, 10

December 2016

December 2016

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“At my church, [Operation Christmas Child packs] normal necessities like toothbrushes, shoes, pencils, etc, into shoeboxes. After all the packing, we send them to developing countries for children who aren’t as privileged. It’s a really rewarding experience.” — Gabriel Han, 10

holiday season

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“I get together with my whole family and eat a huge lunch. The food isn’t your standard holiday food and it’s more culture food, but I think that’s what makes the holiday season special to me.” — Jace Kwan, 9

“My family is American-Jewish, [so] we celebrate Hanukkah around the traditional holiday time! I celebrate Hanukkah with my mom’s side of the family and Christmas with my dad’s side, so it’s always lots of fun and a great experience.” — Lauren Awaya, 12

“On Christmas Eve, I usually enjoy the day with either family or friends until noon, which is when I start getting ready for the annual Christmas play at our church. After the play, my family gets ready for mass [and spends time with my grandma] and cousins.” — Thomas Nguyen, 11

By CAMILLE MARQUEZ

Staff Writer

Every year in December, multiple dance groups come together in the PAC to present an emotional, entertaining, and energetic show. This year, the Charity Dance Show showcased all the AHS dance groups as well as outside companies, including Glendale All Male, Project 21, Junior Hit List, Evoke Dance Company, and many more. The show also acted as a tribute to Joanne Domenici who will be remembered as a person of great passion for dance and devotion to her family and students. A fraction of the profit from ticket sales were donated to the Joanne Domenici Memorial Fund to provide scholarships for student dancers.

All performers of the Charity Dance Show are constantly reminded of the countless factors that are accounted for to perform an excellent show. It is the use of facials, engagement of the audience, awareness of space, amount of energy, and passion in each step, that makes each dance special. No matter the skill level, all are taught the important rhythm, timing, and most importantly, dynamics.

Each dance was carefully planned to show a specific message or culture. Some were integrated with Chinese folk dance while others are influenced by different time eras. There were styles of hip-hop, ballet, jazz, and contemporary shown throughout different pieces that kept the dances compelling and unpredictable. All performances were split into two or more sections to give an appearance of layers and roll-offs. The choreography was precisely fitted with an exact song; it matched up with crescendos and diminuendos, lyrics, accents, and instrumental changes. These elements all came together to form a showcase that left people excited and spirited!

Of course, there was also the fascinating stage production. Stage crew members were an essential part of making the Charity Dance Show so excellent. These individuals were in charge of the operation and display of lights; they added and exaggerated the feeling of each and every dance. Behind the curtains, stage crew was managing the dancers as well, keeping them organized, quiet, and focused.

The show was captivating and a major success. It demonstrated the amount of effort everyone had contributed to make this production as wonderful as possible. The Charity Show was a performance that left everyone in awe.

cmarquez@apachepowwow.com Graphic courtesy of 1001FONTS.COM , CLIPARTKID.COM, and CLIPARTPANDA.COM Photo courtesy of THEATERPLAYHOUSE.COM

By FRANCES CHEUNG

Staff Writer

Most ballerinas and people who are familiar with the art of ballet have most likely heard of, been a part of, or seen The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet holiday classic that originated from Russia and has dated as far back as the late 1800s. Because it is a story centered around holidays and Christmas, many ballet groups and studios choose to perform this particular production near the end of the year. However, while many students and audience members attend these dazzling shows, admiring the grace and skill of hard-working ballerinas, many aren’t familiar with the actual plot line and the history of this show and its music.

This show dates back to over a hundred years ago in 1891 when famous music composer Peter Tchaikovsky was appointed to compose music for Alexandre Dumas’ adaption, originally named, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. In terms of art and music history, this particular period of time is classified under the Romantic period, which most likely explains why the gentle and welcoming tunes of music from this production give audience members a warm and sweet feeling as they listen. When this show was first performed in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia, surprisingly, it recieved a lot of hatred and dissatisfied comments from viewers. But since then, it has gained a massive amount of love and popularity from people around the world today.

The actual story revolves around a young girl, Clara, who receives a beautiful nutcracker toy from her godfather at her family’s Christmas party. Jealous of the gift, her brother breaks the toy, which is later fixed by her godfather once again. Worried that her gift would be damaged a second time, Clara holds her toy under the Christmas tree, but to her surprise begins shrinking to the size of the nutcracker itself. After defeating the mouse king, the nutcracker transforms into a prince, and together they go on an adventure meeting the Sugar Plum Fairy, and traveling to enchanted lands, such as the Land of Snow and Land of Sweets. The production ends with Clara waking up under the tree, realizing that it was all a magical dream.

Now that it’s the holiday season, you’re bound to encounter the chance to attend and watch this show in person. Even if you’ve never attended a ballet production before, who knows? You might enjoy the story and show like many others have. Grab some friends to enjoy this century-old ballet. Also, don’t forget to have fun and add to the positivity and spirit of the holiday season!