Audiences captivated by performances at Open House

As future Mustangs stepped on Walnut’s campus to attend the Open House Showcase Night, they were welcomed by the performances from Choir, Drama, Dance Team and the Blue Thunder Marching Band on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Showcase Night serves as an opportunity for incoming students to see what Walnut High School has to offer. Various programs within the arts demonstrated what they’ve been working on, answered questions and recruited new members to join.

Choir students from Chamber Singers, Rhapsody in Blue, Treble Choir and Men’s Ensemble serenaded Mustang families with prepared songs. Some select pieces included “As Long as I’m Singing” by Bobby Darin which was performed by Chamber Singers, “Paint it, Black” by the Rolling Stones performed by Rhapsody in Blue, “Sigh No More Ladies” by Patrick Doyle performed by Treble Choir and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen performed by the Men’s Ensemble. Each Choir practiced different amounts, but all had been rehearsing from weeks up to months leading up to the performance.

“I felt a bit nervous performing. If you ever stand on stage and sing in front of a live audience it’s sometimes scary, but you get a lot of adrenaline going through your veins. I hope people gained inspiration for getting into singing or music from our performance,” junior tenor Adrian Offinga said.

The Drama Department shared a snippet of their upcoming spring musical “Mamma Mia” with a performance to the song “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, a monologue and a dance number from the musical. Cast members have been rehearsing six days a week and pour hours of time working on perfecting choreography, songs, and going over lines. “Mamma Mia” will be performed at the Performing Arts Center on March 15, 16, 22 and 23.

“I think this particular number we are showing is fun; it adds the main character of the musical and shows an iconic song that most people know. I think that it’s something that everyone is familiar with, they get to see how we’re doing it and the fun the actors are having,” Drama Director Nikki Hinson-O’Connor said. “I’m excited, and I do hope that the eighth graders will come and want to be part of our drama program here at Walnut High School.”

Dance Team held a mock practice for their showcase, performing routines such as their large jazz routine to “PURE/HONEY” by Beyoncé, large lyrical routine to “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston and their award winning category large kick routine to “The Raiders March (1981)” by Meco allowing families to see a behind-the-scenes look into how they rehearse. Dancers have daily practices, early 6 a.m. rehearsals and have been working on their routines since the summer. Sophomore dancer Kyrah Chien is excited to showcase their program, dances they’ve been working on and what the Dance Department has to offer.

“I really feel like dance can sometimes be overlooked. It looks easy sometimes but it’s also really hard. We put in a lot of work for it and it’s not easy getting all the dances to where they are now,” Chien said. “I’m excited to show off our dances, I hope they see how much effort is being put into it and [dance] is not just something we show up, have fun and go home for, but something we put a lot of work and dedication into.”

Blue Thunder Marching Band began to learn pieces earlier this summer and since then, have performed at different school wide events such as football games and pep rallies. The Band performed pieces including “Fight Song (Sons of Westwood)” composed by Harold P. Williams, “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.

“I think we have a really good [music] program here at Walnut, and we’re both really lucky and fortunate to have all of the resources that we have. I think it’s good that people know that kids are putting in the work and [know] more about our program,” drum major senior Markus Truong said. “I hope they have more interest in the end or find a new appreciation for the arts. Most importantly, I hope they gained enjoyment out of our songs and that they had excitement about the whole event.”