Junior and Senior SING! Prep for Competition
Junior SING! rehearses after school in the auditorium. Photo Credit: Duygu Kondakci
By DUYGU KONDACKI, SELINA LIN, and OLIVIA WANG
A CRACK echoes throughout the auditorium as an actor yelps in pain from another stab to their left foot by an enthusiastic hip hop dancer feeling their flow. The melodic harmonies of the chorus overlap with a debate on center stage between actors and dancers. Minutes later, a sibling-style feud breaks out over stage time. The pressure is on!
This February 8 and 9, three SING! performances will be held in which sophomores and freshmen collaborate to go against junior and senior productions. Last year, the seniors won (as usual), but by the closest margin in years.
This year’s Junior SING! commissioners, Asalya Fakhridinova and Naimah Rahman, have been hard at work managing 33 students in their 2020 production about a wedding with a modern twist.
“Don’t be afraid of anything, perform the craziest dances, say the craziest lines, and put on the craziest shows,” Rahman said. “You have to go big or go home!
Junior SING! feels like their strong team communication gives them an edge.
“Communication is key,” Rahman stated. “[This] sounds obvious, but it’s true. Most problems arise from miscommunication.”
Joining SING! means taking on the responsibility of balancing school work and hectic performance schedules. Rahman said that being a part of the program is the “biggest amount of pressure, and all eyes fall onto us,” but overall it’s a worthwhile tradeoff for the tremendous amount of fun to be had.
“Everyone here is so funny, and we get along so well,” Kaylie Williams ’21 said. “We’re always bouncing ideas off each other. And I really hope everyone can stay in touch. [SING!’s] like a family to me.”
This is Williams’s first year participating in SING!, so she was shocked to land the lead role. She couldn’t be more happy with the people she’s working with, she said. She got to go out of her comfort zone and try new approaches to the sassy-yet-sophisticated character she is playing.
Fellow actor Jeanine Jourdain ’21 tends to get nervous, but with the support of her actors and acting leaders, she is working to overcome her fears and make the most of her stage time.
“SING! is the best experience,” Jourdain said. “When I work on my lines frequently, I gain the self confidence I need to perform.”
The same thing can be said about the tech crew. Jacklyn Vu ’21, a tech director, and her crew “may be a small group,” she said “but we’re the ones who have to go through with the cues, and since we’re in the back, we can’t hear well, so we have to focus.”
SING! isn’t “really about the win,” said Tendajie Leon ’21, a co-stage manager with Jayson Herrera ’21. “Well, it is! But it’s more about working together and having the satisfaction of putting a show together.”
Meanwhile, hip hop dance leader Crystal Wu ’21 is bringing forth a new flavor as co-choreographer with Mayeda Saintpreux ’21 to give the juniors a leg up on their rivals.
Rahman said, “We have an amazing cast with great talent, and I know the energy on show night will be unmatched.”
Not if the seniors have something to say about it.
Tanisa Rahman ’20, costume director for Senior SING!, is feeling confident about her team’s chances.
Rahman was an acting director before she became a costume director. But it’s still fun “being a costume director because I get to work with everyone,” she said. “The costumes are going to be fabulous and stand out.”
Senior SING! practices “during weekends, breaks, Regents week, and after school,” said Kelly Luu ’20, an art director. The art crew does some of the most work and “racks in the most points,” she said. “We also won best art two years ago.”
Working in the art crew can get messy. Lea Presume ’20, another art director “has ruined a lot of clothes, and they were good clothes, too,” she said. But they “made a lot of memories.”
Gabriella Shalumor ’20, a commissioner, said being a commissioner is “like being a human resource. We mediate problems, manage time,” and help organize the other groups. The commissioners try to be “the glue of the show,” she said.
The SING! experience can get very emotional, especially the week before the official show, when “we would stay after school and practice and pretend that it’s the real show,” said Rahman ’20.
“SING! is like a family,” said Sonya Tsaryuk ’20, another commissioner. “A lot of people who joined SING! stay in SING! Being able to create something beautiful is worth all the hard work.”
“We encourage people to join,” said Tsaryuk. “Keep the legacy going.”
Last year, the seniors beat the juniors in one of the closest contests in years. Come to the auditorium February 8 and 9 to see if the juniors can finally pull off the upset.