The Fine Arts department presented a sold-out end-of-year Holiday Extravaganza on Dec.11. With a “Christmas at the Movies” theme, student performers brought the classic winter movies Polar Express (2004) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) to life, bringing holiday cheer to a packed audience.
The Sapphires, performing as part of the main program this year, danced in tune to Tom Hanks’ Hot Chocolate, Josh Groban’s Believe, and Alan Silvestri’s Spirit of the Season. The Dazzlers and Spartanaires performed a shorter routine for the dinner section, a role the Sapphires filled in previous years. Senior and Vice President of Sapphires’ Socials Ailsa Cheng described how she felt taking on the challenge of a longer routine under a short period of time.
“I was a little nervous because we were struggling while learning it,” Cheng said. “But when we were practicing, our directors and other teachers were telling us how cute we looked, so it made me a little more hopeful. I was really proud because we had been working really hard on it for an entire week.”
Besides performing songs from the two movies, the program also included performances of pop songs from Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You to Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime. Junior Chenxi Ling described how she felt playing a solo during the All I Want for Christmas is You section.
“This solo was quite fun to play because it was pop music rather than classical, which wasn’t something I’m used to,” Ling said.
Each year, the program also holds an auction where an audience member can bid money to conduct a performance of the classic Christmas jingle “Sleigh Ride.” This year, the top bid of $2500 went directly towards funding the fine arts department.
“It’s always really fun because we get to watch someone pretend to conduct, and it obviously seems like it’s a lot of fun for them too,” senior Saumya Dharap said.
With the orchestra, band, and choir all coming together for classics such as Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, the Holiday Extravaganza saw a larger audience than usual. For Junior and Varsity choir member Trystian Tirta, performing in front of this larger audience put a lot of “pressure on us to do well.”
“For a lot of families in the crowd, this was the first time they were listening to the Varsity Choir, so there was a lot of pressure on us to do well,” Tirta said. “At the same time, this was motivation for us to perform well so that their first impression was a good one.”
As the weeks of rehearsal come to a close, the preparation makes the outcome more rewarding. Though there were many challenges, many students feel the satisfaction of seeing the show come together makes the weeks of rehearsal worth it.
“[My favorite part is] whenever it finally starts to come together,” Senior in Choir Avery Lindsey said. “We recently had our Cocoa and Carols event too, where we performed for the teachers and students on Friday of last week, and that was the first time we were able to perform those songs for other people. Doing that, you finally get to see the close-to-final product and make those nitty gritty details really shine.
Beyond the performance itself, Holiday Extravaganza also holds meaning for many students, as it allows musicians, singers, and dancers to work together and see how each group contributes to the success of the show. This collaboration not only highlights the variety of talent but also creates a sense of unity and excitement as students support each other on and off the stage.
“It was so fun to perform our JV routine for Holiday Extravaganza and also to be able to see the other fine art’s amazing talents,” Junior and Spartanaire Saanvi Korampalli said.
