![It was definitely out of my comfort zone to get [the dress] and decide I loved it enough not to wait and risk not having something that memorable.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Precious_20180902_JRS_00008_ed1.jpg)
![Sophomore Sahasra Mandalapu practices bharatanatyam choreography in class. These new dances will be performed in an annual show in February. Mandalapu found that practicing in class helped her overcome stage fright during her performances. “When [I] get on stage, Im nervous Im going to forget, even though Ive done it for so long,” Mandalapu said. “Theres still that little bit of stage fright [when] I second-guess myself that I dont know it enough, but I do because Ive been practicing for a whole year.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sahasra-6-Large-1200x844.jpeg)
![In their full runway outfits, (from left) Audrey Lee 25, Olivia Lucy Teets, 25, Fashion Design teacher Ms. Judy Chance, and Xueying Lili Yang pose for a photo. All three girls made it to Austin Fashion Week by getting in the top 10 in a previous runway show held by Shop LC.
[I like my students] creativity and how they can look at a fabric and make it their own, Ms. Chance said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_9686-e1714088765730-1129x1200.jpeg)
![IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Zalie Mann performs “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” an ensemble piece from the fall musical Sweet Charity, to prospective students during the Fine Arts Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The showcase is a compilation of performances and demonstrations from each fine arts strand offered at McCallum. This show is put on so that prospective students can see if they are interested in joining an academy or major.
Sweet Charity originally ran the weekends of Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, but made a comeback for the Fine Arts Showcase.
“[Being at the front in the spotlight] is my favorite part of the whole dance, so I was super happy to be on stage performing and smiling at the audience,” Mann said.
Mann performed in both the musical theatre performance and dance excerpt “Ethereal,” a contemporary piece choreographed by the new dance director Terrance Carson, in the showcase. With also being a dance ambassador, Mann got to talk about what MAC dance is, her experience and answer any questions the aspiring arts majors and their parents may have.
Caption by Maya Tackett.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53321803427_47cd17fe70_o-1-1200x800.jpg)
![SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club.
“It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.”
Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac.
“I think its important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.”
Caption by JoJo Barnard.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53221601352_4127a81c41_o-1200x675.jpg)
In this episode of Feedback Loop, senior Lucas Hendrix discusses his experience writing and performing music as “Phimpkade,” playing with the band Pipe and living with perfect pitch.
I don’t know how other people live without this heavy of a music passion.
— Lucas Hendrix
Hendrix grew up in a musical family, but he became a musician in his own right after finding his very own guitar at the end of a Christmas scavenger hunt when he was 6 years old. Hendrix couldn’t stop playing and soon picked up the drums, bass and double bass.
“I’ve just always been starstruck by music,” Hendrix said. It’s always been the big thing that’s been surrounding me, the big maze that I’ve had to vertically climb.”
In an elementary school music class, Hendrix discovered that he had perfect pitch, the ability to identify notes by name and photographically remember songs in key.
“It’s a odd weight carrying it with me, but it’s awesome,” Hendrix said. “I don’t know how other people live without it. I don’t know how other people live without this heavy of a music passion.”
While Hendrix is a three-year All-State bassist in the McCallum Chamber Orchestra, he writes his own music on guitar and plays guitar in Pipe. He finds inspiration in music from The Flaming Lips, The Velvet Underground, Beach House and a wide array of artists across genres.
“I expel the noisy, loud, very hurtful energy that I took it over COVID,” Hendrix said. “I think that’s my roots– the extreme, awesome, riffy guitar music.”
Hendrix writes music based on moments in his everyday life, from his frustration surrounding a stolen gyro to walking around on a broken ankle at school. And while his room is his recording studio, Hendrix said he’s most in his element when performing on stage.
“I like performing and I like the idea of performing,” Hendrix said. “People come in to see you and you’re given a time slot. You have to fill that time slot with something. You could unplug everything and make everyone scream along with you, or you could be a hype man. You could do anything for like 20 minutes.”
After high school, Hendrix plans to focus on writing, producing and distributing music. In kindergarten, Hendrix said “music is my life.” Now, Hendrix said music is the one thing he couldn’t live without.
“I’m tethered to it,” Hendrix said. “I don’t think there can be any other thing for me. This is my life, and it always has been. I don’t think about anything else.”
Hendrix’s playlist of the 10 songs that have impacted him the most
This story was originally published on The Shield Online on January 11, 2024.
