![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)
We learn to come together as a team.”
— Daniella Orton
The Spectrum Sting Dance Team made Spectrum history a few weeks ago by gaining the opportunity to perform at a Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game on Wednesday, January 3rd. After being invited in August, the SSDT began preparing for the performance.
“The Timberwolves performance was very different from our normal competitions and performances,” said Dance Captain and junior at Spectrum, Sarah Smith. “It’s a much bigger environment and we got invited to go there.”
While they had been preparing for the performance since the dance season started, the team encountered some road blocks as the date approached. Coach Melanie Aeshliman stated that the original plan was to have everybody in the Spectrum dance program out on the floor. These plans were forced to change for numerous reasons.
“Maybe there’s an injury or maybe there’s a different situation where they’re not able to perform for x, y, z,” said Aeshliman.
When there are dancers that aren’t able to be at a performance, the dancers on the floor have to adapt to fit their routine to make it look as flawless as possible.
“Some of the challenges were just remembering the new corrections or the formation changes that we had to change a lot,” said Daniella Orton, a member of the dance team and eighth grader at Spectrum.
As soon as I hit the court it was just surreal.”
— Sarah Smith
Although they had challenges leading up to the Timberwolves game, the Spectrum Sting Dance Team overcame them and kicked their way to a successful performance. Each member of the team had moments that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
“It’s such a unique experience for us,” said Smith. “We had never done it before so we were all really nervous.”
“Getting to dance and just have fun,” said Aislin Tuckey, a member of the dance team and a junior at Spectrum. “Get[ting] to see people that we love like family, watching us and cheering us on.”
The performance at the Timberwolves game impacted the Spectrum Sting Dance Team in a positive way. They will continue to use that confidence to skyrocket into a successful season.
This story was originally published on NOISE News on January 23, 2024.
