More Than a Show: The Spirit and Organization Behind AISG’s Talent Show

Eduardo D.

Picture of StuCo Dance, which opened the performance on Friday, image from author

AISG is a community of many talents. Every year, Student Council (StuCo) dedicates itself to organizing a memorable event to showcase these talents, while also fostering an environment where friends and family can come see the people they care about become vulnerable and perform with passion and success.

 

Although Student Council has been organizing this event for several years now, this year’s event continued to grow in scale and excitement. It is no different in its ambition, featuring 22 performances from students, teachers, and unique collaborations between the two.

 

However, organizing such an event requires a strong team and an ambitious leader. This is where 12th grader Euna J., the current Upper Secondary Student Council President, comes in.

 

“Since Talent Show is StuCo’s biggest event of the year, a lot of planning and preparation went into making it a success,” Euna shares. “We started as early as February by deciding on the theme and worked consistently throughout March and April to handle advertising, logistics, and coordination.”

 

Throughout these long months of preparation, Euna explains that attention to detail is crucial, “For example, we had to choose a theme, schedule all the auditions and rehearsals, book buses, ensure all instruments were available and in good condition, invite parents and guardians to campus.”

 

This was just the behind-the-scenes. Of course, constant communication with performers was also essential to organizing such a successful event, as all their needs had to be met.

 

Despite all this behind-the-scenes action, it eventually came down to the people on stage on the night. Euna shares more about how the students’ drive to excel made this year’s talent show special, and the selection process needed to bring the best performances on stage.

 

“This year’s Talent Show was probably one of the best I’ve experienced during my time in upper secondary,” Euna details. “We had around 35 auditions — more than in any previous year — which made the selection process incredibly difficult for our Executive Council, since every act truly deserved a spot on stage.”

 

It wasn’t just the students who were eager to perform, but also the audience, who were keen on participating. Euna elaborates, “What also made this year’s show stand out was the size and energy of the audience. We sold about 300 tickets, and the theater was nearly full with parents, guardians, students, and teachers all showing up to support the performers.”

 

To gain insight into the Talent Show experience from a performer’s perspective, we reached out to Pavi N., a 12th grader at AISG who never misses a chance to perform.

 

Pavi begins by sharing how he values this event, “I’ve always enjoyed performing in front of an audience, and the Talent Show has always been one of the main events where I get to showcase that.”

 

He shares more about this year’s show, “For this year’s show, I wanted to create something completely new that had never been seen at AISG before… I added some unique elements to make it stand out and make sure the audience had an unforgettable experience.”

 

Pavi performed with his friends and teachers, closing the show on Friday with a bang. Even though he’s incredibly experienced with dancing and was a key player in choreographing this successful routine, Pavi shares that his success on the night was solely due to the people around him, especially the ones who pushed themselves outside of their comfort zone to try something new.

 

“The preparation for the Talent Show really came down to my awesome buddies—Owen, Jimmy, Jacky, and Javad. They stepped up to dance just for me, even though dance can be nerve-wracking for them.”

 

“Big thanks to my brother, Thiya, too. Though he’s in 6th grade, he’s an amazing dancer and made rehearsing easier, as he’s a big part of my performance. I’d also like to thank all the teachers—Mrs. Fuang, Dr. Fielder, Ms. Flansburg, Mr. Gomes, Ms. Hong, Ms. Zhu, Mr. Bose, and Mr. Huang—for being so supportive and encouraging.”

 

“Without their involvement, this wouldn’t have worked out.”

 

Even after such a triumphant dance routine, Pavi takes a moment to reflect on the most memorable part of the experience, eventually crediting it to the people supporting him, whether it be the electric audience or his friends backstage.

 

He finishes by taking the time to appreciate Mr. Huang, who dedicated his performance to the Class of 2025 with a special song: “On top of that, a special shoutout to Mr. Huang’s performance. It was truly made for the Class of 2025. It left so many of us in tears, especially since it was the last day of school for the seniors before exams. But they were good tears. Thank you, Mr. Huang.”

 

Another much younger star performer from the Talent Show was Yair F., a seventh grader at AISG. His moment of the night was an incredible piano performance of the Titanic theme song.

 

First, he shares what motivated him to do his first-ever talent show: “I did the talent show this year because it keeps me motivated every year to continue playing piano.”

 

Before the performance, Yair reflects on having a boost of adrenaline waiting backstage. But once he stepped into the spotlight, his nerves quickly faded, replaced by pure joy and excitement just to be on stage.

 

Yair then reflects on the most fulfilling part of his performance, “The part I’m going to remember the most is the climax of the song because it’s the part that I really wanted to get correctly for the performance, and I think I played it well.”

 

Speaking of memorable moments, Euna shares hers: “One behind-the-scenes moment that really stood out to me was seeing the performers backstage just before their turn. Many of them looked really nervous, but the moment they stepped on stage, you’d never be able to tell — they delivered incredible performances with so much confidence.”

 

“Another moment I remember clearly was practicing and improvising our emcee script with Sara just seconds before we went on stage. The chemistry we’ve built over the past year really showed, and it made the experience so much more fun and seamless.”

 

Over at the   camp, the team is already thinking about next year and brainstorming some improvements. Euna begins by explaining, “Although I won’t be here next year to help organize the Talent Show, one thing I really hope to see improved is the StuCo performance — especially our dance.”

 

She continues, “Hopefully, the future team will be able to set aside more time to rehearse and really perfect the annual StuCo performance, whether it’s a dance or another creative act.”

 

Sara I., an eleventh grader at AISG and the current Vice President of StuCo, elaborates on more improvements: “For next year’s talent show, we’re aiming to have an even wider range of performances. While this year brought in many exciting and enthusiastic performers, we’d love to see a greater variety of acts like magic tricks or comedy skits.”

 

Yet, she reflects on this year’s show’s success and acknowledges its role as a steppingstone in the right direction.

 

“We were definitely surprised by the large turnout this year, and we can assure that next year, there will be enough buses for everyone to get home and an even better StuCo performance!”

 

Only time will tell whether the annual Talent Show will continue to grow in size and excitement, but with this school’s Student Council in charge, don’t be surprised if next year’s show steals the spotlight again.

 

Note: This author is also part of StuCo