Woodside’s Wildcats shared their talents with friends, family, and fellow students on Thursday, October 17 at the annual talent show.
The talent show gives all students the opportunity to express themselves and share their talents. Many students sang, others danced, and some played instruments. The audience consisted mostly of friends and family of the performers; however, they were very supportive and cheered for everyone.
Gigi Hussussian, a Woodside junior, was awarded first place for her beautiful dance solo to the song “Bellyache” by Billie Eilish.
“I started dancing six years ago … because I really liked gymnastics.” Hussussian said. “I was starting to get over it [though], and my sister started doing dance. It looked really fun, and there was this new studio, so I started dancing there.”
Students practice their performances for weeks, perfecting their acts until the day of the talent show. Hussussian explains how she prepared for the talent show.
“My choreographer, Amy, … gave me a solo last year and I performed it during competition, so I used that solo and just practiced in my studio when I had time,” Hussussian said.
Performing on stage can be terrifying for some. Hussussian shares insight into her pre-performance ritual.
“Before I go on stage I do a little ritual: I just shake out my nerves, do relevés and other things to prepare my body for the dance, and I go over the dance in my head.” Hussussian said.
Not only did family and friends of the performers come to support; students from Woodside came to watch their classmates as well. Erika Rohlfes, a sophomore from Woodside, shares her thoughts on the turnout of the audience.
“I was surprised by how many people were there, because I only expected there to be family and friends of the contestants,” Rohlfes said.
Rohlfes expresses how she felt about the diverse performances of the students who participated.
“I was really impressed by all the contestants and how hard they worked to create amazing performances,” Rohlfes said.
Overall, the talent show allows participating students to share their abilities and practice performing in front of large audiences. Hussussian has a lot of experience performing in front of big crowds because of dance.
“I really love doing [the talent show].” Hussussian said. “It is super fun to perform, so any chance I get to perform, I do it. [The talent show] was an outlet for me to showcase what I can do and hopefully inspire more people to do it.”
