By Maddie Coate
Staff Writer
Mira Costa performing arts programs participated in the annual Performing Holiday Arts Assembly today during second period in the Costa auditorium.
Advanced Drama acted out original holiday skits; the choir ensembles, Mira Costa Muscle and the Coterie sang songs including “Oh Holy Night” and “At Last;” the advanced dance class danced to “Sugar Rum Cherry” by Duke Ellington and “All I Want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey and the Wind Ensemble performed “Slalom” by composer Carter Pann.
“The assembly was a fun way to show kids who aren’t in choir, band, dance or drama the dedication and hard work we put into the arts program,” Multicultural Choir member junior Claudia Fellows said.
Band director Joel Carlson picks a different ensemble to perform every year to ensure all band members get an equal opportunity to perform. This year, he chose Wind Ensemble.
“To prepare, Wind Ensemble practiced in class for an hour everyday,” Wind Ensemble member senior Kaitlyn McQuown said. “We also had a dress rehearsal the day before our performance.”
Carlson chose the piece “Slalom” due to its melodies, which he claims give the listener the sensation of skiing.
“We’ve been moving on to more sophisticated literature instead of just the average holiday music,” McQuown said. “It’s great to be able to share what we’ve accomplished with the whole school while also spreading some cheer.”
The Drama Department performed original skits for the assembly that were holiday related.
“The skits came purely from our imagination,” junior Sabrina Mongiello said. “We tried to keep our audience in mind when writing them. The scenes were more talk-heavy this year than action heavy, so it took a more attentive audience to get the same result.”
The a capella choir groups, Coterie and Mira Costa Muscle, also sang holiday songs.
“The Coterie and Mira Costa Muscle both practiced on their own and then came to me for the final touches,” choir director Michael Hayden said. “We tried to add a more contemporary perspective to holiday music with our own renditions of the songs.”
Mira Costa Advanced Dance began preparing two weeks before the assembly.
“This year’s show contrasted with last year’s as the songs in the show were more holiday-related,” Advanced Dance member senior Kayley Gaines said. “We had time to perfect the dances, and were able to expose Costa kids to jazz dancing.”
Many Costa students enjoyed watching Costa’s performing arts programs collaborate to produce the Holiday Arts assembly.
“I love going and getting to see the holiday assembly,” sophomore Skylar Caputo said. “It gets more impressive each year.”
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