Pep rally defies gravity

Jessa Rowan extends out her arm in unison with the Dance Team.

BY CAITLIN LAFLOWER
On December 20, students and staff members participated in the annual winter pep rally to kick off winter break. Rapper Zay the Profit, the Cheer Team, Afrobeats, teachers, the Dance Team, FOR3V3R, the Indian Dance Team, and the Slaying Steppers put on performances.

The Pep Rally’s celebrations started with a performance from rapper and OBHS alumni Zay the Profit. He rapped a few songs off his discography, interacted with the audience, and took pictures with students. “I felt truly moved by his lyricism,” said Nicolette Carluzzo.

Indian Dance Team members Aashi Raval, Anya Kaul, and Soham Agrawal, swing their right legs out in unison.

Senior Meghan Valanzola and junior Olivia Medina alongside teachers Scott Beverly, Matthew Tiplady, and Alec Alspach put on a routine with songs from the Broadway show Wicked. While Valanzola and Medina sang the parts of Elphaba and Glinda, Tiplady and Alspach pushed Beverly on a swing. Plans for the performance remained a mystery until the Pep Rally. “Olivia, Bev, Torok, and I held secret rehearsals in the main gym to test sound and mechanics on how things would work the day of,” shared Valanzola.

Students in the audience felt delightfully shocked by the Wicked performance. “I was very surprised, and I thought their singing was beautiful,” exclaimed Kendrick Pugh.

Zay the Profit speaks to an audience of OBHS students while Principal Dr. Vincent Sasso applauds.

The Cheer Team performed a variation of their completive traditional routine alongside Christmas music. The routine included stunts, jumps, round-offs, pyramids, and more. “My favorite part was definitely being able to show the whole school everything we’ve worked really hard on,” said Isabella Uveges.

The Afrobeats team’s routine consisted of songs like “Dibango Dibanga” by Bello Falcao, “Shake Body” by Skales, “Shekini” by P-Square, “Coup du marteau” by Tam Sir, “Tshwala Bam” by TitoM, and “She Dey Do Me” by Castro. Captains Courtnee Mcfarlane and Jayden Junaid found influence for their choreography on TikTok. “My favorite part was coming up with dances with my co-captain Jayden and watching the girls enjoy and have fun with what we put together,” shared Mcfarlane.

Loksze Wang poses during FOR3V3R’s performance with support from Adrianna Hui.

Teachers participated in their annual performance, dancing to “New Christmas Hip Hop Song” by Big Boys. The group rehearsed during lunch periods, and Student Assistance Counselor Renee Galdieri choreographed the dance. “The dance was slightly modified from what was found on YouTube, which Ms. Galdieri was kind enough to share with us,” said Kristen Celentano.

The Dance Team debuted their competitive hip hop routine at the Pep Rally. The team danced to a mash-up of hip-hop songs, including “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado. “The dance team learned a competition dance in November and met every week from then cleaning and rehearsing for hours,” shared Avery Vista.

Slaying Steppers, Ariana Pino, Regina Kallon, and Paullyn Asumadu, clap between their legs.

K-Pop team, FOR3V3R, danced to a medley of songs such as “1-800-hot-n-fun” and “CRAZY” by LE SSERAFIM, “Supernova” by aespa, and “MONEY” by Lalisa. Since the K-Pop team’s creation last school year, new members have joined. “At first we were all very shy, but once we got to know each other, we became best friends,” said Loksze Wang. “We always ask each other for tips or ways to perfect a dance, and in the end, it made us very close.”

The Indian Dance Team performed a routine with the songs “Akhiyaan Gulaab” by Mitraz, “Naatu Naatu” from the movie RRR, “Mera Wala Dance x Blockbuster mix” by DJ Amsal, and more. Senior Soham Agrawal and junior Anya Kaul choreographed their group’s performance. “Soham and I looked for certain songs we wanted and found the parts of each song,” Kaul added, “We then looked up some choreos for inspiration and we met up a couple of times before meeting with the team and made the dances to teach everyone.”

The Cheer Team poses in a pyramid formation.

The Pep Rally ended with a percussive dance routine from the Slaying Steppers. The team’s captain and choreographer, Jayden Junaid, designed their steps with some inspiration from collegiate step teams, but mostly ideaof her own. “We wanted to be flashy to keep people entertained while still staying true to step,” shared Junaid. “The team worked so hard to show everyone what we can do and I’m so glad everyone got to see this performance.”

Esha Mehta sends her hair flying as she turns to her side in the Indian Dance Team’s performance.
Jayden Junaid and Yosan Leul put their palms up together in the Afrobeats’ dance.
Cheerleader Emily Stuart poses while being held up by her teammates.
Jessa Rowan extends her arms out in unison with the Dance Team
FOR3V3R member, Serina Cuison, poses with her hand on her hip and knee bent.
Riya Shah faces the crowd in preparation for the Indian Dance Team’s dance.
Carly Arnold, Grace Fortunes, Hailey Lubinski, Emily Stuart stand together before their cheer routine.
Scott Beverly instructs the crowd to sway to their right.
Kamaiya Penson raises her arms while dancing during FOR3V3R’s K-Pop routine.
Students laugh while swaying to the right.
Dance Team members Taylor Bentley, Jaime Rowan, and Alyssa Grillo lead the team in their performance.
Aashi Raval poses with her arms during the Indian Dance Team’s routine.
Afrobeats member, Jonaith Javier, tilts her head and skips to her right.
Indian Dance Team member Esha Mehta extends her arms and faces her palms towards the audience.
Courtnee Mcfarlane and Regina Kallon sway to the side in the Afrobeats’ dance routine.
Mackenzie Roberts looks down and pushes her left arm back in the Dance Team’s performance.
Students participate in a crowd sway dictated by Scott Beverly.
Jonaith Javier and Regina Kallon twist back and forth in the Afrobeats’ dance
Isabella Uveges and Kaitlyn Thompson look down and clasp hands before performing their cheer routine.
During the K-Pop dance routine, Echo Prado Roberts performs.
Afrobeats team members Yosan Leul, Elizabeth Donou, and Milani Laureano, wave their hands at the audience and sway.
Amalia Schianodicola extends her arms and kicks back her right leg alongside the Dance Team during their performance.
Students smile and cheer in the crowd during the interactive roller coaster game.
Emmilee Ramos, Serina Cuison, Echo Prado Roberts, and Loksze Wang bend their knees and offer a hand out towards the audience in the K-Pop routine.
Caleigh Espinosa, Amalia Schianodicola, and Alyssa Grillo dance in sync while facing the audience.
Jenna Malik smiles and points her fingers upward during the Indian Dance Team’s performance.