THE ECHO

By Amelia Humphrey // Reporter

To all the performers out there, have you ever paused before taking the stage and wondered how many people at this school have not only never seen you perform, but also have no idea what you do in the first place? To the non-performers, have you ever thought to yourself and realized that you’ve never been to a show choir concert, or a dance performance, or a theater production, et cetera?

As a show choir kid, I’ve noticed that this is a universal experience. I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum—both wondering the week after spring break if anyone knows we’ve just won state and feeling the little pang of guilt when realizing that I’ve never watched the concert band perform. (I will be attempting to come to the next concert.) Point being, I’ve realized that the recognition Avon Performing Arts receives is neither enough nor evenly distributed, even within the department.

So I went around and spoke to people from every performing arts group, asking them about how well they know their fellow performers, looking to see what groups get the most acknowledgement, what groups get the least, and what needs to change in the performing arts’ inter-department relations.

Disclaimer: Some of the performers featured participate in multiple groups.

What is your impression of the other performing arts groups (marching band, concert band, show choir, concert choir, orchestra, dance, theater)?

Sofanias Yonas, 11 (show choir): I think the other performing arts groups are super talented and hardworking. Their work really pays off, and it’s shown through all the accolades Avon as a school receives for our performing arts program.

Allison Zarazee, 12 (concert choir): I feel like I don’t hear much about our dance team that much despite how much they accomplish, and their work should definitely be appreciated more! And, of course, I hear a lot more about our marching band. Every time I meet someone and tell them I’m from Avon, they almost always say something about how amazing our band program is.

Emmanuel Pena-Pichardo, 12 (orchestra): I feel like marching band is just a really close family. Everywhere I see them, even in the hallways, they’re always kind of drawn toward each other. The show choir, I feel like the same with the band, they’re just really united.

Claire Rininger (dance): All of them work really hard. Being in a performing arts group, I understand all the hard work that goes into it. And I think that all of the groups work really hard towards what they do, and it’s a lot of work, and sometimes people don’t see that.

Garrit Nannenga, 11 (marching band): The impressions I get from the other groups are that they all work hard and love their own activities. I can also see how collaborative each team is.

Cooper Detzler, 12 (concert band): Orchestra and band feel like the programs that are really close to each other, at least from what I’ve experienced. I don’t know too much about the choir; we haven’t really been involved with any of them.

Keely Nance, 11 (theater): I think the other groups are amazing and we all work so hard for our specific goals. The guard and band performances are amazing every year, so I’m sure they’re a very tight-knit group.

Which other group do you know the most about? The least?

Sanaa’ Archer, 11 (show choir): I probably know the most about either dance or orchestra, and then I think the least about band.

Jackson Williams, 10 (orchestra): I know the most about concert band, just because we work with them so closely, and mostly year-round. I’m also friends with a lot of those people. And then I probably know the dance team the least, just because [Symphony for a Dance Floor] is only a short, beginning of the year kind of thing, but it’s still good that we get to work with them.

Detzler: Marching band I definitely know the most, and I’d say I know the least about choir.

Nannenga: The other group that I know the most about would be orchestra and the least is dance.

Jack Rentsch, 11 (concert choir): I’d say I know the most people from theater and orchestra, and the least from dance. A lot of the theater kids I know are extroverted, which makes sense.

Rhyan Pendygraft, 11 (dance): I would say I know the most about orchestra, because we dance with the orchestra sometimes, and I think I know the least of band.

Nance: I know the most about orchestra because I’ve been friends with lots of orchestra people since middle school. I know the least about how the band works because I know the least amount of people in it.

Did you know that [group they knew least about with achievement]? Does that surprise you?

Archer: [concert band is 3-time state champs] Oh, no, that doesn’t surprise me, because I know the band is really good.

Nannenga: I did not know [dance] was 6-time consecutive [state] champs. It doesn’t surprise me, though. After all, I am sure they have worked hard for it.

Rininger: I used to do orchestra in middle school, so I did know a little bit about it, but I didn’t do it in high school. So I don’t know a lot, but I do know that they were also very successful. But I didn’t know that they were 4-time state champions.

Williams: [dance team is 6-time consecutive state champs] No, it really doesn’t. I know that the dance coach cares a lot, and I know that they always put in high levels of effort with everything that they do, even it it’s not just for dance.

Detzler: [show choir is 2-time state champs] I think we know it, but we never really recognize it in the band program that much, and I couldn’t tell you why.  I feel like they should. I feel like they should bring the choir more into the band and orchestra world. I don’t know if it’s actually as separate as it feels, but it does feel very separate.

Rentsch: I think I had a vague idea that [dance] had had some success, but I had no idea to what degree. I’d say I’m surprised; I feel like maybe they should receive more attention for that.

Nance: It doesn’t surprise me at all that [the bands] are doing well. I know that they practice a lot.

Tell me everything you know about [group they knew most about].

Archer: [Dance] travels a lot, and they do different competitions. I know that they go to this competition, I think, in Florida or something. I didn’t do dance at the high school, but I used to do dance and competitions, so I kind of know that world a little bit better, rather than, like, a band competition, where I’d have no idea what’s going on.

Nannenga: I honestly don’t know too much, but [orchestra] is the one I know the best. I have a few friends in the group, and I’ve heard things like terminology and jokes. I’ve also heard things regarding auditions and practices.

Zarazee: I think it’s super cool that our marching band has won nationals for the past 3 years. I honestly don’t remember hearing about them losing anything since my freshman year. I typically would get bored watching marching band, but an Avon show never disappoints.

Pena-Pichardo: [The marching band’s] show this year was Axiom, and they played music from Wall-E. My sophomore year, they had Tableaux, and last year they had Mondriesque, which I went to watch. It was really cool. They have band camp and they practice after school.

Detzler: I know a lot of the members in [marching band], and I know a lot of the people in indoor percussion, because I’ve done that.

Pendygraft: I know that [orchestra] has a lot of different instruments that they play and go into one song or one piece that they play, so it takes a lot of time and effort to sound the same using different instruments.

Nance: I know that [orchestra] works very hard and that there’s a lot of respect between the students and the directors.

The verdict: We all know quite a bit about the marching band (recognition quite well deserved) but we don’t know enough of the dance team to compensate for their prolonged success (or many of the other groups, for that matter).

So what can we do to fix this issue? It’s really not all that difficult. Go get some tickets to a dance performance. Pull up to a choir concert. Sit and listen to the orchestra play. Talk to a theater kid about their show. Fellow performers, ask your directors about the other groups and talk to each other about their achievements.

The bottom line is, our performers work incredibly hard to achieve the heights they do, and they should never be taken for granted. When we improve our inter-department relations, we improve ourselves and each other as well.