At the Performing Arts Assembly on April 5, there were performances from many of the teams from Band to Cheer, and even a medley from Footloose. Although most were performing as a group, it’s important for each individual to keep a level head.

For Flag team member and junior Samantha Kissner, performing for the entire school brought excitement for her and the whole team. “We hadn’t performed in front of the whole school for a really really long time, so it’s always exciting to get back out there and we’re all just super jazzed about it,” Kissner said.

Senior Daniel Levin, who sang a solo in the choir’s performance of Bohemian Rhapsody, didn’t find out he would be singing that part until the day before the performance. “I actually didn’t know I was going to be soloing until the day before, because I’m an alternate in that song … so sort of being able to sing that and have that moment [was exciting],” Levin said.

When preparing for a performance, making sure that everything is memorized is key. “The night before, I tend to run through the routine in my head, and sometimes, the routines that I feel like I’m struggling with more, I write a list of all the moves and the order just to make sure I have them,” Kissner said.

With any performance, nerves are inevitable, especially when there’s a lot at stake if a mistake is made. “We’re always nervous. That kind of just comes with it, but I think the thing we were the most nervous about is the big toss in the middle. We’re calling it a multi-directional toss [because] there are four flags flying at the same time that all have to be caught. And since I’m in the front it’s one of the most important things that me and my partner catch ours, so I was so nervous that I wouldn’t catch it. But I did!” Kissner said.

Having the solo put a lot of pressure on Levin to get it right. “I knew that [Bohemian Rhapsody] is an iconic song, and I know that our school really loves that song. And then on top of that, the pressure of having been an alternate, so everyone expected another singer,” Levin said.

With certain members on multiple performing arts teams, there was also some stress on switching between acts. “We were really, really nervous, just because there was a lot of people and there was a lot of stress. One of our girls did the poetry thing and we didn’t know if she’d make it back in time, and there’s always a bunch of missing pieces,” Kissner said.

The positive feedback regarding his solo was Levin’s favorite part of his performance. “The crowd went nuts for it. I was not expecting that my song, my solo even, that people would go nuts for it,” Levin said.

After the performance, knowing that it went well brought a sense of accomplishment to the performers. “I felt really relieved. We did it. We did well, and I was really really proud of us,” Kissner said.