Some kids inherit their dad’s blue eyes or their mother’s long blonde hair. However, for Thomas Oh (11) and Sabrina Lin (11), their parents gave them the gift of being talented dancers, as they won West High’s Best Dance Duo on Thursday, April 4th. The show featured a variety of students such as Mo Faqhi (12) and Xia Rashid (12) who performed Bollywood and Joonie Espejo (12) and Geoff Wong (12) who displayed swing dancing.
With West High’s Best Dance Duo being a new event, Oh and Lin dedicated their extra time to rehearsals, attempting to make their dance the best it could be. “Rehearsals were lunch practices or after school for an hour or two,” said Lin. When the show grew closer, Oh stated, “We practiced until we were ready.” While the practices may have come easy to Lin, who said, “I have been part of the dance department and am currently co-captain of the drill team for two years each,” Oh had no dance experience. “The only dance experience I have was teaching Michael Jackson how to moonwalk. Just kidding.” Even though there may have been stress and nerves, all the performers enjoyed putting on a great show for the entire West High family.
After the first round of performances, the audience got to text in their votes for who they thought had the best dance. Results were posted on a projector that initiated a second round of performances. When the final round ended, the audience voted again and the judges reviewed the votes. During the wait, special guests Derek Marzano (11) and Ty Koehler (12) provided entertainment for the spectators with their music and dance performances. Ms. Eriksen graced the stage to announce the winners. When asked what their reactions were like when they realized they won, Lin said, “Thomas thought we lostwhen they announced first runner up because he thought that was first place, so we were confused but extremely happy when our names were called.” Oh and Lin are prime examples that hard work really does pay off.
During this event, it has allowed the performers to experience something new and collaborate with new people they never would have before. When asked if they would participate in it again, Oh replied, “I would do it again without a hesitation,” while Lin stands in agreement. Being the experienced dancer that she is, Lin hopes “to continue dancing in college.” As for Oh, he believes he is done with his dancing career, saying “teaching Michael Jackson was enough.”
Whether Lin and Oh would have won or not, the memory of experiencing such an opportunity is one that will carry on with them forever.
