From vibrant break-dancing to old school moonwalking to dancing administrators on stage, Puttin’ On the Hits (POTH) was an incredible testament to this student body’s wide-ranging diversity and treasure-trove of talent.
Before the night began Senior Planning members worked tirelessly in an effort to ensure a smooth show. From ticket sales, to T-shirt payments, to five-hour long rehearsals, the senior planning group, some members in particular, were up into early morning hours giving it their all. “We had a lot to think about in preparation [for the show]. There were a lot of costs to cover and a lot of work needed to be done by us,” senior planner Bianca Shah, one of the night’s key coordinators, said.
The night was split into two parts, Act One and Act Two, containing nine and eight performances respectively. The first act was student performances, mainly comprised of uniquely choreographed dancing. The second act was where all of the respective grades performed their routines, along with SGA, Poms, the Drumline, and the teacher dance.
With each act, comes its own set of MCs, two seniors who narrate the night introducing each performance and adding some of their own humor to the script.
The first act brought MCs Julia Stern and Trent Folk. Friends outside of POTH, the two had a humorous chemistry that started the night of with plenty of laughs. “I was pretty excited when I got chosen to be an MC. I’ve watched the previous ones and thought I’d be good at it. I really liked hosting the performance, it was a lot of fun,” Folk said.
In the opening performance, the members of Las Chicas took the stage wearing black and blue. They immediately captivated the audience, dancing to an upbeat song.
Next, sophomores Ujjaini Gurram and Sahithi Kondam performed a creatively choreographed dance, rich with culture.
With the first two performances out of the way, Act One started to hit its stride.
Juniors Gina Li and Joyce Yang along with sophomore Annie Tang switched it up with a more modern routine that had the crowd clapping along with the beat.
Then, as the stage went dark and Migos’s “Slippery” started to play, senior Kevin Mi faced the crowd with cool sunglasses and a shirt labeled “69.” As the audience roared and yelled his name, Mi put on a robotic-esque break dancing performance.
The best part about the next act is that, even if students missed POTH, they can catch a similar performance in the Commons. From a lunchtime circle to a packed auditorium, senior Darius Dudley (a modern day Michael Jackson) single-handedly captivated the entire auditorium with breathtaking choreography.
The Heiko’s followed, putting on an upbeat, skirt-wearing dance routine.
Siri Ranganath, Jennifer Mondle, and Esha Mittal– last years POTH winners — put on a stunning Bollywood-style routine in their last time performing at POTH.
In a sharp transition from the cultural dancing, freshmen Rin Sohn and sophomore Iman Shumburo both put on upbeat, lively dancing routines to conclude the first act.
As the second act began, senior MCs Hannah Bruckheim and Kyle Hermery introduced each performance.
Before, the grade-specified dances, the teachers, drumline, poms, and SGA all showed off their spirited and impressive dances. In an unexpected twist, the school’s male dance team, Woottonettes, did not perform at POTH for the first time in two years.
In a pitch-perfect-esque display of lights, the freshmen class showcased a class dance routine riddled with talent.
As DNA by Kendrick Lamar and other songs blasted, the sophomores impressed everyone with their dance.
Running from outside, the juniors had the audience’s hyped up during their routine.
Finally, in their last performance, the senior class put on a respectable dance with a conglomerate of surprises that ranged from a surprising kick line to class president Julian Levin riding a bicycle across the stage.
As the crowd awaited the verdict, chants could be heard from each grade. From Act One, first place went to Sohn, second to Dudley and third to Ranganath, Mondel, and Mittal. The class winners were somewhat surprising, as the freshmen came in first, the sophomores in second, the juniors in last, as judged by the seniors.
All in all, if one event could showcase the wide array of talent possessed by the student body, POTH is it.
Josh Messitte
Managing Editor
