As the annual THHS Festival of Nations (FON) quickly approaches, FON leaders are working hard to make sure their members are ready for their final performances. This year’s leaders of Chinese Modern FON are led by juniors Joline Tung, Chloe Chen, Daisy Zheng, and Jennifer Piao. The leaders reflected on their experience and the challenges they faced thus far.
Chinese Modern’s captivating dances and unique vibe continue to catch the attention of Harrisites, and the leaders said they strive to make the environment of their FON as comfortable as possible in anticipation of the upcoming show.
Daisy said, “I want everyone to enjoy their time and see themselves improve their dancing skills. The most important thing I learned is how to interact with different people. Oftentimes, I teach the dances in many different ways because everyone picks up the movement differently.”
Jennifer elaborated on what she enjoys the most about leading Chinese Modern. She said, “My favorite part is the process of putting together a dance from start to finish. The dance that I lead is in a strange situation, since it is not a song by a popular Chinese pop group or artist, it is just a pop song with a dance that trended on Douyin. I ended up modifying and choreographing a lot of the dance, so I like being able to take some creative liberties with it and watch people perform it.”
Joline highlighted the most significant obstacle the leaders faced this year: encouraging THHS students to attend practices consistently. With the rigorous THHS workload, students often find themselves overwhelmed with responsibilities and neglect attending practices. “The main challenge I’ve had is getting everyone to come to practice since a lot of people aren’t as committed as the leaders are,” she said.
Additionally, Jennifer emphasized the need to be assertive. She said, “I’ve learned that I really have to put my foot down if I want people to show up to practice [since] it’s something I was a little too relaxed with in the beginning. I think this slow start may end up being stressful, but I also think trusting the process is important.”
In spite of these challenges, Chinese Modern FON continues to pride itself on its welcoming and lighthearted atmosphere. Daisy said, “I think the most rewarding part is seeing our dances come together.”
Junior Zuzia Smolaga, a returning member, shared her experience and said, “I love being able to dance with my friends and being introduced to new music. Listening to the songs helps me expand my music taste and I really enjoy it. I am in Chloe’s dance and she makes it so much fun even when the dance is difficult. We always crack jokes and everyone seems comfortable there.”
Likewise, Junior Lynn Eo said, “My favorite thing about Chinese Modern is definitely the dances, they’re all so fun to do. The people in Chinese Modern FON are all so supportive and they’re all great dancers.”
As the performance nears, the leaders hope to put on a memorable show for their audience. Jennifer said, “We want Chinese Modern to be a FON that more people would be interested in being a part of next year.”
FON will be held this week on March 1 and 2. Tickets are on sale now at thhs.ticketleap.com/festival-of-nations-2024/.
