Variety show has been three months in the making, from announcements to auditions to promos for the show that happened this past weekend. Consequently, I have been looking forward to the event ever since, and I went to the Saturday night show. Acts ranged from interesting to full-on fantastic, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

From the freshman campus there was The Junior Finessor, Shivam Patnaik. Men in Black’s dancers, seniors Dhruv Nagesh and Srikar Gutta, danced to some favorites and ‘for the culture’. Senior Lisa Carlson sang on the Variety Show stage for the third time. There were also acts who have performed every year of their high school career like Ahead of Ourselves, who opened the show their freshman year and closed it this year as seniors.

Since this is the last year I will get to watch the show as an NVHS student, I thought I would give a summary of my five favorite acts from this year’s Variety Show.

5. When I watched the TV series “Glee” on Netflix last year, I was underwhelmed by most of what happened with the students of William McKinley High School. Although, the one scene that I remember as amazing was the cello duet to “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson. I found the skill and perfection to play that song to be unattainable, but Alexander Li and Kevin Wu, the two members of 2 Pandas, had all of it. Their precision and talent was flawless, and I was enthralled every moment of their performance.

4. Dancing is something I have always loved to watch because I can appreciate the strength and finesse it takes to do what dancers do. Hannah and Camryn Singer are two incredibly skilled dancers who took to the stage and did not disappoint. The Singer Sisters danced to “My Boy” by Billie Eilish, and I think it was the perfect song to showcase what they can do on the stage. The coordinated outfits, chemistry and smoothness of the routine were what I believe made their three minutes on stage so fascinating.

3. Hosts Leah Senese and Maggie Pieler introduced my second favorite act in the most disturbing way possible, with Kevin Daneliak “stalking” them- a play on the title of the song band Portbandia performed, “Every Breath You Take”. Kyle Domingos, Bryson Ramsey and Kyle Rappe played their instruments to perfection, but Kate Waldron’s singing is unparalleled. The song choice was perfect for their talents and was an entertaining performance overall.

2. In all honesty, Calum Scott’s song “Dancing on My Own” is definitely not my favorite song. It’s not even in the top 50 but, I could listen to Tremello’s cello, vocal trio perform this song on loop for the rest of my life. Bhavya Mahesh, Nivedita Pai and Eirene Stavropoulos sang beautifully and Grace Ashby’s cello playing is downright enviable.

1. My cousin almost killed me for singing along to the “Hamilton” soundtrack over winter break while in Egypt. She can tell you that from the entire musical, “You’ll Be Back” is my favorite song. Duncan Fox was flawless with his performance of the self-absorbed and conceited King George song from the musical. His singing and dancing was comical, lighthearted and jovial, and that is what made Fox’s act my favorite of the whole night.

Congratulations to all the acts that performed and who did such an amazing job all three times. This year’s Variety Show was fabulous and is a Neuqua Valley event that I will miss dearly next year