Gallery
3 Photos

Laughter, excited squeals, shouts of encouragement and decorated support signs were part of the atmosphere Thursday night as 14 students and the Indian Culture Club came together to perform for the annual Apollo Night in the DBHS theater.

Organized  by the Black Student Union members, this night started off with an introduction from the lively hosts, BSU President Melvin Houston and Co-Vice President Nia Mitchell. A video was played showing the significance of the Apollo Theatre in New York and setting the appreciative and celebratory tone for the rest of the night.

The intro video offered  a smooth transition for the first act of the night, an impressive guitar solo by Commercial Music lead guitarist Jaxon Otero. The eerie mood lighting and abrasive melody of his original song made for a captivating performance that silenced the audience.

Each act proved unique as the following performances brought the crowd on rollercoaster of emotion. A dynamic traditional dance routine was put on by members of the India Culture Club and had the crowd roaring in cheers as familiar faces performed the intricate moves of Indian dance culture. This was followed by a contemporary hip hop solo by Christine Heman. The skilled dancer put on a touching performance as her strong moves were accompanied with the sincere looks etched on her face.

Later, BSU members Darius Cramer and Nana Midley took turns freestyling on stage along to remixed rap songs and had the audience grooving along and cheering through their performance.

In between the dancing acts were singers Marissa Singh, with her beautiful rendition of “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele, and Ernie Perez’s charming take on “Loving is Easy” by Rex Orange County. Both of these performers were entertaining and gave off confident looks and gestures to the crowd which had the audience hooting and hollering.

Other notable performances of the night included a sweet duet by Caitlin Joe and Ryan Handoyo as they sang “Clean” by Taylor Swift, as well as a performance by marambist Jeremy Davis demonstrating his exceptional skills on an upbeat piece of music.

Apollo night coordinators surely left the best for last as a quartet with Christopher Lin (vocalist), Matthew Chen (pianist), Zachary Kuo (drummer) and Curtis Chang (clarinetist) had the audience beaming with their hilariously entertaining renditions of “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra and “Closer” by the Chainsmokers. Their lead singer was buoyant and the perfect accompaniment to his group as they made jokes and unintentionally even got the audience clapping along to their performance.

The night concluded with Principal Reuben Jones and BSU advisor Kylance Malveaux honoring six members of BSU and leaders of the DBHS black community. Just as the Apollo Theatre left an inclusive and diverse impression on society, BSU was able to recreate this feeling by bringing together the crowd and performers for a night of entertainment.