On November 7th, Poly’s dance program held their annual winter dance show at the Andrew Osman Performing Arts Center. Featuring choreographies by Cynthia Negrete, the event showcased performances from Poly’s Dance Team as well as Negrete’s dance classes.
Photos by Nick Eismann, Contributing Photographer
Sunday May 26 at 7:00 PM at the Hotel Maya was where the class of 2019s prom was held. At the event there was food, games, caricature, henna, karaoke, photo booth and multiple dance rooms.
The weather was not as cooperative before prom, as it was raining. Multiple girls were either holding their dresses up or not even bothering to do so.
Not only did they have a main dance room but there was also room dedicated to just music in Spanish. In previous years, this was not a thing and people were upset about having very limited songs played.
Most of the activities were present in the same building as the Spanish DJ. There was some confusion amongst students about where some of the activities were. With the food not many people were enjoying the food, such as on how on one side there was cold food and the other having hot food.
Senior Denise Diaz said her experience was “fun” and really liked the Spanish DJ. Diaz noticed that people who “normally don’t dance to Spanish music” were dancing to it. Although much people weren’t fond of the food, Diaz enjoyed the “chicken tenders”. She disliked walking in her heels, as she had to keep going “back and forth” and it felt like “forever” walking in them.
Senior Darli Ortiz doesn’t consider herself much of a “party person” but for prom being one of her first “parties” she found it enjoyable. Ortiz disliked the fact that there was “two different ballrooms”, as everyone was separate and there not being much unity.
Senior Montserrat Valencia Delgado preferred the spanish DJ as they played spanish music and was “smaller”. Delgado was alternating between the two dance rooms and liked that there was a “variety” of spanish music. Senior Jose Diaz added onto what Delgado said and stated that due to it being small “you could request songs”. Senior Rachcna Sokhom-Khou also said the area with the Spanish DJ was “crowded”.
Senior Evelyn Sanchez was surprised when arriving to prom, as she expected “less” to be present. Sanchez felt the main dance room could have been “a lot better”. Sanchez liked the Spanish DJ but when it came to him playing music, he played a lot of “reggaeton” and she didn’t know how to “dance to it”. Sanchez for the most part had her expectation pretty low for prom, but when at the event felt it had went past her expectations.
Senior Amy Martinez had most of the same remarks as other students but did point out about the lack of seating, and how people were “standing up” and had “nowhere” to put their stuff.
The night ended with confetti falling from the ceiling and songs relating to having a good time and living or remembering the moment. Doors started opening up at 10:30 but most students stayed for the entirety of prom.
On November 16, the Long Beach Poly dance program had their annual winter show. This year’s recital included various levels of performers such as PE 10, Dance 7-8 tech, and the Dance Team. Poly’s first hip-hop dance team, H2M, was also featured in the show and gave a great performance.
According to dance instructor, Cynthia Negrete, the show was comprised of “everything, all forms of dance.” The range of performance for the young girls ranged from lyrical and contemporary dances all the way to character dances and even to hip-hop and Bollywood.
Senior Megan Villaverde stated that this show was different for her: “I was able to immerse myself in a different range of styles.”
Villaverde was “really glad to work with new choreographers and their dances for the show.” After taking a long break from the spotlight, Villaverde was ecstatic to return to the stage with her fellow teammates and peers.
Another Long Beach Poly senior, Adrianna Luna, is in her fourth year with the dance program. Luna said that she was “most excited to be the first event performing in Poly’s new auditorium.” Luna, who was featured in a jazz and contemporary piece, couldn’t wait to show “how hard we’ve been working on the final presentation.”
Long Beach Poly’s new auditorium has been a long time coming– and the performing arts students were more than happy to jump back into the theater lifestyle.
The hard work paid off in the end. All of the dancers experienced the rush of adrenaline when they were on the stage as well as off. An audience member, senior Natalie Hun, said, “I really liked the different styles of the show… I had a fun time cheering everyone on!”
By Ashlyn Morgan
Staff Writer
Long Beach Poly rapper Tyler Stokley also known as T-Lost is known for his unique performances on the rally stage. Tyler began rapping in 2015, but then he took a brief break and then began to rap again around late 2016. His first live performance on the Poly Rally Stage was during the Homecoming Faire.
His raps have caught the attention of many Poly students and have caused him to become well known around campus. He has also performed on the rally stage during lunch and other fairs. Aside from his live performances, he also promotes his music on social media. Stokley stated, “I prefer performing live over recording because I can express myself more and really get into it. It involves the audience more and there’s more of a connection between the artist and the audience, too.”
When asked about where his music inspiration comes from Stokley said, “I guess my music is inspired by the band Gorillaz. Though I’m surprised that people are actually enjoying my music and listening to it.”
His new mix tape, “I Don’t Care”, will be released on May 15th. The album will be available on his SoundCloud, his Youtube channel, and most major music services like iTunes and Spotify. Stokley has a Youtube channel (youtube.com/Tlost), Instagram, and Soundcloud. If interested, take a listen to his music. When asked to describe his music in three words he described it as “sick, fire, and dope.”
By Rebecca Lopez
Staff Writer
Eddie Valencia is well known around Poly for his extraordinary and unique dances. The senior’s dancing has caught the attention of many Poly students and has students from all over campus raving to see him dance. Valencia’s favorite style of dancing is “cute and sexy” and it gets the rally stage audience full of screaming fans. As a senior, he has only been dancing for two years, and he’s already performed on the rally stage about 7 or 8 times. Eddie claims that dancing is both a hobby and his passion.
There is really no one who inspires him. Valencia said, “I don’t really look up to people because I like to do my own thing.” He doesn’t remember when his first performance was, but Eddie felt really nervous and worried about what people were going to say. He plans on pursuing a dancing career after high school and he will be focusing on K-pop.
Recently, Valencia went to Mexico because he was invited to KCON, a Korean music festival, and performed there. While in Mexico, he had a video filmed about his dancing and it will later be released. Valencia said that being filmed was interesting because he had to have people following him around. The video will include clips of him from the convention as well.
Eddie’s upcoming performances include the senior rally and the Poly dance show in May.
By Chantera Walton
Staff Writer
Long Beach Polytechnic’s sophomore Jeremiah Jones, also known as JYoungin, is infamously known for being a rapper. At the young age of 16, Jeremiah is already an artist and an entrepreneur.
Jones’s passion for music started at the age of 14, and he said, “I was inspired by my father. He used to be in the music industry and he had a couple of artists that he promoted by making T-shirts to give away to the crowd.” He is well known around school and on social media for his music. He describes his music as, “motivational, catchy, and the new vibe.”
Jeremiah wants people to take away something valuable from his music. He does not want people to just listen to the music he wants them to listen to the message. He expresses, “I want my music to have a big impact on people. I want my music to be uplifting and motivational I want them [youth] to know if you want to do something in life then don’t let nobody tell you [that] you can’t.” He also wants his music to be positive and different. “I’m really passionate about my music, I love writing [and] leaving people with a message in my lyrics; I like to call myself a lyrical rapper because it’s certain songs that are out there that are really negative but I like to think my songs are just having fun and living in the moment,” he ssaid.
Jeremiah has plans on releasing new music. He says he has been recording a couple of songs and they will be dropping soon.
By Yesenia Pacheco
Arts and Culture Editor
Romel Morris, sophomore, began writing his rhymes at the age of five. He never took his music seriously until he was eleven and started to perform in school talent shows and street shows. He focused on rap and break dancing throughout his childhood. He has written all of his own music, and has enough material to make several mix tapes.
He listens to all kinds of music, but his favorite genre has always been hip-hop. “I look up to a lot of local rappers, but I try not to get too into one artist. I don’t wanna end up some kinda copy cat. That ain’t me.” He said as his fingers tapped across a bar, making a basic beat he often uses for his free styles.
When asked about his recent increase in social media followers, Morris commented, “I don’t think I’m there yet. People know me, but there’s still so much to be done. I really wanna make it.” As of right now he is taking things step by step, starting with one minute freestyle videos on his Instagram, then once he gets a solid following, he’ll startup other media sites.
He is open to collaborating with other Poly musicians, if they have a connection and can “vibe together in a creative and intellectual kinda way.”