ND Nwaneri ’24 sings in 2023 Grasshopper as part of the band “Chillers.”
Asian Performing Arts Club (APAC) started preparing its routine for Grasshopper over the summer.
Grasshopper 2023, the heavily-anticipated fall talent show at Andover, will be showing four times throughout Parents’ Weekend. This year’s line-up features a wide variety of performances, ranging from tap-dancing and Chinese martial arts. Over the past few weeks, performers from groups like Asian Performing Arts Club (APAC), Downbeat, and Footnotes rehearsed and strove to perfect their Hollywood rendition of this year’s theme: The Phillips Academy Awards.
APAC combines the musical power of the violin with intricately choreographed K-pop dances. They started preparing in summer and included numerous rehearsals into their back-to-school schedules. New member Yumi Lai ’27 described what she found memorable.
“I think bonding with all my friends in APAC [is memorable] because throughout each and every practice, I’ve gotten to know each one of them a little more and gotten close to them. And it feels great to finally be able to perform with these people that [I’ve] been working together [with] for a while,” said Lai.
Footnotes, a tap-dancing club, will be delivering an entertaining and playful dance that integrates different elements of footwork to elevate the performance. Footnotes Co-Head Alex Giarnese ’25 commented on the song of choice and how it cleverly fits into the theme of Grasshopper this year, adding a captivating dimension to the show.
“Footnotes chose our song based on the theme, which is [The] Phillips Academy Awards. We chose an award winning musical: ‘Mamma Mia.’ We’re doing ‘Does Your Mother Know’ and we chose it because it’s super jazzy and super fun and it invites people of all experience levels to tap with us and to have fun on stage,” said Giarnese.
The final dress rehearsal on Wednesday night allowed Grasshopper performers to fully go through their acts, as well as cheer for other performers as audience members. Serafina Shin-Von Nordenflycht ’25, another member of Downbeat, mentioned one of her favorite things about the show. She also touched on areas she is concerned about.
“One of my favorite things is just standing backstage because [there are these] jitters that you get, that you don’t find anywhere else. That’s kind of unique to the performing arts. And I think that’s why I love them so much. I’m a little bit nervous though…[about] the days where the audiences are a little bit less reciprocating of our own energy,” said Shin-Von Nordenflycht.
Downbeat is preparing an acapella version of “Skyfall” by Adele, while Keynotes is going to perform a medley. They will feature soloists like Davyn Gottfried ’25, Jacob Kaiser ’24, and Evan Curtin ’25. Downbeat member Talia Ivory ’25 noted how despite facing nerves and challenges, the group ultimately pulls through and stays on track.
“[There are many] times my voice collectively cracks while I’m practicing. But then…we all pull it together in the end and I can’t stop smiling because everyone sounds so good and I’m really proud… We goof around a lot in practice, but when it’s time to get serious, we get serious,” said Ivory.
