The Smoke Signal

Harry Potter: Hey Ron, did see that sea of red at MSJ today? Those muggles sure know how to decorate!

Ron Weasley: I know right? All I could see was red. The rock and roll “hall” had pictures of the Class of 2013 through their past homecomings and was a nice trip down memory lane for the entire school. The backdrop really caught my attention with its artistic and detailed renditions of the characters, and they also included a “Battle of the Bands” banner to complement it.

Harry Potter: The roaring of the red-clothed muggles overpowered everything else though, and the music really pumped up the audience even before the performances began. In the “Battle of the Bands” between MSJ and Kennedy, the alumni in Reid Saw a Ghost helped to bolster the already enthusiastic audience, and set the skit off on a strong note.

Ron Weasley: And what an amazing skit it was! The romantic saving of Ramona from her evil exes from Kennedy was well-developed with expressive acting and skillful voiceovers from the actors. I thought Matt Patel’s Indian accent was memorable and stayed true to the essence of the movie!

Harry Potter: I really liked how they integrated the airbands into the skit as well! The lead into the Bollywood airband was humorous and unique, though the airband itself seemed out of sync at times.

Ron Weasley: Overall, it was very spirited though, and the dancers’ enthusiasm made up for any inexperienced dancers or disorganization within the performance. The Barbie hip-hop airband, which came before, was equally entertaining as well and the coordination of the airband despite the amount of people involved in it was impressive.

Harry Potter: The Tahitian airband had some repetitiveness, but the Haka airband directly after provided variety and helped reinvigorate the energy of the crowd.

Ron Weasley: Despite technical difficulties with the microphone during Haka, the zeal of the dancers was clearly expressed, and the expressions on each of their faces really made the airband unique and the presence of the dancers overtook the stage with their cultural chants.

Harry Potter: The ballet hip-hop dancers in the tutus were incredible as well, and the mashup of more classical and modern dance styles made it unforgettable, especially the part with dubstep ballet!

Ron Weasley: I liked that airband and the usage of the dancers as lasers, but the hip-hop airbands all seemed to blend together after a while. Don’t get me wrong though, the animated dancers were really synchronized and clearly expressed every move.

Harry Potter: I really wish I could have the seen the rest of the last hip-hop airband, as well as the rest of the skit and the finale dance, but what we did see of the entire performance today was passionate and unforgettable.

Ron Weasley: Maybe if their transitions in between airbands and the skit were a bit shorter, they could have squeezed in a bit more and avoided some awkward pauses, but the intensity of the seniors’ spirit and the touching unity of the characters at the end overcame any of the small mistakes that were made.

Harry Potter: The Class of 2013 really made an imprint on MSJ history, and they won’t be forgotten anytime soon. They started out the day with a never-before-done flash mob with a large congregation of seniors in the bell-tower quad and ended just as strongly.  They did a spectacular job and concluded Homecoming week on a spirited note!