Class of 2029 Freshman Homecoming

By Staff Writers Luna Bichon & Joseph Miao

Kicking off the Homecoming festivities, the freshman Class of 2029 set the stage for the rest of the week with exhilarating performances and long strings of white and light-blue balloons stretched across the amphitheater. The intricately painted backdrop of Agrabah, the setting of the popular Disney film Aladdin, was marked by a grinning Genie emerging from his lamp, Aladdin dashing on the magic carpet, and the fierce tiger, Rajah, lounging under the “Class of 2029” banner. With entrancing dances, beautifully blue Aladdin-themed decorations, and high energy, the freshman class’ debut was full of life and spirit.

Beginning with renditions of songs from Aladdin, such as “A Whole New World” by Brad Kane and Lea Salgona, the singing airband introduced the audience to the world of Aladdin and eased the crowd into Agrabah. As the song gradually ceased, the spotlight shifted toward the skit, where Aladdin disguised himself as Prince Ali in hopes of winning Jasmine’s heart while Jafar worked to undermine him. Throughout the skit, the expressive actors kept a light tone even as tensions mounted within the story.

Next followed the hip-hop airband, with energetic dances set to hit pop songs such as “Paint The Town Red” and “Agora Hills” by Doja Cat. Maintaining the same enthusiasm, the K-pop airband featured upbeat and intricate dances timed to catchy songs such as “Gabriela” by KATSEYE and “Jump” by BLACKPINK. These performances captivated the audience, as roars of approval echoed from the crowd. Gracefully swooping onto stage, the contemporary airband contrasted the earlier hype with elegant lifts, sweeping motions, and acrobatic dances and choreography.

However, after the contemporary airband was finished performing, unforeseen weather abruptly halted the event. Due to the high temperatures of up to 91°F, event supervisors urged the performers and audience members to stay hydrated and cool down. After the break was over, the fight scene airband wasted no time recapturing the audience’s attention, with a performer flipping onto the stage and executing an impressive round off and back handspring consecutively. Following sequences of rapid choreography, including aerial moves, fighting with staves and escrima-like sticks, and even an overhand throw, an intense tone was set for the rest of the performance.

With the sun still blistering, surrounded by the cerulean decorations and atmosphere, the Bollywood airband rushed to take the stage in dazzling unison. With the rhythmic drums and beat drops of songs such as “Sooraj Dooba Hain” from Bollywood film Roy or “First Class” from the Bollywood movie Kalank, as the performers stepped, they glistened in the heavy sunlight, with their matching sequined blue skirts and black tops. The boys opened up with a series of playful claps and twirls, establishing a lively rhythm before the girls joined in with flowing spins. Both groups synchronized their choreography with partnered dips and rippling waves throughout the crowd of performers. 

After the Bollywood airband finished, they were joined by all the different airbands on stage. Singing, skit, hip-hop, K-pop, contemporary, and fight scene members all rushed to join the true last send-off of their homecoming. As all the different performers gathered around each other, they began chanting their class’ slogan. With scores of freshmen reciting, “In our prime, we’re 29!” and cheering for all the performances they had collectively been a part of, the freshmen’s festivities had officially concluded.

Voices

“I think the best thing that the Class of the 2029 did for their performance today was definitely keeping all the dances really energetic and having really good choreo whilst being within the time limit. I think they also did a great job with the skit, and they really put forward their message. I think the deco was absolutely beautiful to look at.” — Shaurya Verma, 12

“I really liked the Bollywood dance today, and I think that everyone was really good with their timing [and] had a lot of energy. They were all smiling, and I could tell that they were really well rehearsed. There was a really large group of people, too, which I liked. — Matthew Wang, 11

“I think their K-pop and Bollywood dances were the best because of their impressive costumes and choreography, especially the sparkly costumes the members of the Bollywood airband had on. I also really enjoyed the skit and the costume for Aladdin.” — Raha Iqbal, 9

“I think the Class of 2029 did the best because they had good Bollywood performances, and I also like their fight [scene]. The thing that was most memorable would be how they choreographed everything in a nice and abstract way where it was well fit and made it so the crowd can enjoy it as well.” — Zahaan Kassamali, 10