On one side of the stage were tough and bold bikers, and on the other were colorful and carefree surfers. The spirited turf war between the two rivals echoed throughout the entire auditorium, and for the first time in a long time, Malden High got a taste of summer as the first night of the Junior Varieties on March 6th.
Back in January, the class of 2027 had announced the theme of JVs to be “Teen Beach Movie”, a comedic film that follows two modern-day teen surfers who teleport to a musical, “Wet-Side Story”. The musical, a twist on 1961’s “West Side Story,” revolves around a heated rivalry between bikers and surfers. Trapped in the movie, the two protagonists, Mack and Brady, interfere with the plot and are forced to fix the storyline so that they could return to their real lives.
In between all thirteen performances, acts in which students would act as bikers and surfers from the musical, would bring the story to the stage, entertain the audience, and introduce each set of performers. Student actors included Blue and Gold Managing editor Alexia Lima, Head of Sports Evelyn Ruan, juniors Joan Diaz Vargas, Ivan Chen, Raquel Ferreira, Ema Xhindi, Aya Tafraoui, Yawen Zuo, Karllens Petion, and Ken Lin.
“I loved acting in JVs. It was such a fun experience that I will always look back on,” Ferreira, who played main character Mack, expressed.
ACT 1:
The night kicked off with the performance of Beabadoobee’s indie-pop song “Beaches,” performed by “The Shoelaces”. With a cool teal light cast on the stage, the band set the perfect summer vibe to launch the first day of JVs. Lead guitarist junior Cathen Fontanilla led the instrumental as rhythm guitarist senior Audrey Nguyen supported, and their tunes tied together groovily with the consistent drums from senior Sean Cochran. Junior singers Keira Celicourt and Jhillian Dumo gave a captivating, upbeat duet that stirred a spark in the crowd.
Dumo explained how they decided on Beaches because it met their criteria. “It was a popular song that people could sing along to, it was upbeat, not too repetitive,” and “it just happened to match the theme of JVs.”
Celicourt added, “Being able to say that I opened JVs made the whole experience really special, and I would definitely do it all over again.”
Following “The Shoelaces”, were the iconic dance team “The Fierce and the Fearless”, who previously performed at JVs last year. The group brought an unmatchable energy to the stage and hyped up the audience with their bold dance moves.
The lead dancer and choreographer for the group, senior Nour Mossalam, explained how he was nervous about putting his choreography piece out there, as it was the routine that he created. Mossalam had also created the remix of hit songs that the group danced to, which included “Woman” by Doja Cat, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “One Dance” by Drake, and “EoO” by Bad Bunny.
Mossalam emphasized that his favorite parts of JVs were “definitely hyping the crowd up” and “giving the dancers on the team the moment to shine as well.” He noted that they did “really amazing” and that “he loved every part of it.”
The third act was performed by senior Jasmin Diaz Gomez, who had chosen to sing the romantically melancholic song “Bound to You”, by Christina Aguilera as it was from her “favorite movie: Burlesque.”
The audience watched intently as Gomez gave a passionate, heartfelt performance. By the end, the auditorium echoed with claps and cheers, which had eased “the nerve-wreck,” that Gomez felt during her performance.
After the stunning solo by Gomez, the band “Wavelength” appeared on stage to give a rendition of “Shissou” by the LAST ALLIANCE, an early 2000s Japanese Rock song. Senior lead singer Katelynn Vo led the stage with her lively vocals, along with the high energy tunes provided by senior guitarists Nicholas Li, Josep Gaviria, and Sorin Mamouzette. Cochran made a reappearance and enhanced the punk-rock vibe of the song with the rapid striking of the drums.
Gaviria shared that “this performance was the most awesome,” he’d ever had. “The stage was big enough for me to be free in my movements and fully enjoy playing the song and moment with my band.”
From a fast-paced rock song to the classical piece “Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, K545” by Mozart, senior Erica Littlejohn stunned the crowd with her magnificent piano solo. The piece had a complex and playful tune, in which Littlejohn displayed her dexterous skills on each note. This was not Littlejohn’s first rodeo at JVs as she has performed the piano during her freshman and sophomore year as well.
Littlejohn expressed how she had chosen to “perform that particular Mozart piece,” because it was the special piece that got her “accepted into the Adams School of Music and the Arts at Gordon College.”
The newly founded band “Sea Foam” played the penultimate performance in the first act. Their performance featured the song “Back to Me” by The Marias, a mellow song centered around the yearning for a past relationship. The band had decided on that song as it came from The Marias’ “Submarine”, which has an oceanic vibe connected to beaches and sand.
Junior bass guitarist Krystalyn Vo described JVs “as being able to bring in the community.”
Concluding the first act was the synchronized dance group, “GALXC” made up of members from the high school’ s KPOP club. The dancers performed to a remix of popular Korean pop songs “Killin it Girl” by J-Hope and “FaSHioN” by Cortis. The group captivated the audience’s attention as they showcased a passionate and lively choreography, created specifically to match the beats of songs while incorporating moves from Korean pop groups.
Sophomore Lillyanna Keogh mentioned that although “it was a bit nerve-wracking” because it was her first time performing for JVs, she was still “very excited,” to display the groups’ efforts and hard work on stage.
“Hearing the crowd go crazy after each performance was my favorite part,” Keogh emphasized.
Junior Ryleigh Marrow shared: “I’ve been going to JVs since my freshman year, it’s one of my favorite events during the school year. As one of the most popular school events at Malden High, it’s an awesome way for people to express themselves and their interests.”
ACT 2:
Introducing the second act was Malden High’s Step Team, a beloved group that performs at JVs every year. With the members split into two groups, surfers and bikers, they alternated turns to perform their own rhythmic routines. By creatively using their bodies as loud and powerful instruments, the Step Team promoted the school’s spirit and brought a lively energy to the stage. Towards the end of their performance, the separated members grouped together to perform a collective routine, which had the crowds in the audience cheering louder.
Rolling in next were the Bald Ensemble, which included Malden High’s band members. Despite only a few members actually being bald, all the members displayed a top-notch confidence and energy on stage. The performers were thoroughly coordinated, which made for a terrific and harmonious show. Their particular performance of the hit 1990s song “Everybody” by The Backstreet Boys led to a loud uproar in the crowd as everybody sang along.
In his way Blue and Gold Editor-in-Chief of Web and Mobile Jacob Fuentes gave an exceptionally heartfelt performance of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. With a dark blue spotlight cast on him as he sang the iconic song, and the audience amazed at his singing, guests were compelled to shine an extra light on him. One by one, people turned on their phone lights and waved their arms side to side. As Fuentes sang the final chorus and vocal climax of the song, the crowd sang along with him, filling the entire auditorium with a triumphantly passionate resonance.
Sprouting up next was the band “The Turnips” who performed the upbeat, pop-rock song “Still into You” by Paramore. Leading singer Sarah Fontaim’s vocals were clear and loud, fully capturing the energetic vibe of the song. The harmonious strumming from senior guitarists Moon To and Nguyen sent vibrations to the crowd from the stage, with Cochran making his final appearance as the drummer and skillfully hitting every beat in the song.
Fontaim mentioned how it was her “first year performing with a band,” highlighting that they “all got used to each other’s flow very quickly and the chemistry was definitely there.”
New boost
More than halfway through the second act, the band “Halfway Home”, performed the alternative rock-song “Cranberry Chaser” by the Racoon Road. Lead singer Matt Chan led the stage with his enthusiastic dance moves and powerful singing as his bandmates supported his vocals with electrifying instrumentals.
New boost
Wrapping up this year’s JVs were the Afro-Carribean dance group, who took up the spotlight as the 13th performance. The members danced in perfect synchronization with one another. Big smiles, bright flower leis, and upbeat Afro-Carribean pop music filled the stage as the audience cheered on the dancers. The dancers performed proudly while they showed off not just the hard work they put into their choreography, but their cultural heritage.
Mamouzette, who was also featured in several other performances throughout JVs including the Afro-Caribbean group, described this year’s JVs as: “Memorable, chaotic, and eventful.”
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