Capistrano Valley High School - El Gato Yearbook (Mission Viejo, CA)

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T REACH AND STEP- Senior Heather Bryant T SPEED LIMIT 55- Michelle Weiner prac- and sophomore Erin Keosian stretch before tices her fast turns. Students in the class have class to get their blood flowing. to practice to make everything perfect. 5-6-7-8 , juMp, kid his year is by far the best dance company we ' ve had, Miss Sharon Faeta, the dance in- structor explains. Not only are they all extremely talented individually, but they are a cohesive group that collectively produces brilliant creativity. But all this credit doesn ' t go to the dancers, h also should go to Miss Faeta. Miss Faeta guides us in the right direc- tion, says senior FHeather Bryant. But she doesn ' t just point you in the right direction and let you go. Senior Ryck Daniels added, Miss Faeta is also very supportive. To her students. Miss Faeta is much more than a teacher, she ' s a friend who is always available. She of- fers her time for early morning practices to develop dances. The practices start at 7:00 a.m. and last through first period. Students in the class choreograph their own dances, then teach the steps to the class. After a couple of days of learning the steps, an audition is held. From there the choreographer and Miss Faeta decide which students have cap- tured the style and mood of the dance and select them to perform it. That means that not every student makes ev- ery dance. You can be crazy or mellow and there ' s always at least one dance that fits your personality, says Bryant. Junior Michelle Weiner added, There ' s so many varieties of styles that they are sometimes awkward and hard to pick up. Some of the girls in the class find some of the steps difficult, but for Ryck Dan- iels, Jason Swain, and Paul McCormack, it has to be extremely challenging. it ' s a real challenge to myself. It takes guts to be in the class because some guys give me slack, but that ' s their problem, says first-year dancer Paul McCormack. Daniels also added, It turned out to be more athletic than I thought it was. But through all the challenging times the guys have the dancers and Miss Faeta for support. Even though the guys may feel a little stressed at times, it may help to know they all are an inspiration to the company. The guys add such ambition and en- thusiasm to the dance company, says Faeta. Of the company overall, Faeta says, It ' s been a pleasure watching the company develop its skill and confi- dence. 86 Dance Production

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KING TUT - Robin Welch knows her per- T ONE SINGULAR SENSATION - Drill Tean formance hands down, or hands up as the gets a kick out of forming a chorus line at i case may be. seventh period practice on the field. Pouy itu iOi Eipi utch Cof(pi J ancing — friendships — and Vfun! This is what Capo ' s drill team is all about. We have unity in drill team and we call it ' espirit de corps ' . The girls perform in dance competitions, make friends, and learn how to deal with groups, explains drill team ad- visor Karen Ela. Although Drill Team mainly in- volves dance competitions, the girls learn much more. It is a good ex- perience that kind of relates to school because I memorize things better and I ' m not so embarrassed to get up in front of everyone, junior Jenny Palmer said. Drill team is good for me to ex- press myself. I like the people I ' ve met, said sophomore Cindy Velez. I want people to know that we are really hard working and whatever we accomplish we really try for. The team has had no major down- falls. The girls have really turned around and we are more together and organized this year, Miss Ela said. Their achievements motivate them. I like seeing the bubbling en- ergy of all the girls. The girls also gained more de- served respect and recognition. Drill Team is harder than it looks. 1 want the school to appreciate the hard work we do when we dance and perform, jenny Palmer added. Drill Team 85

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A WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE - Jason Swain, Ryck Daniels, and Paul McCormack practice their dance steps. During the class, students usually work on choreographing and practicing dances. Dance Production - Top row: Angie Le- Master, Gina Zicarelli, Dianna Belletti, Wendy Anthony, Debbie Fosdick, Azita Karimkhany, Heather Bryant. Second row: Sharon Faeta, Jenna Beck, Carol Marinelli, Cindy Hicks, Erin Keosian, Grace Rhee, Mandie Wachal, Melissa Hernandez. Front Row: Amy Dalzell, Suki Asada, )ason Swain, Ryck Daniels, Paul Mc- Cormack, Adrienne Cimarrusti, Melissa Maher, Dance Production 87