Respira shows off their “style” with Dessert Show

The Coppell High School Respira Choir sings “Style” by Taylor Swift during Thursday night’s performance in the CHS auditorium. During the intermission of the show, the audience was welcomed to the cafeteria to enjoy desserts. Photo by Amanda Hair.

Sruthi Boppuri, Staff Writer
November 10, 2015

People began filling in the seats of the Coppell High School auditorium anxiously waiting as the lights turned off and the curtains opened, beginning the Respira Choir Dessert Show.

 

The choir set an amazing first impression with their first group performance. The singers were dressed in their most stylish clothes as they harmonized to “Style” by Taylor Swift. The audience was left in awe and the curtain closed as Joshua Brown, the CHS Choir Director, welcomed the crowd.

 

The next two performances were solos by some of the members of the choir.

 

Seniors Natalie Lopez and SarahKate Lookabaugh sang a duet version of “Runaway” by Galantis. Riya Mahesh strummed her ukulele as she sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. The audience sang along to the chorus, upon her request.

 

“I think the show went extremely well,” said CHS sophomore and Respira member Riya Mahesh. “We put in a lot time and effort into making the show as amazing as possible and I think we definitely accomplished that.”

 

The choir then came out dressed in their Respira Dessert Show shirts and performed “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne. The curtains closed and senior Victoria Kennedy captivated the audience with a beautiful rendition of “Glitter in the Air” by Pink. Next, sophomore Vivi Uppaluru sang “All You Had To Do Was Stay” by Taylor Swift as Georgina Bourbon played the piano.

 

Dressed in dazzling outfits, the choir definitely let their colors show with their upbeat performance of “Firework” by Katy Perry. Next, seniors Melissa Cannon and Alyssa Garza came together and performed “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry.

 

“We spent hours upon end dancing, hours upon end practicing the songs, and even sending the girls home to learn the music,” said CHS senior and Respira member Alyssa Garza. “We put so much hard work into this and I’m really proud of them.”

For the third song of Thursday night’s show, Coppell High School seniors and Respira Choir members Melissa Cannon and Allysa Garza perform Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.” The Coppell High School Respira Choir’s Dessert Show was held in the CHS auditorium and had an intermission where guests could enjoy free desserts. Photo by Amanda Hair.
For the third song of Thursday night’s show, Coppell High School seniors and Respira Choir members Melissa Cannon and Allysa Garza perform Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.” The Coppell High School Respira Choir’s Dessert Show was held in the CHS auditorium and had an intermission where guests could enjoy free desserts. Photo by Amanda Hair.

The auditorium lights came back on, signaling the end of Act I. In the cafeteria, tables were set up with desserts, as well as items that were available for purchase in the silent auction. Audience members gathered around, enjoying refreshments.

 

The audience returned to their seats after the intermission. The auditorium lights dimmed, the curtains reopening, revealing the choir dressed in plaid. Their performance of “Cool Kids” by Echosmith was energetic and dynamic.

 

The curtains closed, welcoming freshman Karvi Bhatnagar onto the stage, who performed a beautiful piano piece titled “Raindrop Prelude” by Frédéric Chopin.

 

Sophomores Christina Liu and Jess Hernandez kept things slow and melodious with their song “Flashlight” by Jessie J., accompanied by sophomore Amelia Vanyo on the guitar.

 

The choir proved their amazing vocal capabilities with their next performance of “Cups” by Anna Kendrick. The choir kept the performance simple, yet stunning.

All members of the Coppell High School Respira choir gather on stage in the CHS auditorium to perform the twelfth song in the dessert show, “Cups.” Regular admission the the CHS Respira Dessert Show was $10, but those who wore a Respira t-shirt to the show only had to pay $5. Photo by Amanda Hair.
All members of the Coppell High School Respira choir gather on stage in the CHS auditorium to perform the twelfth song in the dessert show, “Cups.” Regular admission the the CHS Respira Dessert Show was $10, but those who wore a Respira t-shirt to the show only had to pay $5. Photo by Amanda Hair.

Junior Pam Mason stepped into the spotlight as she performed a slow song titled “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones. Next, senior Anastacia Badillo amazed the audience as she sang “Skyfall” by Adele, while her younger brother, Michael Badillo, accompanied her on the piano.

 

The choir saved their best, and most jazzy piece, for last, with their performance of “Vogue” by Madonna. The singers showed of their talents as performers, as well as singers.

 

“‘Vogue was definitely my favorite song that we performed,” said CHS sophomore and Respira choir member Ashley Benhayoun. “It was very upbeat and we had so much fun rehearsing it.”

 

The show ended with the choir members bowing, the crowd applauding with cheers and standing ovations. The 2015-2016 CHS Respira Choir are an extremely talented group of singers and definitely proved just what they are capable of based on their melange of talent.