FROM THE MARGINS:
I have 10 tickets to sell. The easiest thing would be to buy them myself and distribute them among friends. But I’d prefer to sell them individually. If I put in the effort to promote the event to 10 people and persuade them to dispense cash, they would be more willing to attend the event.
The event I am referring to will be an easy sell. This year’s Glendale Unified School District Student Showcase, presented by the Glendale Educational Foundation, will feature actors, musicians and dancers from the high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. The visual arts will also be on display during the event.
The showcase will benefit the Glendale Educational Foundation’s efforts in supporting the local schools’ programs in visual and performing arts, science and technology, as well as health and fitness.
This year’s program will feature a variety of diverse performances.
College View School will be presenting a music program. Students and staff members will come together to create rhythmic music through the unifying power of a Sacred Drum Circle. Drum circles are not only popular in the musical world, but also in hospitals, medical facilities and corporate institutions. College View School performers will be exuding their groove and hope to transmit the same to the audience.
First-graders from Monte Vista Elementary School will be presenting the musical opera “The Three Nanny Goats Gruff.”
If you don’t know the story of the three brave Nanny Goats (I don’t), this is your chance to enlighten yourself. And if you do, this is an opportunity to see how 14 elementary school students render the show.
Multiculturalism and diversity are characteristics of an open, free and confident community. If you are looking for a performance originating from south of the border, the Cerritos Dance Ensemble has your remedy. Twenty-two dancers from the Cerritos Elementary School kindergarten will perform the Mexican dance, Jesuista en Chihuahua, popularly known as the Mexican Polka.
The dance comes from the northern part of Mexico, which is home to the vaquero (Mexican cowboy); it pays tribute to the men and women who fought during the Revolución Mexicana.
Fifty-six Hummingbirds from R.D. White Elementary School will perform one show called the “E-I-E-I Oops.” You can see Farmer MacDonald and the barnyard. The rooster will be on tenor, the mule chimes will be on bass, and the chicks are altos.
And there is more. Keppel Elementary School, the Glendale High School Harlequins and the String Quartet, the Hoover High School Theatre and chamber, the Wilson Middle School Chorus, the Elementary String Ensemble, as well as the Crescenta Valley High School Orchestra will also participate in the two-hour program.
If you have children or extended family in the show, it goes without saying that your presence is the best form of support and encouragement. But if you don’t have a direct connection to the show, it is still an event that can bring the whole family together.
If you are single and childless like me, you may consider this as a legitimate venue for a date. It sounds like a stretch, and I don’t recommend it as a first outing. But if you’ve been seeing someone and she is not necessarily sure of your motives, this may be your opportunity to make a positive impression.
A dose of harmless fibbing may also be in order. If you want to elaborate, you may pick out one of the kids on stage and claim: “That’s my cousin. Isn’t she cute?!” Make sure she somewhat looks like you and her parents are not nearby. Look excited during her performance. You may also want to leave early to avoid the possibility of an encounter with your “cousin.”
But seriously, I was at the event last year, and I enjoyed it. And I had no family members who are performing in the program.
This is a tribute to the event organizers who’ve been able to appeal to a diverse audience while promoting a great cause.
PATRICK AZADIAN is a writer and the creative director of a local marketing and graphic design studio living in Glendale. He may be reached at respond@fromthemargins.net.