REGION — Torrey Pines High School held its annual Arts Festival on May 17 and 18, hosting live performances alongside an art exhibit that filled the Visual and Performing Arts Center lobby with paintings, sculptures and photographs.
Students showcased their artistic talents through the art exhibit’s theme, “Symbiosis,” while others performed live shows spanning from dance and singing to slam poetry, musical acts and a student-led fashion show – all serving as platforms for artistic self-expression.
“I’m incredibly proud of our annual Arts Festival,” said Principal Rob Coppo. “Torrey Pines has a long history of excellence in the arts and showcases like this give us a chance to share the work of our talented students with the community.”
For the fashion show segment, sophomore Joseph Kempf designed and outfitted all the pieces worn by the models.
“I used patterns I found online to make things and up-cycled some old jeans by adding flares and some extra details,” Kempf said. “The fashion show was really cool because it allowed me to make some things that I wouldn’t usually make for myself and it was really cool to see that other people liked my work.”
Meanwhile, student dancer Caden Fassett captivated the audience with a special performance, showcasing his electric lip-syncing and dancing skills alongside the PE Dance Team.
“The Arts Festival is all about getting students from different disciplines to work together,” said Dance Teacher Sarah Kaye. “That same spirit of collaboration has been a driving force behind our Visual and Performing Arts teachers.”
Kaye influenced the young performers as they honed their acts and rehearsed their routines.
“We’ve worked together, and Ms. Kaye spends so much of her time putting in effort to make sure we all look amazing – we owe her everything for that,” said sophomore Caitlyn Van Hoose. “Our process was creativity packed together and a lot of execution inside of school. Mentally, it was all about keeping ourselves healthy and fully prepared for the show and lots of stretching.”
Sophomore Madison Fisher said working with a variety of different people and discovering new textures with dance was her favorite part of the show.
“My favorite part is being able to branch out with our creativity with choreographers and bonding with our teammates,” said freshman Alyssa Yeh.
This performance pushed sophomore opera singer Chrystal Cheng to explore new vocal heights.
“I’m proud of my progress with my singing,” Cheng said. “I started as a choir singer and I’m proud of the advancement I’ve made.”
Students like junior Maya Brewer also reveled in the opportunity to share their talent and take pride in their work.
“I’m proud of my performance on stage because that’s where I want to be all the time,” Brewer said.
