The Lincoln Log

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A large banner looms over the stage. “Can you practice what you preach, and would you turn the other cheek?” is lined around the walls surrounding the audience. Colorful posters display the various clubs represented in Abraham Lincoln High School. These posters were drawn by each club and held a larger meaning.

The lights are dimmed as the audience entered. Lincoln’s Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) Drum Corps pounded loudly on their drums as they marched simultaneously. The excitement and attentiveness that hung in the atmosphere increased. A large poster displayed this year’s theme: “Where is the Love?” which was inspired by the Black Eyed Peas hit single. Student body president senior Steven Huey stood on the stage and confidently announced, “Welcome to the 16th Brotherhood Sisterhood Assembly!”

A slide show video started BSA off with pictures of Lincoln events and students, which evoked the memories and emotions of the audience. As feelings and images blended together, the Japanese club took the stage.

The Japanese club performed a traditional fisherman’s dance, which Japanese villagers would perform to wish luck to the fishermen going out to sea. The dance moves incorporated motions that represented the wind and waves. The modern-dancers who came out mid-act were dressed in ‘yukatas,’ or summer kimonos made of cotton, performing an 80s-like dance, ‘para para.’

This 16th BSA had combinations of traditional acts and modern acts. The Filipino club performed “The Tinikling,” a traditional Filipino dance. It involves two bamboo sticks, which gives the dance a beat as it speeds up. By adding in the song “Bebot,” the club managed to mix in a taste of hip-hop.

Audience members were continually being reminded of their heritages throughout the show. The Chinese club performed a traditional dance in which the female dancers held red fans that represented love, while the male dancers held wooden sticks that represented hate. The Lion Dance club showed off their skills as three lions leaped to and fro to the beat of pounding drums, before ending with two banners scripted with “best wishes to everyone,” and “where is the love?”

The Korean club pranced to a beat that reflected the human beings’ spiritual connection to nature. The members performed a delicate dance in elegant gowns and headgear while gracefully waving their peacock fans in the air.

Other performances managed to open our eyes to more sensitive issues. The Gay Straight Alliance club enlightened the audience with a short but powerful speech on Lawrence King, a 15-year-old who was shot and killed for being open about his sexuality. GSA encouraged us to “be a voice against violence.”

The Fellowship club showed a clip to remind Lincoln students that we’re all here for each other. A hip-hop song was performed by seniors Kenny Helmer, Andrew Bologna and Angelo Selga, all members of Peer Resource, which encouraged the audience that love begins within the walls of Lincoln High School.

For the first time at BSA, cloggers Ian Enriquez of the Wellness center and junior Cheyenne Danner stole hearts as they performed their western folk dance. This performance did nothing to tarnish the popularity of junior Samantha Restivo’s annual Irish dance.

Showcasing the beauty of Vietnamese culture, the female dancers of the Vietnamese club, clothed in white gowns, danced alongside flowers and light fabrics.

Sophomore Tabo Nagase of the Hawaiian Club serenaded us all with a soft and soothing melody as dancers swayed their bodies to the beat of the music.

Orchestra brought together two elements of funky yet classy music as they performed a compilation of “Queen’s Greatest Hits.”

The French Club inspired laughter with their humorous video, “How to Be French,” inspired by famous YouTube.com celebrity Ryan Higa.

Lincoln’s cheerleaders tossed their hair and shook their red pompoms with an impressive dance routine, while the All Star club and Hip Hop club showed up with some fancy hip-hop moves themselves.

These acts showed the talents that are hidden in our school, but the real moment was when David Henderson and his tee-shirt rocked it “BSU style” during the Black Student Union’s dance. The BSU performed the famous soldier boy dance along with stomping.

The Polynesian club was once again a crowd favorite thanks to the swinging hips and graceful moves of the club’s island inspired dancers.

Dedications were made to teacher Nancy Kaufmann during the La Raza’s performance. La Raza shook their hips to the sound of Latin music.

The break dancers, always a crowd favorite, stepped it up this year as b-boys senior Alex “Mofro” Dalton, senior Barry “Spikes” Xaykosy, junior Brendon “Azn Bread” Chan and junior EJ “Eject” Acosta showed off their six-packs during flips.

The Drama club’s “Temple of Love” was a huge hit. The audience cheered as actors, actresses and a large gorilla ran back and forth on and off of the stage. The crowd laughed when junior Dominic Butler Parker’s pants were whipped down, and were awed at the Temple scene. Laughter exploded when the drama team bobbed their heads to the techie beat, “What is Love?”

As the assembly ended, students from all backgrounds of different cultures, ethnicities and interests join their hands together. As they sang, they asked the question “Where is the Love?” And the poster behind them replied, “Here it is.”