Panthers of ISKL #340: IASAS SEASON 3 - Dance, Drama & Tech Delegates
Dance students, Timmy C. (‘27), Drama student Dominique M. (‘27) and Tech student ShuYi G. (‘27), tell us about their experiences and what inspired their IASAS experiences.
Here are their stories:
Dance
Tell us more about some of the workshops you have participated in during the IASAS Culcon.
Since I was in Dance I participated in the dance workshops, they were quite interesting to be a part of because of the different styles of dance I attempted doing. We tried contempt, urban, hiphop, from what I remember anyways, either way it was a lot of fun.
Describe your most memorable moments during IASAS Culcon and what you most enjoy about it?
The end of our performance at Culcon was something I'll remember because having completed a show while not being at my 100% felt like such an accomplishment and a relief too because I was finally done with it.
What did you gain through your experience at IASAS Culcon, and how has this impacted your work?
I think I gained a new appreciation for dancers, it's made me want to work more in dance and get better at it. I want to be able to experience multiple different art forms in dance and maybe even participate in it more after High School.
Tell us more about what inspires you in your preparation for IASAS Culcon
I always want to show my best work when presenting a show and I also didn't want my team down at IASAS, so a mix of wanting to be proud of something that I performed and a fear of letting down my team is what inspires me to be better before IASAS rolls around.
What new techniques or themes did you experience as a creative through your experience at Culcon, and how have they impacted your performance?
Overall my experience at Culcon didn't impact my technique at all but it pushed me to perform to my max. Seeing everyone else's performance made me really competitive because I really wanted to be just as good as theirs if not better. So just seeing everyone's shows be so outstanding made me want to make sure ours was too.
What advice would you give students participating in IASAS Culcon in future years?
Don't be afraid to try something different, don't be afraid to take risks in performing, and always improve your performance; make sure it's at its peak and make it something you'll be proud of participating in years from now.
Please describe the performance you exhibited at IASAS Culcon
Our performance was a dark take on escape rooms, a group of friends trapped trying to find a way out figuring something dire might happen. In the end the friends don't seem to make it out, except one. She ended up orchestrating it all though.
What are you most proud of in your participation at IASAS Culcon, either individually or as part of your team
As a team I always thought we weren't entirely synced, even up to IASAS, but I feel like the performance stress made us all click together. It was a moment of synchronicity for us.
Words by Timmy C. (‘27)
Drama
Describe your most memorable moments during IASAS Culcon and what you most enjoy about it?
The most memorable part of DDT is always the tunnel. So this happens after every show; everyone gathers and makes a tunnel and the people who were in the show run through. I have gone to Culcon for the past two years and it will always be my favourite part, both running through and making the tunnel. DDT takes so long to prepare and it's so fun to see everyone's show and the tunnel just feels like a form of appreciation that can't be said with just applause.
What did you gain through your experience at IASAS Culcon, and how has this impacted your work?
I gain a lot from IASAS, both in the workshops and from the other delegates around me. Because DDT is not a competition, you really make friends with the other delegates and talk about all the shows and what you did. I have learnt a lot from just observing my peers because everyone who comes is so amazingly talented and so fun to collaborate with in workshops. I love theatre so much and I just want to absorb as much of it as possible and IASAS just feels like a week of pure joy and interest as I get to spend all day performing or watching great shows.
What advice would you give students participating in IASAS Culcon in future years?
If I had to give advice to people who want to do Culcon, I would say don't sleep on it. It is honestly one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. As someone who has been to both sports and Culcon, they are both very different, but Culcon was more enjoyable, at least for me personally. You make bonds, and you learn so much. If someone wanted to do Culcon, I would tell them it's a lot of work and hours of rehearsals, but it is so worth it, and I would do it three times a year if I could.
Words by Dominique M. (‘27)
Tech
What advice would you give students participating in IASAS Culcon in future years?
IASAS Tech Culcon is going to be hard! But you will make so much out of it and really grow as a person. Embrace the problems, stress, and the upsetting moments. Just focus on bringing the amazing performance live. Communicate with as many people as you can, you will find lots of like-minded peers to connect and discuss niche topics with. IASAS Culcons are such unique, great opportunities as it brings people with the same passion together. Make the most out of it!
What are you most proud of in your participation at IASAS Culcon, either individually or as part of your team?
This year was especially challenging for the techies as a group, with lots of moving pieces and challenges in all kinds of aspects such as scheduling, lighting, and projections. ISB, the host school, uses a different lighting board than ISKL and has a very different theater layout. There were many sleepless nights and caffeine involved. I am so proud that as a team we pulled through!
We were able to rapidly adapt to the changes, embracing the imperfections and accidents along the way. IASAS Tech has always been very intensive and demanding, requiring a lot of patience and collaboration skills. In simple terms, a very high cortisol IASAS event. However, despite the stress, we as a team all grew individually in our ability to solve problems, stay calm under high pressure environments, and most importantly, feel proud of what we’ve accomplished.
Words by ShuYi G. (‘27)
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff member who always has an anecdote to tell, loves to share some insights into their passions and interests, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.