By: Andres Luis Makilan, Staff Writer
After a long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mills Dragon Team is back and taking on their biggest challenge yet: the Lunar New Year Parade on the 15th of February. They’ve recently performed in school rallies and events, but nothing compares to the sheer scale of the Parade. The route of the parade is long and arduous,with hundreds of spectators keeping their eyes on you, and not to mention this is the reformed team’s first event of this scale and size.
For the captains, there is a general feeling of excitement and nervousness because of the importance the event holds over the club. “I’m pretty excited to go to the parade since I know it’s such a big event and that it’s really important to our history,” says Kelly Dang (11), one of the four captains of the Dragon Team. “I can’t wait to…experience [it] for myself and to see how it goes.”
Another captain, Don Huang (11), says that it’s “definitely exciting for everyone,” even though the feeling of nervousness is still evident due to the fact that nobody in the team has ever experienced the parade before. However, they do have some experience in performing, and it seems like their routine from the rallies with one small change is going to carry over to the parade.
Captain Coby Chen (11) says that there’ll be no more flag waving done by any of the members, as those will just be on the truck bed of the truck that’ll be cruising through the parade. For the routine itself, Chen says that “It’s mainly just going to be the dragon following the pearl.” He also adds, “We’re just going to do a lot of these loops and run around endlessly for an hour or so.”
Chen himself interviewed the general members of the team about the Parade, and based on their answers, he thinks that “[They] are pretty committed,” and they since they’re committed, he thinks that people are more likely to be excited about the performance itself, whether it be the team themselves, or the spectators on the street or up in the rafters. Dang also added that once all the members get there and see the place in and of itself, they will feel a lot more interested and feel a lot more emotion going into the performance.
When asked about possible new prospects coming into the team, Huang says that the Dragon Team is welcome to anyone, and that it is a “great chance to be part of something bigger than yourself.” He adds that new members can learn and perform, and through that, learn and spread Chinese culture.
The Dragon Team is thankful for the support of their coaches, past and present advisors, and past alumni. Without their continued support, the revival of the Dragon Team would not have been possible. Their current advisor, Ms. Chong, can be found in room 144 to answer any inquiries or general questions regarding the Dragon Team.
