The Loves of My Life: ACDT 2008-2009
I cannot begin to describe how hard it was to have to enter the Plenary Hall for the last time this afternoon for the last official AC Dance Troupe 2008-2009 meeting. We were pretty rowdy at first, everyone hamming it up (as usual) for my camera and singing at the top of our lungs as if it was just another training day. If it wasn't already obvious to everyone, we were trying to avoid having to start the session of tearful goodbyes.
But this wasn't any ordinary goodbye.
The undergrads set up chairs for the seniors and, one by one, gave each of us a folder/box with letters from each of the undergrads. Next, we watched two of the most heart-wrenching videos, care of the undergrads as well. We looked back on our history, realizing how we were all so distant at the very beginning (highly clique-y), but because of the many projects we put together and joined, we became a little dancing family :)) We laughed at ugly pictures, watched memorable dance videos, and heard cute dedications from both ACDT and Airforce undergrads. But the video that received tearful reactions was the seniors' video to the undergrads. They also surprised us with shirts bearing the names of everybody in ACDT 2008-2009. You guys are the sweetest (and you better all get the shirt also!)
It ended with,
"We love you ACDT 2008-2009.
You will forever be our babies."
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We transferred our session to our first-ever training place: 2 CAMBRIDGE CIRCLE. We ate and played AF-ACDT songs. We sat around in a circle on the couches for a few hours, playing "Fill in the blank" games (i.e. "My most embarrassing DT moment was ____" and reminiscing like crazy.
To my surprise, everybody stood up at one point while I was lying down on the couch with a pillow over my head. When I looked up, DT was standing around me with the Laput grin on their faces! I didn't know what was happening, then they suddenly pulled out a cake and billions of chocolate and started singing Happy Birthday! You can always count on DT for wonderful surprises :>
THEN,
I felt icing on my face (thank you Ina and AC and Carla, you poo-poo heads). We chased each other around, so to take revenge, I shook a huge bottle of Coke and opened it outside in front of Colleen and Carla. Coke sprayed all around us, and we felt sticky and gross so everybody who was inside pushed us into the pool! Next thing we knew, most of us (who didn't have Red today) were in the pool!
I will always miss crazy, fun times with you all.
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This year, we also never expected to get close to another awesome dance troupe.
Airforce, you guys made training and all our performances so much more interesting!
Training with those crazy guys was so always funny. Everybody eventually got the hang of Laput's "How YOU doin'?" with the Laput grin! We were so inspired to do stunts and spins like Pau, Itos and Migs and all want to break dance like Mark! E.G., Jordan and David, you will forever be my idols. And to everybody else in Airforce, you guys improved so much this year. We seniors will seriously miss all of you! I don't know how it's going to be next year, I really don't.
All I know is, Coach Vimi won a double whammy this year.
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I think it's difficult for us to grasp the fact that we're all not going to be seeing each other everyday (in the case of all the seniors) like we used to, going to Forbes (shhh) for training and lying down on the dirty Plenary Hall linoleum, dancing on a fake rubber stage with glaring spotlights and annoying strobe lights, having joint everythings with Airforce, seeing Coach Vimi during training and watching him get more and more hyper, but most importantly, getting ready for performances together.
I know that although we're sad to go, that the year we spent with the wonderful people in the team was truly one for the books. We accomplished so much this year, what with our many performances and invitations and our big placing in the Dream Dancelebration competition after countless years, and our push to revive Influence. We overcame our differences, looked past bad attitudes, and danced 'til no end. Our improvement can only be credited to two beings: Coach Vimi Rivera, without whose help and dedication we could've survived and GOD, who danced with us onstage every single time.
Onstage with ACDT was a blessing. It was fun, relaxed, and wonderful.
I will truly miss sharing the stage with all of you.
I hope and pray that you stay grounded and remember where we came from,
and that even when we visit in the coming years, we won't be disappointed.
It is with great honor that AC and I pass the torch to... SECRET :>
Cheers to possibly our most accomplished year of high school!
To ACDT 2008-2009:
I SALUTE YOU.