RYAN WILLMAN
Arrow Lakes News
Parents and special guests all packed into the Bonnington Theatre for the Nakusp Elementary Christmas concert spectacular on December 16. There isn’t anything quite like the nervous magic weaved during a school concert, as little tots dressed up in holiday wonderments either shyly wave at parents while trying to remember their lines in the harsh lights of the stage, or rise to the occasion and confidently strut through the lime light. The spirit of Christmas and the fellowship of the holidays were almost palpable on that wintery Tuesday night, and the students delivered a show that won’t soon be forgotten.
The evening’s entertainment was kicked off by Mrs. McQuair’s Grade 3 class who invited the entire audience to take an imagination fueled trip around the world to learn about international Christmas traditions. Each student, or pair of students, stepped forward and delivered facts and other interesting tidbits of information about foreign practices, summing it up, appropriately enough, with an energetic rendition of the well-known song, “It’s A Small World After All.”
The multicultural class was followed by Mrs. Jamison’s Grade 6 students who sang two unique songs; one a parody of a familiar Christmas classic with the words reflecting the splendor of the B.C.’s interior, and the other a carol sung entirely in French. The class then walked the audience through a reading of the popular holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas with a very enigmatic portrayal of the green Grinch by Ledger Coats.
With Christmas once again saved for the Whos in Whovill, MC and Nakusp Elementary principal Susan Paterson introduced the next class with a sly Monty Python reference. “And now,” Paterson said with a smile, “for something completely different.”
Two students from Mrs. Zelzenik’s Grade 4 class took centre stage and mused about the Christmas Concert thus far.
“Did you see Mrs. McQuair’s class? They showed us Christmas is celebrated around the world.”
“I wonder if zombies celebrate Christmas?”
Suddenly the theatre was filled with the undead, and the opening bars of the familiar “Thriller” tune by Michael Jackson rang out to the delight of the audience. The Grade 4 students danced, shuffled and groaned their way through the dance number, exchanging the word “thriller” for “Christmas” in the song lyrics.
With the undead dispatched, Mrs. Roberts’ Grade 1 class was invited on stage to wiggle and smile through three songs with a reindeer theme. The delightful surprise came at the end of their rendition of “The Hokey-Pokey,” when the class turned to wiggle their derrieres at the audience with little white tails pinned on.
The fantastic evening was wrapped up with a finale where all participating classes filled the theatre and sang a joyous, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”