Emma Fischer| feature editor
NEISD’s annual One Singular Sensation is set for Dec. 15 and 16 this year instead of the usual January or February weekend.
“OSS(One Singular Sensation) is about how all of the schools in the district; their dance and cheer teams are going into their competition season. It’s an opportunity for all the schools in NEISD to show off their routines to the rest of the schools in the district and show off what’s going to their competitions,” junior Alaysia Brooks said.
Freshmen, or new dancers to the district get a taste of competition season, to hopefully calm their nerves during the spring.
“OSS is so important because younger dancers get a taste of competition season. It gets them ready for the spring and gets them comfortable performing in front of other people. It’s a little competition. It’s an eye-opening experience for those who haven’t experienced it before,” junior Karolina Fiscal said.
For 25 years, OSS has brought the spirit groups from all the NEISD together to present the dances that they will take to competition.
“It was created by Diana Schumacher (former NEISD fine arts director) and Susan Angell-Gonzalez (former Texas State Strutters dance director). Both were Spirit directors at Churchill H.S. and started this show in 1993,” drill and director Stephanie Trevino said.
Often, however, this event is held in late January, but due to the availability at the Blossom Center, it has been moved to the middle of December.
“It can have benefits being earlier, because it makes people prepared earlier, so you’re more caught up in terms for competition season. It can be stressful too because of the extra practices and longer practice,” Brooks said. “My previous OSSs went phenomenal in my opinion. We had a lot of routines that really excited the audience. We did some routines that they had never seen before.”
The stress of it coming early, can cause a rush to finish, but also force students to be prepared for the competitions in the future.
“It allows all our students to watch one another to get motivated for contest season. It also allows us to prepare for one of the busiest times of the year,” Trevino said. “Truthfully, I’m flexible with either month. All the NEISD directors will make sure all teams are ready whether the show is in December or January.”
In the end, the event highlights the talent the school district has.
“My OSS was really fun. It was really stressful getting ready but it’s so fun and I’d want to keep doing it as many times as I could,” Fiscal said.
