– By Matthew Abrey
Kelowna Secondary School’s famous ‘Airband’ competition was back for its 37th straight year on Thursday night, and the long-running spectacle once again, did not disappoint.
The judged competition, which was taken in by approximately 1,200 spectators, has evolved over the years from a typical air-guitar and lip-sync competition, to a full-fledged display of synchronized dance numbers, hilarious skits, video introductions, and the use of glow-in-the-dark props, such as airplane replicas and giant Chinese-style dragons.
The entire production is student-run, with KSS’ ‘Leadership’ classes making everything happen, from the lights and sound, to the staging and advertising. Of course, they have a bit of help from Leadership teachers Fane Triggs and Tony Sodaro, who together have been guiding and growing ‘Airband’ for well over a decade.
For Triggs, the total involvement and commitment from the students is what keeps him going.
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“A lot of kids are involved,” says Triggs. “A lot of kids from different walks of life at KSS are involved, and that means a lot to me because we have backstage people, we having lighting and sound people, we have people performing on stage, we have people watching, we have people creating props, and we all work together in a big group effort every year to put on this show.”
“It’s honestly amazing,” says Grade 12 student, Yvette Muteera. “It’s so nice that we’ve kept such an amazing tradition alive that has gone on for so long and I’m so honoured to be a part of it.”
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The ten groups performing ranged in size from a one-man-band to a 30-person supergroup.
At the end of the night, the all-boys Grade 12 group, ‘Anchormen’, took home the top prize, with two other Grade 12 groups, ‘Business Class’ and ‘The Seniors’, taking home second and third respectively.
The competition also takes on a different theme every year, with this year’s theme being ‘Late Night’. As a result, the night’s emcees dressed up as late night TV hosts such as Jimmy Fallon and James Corden, and sportscasters Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, who provided comedic skits between acts.
The school is already starting to plan next year’s spectacle, and if it is anything like this year’s, audiences will not be disappointed.
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