The sound of mic checks, guitar riffs, and excited chatter filled the quad moments before Air Guitar, Foothill’s annual talent show, began.

This year’s theme was “Become the Legend.” ASB Lunchtime Activities Director Jessica Entrekin explained that the theme “always has to be with past legends or something like last years.”

Days prior to the event, Entrekin found narrowing down the top thirteen acts difficult.  There were “no untalented groups…everyone was amazing,” she said.

During the Food Fair, the Rhine entertained the crowd  with four songs, some of which are available on their EP on iTunes. Many different clubs sold food before the show started to fundraise.

At the top of the show, Principal Joe Bova and Darcy Perez, ASB director and teacher, presented the Tanner Aubert award to Carolina Conozca. Conozca, a student with several visual impairment, for showing courage and perseverance in her attitude each day at school.

Senior Kellie Medart opened the show with a performance on the marimba. Medart began playing four years ago in pit band at Buena.

Taylor Kennepohl, Joe Malach and drummer Jon Oyan, Emily Furlong, Madeline and Carly Bell, Kirsten Garbe, Rachael Garnett and pianist Nicole Pablo, Gabby Trainor, and Konnor “K.J.” King made up other musical acts.

Kennepohl has been playing guitar for ten years, and performed an original song called “Big City”.  She felt this song was relevant to an event so close to graduation, with seniors leaving and pursuing adventures outside of Ventura.

Fans on the right of the stage screamed wildly for David Hernandez, who displayed his self-taught break-dancing skills. Hernandez has been break-dancing since he was 11.

“I learned by seeing, and then started doing my own stuff,” he said.

Furlong, who performed a drum solo blindfolded, was a definite crowd-pleaser as well, as everyone cheered for her impressive number.

Jim Bern, who is one of five valedictorians and is widely known for his talent for juggling says he has been performing his craft for five years.

“I was dropping a lot, but that’s okay,” said Bern, who thought it was odd that the crowd cheered after dropping his props. “I guess it’s a motivational thing,” he said good-naturedly.

Halfway through the show, emcees Trevor Morrison and Chandler Vu surprised students with their own rendition of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” Vu claimed that it was Morrison’s idea, and that it paid homage to the film “White Chicks.”

Garbe’s song “Fields of Gold” by Sting was followed by Garnett and pianist Pablo’s performance of P!nk’s “Glitter in the Air.” Immediately before going onstage, Pablo claims to have been “freaked out, I’ve never played in front of this large of a crowd.”

Other memorable performances were Deanna Okada’s dance to Jennifer Hudson’s version of “Killing Me Softly,” and Allany Chayaing’s act with the diabolo.

Before any of the winners were announced, sophomore Alex Tompkins introduced teachers Melissa Wantz, Cherie Eulau, and Robin Houlahan, who caused the crowd to go wild for a performance that literally could not be tamed.  The three teachers were dressed in the style of Miley Cyrus’s popular “Can’t Be Tamed” music video, and even emerged from a bird’s nest at the top of the number.

Wantz vividly recalls her thoughts while performing. She had been thinking, “Wow, there are a lot of people, more than I’ve ever seen in the quad…I hope I don’t trip over the nest.”

Wantz, Eulau, and Houlahan performed the number as a reward for Wantz’s classes who raised over one thousand dollars for Teacher Challenge Week.

“I wanted to do the song justice,” said Houlahan, “At least it built the school [in Sierra Leone].”

To have more time for dance rehearsals, Wantz stated that she made her English classes write several essays.

“Molly Roberts is to blame for this,” she finished.

Eulau acknowledged multiple sophomore students who made the untamable performance possible. Alea Grundler, Maddie Hermann, Daisy Ahlstone, Emily Coe, Felicia Perez, Rachel Crane, Kayla Laguna, and Sydney Gustafson were all involved behind the scene.

After emerging from an egg as a tribute to Lady Gaga, principal Joe Bova presented the Air Guitar awards to Hernandez, who received third place, Trainor who came in second, and King as the overall winner.

Mere minutes prior to performing King had said, “I love the piano. I’ve never taken lessons.”

King impressed the crowd with his piano solo, an instrument which he has been practicing for three years.