30 APRIL 2023 By Mallory Gleich T he Hopi Variety Show has become a time-honored tradition within the Hopi Elementary School community. It started over 30 years ago, initially run by staff and performed in the school’s cafeteria. In the 90s, more students were eager to participate, and a new name was running the show. Sheryl Cooper (wife of rock star husband Alice) and her team moved the event to Arcadia High’s auditorium in 1996 and staged a production with more lights, sounds and props. This year, Hopi: The Happiest Place on Earth was a Disney-themed show jam-packed with songs from movies like Alice in Wonderland , Mary Poppins , Lion King , and Coco . In two hours, 400 Hopi kindergarten through fifth graders entertained close to 800 people. The theme – created by the Variety Show committee – was three years in the making. “We did a Disney show about 13 years ago and knew we wanted to repeat it at some point,” Director and Hopi mom Emily Blais said. “I am a big Disney fan, so I have had this show in my pocket waiting for the perfect year – and have been coming up with content for the past three!” Previous themes include Hopi Goes to the Movies, Hopi, The Greatest Show, Hopi World Tour, Now, That’s What We Call Hopi and Hopi School Musical, among many others. There were around 42 acts this year, not including the emcee skits, which introduced each act. This included a roller coaster “scene,” something that’s never been done on the Variety Show stage. “That one was such a fun, innovative skit that took a team of moms to pull off,” Emily said. “The costumes were incredible. The emcees are the glue that holds the show together, keeps it running smoothly, and keeps the audience entertained while we are changing scenes and kids backstage,” Emily – who wrote the scripts for the emcees – said. For the first time in Variety Show history, Hopi sold out two shows in 25 minutes and “broke” the PTA website. Because of this, they added a third showing on a Wednesday evening. “We had been talking about adding a show to accommodate the growing popularity for years, and it became pretty evident that this was the year. We had four shows total,” Emily said. “One of those was a field trip for the students, which was great.” And REALLY loud! Each act chooses its costumes based on the concept. Emily chose the emcee’s outfits for each of their skits – nine costume changes happened this year. Some were even handmade! “We had a darling Teacups act, where the actors started as teacups and halfway through the cups turned into dresses,” Emily said. “Rachel Shaeffer made those costumes by hand. No costume detail was left undone this year – from shoes to bows, the parent reps killed it.” Acts included 101 Dalmatians , Peter Pan’s Lost Boys, Disney Princesses and Villains, Pirates of the Caribbean , Kinder Minnie Mouse, Marvel Heroes and the Main Street Electrical Light Parade. The “Fantasmic” Finale kicked off with firework lights with Hopi’s Mr. Banister dressed as Mickey Mouse, leading the fifth graders in one last bow on the stage. Each performance incorporated props, like the “Small World” boat, a jungle cruise boat, Doc Hudson from Cars , and life-size bird cages for the Teachers Tiki Room act (yes, the teachers even got in on the fun!), six light-up floats – handmade by Hopi mom Kirsten Hall – trampolines and a roller coaster. Parents helped to develop each act involving their kids and friends. They started rehearsing in January and practiced once a week until the show in March. The emcees practiced even more, meeting before school three-five times a week. “The show was magical this year. So much nostalgia was felt by everyone,” Emily said. “This will be a show that I’ll never forget. It was extra special because my daughter Lila was an emcee, so spending time with her was a memory I’ll take with me long after my time with the Variety Show is over.” Although all of the acts received plenty of applause and yells from the audience, one got the audience “aww-ing.” “This year, 12 first-grade princesses were on stage, dreaming of meeting their prince. Halfway through the act, their dads (the ‘princes’) joined them on the stage to dance with them to ‘Once Upon a Dream,’” Emily said. “The gasps from the audience are something I’ll never forget. We also had a gasp when girls in teacups transformed into Alice in Wonderland characters, and the audience loved the roller coaster skit. I probably got the most compliments on that one.” Emily said that putting a show of this size together requires a village, so a shout- out goes to Directors Nicki Ess and Jordan Reasy and every single parent volunteer who helped with stage production, costumes and acts. “We hope every kid in the show walks away feeling like a million bucks. They all love the event and look forward to it every year. It’s a tradition like no other, one that brings our community together and forms new friendships and new bonds for years to come,” Emily said. THE ‘HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH’ Hopi Variety Show brings Disney magic to the stage For the first time in Variety Show history, Hopi sold out two “We had been talking about adding a show to accommodate the growing popularity for years, and it became pretty evident that this was the year. We had four shows total,” Emily Main Street Electrical Light Parade. The “Fantasmic” Finale kicked off with firework lights with Hopi’s the fifth graders in one last bow on the stage. Each performance incorporated props, like the “Small World” boat, a jungle cruise boat, Doc Hudson from Cars , and life-size bird cages for the Teachers Tiki Room act (yes, the teachers even got in on the Hopi’s 2023 fifth grade emcees.

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