House Idol: the Yearly Spectacle that Never Fails to Excite!

By Yannis Ng

House idol, as it is every year, is wonderful to watch. Singers, musicians, dancers, and more from each house come together to create this highly anticipated spectacle, judged by 3 esteemed judges and the primary house captains, and this year was no exception. Every performance was filled with extravagant dancing, exceptional singing, emotional music, the portrayal of diverse themes, and overall, an experience that left the audience on the edge of their seats.

If you didn’t know, House Idol is an annual event where the 4 houses—Ming, Qing, Song, and Tang—compete in a performance-like setting, where musicians, dancers, and singers perform a list of 6 songs in around 5-7 minutes. During these performances, there are often people lifting other people into the air, special effects like fog machines and confetti, interaction with the audience, and most of all, strong house spirit from each house. This year, judges Ms. Kim Peterson from San Francisco, Ms. Mandy Petty from HKUST, and Ms. Saya Kuwano from Island School came together to judge the performances along with the primary house captains.

This year was special because 2 houses tied for the winning title. Qing House and Ming House both showed exceptional performances, with Qing’s performance emphasizing a military theme and Ming highlighting cultural dance and use of light effects. Both houses gave an extraordinary performance that captivated the audience like a spell. “I felt so happy that I cried tears of joy,” claimed Year 10 Ivana from Ming house.

Tang and Song were no exception, and both houses gave an amazing performance as well. Song House showed lots of confidence during their time on stage as the former 2-time winner, using the songs “Confidence” and “Winner Takes it All” to display this theme, as well as using effects like lifting each other up and chocolate to captivate the audience.

Despite Tang House not claiming the prize, it was a most heart-warming performance. This is because they dedicated their playlist to the late student Chloe Kavanagh, who had provided the song list to Tang House. Despite not claiming the ultimate prize, Tang House has certainly left our hearts tender while hypnotizing us with their performance.

When asked what they enjoyed the most about being part of an idol, here are some of the performers’ responses.

“Being with the musicians, because the musicians are my friends and we filled up on each other’s scripts,” said Year 10 Luke Ho from Song House.

Year 10 Ali Hayes from Qing House commented “it was really fun, the fact that we won made it a bonus; but I wasn't really there to win, and more for the experience. The sad part was that one of my friends, who was supposed to perform, wasn't able to, and we won for her. I imagine her cheering us on.”

“I enjoyed the performance day because we worked very hard for a month, so it was really good to see our product. I didn't really enjoy the extra rehearsals, it clashed with other commitments that I had committed to before joining Idol,” said Year 10 Alison Au Yeung from Tang House.

As a singer who performed for Song house, I was nervous at first, but as I walked onto that stage during the performance, I proved to myself how far I have come since the start of rehearsals and gave it my best.

Overall, House Idol was as spectacular as it is every year, and watching our performances unfold after weeks of practicing and perfecting them is what makes House Idol so worth participating in.