If there’s one familiar face at every Los Altos High School rally, it’s junior Noel Nam. From hip hop to jazz-funk, Noel has turned the gym into her stage more than 10 times, including the Back-to-School and Diversity rallies.
“Noel is really good at expressing her feelings through movement and dance,” said Yoonsun Chai, art teacher and Noel’s mother. “She’s full of life. She can be shy sometimes, but when she dances, the energy is incredible — I don’t know how that happens to her.”
Most recently, Noel performed a self-choreographed rhythmic gymnastics solo to “Carol of the Bells” in this January’s Diversity Rally.
“I started off by picking out my music based on what vibe I wanted for the moment,” Noel said. “I thought about what tricks I wanted, where I should place them and then put the pieces together like a puzzle.”
Junior Lilly Moon recalled observing Noel’s progress over the years and her dance at the Diversity Rally.
“It was really exciting to see her go back to her roots and dance rhythmic gymnastics,” junior Lilly Moon said. “I was so caught up in the moment that I couldn’t even pull my phone out to record.”
But Noel’s dancing career didn’t begin with the intent to become an iconic rally performer. In just first grade, Noel’s love for the art evolved from learning her first trick: a cartwheel.
“After one of her friends taught her how to cartwheel, she would not walk — she would just cartwheel everywhere,” Chai said.
Noel started her formal artistic training doing rhythmic gymnastics at Diana’s Rhythmic Club in fourth grade. Five years later, in high school, she moved and began practicing at Dance Academy USA in Cupertino, where she learned a larger variety of dance styles, such as lyrical and hip hop. Despite changing directions from rhythmic gymnastics to dance, Noel said they share unexpected similarities.
“There’s ballet in every single style, whether it looks like it or not,” Noel said. “Rhythmic gymnastics has helped with the flexibility and cleanliness of how I dance hip hop.”
Entering LAHS as a freshman, Noel danced right into the Advanced Jazz Dance class. Junior Erin Jesensky recalls Noel and her being the only two freshmen in the class.
“I remember sitting there and watching her,” Erin said. “I was totally in awe of the way she moved and presented herself.”
Noel said her accomplishments don’t come without burnout and pressure. According to Noel, while dance is a sport inspired by artistry, she experiences mental and physical struggles like most athletes.
“I don’t know how she could feel like anyone else is better than her, but it just comes with the sport,” Erin said. “One person is always going to have higher extensions than you. Another person is always going to be able to do five more turns than you.”
“There are pressures to look good and succeed,” Noel said. “But at the end of the day, the audience won’t be able to tell if you mess up and your mistakes won’t affect the outcome.”
Once she graduates, Noel said she hopes to become a professional dancer.
“I love performing,” Noel said. “I love being in front of cameras and people, presenting myself and making myself known.”
“When I saw her dance ballet for the first time, I was crying like crazy,” Chai said. “Still to this day, I have tears in my eyes when I see her perform. It’s touching because I know how hard she works.”
