The spirit of the holiday season continues to shine this week as Orange Lutheran High School presents Christmas at the Nechita: Vocal & Dance Concert on Saturday, December 13, with performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

More than 200 Lancer students will take the stage to perform choral and dance routines that celebrate both the festive traditions of the holidays as well as the birth of Jesus.

OLu academic classes and extracurricular ensembles represented in the program include Honors Choir, Honors Women’s Chorus, Concert Choir, Bel Canto Carolers, Vocal Jazz, Creative Worship, Men’s Ensemble, Children’s Ensemble, Honors Performance Dance, Performance Dance, Intro to Dance and Musical Theatre Dance.

The show will include two acts, with the first act featuring sacred music pieces and classical dance styles that highlight Christ’s birth and the true meaning of the Christmas season.

After intermission, the routines will lean more into lighthearted holiday classics such as “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and the Beach Boys’ “Little Saint Nick.” The program will also feature several songs from The Polar Express and a Rockettes-inspired number.

OLu Director of Choral Music Megan Carvale and Director of Dance Jennifer Blomquist are the visionaries behind the arrangement and choreography of this annual beloved performance, and the two start assembling their thoughts and ideas before the academic school year even begins.

“It's very, very collaborative,” said Blomquist. “We work together and will sit and listen to music and what calls to our heart is what we present. It just comes together so naturally between the two of us.”

Carvale added, “We've had Christmas at the Nechita for so many years, so we always try to make it fresh and new for our current students …We're always thinking about what's next.”

Throughout the show, several vocal and dance students will be featured through solos and original choreography. The program will conclude by returning the focus to Jesus, including a performance by senior featured artist Corey Navarro and a finale that will bring all 200-plus performers to the stage.

“We want people to leave with that overwhelming feeling of love and joy, and that spirit that lives within our school,” said Blomquist.

Since the end of September, the students have been rehearsing the songs and choreography that bring the program to life. Behind the scenes, the technical side of the show includes costuming, staging and lighting that help shape the performance experience. Additionally, the student performers are accompanied by a professional orchestra.

One of the aspects of a large-scale show like this that Carvale and Blomquist enjoy is how it gives the Lancer students, many of whom have never had the chance to perform, a true taste of life on stage.

“It gives them confidence in themselves, and that confidence is what helps bridge them to being successful in every area of their life,” said Blomquist. “Giving them that opportunity to be on stage, present with other people and performing to the best of their ability, and that is our expectation, I think is life changing.”

Another meaningful element of the show is the many OLu alumni who return each December to attend, support the performers and reconnect with the community.

“It tells you how special it was to them,” said Carvale. “Seeing their passions come to life and seeing their growth over four years is really special, and then seeing that they want to come back year after year speaks to my heart.”

OLu’s annual Christmas at the Nechita productions are just one example of the school’s commitment to offering high-level performance opportunities where Lancer students can explore what it means to express their faith on stage.

“We feel so blessed to work at a school where they're so supportive of the arts,” said Carvale. “And I feel really blessed that we get to have a Christmas concert and that we get to point our audience to Jesus …Every prayer with my students, whether it's at the beginning or end of my prayer, I pray that they will glorify God with their gifts.”

Tickets are available for both in-person and livestream options and can be purchased at lhsoc.org/arts/the-nechita-center. Students, families and members of the OLu community are encouraged to join in celebrating the spirit of the season and supporting the talented Lancer students as they take the Nechita stage.

“We want to bring out the spirit of Christmas, and that's why we call it Christmas at the Nechita because the spirit lives within us, within the school and within all of our students,” said Blomquist. “What we want to be shown on the stage is their passion for the arts, that spirit that is within them and the gifts that they have been given. It’s just an amazing show.”