By Abigail Cordobes and Sylvia Lopez

SAN JOSE, CALIF. – We’re back! This year, Silver Creek High School held its annual Nonfire on Oct. 29, 2022, where anticipation filled the crowd as students from each class battled it out in a, mostly friendly, competition of skits, games, and dances.

Students diligently work on the process leading up to their performances for around one month for this one night, preparing the dances, props, and skits, all things that make Nonfire truly special. It is a yearly, or semi-yearly if you count its twin event Fantastics which happens in the spring, event that many students look forward to.

All classes have a lot to live up to, especially the 2026 freshmen; last year’s performances were phenomenal and expectations are high. In past years, the class of 2023 has put on amazing performances, and we were curious to see how they have lived up to previous productions. 

This year’s Nonfire theme is called “Happily Never After,” with each class’s theme being a different Disney villain. The class of 2023 was the movie “Mother Gothel,” 2024’s was “Maleficent,” 2025’s was “The Evil Queen” and 2026’s was “The Queen of Hearts”.

The night started with the entrances and hype dances by each class, everyone bringing in enthusiasm and excitement for the night that was to come. This was quickly followed by the leadership skit and dance (to Michael Jackson’s “I want you back”), which was a very cute performance.

Right after were the Dance Programs performances which had quite a bit of technical difficulties in it, this became a theme for the whole night, but they persevered and finished with high spirits.

The class of 2026 kicked off the class performances with their very adorable version of the Queen of Hearts. Though the plotline was a little silly, the dances were pretty good; much better than what we were expecting. Along with their boards being in the correct order, for the most part, something the classes of ‘25 and ‘24 was struggling a lot with last year. It may have not been as good as the upperclassman, but they still proved themselves, and we can see them dominating in the future years.

Last year’s performance by the class of 2025 left us in shock with their story of the Evil Queen, as it did this year. The sophomores put a lot of work into their performances, and it is very clear from what was shown. They had a great plot line as well, which can be aligned with the original version of the tale, with a few creative changes. They had fantastic dances, on a level with past performances by the upper classes. Considering they are a part of the younger classes, they showed that they are not to be taken for granted.

The class of 2024 version of Maleficent once again left some things to be desired. Though it is clear they did try quite hard, something about their performance left it falling just a tad short with a confusing story and some plot holes. The first half of the performance was quite bland, with dances not quite giving the energy we saw with previous classes. That all changed with the last dance and the end of their performance. All of a sudden, the energy turned around for the last song, and they gave it their all. If their entire performance were exactly like their last song, it would be a lot higher on our list. The standout performance for ‘24 goes to Althea Umayam, who played a stunning Maleficent, really becoming the character with her mannerisms.

As seniors, we were the most excited to see our class perform, and as we predicted, they put on a fantastic performance. The dances were creative and well executed, and both backgrounds (especially the night scene that gets revealed during the last song) were stunningly painted. The plot was a bit confusing at parts, but the story was overall very well performed. It was all going so well, until the very end. As the seniors walked out with mini lanterns in their hands ready to dance, with Rapunzel (Tricia Banh) reciting an emotional monologue, the music fully cuts out. They get it restarted a minute later but it cuts out again at the same part. From where we were sitting we could hear choreographer Irene Tiengtam start counting, and the seniors began to dance. Finishing the performance with no music, the seniors still finished strong.

The night ended with lots of hugs and tears, mainly coming from the class of ‘23, with many pictures being taken. 

After covering this event for 2 years, we’ve noticed the improvement and dedication the class officers and participants put into this wonderful event. Having participated in my freshman year (Sylvia), I was able to see firsthand how difficult it is to memorize dances, learn ques, and just be mentally prepared to go out on the field in front of hundreds of people. It’s a loyalty you have to follow through with, and I think that everyone from every class gave it their all.

Here’s to an eventful 2023! See you all at Fantastics! 

See the rest of our Nonfire Pictures and Videos by Nancy and Dana!