A lyrical “Heat Wave” is taking over Foy H. Moody High School, and it has nothing to do with the temperature. Created by the school’s Drama Director Frank Garcia, Jr., the Trojanettes are a new performance ensemble that pays homage to the famous – and influential – girl groups of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Garcia says he created the group last year to help his students develop their acting, singing and dancing talents.
“I wanted to create a wave of students who could do all three fields equally well,” said Garcia, who was also Moody High School’s 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year. “Our students have these skills but don’t often have the opportunity to show them off.”
Junior Tonya Perez, sophomore Ayleen Perez, and senior Lauren Cavada are this year’s Trojanettes. According to Garcia, not only do the girls feel empowered when they are performing, they learn skills that help them become better professionals.
During performances, the trio sport past decades’ fashions, hairstyles and dance moves while singing golden oldies like “Dancing in the Street” and “The Shoop Shoop Song.” Songs are selected to evoke emotions, tell a story and introduce classmates to a genre of music they may never have listened to on their own. By listening to the performances, Garcia hopes younger generations will be inspired to explore the music he listened to while growing up.
“We are trying to honor the music of that time,” said Garcia. “While we want to bring back the music many adults enjoy, we are also influencing a reawakening of this type of music for our students.”
Click here to watch one of their performances, or click here to see a gallery of photos!