Kalia Rucker ’18
Dance Captain, Valentine,
& Ensemble Cast
“I was an actor, dancer, and singer in
Mary Poppins. I was also a member of
the ensemble and played Valentine, a
mistreated doll who leads a revolt against the Banks children. As
Dance Captain, I was responsible for helping the choreographer
at dance rehearsals and assisting fellow performers in learning
the many musical numbers in the show. My largest contribution
as a choreographer was in the musical number Step in Time, an
upbeat tap dance featuring the chimney sweeps of London. This
was my favorite number since my favorite style of dance is tap.”
“Mary Poppins” was Kalia’s 3rd performance at St. Francis
Catholic High School. She previously performed in “You’re a Good
Man Charlie Brown” and “Macbeth.” Kalia plans to continue
performing at St. Francis and then major in theatre when she goes
to college.
20
Celia Karim ’16
Orchestra: Cello
“I have been playing cello for nine years
and absolutely loved how challenging
the Mary Poppins pit music was. I really
bonded with the musicians, techies, and actors. The musicians
from Jesuit that played in the pit now call me Mom because I
always answered their questions and kept them out of trouble
during the rehearsals. It blows me away how quickly we assembled the whole musical so neatly in such a short time! I treasure
my time as a cellist in SF’s theatre arts.”
Celia loves cello, backpacking, and movies. She has played cello
with String Project, St. Francis, Jesuit, and CSUS. Celia has also
been teaching cello students of her own for the past two years.
After this last year at SF, she wants to play cello wherever she can
in college - gigs, orchestras, and ensembles. Celia plans to attend
the University of Wyoming, minoring in music performance or
education and figuring out her major. She also hopes to work as a
National Parks Ranger someday.