Shortly after school ends, dancing, music and laughter fill the air as students tend to eavesdrop on the excitement as they walk by the 6000 building. Preparing for their upcoming show, participants of Mr. Coral Gables began meeting after school as early as Oct. 8.
By filling out a form in early September, juniors and seniors could exemplify their respective club or sport in Mr. Coral Gables. Many presidents of clubs or captains of teams took the opportunity to publicize their community by competing for a victorious appearance in the show.
“As vice-president of the French Honor Society, I felt like it was my obligation to represent the club in the Mr. Coral Gables show. So far, I’ve had a great time, because dancing is not a typical thing I do, but I’ve been getting better. I’m still unsure of what talent I will try out with, but I look to give it my best shot to make the cut,” junior Paul Winston said.
Mrs. Diaz, the Gablettes instructor, has been in charge of the event for the past five years, assuring the prepping of each student before the show. Because of prior experience, Mrs. Diaz learned how to create a safe environment for students to have fun dancing. Hosting an informational meeting on Oct. 8, Mrs. Diaz emphasized the work each student needed to provide to create a flawless performance.

“We discussed the wardrobe before the show, and I provided the students with shirts and bow ties, but for the most part, they provided their own clothes. The week before the show, students set up times with the teacher judges, myself included, during lunches to be interviewed and perform their talent. I look for entertainment value when picking the best talents,” Mrs. Diaz said.
Having helping hands, Mrs. Diaz receives support from her Gablettes Nicole Nova and Catherine Romero. Senior Gablettes Romero and Nova helped create dancing scripts, manage the group chat with the participants and edit the songs being played with assistance from junior Aidan Remedios.
“This is my first year helping out with the show, since I’m now a senior. One of the biggest struggles I’ve faced is making sure all the contestants are on top of their routines and making sure they learn quickly. That’s why each practice we work on perfecting our opening number and top ten routines,” senior Romero said.

Tryouts for the ten performances will take place on Friday, December 8th, as the event approaches. Competing for a chance at triumph for their club or sport, 24 students will be taking their chance to receive one of the ten spots by demonstrating what makes their talent special. Judges are made up of multiple teachers, including Mrs. Diaz.
“Each practice we learn a new part of the choreography or refresh what we have already learned. The Gablettes are pretty good teachers, because I never thought that I would have a whole choreographed dance memorized, but I eventually learned it. I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun performing in front of a large crowd and seeing who ends up winning,” senior Sebastian Lopez said.
After two months of training, participants now stay behind every Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. to help engrave the dance moves and talents in their minds. The show will be performed by Mr. Coral Gables on Dec. 18. Until then, the composition of the show will be finalized as Mrs. Diaz and the students continue to persevere through their abundance of work to perfect each movement.