Before recent sports games, sophomore Monica Juan dazzled the crowd and players with her rendition of the National Anthem. This week’s Artist of the Week is multi-talented with her singing and dancing. Juan performed the National Anthem at various football games, including Valparaiso Bowl, as well as CCS volleyball games.

Juan was invited to sing the National Anthem before Menlo sports games because she will be doing so for the Warriors game on Mar. 28. Singing it for the Menlo sporting events has given her practice in experimenting with a capella and different techniques.

Juan has a long history with singing and dancing. “I was always singing and dancing around the house when I was little, so I started doing ballet and tap [lessons] when I was three,” Juan said. She also participated in the musical Annie, starring as the lead role Annie when she was seven years old. Since then, she has taken voice lessons to train her voice. She attends the San Francisco Conservatory, and trains her voice every saturday for two and a half hours. Juan sings and dances for various reasons. “What I really enjoy about singing is that when I perform, I feel like I am relating to the audience because when I get into character it takes me into a state of concentration, focus and energy that is therapeutic to me,” Juan said, “I love music because even if it is in a different language, It’s beauty and emotion can be understood by anyone.”

Juan is a also member of the Menlo Chamber Choir. “My favorite thing about the Menlo chorus is that I get one hour to do what I love with other people at Menlo, and […] I am also really grateful for the opportunities that being a member of Menlo chorus has given me,” Juan said. She has been accepted into the National Honor Choir and was invited to tour in China with the choir as a representative of the United States.

Juan devotes much of her free time to sing and dance, and will be performing with the Western Division Honor Choir in Santa Barbara during ski week.