Performing Arts

The mission of the Performing Arts Department is to foster a lifelong sense of wonder about dance and theater arts. The arts faculty collaborates with students in creating and sustaining a safe, inclusive community where diversity is honored. In developing an open environment, students are encouraged to engage actively in the creative process while developing the necessary skills for each discipline. Risk taking and play are central to our study. We strive to educate each student for artistic excellence in dance and theater arts.

Dance

The Middle School dance program incorporates an exposure to dance technique, improvisation and composition. Students are encouraged to develop their own movement potential through individual and collaborative projects in which they are presented with a series of compositional concepts and problems. Students have the opportunity to perform the work they create for their peers. Middle School students in grades seven and eight may participate in Choreolab, an annual student dance concert. Rehearsals for Choreolab are primarily after school.

Drama

Drama explores the student’s relationship to an audience through theater games and basic improvisation. Theater games created by Viola Spolin and Keith Johnstone are used to develop playfulness and serve as an introduction to imaginative involvement in character and circumstance. Poetry and dramatic literature are utilized in solo presentations and for choral speaking. A sense of play and a willingness to take risks and assertively break norms are central to our study.

Lighting and Sound

This course teaches students about lighting and sound design and the technology that supports those designs. They learn how lighting and sound design support stage productions as well as how to use lighting and sound as a medium for making art. Students learn to use theatrical lighting and sound equipment, including the differences between types of lights and how they are used. Students learn how to operate the light and sound boards. These students have an opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to the productions here at the school.