PS 112 African Dance Choreographs on Their Own

01 Apr 2011, 12:05 AM by kaya, Elementary School

For the Black History Month Assembly at PS 112 lat month, the African Dance ensemble was challenged by teaching artist Farrah Bell to create their own choreography. he gave students sheet music and the third and fourth grade students built movement to the words before hearing the music. They then refined the piece based on the beats of the song, and presented to the whole school!

PS 277 Performance Preview

31 Mar 2011, 11:23 AM by kaya, Elementary School

The 2nd graders at PS 277 in the Bronx have been working hard! Inspired by the tap/jazz performance they saw with Undertoe Dance Project at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, they have been working hard on their own warm-up dance, encompassing some of the basic tap dance skills they have learned. They have only been tapping for 7 short classes - each of the two groups only meets for about 50 minutes, once per week - but they have already come a long way in learning about how tap dance combines rhythm and movement! This warmup consists of some of the steps they have worked on (with a little dancing thrown in for fun!): toe heel drops, shuffle, double shuffle, falaps, and running falaps. Perhaps one of these classes will get to perform the warmup dance at the Urban Arts Festival in May!

IS 145's Theater Program Attends A Performance of "You Are Now the Owner of this Suitcase"

28 Mar 2011, 10:15 AM by keith, Middle School

Students from IS 145's after school Theater Club in Jackson Heights, Queens recently attended an inspiring performance of Theater 167's production of You Are Now the Owner of this Suitcase. The play was created by Jackson Heights playwrights, based on hours of interviews from neighborhood residents about childhood memories of the community. The play tells interwoven stories of love and community in a magical realism style. In the words of Jefferson Jacome, "I think it was breathtaking! I like the parts where they don't know each other but the characters' destinies seem to be intertwined." Kerry Lin explained that the most exciting part of the play, "is how small this world is because almost everyone knows each other." Solviany Villanueva took away the idea that, "Along the world, magic exists in different ways. The main theme was that magic is what creates our world and makes it interesting in new ways."

Stay tuned for the magic created in our classroom in our last few months of classes!

MS 258 Photo Club Explores NYC

25 Mar 2011, 11:47 AM by keith, Middle School

The students in MS 258's after school photo and video program have been exploring NYC with their cameras to capture life in the city. The focused on depicting shadows, patterns, portraits and urban landscapes.  Led by teaching artist Alain Davis, students have been developing their skills with the camera and seeing familiar places in new ways.

“Since I like to take pictures, I like that the others in the class can understand the art in my pictures and the feelings I’m trying to show.  The class lets us express ourselves.” – Crystal, 7th grade

“I like the class because it’s a chance to learn something new.  Some people might think photography is boring, but once you start doing it, you find out it is actually interesting.  You learn to see things differently and you get to meet new people.” – Anthony, 7th grade

Brandeis High School's String Ensemble Visits PS 48M's Percussion Studio for an Artist Share

24 Mar 2011, 10:24 AM by keith, High School

Members of the String Ensemble at Brandeis HS recently visited the students in the Percussion Studio at PS 48M for an artist share.  Both groups performed pieces of music they have been working on, and everyone performed together.  Led by teaching artists Erika Kapin (String Ensemble) and Martin Urbach (Percussion Studio), it was an amazing opportunity for students to showcase their hard work and learn from one another.  Check out the video above to see and hear the performances, as well as to find out what students thought of participating in the artist share!