The Heritage School

The Master Class on Monday, March 8th was great!!  David Weiner shared information about how he got involved with online journalism, some of the stories he wrote that had a big impact, and how the Huffington Post functions.  We'll be in touch with David throughout the rest of the year as we work on our final project, the school's yearbook.

 

Here are some of the students' reflections:

 

How has this master class influenced how you think about your art?
This Master Class is great because it has given me an idea of what I can do when it comes to designing and writing my article.  (Evelyn R.)
 
How has this master class influenced how you think about your art?
It made me think about all of the good opportunities there are involving art.  (Jeremy T.)
 
Please share at least one thing you learned during today’s master class.
I learned that it takes time to be successful and even though there is a lot of rejection involved, it's important to just keep moving forward in what you do.  (Jeanette A.)
 
What did you enjoy the most about the master class?  Please be specific.
I enjoyed the advice and commentary David gave about our previous projects.  I also enjoyed the personal experiences David shared with us. (Dayla Q.)
 
Please share at least one thing you learned during today’s master class.
I learned that rejection should never become an obstacle in the path of your goals.  (Dayla Q.)
 
What did you enjoy the most about the master class?  Please be specific.
I enjoyed that David Weiner told us about the Huffington Post structure like the Sales and Advertising, Editing, and Bloggers.  Also, I like that Mr. Weiner taught us an important lesson about the audience. (Jacqueline A.)
 
How has this master class influenced how you think about your art?
The Master Class influenced how I should write my article for the yearbook.  The class taught me about what is best for the reader and the subject.  (Jacqueline A.)
 
What did you enjoy the most about the master class?  Please be specific.
One thing I enjoyed was Mr. Weiner being cool and respectful, telling us how he enjoys his career.  This Master Class influenced me to express my opinions and let my audience hear what I’m trying to say.  (Taylor H.)
 
Please share at least one thing you learned during today’s master class.
One thing I learned is it takes time to be successful.  (Taylor H.)
  
Please share at least one thing you learned during today’s master class.
One thing I learned was no matter how many times you’ve been rejected, you should keep trying.  (Sage)

Playwrights In Residence: Session 1

13 Mar 2010, 7:53 PM by Juliagrob, Life Stories

Our first session was a blast, kicking off what is sure to be an exciting collaboration. 

1st order of business: Casts Announced!

After much anticipation we announced the five casts for the 2010 Playwrights in Residence Program.  Drum roll please...

Jon Kern will have the daunting cast of writing for 4 talented Life Stories members: Brittany Guisintanner (12th grade), Diogenes Martinez (11th grade, Heritage HS), Josh Ramos (12th grade, City As), and Isaiah Alicea (10th grade)

Josh Koenigsberg will write for the talented Anthony Naranjo (11th grade, Beacon HS), Petra Wilmer (9th grade), Chris Patterson (12th grade, East Side Community HS)

Dominique Morisseau will write for female powerhouse cast: Shekeyva Edwards (11th grade), Juanise Allen (11th grade, New Design HS), Cyndia LaFontant (12th grade, New Design HS).

Natalia Naman will write for the delightful Maxine Batchler (10th grade, New Design HS), Taylor Morrison (New Design HS), and Devante Williams (12th grade).

Harrison Rivers will write for the powerful Sydney White (10th grade, New Design HS), Eric McKenzie (12th grade, Boys and Girls HS), Lerone Savage (12th grade).

2nd order of business: Getting To Know You

After a brief intro, the teams set off to work quickly, forming a natural rapport in every case.  Check out pictures of this exciting collaboration.  Makes you wanna be in Life Stories, huh?

Josh K. and his cast are bonding already.

Jon and Brittany demonstrate the power of collaboration.

Natalia learns from her cast.

Dominique proposes an idea to her lovely actresses.

Harrison and his cast kick it off with some hard work.

I cannot wait to read the plays!  I think we're off to a great start, don't you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the fall semester, students in this class focused on the 5 elements of Hip Hop dance: Popping, B-Boy/B-Girl (Breakdance), Locking, House, and mainstream Hip Hop. Students studied the origin of each style from across the country, how the character of each community contributed to the creation of the five main styles, and the crews that made each style more mainstream.

 
Here is a clip of their December performance:

 

This semester students are exploring stereotypes surrounding Hip Hop and Hip Hop dance.  Students are discussing ways they can present Hip Hop that could alter negative misconceptions. The class is exploring positive ways to impact the community using Hip Hop dance.  Students are continuing to ask and answer various guiding questions, including:  How does Hip Hop dance define my community?  How does Hip Hop and Hip Hop dance affect my life? How can a community affect the way you express yourself?  What defines culture?  What defines a community?  How is Hip Hop a culture?  How am I a part of it?

 

In the Master Class on Tuesday March 9th, Adesola Osakalumi will give students feedback on their work so far and add to existing choreography. Students will get the chance to ask for specific feedback on their pieces.



Adesola Osakalumi is an award-winning dancer, choreographer and member of the GhettOriginal Productions Dance Company (f/k/a Rhythm Technicians). He helped create Jam on the Groove which premiered Off-Broadway, toured around the world and won a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Choreography. Adesola has choreographed for and/or been a featured dancer with Mariah Carey, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, N'Sync, Joe, Dru Hill, and Amber. His credits also include: ABC Television's Double Platinum (with Brandy and Diana Ross); choreography for the 2002 MTV Video Awards segment with Ja Rule, the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards segment with Jamie Foxx,  the Nike segment of BET's Rip the Runway Fashion Show, commercials for PBS Kids, as well as Old Navy, Intel, and Levis. For film, he has choreographed for School of Rock, Marci X, and he is a principal dancer in Enchanted, Across the Universe and Idlewild. He has created dance for Eyewitness Blues and Mister at the New York Theatre Workshop, Hip Hop Wonderland at the New Victory Theater, Mo Moves at the Serious Fun Festival at Lincoln Center, Echo Park: The Hip Hop Musical at the Apollo Theater, and with the Doug Elkins Dance Company at the Joyce Theater. When not on stage or in front of the camera, Adesola is teaching or giving lecture/demonstrations about his craft. He has also taught Master Classes around the world and with Darrin Henson's Dance Grooves - Part II.

  

At the Heritage School next week, students in the Multimedia class will have a Master Class with David Weiner, the New York Editor for the Huffington Post.  Students in this class spent their first semester learning the basics of graphic design and journalism, including: conducting online research; taking digital photographs; writing and conducting interviews from a journalistic perspective; creating digital media using InDesign and uploading that media to blog sites. This semester, students are taking on various roles-- creating, designing and producing the school’s yearbook and on-line magazine. The focus will be on identifying and reporting on issues of importance to their community and peers; and how to use technology to enhance their own media literacy as well as make them more effective communicators.

 

Check out their online magazine:

 

In preparation of the Master Class, students have read a selection of articles David has written.  During the class, David will discuss these articles and how they affected change.  He will also discuss some tips for researching, interviewing and writing for on-line media sources, as well as ways to engage readers around an issue.

 

 David Weiner is the New York Editor of The Huffington Post and an accomplished writer. The Huffington Post launched in 2005 as an American news website and aggregated blog, featuring various news sources and columnists. The site offers progressive coverage of politics, media, business, entertainment, living, style, the green movement, world news, and comedy, and is a top destination for news, blogs, and original content.

This year, students in the Latin Dance class at the Heritage School are studying the way salsa music and dance emerged in the 1970s in the Bronx, and comparing and contrasting its emergence to the popularity of Bachata music and dancing today.   They are researching what conditions existed in the Bronx in the 1970s and how different cultures influenced the dance and music at that time.  Through deconstructing and comparing dance styles used in both salsa and hip hop, students are answering the questions, ‘How did culture, environment and history influence salsa and hip hop in the 1970’s?’ and ‘How do those same influences affect Bachata in NYC today?’

 

In this clip from their December performance, students showcase the 1970s-style salsa dance they learned.

In the Master Class on Monday, March 8th, students will get a chance to work with Rodney Lopez.  This is the second year Rodney has worked with this class.  He will review steps he taught to these students last year, as well as incorporate new movements into this historical conversation about salsa in the 1970s and today’s Bachata.

 

Rodney López is an accomplished Latin dance instructor and choreographer in the New York Salsa scene. He is Director of the Salsa Program at Dance Manhattan, teaches Latin music history and dance for the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in East Harlem and has led workshops and performed around the world. He has appeared on Good Morning America’s “Dancing With The Moms” Competition, the WB11 Morning News, Fox’s Good Day New York, The Queen Latifah Show and the Maury Povich Show and in the Off-Broadway smash, Latin Madness. In addition to serving as a Team Captain of the Addie-Tude Dance Company, he competes with New York-area West Coast Swing and Carolina Shag teams. Rodney's work has been featured in documentaries, news articles and other media including “Mad Hot Ballroom.”

 

 

 

Page: 1 2
Website design by Hudson Union