Through exercises and improvisation, students learn performance skills and to be relaxed and focused in front of an audience. The focus of the class is to discover solo and group performance skills through the following: improvisation, pantomime, the audition process, scene work, developing a character, and stage movement. Shakespeare and classical texts will be studied in the second semester for entry into the English Speaking Union Festival and DTASC Theatre festival. This class satisfies one year of the Visual and Performing Arts requirement.
5463/5464 CHOIR
Full Year Grades 9 – 12
Choir I is a year-long course in which students develop musical literacy, practice team building, and broaden cultural experience through exercises in sight-reading and harmony, vocalizes (warm-up), rehearsal, performance, concert-going, and critique. Choir I is an introductory class, ideal for students with little or no prior choral experience. There is no prerequisite for the class.
By reading music and interpreting dynamic markings, students develop Artistic Perception and Creative Expression. A varied repertoire, written by composers across the globe from the 12th century to the present, provides Historical and Cultural Context while encouraging students to identify Relationships among genres, artists, and social contexts. Listening to performances by professional and amateur choruses sharpens Aesthetic Valuing skills. Choir etiquette instills in singers a sense of accountability to their partners in the delivery of an exquisite musical product and influences their approach to working with others throughout life.
5471/5472 DANCE
Full Year Grades 9 – 12
Minimum Prerequisites: None.
In this course students will learn different types of dance technique and vocabulary. Students will be exposed to the elements of Western dance forms (Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary) and urban dance forms (hip-hop styles). Students will be asked to utilize these various forms and vocabulary in practice through creating and performing in a final performance at the end of the semester.
