A typical morning involves one of the "core" classes (either acting, singing, or dancing). The students then have a short break and then a "lab" period, where they catch up on notes, assignments, or visit with one another on what they learned that morning. Staff also share any announcements or observations with the students during this time. Lab is followed by lunch, then two more sets of core classes. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the students have guest lectures in the theater, and on Wednesday nights the students have a movie night, where they watch classic films in order to view a variety of acting styles. Last week they watched "Top Hat" and this week they are watching "Rebel Without a Cause". Here are some excerpts from the week.
Acting classes with Dane. Here Michael is practicing stage positions and moved about the room as Dane called out stage directions.
Everyone also developed their own "signature" gesture, which the other students perform as a way to acknowledge each other. Here Skye successfully completes her stage positions.
Ana, a returning student from last year (from Hong Kong! and a senior-to-be at the Hong Kong International School), listens to instructions for an improv game.
Why does the Bangles song "Walk Like an Egyptian" come to mind here?
Improv games also give a great photo opportunity for wonderful smiles and laughs, and a great way to introduce the students to you as well! Here are just a few:
Blake (new this year)...
Logan, (returning from last year)...
Jadi (returning from last year and a senior-to-be in high school):
Maddy (new this year)...
Eric (returning from last year...he is the master of smiles...and hats)...
Sarah B. (new this year)...
Riley (new this year)...
And here's Dane, laughing right along with the group...
At Next Step Prep, even being knocked out of an improv game becomes a game in and of itself...here the students chant "seat of shame" to the others...
Our version of "Last Comic Standing"...here Sarah B. and Sarah P. square of with Logan to see who will win... this would be the classic "arrrrrgh" moment... congrats Sarah B. and Logan :)
Lab period:
Another round of acting class. This improv game is called "Hats", the object being to get your partner's hat in as short a period as possible... (thanks, Eric, for letting us borrow the hats)...
Mikaila (on the right) wins this round (not to be confused with the OTHER Micaela...on the left)
Sarai shares a funny moment...
Nicky and Jacque get ready for a scene...
Mandie observing the fun (sorry for cutting your head in half, Rylee!)....
Dane gives some instructions...
In this improv game, one player (Rylee, right) is given a suggestion by the other player (Elinor, left), and gets to decide if the scene will move forward. If the players rejects the suggestion, a new player comes in with a different suggestion. This game helps teach how to think quickly on one's feet and to work a scene so it stays moving and doesn't become stagnant. Elinor has a wonderful laugh!
Clayton and Mikaila engage in a little underwater basket-weaving...
I can't remember what Mandie suggested here (Mandie...can you help me out?)...
Nicky and Sarai do a little driving in the Indy 500...
Micaela suggests a little flight a la Power Puff girls...Rylee is such a good sport (he even knew all their names!)...
Cooper suggests a checkers game while soaking in a hot spring...
Another winning smile by Jacque...
Late in the day, addressing sore muscles becomes a group effort in the theater...
Another round of games where each student asks the other "what are you doing?". The questioner immediately has to do whatever their partner suggests...even if it includes...
Jumping rope (Jadi, far left), or screaming while riding a roller coaster (Eric, far right)...
Doing splits...
Or brushing teeth with acid...yeouch, Maddy...
Moving on to dance class...
Gotta love a little hip hop...
Not to mention a bit of salsa (the dance kind, not the "chips and" kind)...
Traci worked on teaching the students the muscle and skeletal systems (all in a day's work). They had regular diagrams, but they also traced their own bodies and filled in the bones as a way to make memorizing a little easier (though for some of the artistically challenged, whose names I will not mention but you *ahem* know who you are...the drawing proved much more difficult than the memorizing...ha ha...)...
Rylee hard a work...
Tessa and her awesome smile (and organization skills...keeping all those drawings in order!)...
Cooper making sure everything is in its place...
Nicky and Mikaila share a few laughs about their drawings...
Sarai and Clayton hard at work...
Micaela seems to be enjoying herself...
Sarai and Tessa take a quick break to practice their hip hop routine...
Now, if you'll remember from last year, I'm a bit fascinated by footwear...this year is no exception...
A quiz!!! Already!!!??
And finally, a bit of reflection. Traci has encouraged the students to journal about what they are learning, and doing an honest assessment of their skills and goals.
Next up...an evening with Jason Robert Brown...
No comments:
Post a Comment