The Arts
Last year, an inability to host live performances brought on obstacles for student artists to face. Thespians had to figure out how to emote clearly through masks; dancers and musicians had to find different ways to practice and perform safely with each other; and filmmakers could no longer assemble the large crews that brought their creations to life. Nonetheless, these artists persisted, creating impressive movies and virtual performances.
When it was announced that Grace would be returning to entirely in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year, the thought of returning to live productions was on the minds of many. And after much rehearsing and strategizing, students across divisions were able to cap the fall semester with a series of triumphant concerts and plays. At the High School, this meant the return of the highly anticipated Winter Concert, featuring performing arts across several disciplines, as well as the fall play.
Read on below to see how three of these artistic mediums have made their return to in-person collaboration, and what they’re looking forward to as the year progresses.
High School Film
by Colin Todd
This year’s film majors have been enjoying the experience of being back in the classroom full-time, getting to participate in all the group work that usually comes with filmmaking. After producing their first film inspired by Chris Marker’s “Sans Soleil”, the students got to work filming short documentaries of their own. The diversity of the documentary topics ranged from chronicling details of the school’s past to the life story of a sushi chef. The class spent two months exploring all the tropes and modes of documentary filmmaking, finding their voices and visual styles along the way.
The process of telling real-world stories that are important to the students teaches empowering lessons of self-reliance and has given the students a louder megaphone to share their perspective of a complex and daunting world. Students are encouraged to submit their work to film festivals in the new year once we have workshopped their final edits. This year’s documentaries were screened in the high school auditorium this January for the public.
Password: docs2022
High School Dance
by Jenny Pommiss
After 15 months of creating site-specific dances in our living rooms and performances over Zoom, Grace dancers are back in the studio again! It is wonderful to be moving with returning dancers, as well as those new to the program. The Grace Dance Program kicked off the school year by joining forces with the Drama and Vocal Music Programs for the first-ever Performing Arts Preseason. Students spent the last week before Orientation exploring all three disciplines in a fun and collaborative environment and were also introduced to this year’s guest choreographer, Ehizoje Azeke, who taught a masterclass.
Read More
This year brought changes to the structure of Grace Dance Ensemble. The group now has three distinct seasons, each with a different focus. For the Fall Season, the group collaborated with GraceNotes, Grace Jazz Ensemble and the Advanced Chamber Strings on two pieces for the Winter Concert on December 10. And during the Winter Season, dancers worked on pieces for the annual Dance Concert, which was held on February 25 and 26.
Rehearsals for the Dance Concert, titled “alltogethernow” reflected their namesake directly, bringing together many members of the community. Students worked on a piece by Mr. Azeke, whose career highlights include working on Beyoncé’s 2018 Made in America performance, Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 Grammy performance and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s films “In the Heights” and “Tick Tick Boom.” The Ensemble also had the joy of working with Grace Alum, and Dance Ensemble founding member, Electra Carzis ‘16, who returned to Grace to choreograph and assist teaching both the Dance II and Dance III classes. The concert also featured an adapted version of Bill T. Jones’ famous 1989 work, D-Man in The Waters, performed by the Dance II class and a special cast of faculty dancers. To bring everyone together, in this way and after so long, was a reminder and an introduction to veteran and beginner Ensemble members respectively of the power of dance as an artform and a conduit of community.
High School Theater
by Dr. Caleb Goh
The Grace Theater Company was thrilled to be able to launch the 2021-2022 theater season back in-person! We began in the fall by bringing Anton Chekhov’s classing play, “The Cherry Orchard,” to life. Rehearsals commenced, and students quickly adjusted to acting through masks, making sure that their voices could be heard and that the emotions of their faces were clear. Students also had a direct hand in the play’s stage design, working together to create immersive backdrops to transport actors through time and through their story.
Read More
As we navigated the shifting requirements to stay safe and healthy during the process, the production had to pivot several times to accommodate those changes. Even performance dates were altered in order to bring the play to fruition. Nevertheless, the performers and production team stayed resilient and never lost sight of the goal of putting on a resplendent version of the century-old play. Telling the tale of loss, struggle and acceptance of the shifting landscape, these themes have remained prevalent today, almost 120 years after the play was written.
“The Cherry Orchard” had a dress run on November 18, followed by a faculty-invited opening night on November 19. It then ran for two public performances on November 20. For those who missed the performance, the production was recorded and can be enjoyed here (passcode: noodle).
In the winter, the Grace Theater Company moved straight into the Winter Series production, “Sympathy Drain.” Written by Frankie R. ‘22, the original play tells the tale of a dysfunctional group of students all anxiously awaiting the results from the class president election. Meanwhile, conflicts and revelations (both personal and political) in the background threaten to impede upon their success and tear the group apart. It was co-directed by Frankie and fellow senior Jasmeily A. and was entirely student-led, as such to encourage student artistic growth and a platform for personal expression.
(Editor’s Note: You can read more about “Sympathy Drain,” which debuted in late January, in the Grace Gazette.)
