Category Archives: Dance Highlights

Spring Arts Events Kick off End of School Year

May is Arts Month at Williston, and it’s been busy! Over the past few weeks we’ve featured our sold-out Spring Musical, In the Heights (see photos at our Flickr page) and our Spring Instrumental Concert (photos coming soon!). As the year comes to a close, several more fantastic student performances are coming right up, so mark your calendars! 

  • Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21: Spring Dance Concert, “Music Made Visible,” Williston Theatre, 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, May 24: Spring Choral Concert, “Songs of Love and Betrayal,” Phillips Stevens Chapel, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 25: Williston Scholars Artists Reception, Grubbs Gallery, 6 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 26: Eight Grade Art Show and Shakespeare Performance, Williston Theatre, 6 p.m.

Spring Dance Concert: Music Made Visible

On Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21, Williston students present “Music Made Visible,” the spring dance concert,  at 8:00 p.m. in the Williston Theatre.

After finishing a sold-out run of the Williston musical In the Heights, many participants in that show are dancing on and gearing up for a spectacular Dance Ensemble Spring Concert called Music Made Visible, directed by artistic director, Debra Vega.

This concert will feature the work of two local guest artists: Noel St. Jean-Chevalier and Charles Markham. Additionally, there will be six original pieces by students, including two senior solos as they dance their swan song on the Williston Stage, and the debut of a dynamic duet by an eighth-grade pair. Ms. Vega is offering three pieces this concert, including original choreography from the quintessential musical about dance, A Chorus Line, and a recreation of original Bob Fosse choreography to the big band hit “Sing Sing Sing.”

The performance will feature a range of styles, such as tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, musical theater, and hip-hop. The Williston Dance Ensemble consists of students from both the middle school and high school, all who possess amazing sparkle and talent. Come support them as they “kick off” the end of the school year.

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Winter Arts Roundup

Trimester 2 wrapped up with fantastic performances by Williston visual and performing artists:

  • From February 18-20, Williston students presented the annual Winter Theatre Lab performance, this year entitled “Fish Out of Water.” See photos here.
  • At “Songs of Then and Now,” a Winter Choral Coffeehouse, students performed a variety of songs, from pop music to madrigals. See photos from the February 26 event here.
  • Dance and choreography students presented their work in an afternoon performance in the Chapel on Monday, February 29.
  • This Thursday, March 3 in the Grubbs Gallery, the Trimester 2 Arts Walk will offer an opportunity to see student work in the Grubbs Gallery and hallways of Reed Campus Center, from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.

 

November Brings a Shockwave

A classical Indian dance, a solo en pointe, and the choreography of guest artist Michelle Marroquin will be among the highlights of Shockwave, the fall concert of the Williston Northampton Dance Ensemble.

The concert will feature 12 dances, including the work of six student choreographers—Victoria Durocher, Keely Quirk, Madeline Wise, Marie Innarelli, Tory Kolbjornsen and Maddison Stemple-Piatt—and a collaborative ensemble piece by the choreography class.

View the promo video by Alex Kozikowski ’14 here.

To find out more about how one of the dancers, Pankti Dalal, was preparing for “Shockwave,” Dance Program Director Laurel Raffetto asked her about dancing, the Williston program, and her classical training.

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