Oustanding Performances on Arts Night
Another outstanding Arts Night was enjoyed by the Millbrook community on April 8. The event included a creative lineup of vocal, dance, music, and improvisation performances.
Arts Night is a unique experience because everyone can participate.
“With each Arts Night we have students who are up on stage for the first time and students who are veteran performers. All are not only welcomed, but also perform at a high level,” says Arts Department Chair Sarah MacWright.
For this Arts Night, intermediate dance students performed a contemporary piece using a composition tool called spine. Spine is based on choreography leader Twyla Tharp’s book, The Creative Habit. Using this as inspiration for the performance, students determined an object and idea to develop through dance movement. Students chose a ‘windmill’ for their object and ‘awaken’ for their idea.
“Arts Night is fun because it is not only an opportunity to share with our larger community what we are learning, but also because it is an opportunity for the students to pursue new challenges. This keeps students moving on the path towards professionalism,” says Director of Dance Leighann Kowalsky.
Beyond the amazing performances, Arts Night offered opportunities for teamwork, collaboration, and leadership.
Students teamed up to support each other’s performances; including Sandro Buccellati ‘16 who was both a piano and guitar accompanist for various vocal performances.
Students also stepped up to lead first time performers through the process.
“Arts night is an opportunity for more esteemed performers to shine as leaders and encouragers to those who are nervous or new,” says Kowalsky who also worked with students who are new to dancing to prepare performances for the evening.
The efforts of our students and faculty certainly paid off, as the evening was entertaining, exciting, and enjoyed by all. Congratulations to all who participated!
Visit our photo gallery and Millbrook in Motion for photos and video from the event.
