Students Demonstrate Lessons in Dance and Drama

Contributed by Barbara Courtney

May is Arts Education Month, as proclaimed by the San Juan County Council, the Board of the Orcas Island Public School District, and Orcas Center.

The general public will have the opportunity to see demonstrations of the dance instruction their students have enjoyed this year through the Orcas Arts Education Project. All showings are at the below-listed times on the Orcas Center Mainstage and are designed to provide an overview of the learning objectives and elements of dance instruction.

Dance teaching artist Susan Babcock‘s students will demonstrate on Friday, May 22 as follows:

Sharon Harvey‘s 3rd grade class — 9:30-10:30 am

Ann Ford McGrath‘s 2nd grade class — 10:45-11:45 am

Martha Inch‘s Montessori class – 12:45-1:45 pm

Lorena Stankevich and Marny Gaylord‘s 4th grade class – 2-3 pm

Dance teaching artist Nicholle Proffit‘s students will demonstrate as follows:

Tuesday, May 26 — Pam Jenkin‘s kindergarten class, 12-1 pm

Monday, June 1 — Marilyn Storey‘s 5^th grade class, 9:30 am-10:30 am

Nancy Knapp’s 4^th/5^th grade class, 10:45-11:45 am

Matthew Chasanoff’s 1^st grade class – 12:45-1:45 pm

On Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, at 7:30 pm, middle school students will perform a one-act melodrama, The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux, directed by theatre teaching artist Robert Hall. Additional coaching has been provided by Beth Baker (voice).

The participating students, in Lizz Hank’s music class, are: Chris Babcock, Sequoyah Cruz, Alex Grantham, Jared Grantham, Jess Gudgell, Winter Hyatt, Tamara Klein, Lindsay Lancaster, Jules Mann, Ernesto Martinez, Addie Newcombe, Ursula Pamatian, Nile Reed, Cameron Schuh, Chloe Scott, Rose Strasen, Elizabeth Tully, Jenna Tully, Courtney Ray and Annie Ryder.

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During the 2008-09 academic year, approximately 265 classroom hours of dance and theatre instruction have been provided for students in grades K-8 this year through the Orcas Arts Education Project, a partnership between the school district, the Orcas Island Education Foundation and Orcas Center, with support from the Washington State Arts Commission, the Orcas Island Community Foundation, Orcas Island Education Foundation and support from generous individual underwriters.