The public is invited to see demonstrations of what students have learned in dance instruction classes of the Orcas Center’s Orcas Arts Education Project as part of a celebration of May as Arts Education Month.
The presentations on the Orcas Center Main stage will provide an overview of the learning objectives and elements of the dance instruction. On Tuesday, May 26, dance teaching artist Nicholle Proffit’s students from Pam Jenkin’s kindergarten class will demonstrate from noon – 1 pm. On Monday, June 1, Marilyn Storey’s fifth grade class will demonstrate from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Nancy Knapp’s fourth and fifth grade class will be from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m., and Mathew Chasanoff’s 1st grade class will be from 12:45-1:45 pm.
Dance teaching artist Susan Babcock’s students will demonstrate on Friday, May 22 with Sharon Harvey’s third grade class from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Ann Ford McGrath’s second grade class from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m., Martha Inch’s Montessori class from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. and Lorena Stankevich and Marny Gaylord’s fourth grade class from 2 to 3 p.m.
On Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, at 7:30 p.m., middle school students will perform a one act melodrama, “The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux,” directed by theatre teaching artist Robert Hall and voice coach Beth Baker.
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.
During the academic year, approximately 265 classroom hours of dance and theatre instruction were provided for students in grades kindergarten to eight grade 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 individual underwriters.
