Spring Concert 2013!

A swing dance performed by the Advanced Dance class in the spring concert at SCHS.

The NC Dept. of Public Instruction includes more than technique (Ballet, Modern and Jazz dance) and craft (the art of choreography) in the dance curriculum. In addition to technical skill development and choreographic design, the curriculum challenges students to learn about dance in different social settings and consider the impact they may have had on society.

This piece is the product of a two week study. My students had no previous instruction/background with swing dance and approached the newly exposed art form with great enthusiasm. They had a lot of fun dabbling in swing dance and were very creative with their choreographic approach.

A contemporary dance performed by the Advanced Dance class in the spring concert at SCHS.

The small group portions of the choreography were created by the students. They were challenged to use various levels and facings, contrast in time as well as intermediate level dance technique.

The SCHS Marching Stallions and Showstoppers Dance Team at Carowinds!

The brains behind the magic!

It's a jungle over at SCHS... at least it will be soon!

Set building and costume design are officially underway in Stallion territory! We are in the process of converting our stage into an African jungle.

How do you make a normal baby doll into a baby ape? Mrs. Fowler's Art students have the answer!

Ape costume design

Set building

Beginning Dance inspired by Pilobolus!

Pilobolus is an innovative and creative Modern dance company that uses their bodies to create shapes to communicate ideas. The company named themselves after the fungi, pilobolus. 

Pilobolus - a fungus which grows prolifically on cow feces and facilitates the spread of lungworm larvae by projecting them up to 10 feet when the fungal sporangia explode, as they do when they ripen.

Disgusting, yes, but the projecting and exploding part makes a lot of sense when you watch them perform.

New York is a piece which gives recognition and appreciation to the great city of New York. 

In beginning dance we are going to borrow the techniques of Pilobolus by incorporating the use of shapes (linear and curved), counter balance, weightshare and contact balance into a choreographic work about teen bullying. Bullying is a common problem for kids around the world. We will gather information about bullying in different parts of the world, share and compare it and incorporate the knowledge we find into our own Pilobolus - esque work.