Arts Week
Arts Week is a joyful celebration of the deep fulfillment we get from producing and performing art, as well as the strong relationships we forge when creating art together. Through the arts we express our humanity, bravery and imagination. Please view the video and write ups below to catch up on all the excitement of the week.
ART & DESIGN
Indigenous artist, David Booth provided cultural awareness through an interactive art workshop. David is from the Warramungu people, North East of Tenant Creek, NT, and has traditional links to the Yuggera people in Brisbane, QLD. David has been playing the Didgeridoo and performing traditional dance since the age of 10. David shares his stories through various forms of artwork and uses his art as a time to relax, reflect on his environment, and observe the changes that occur as each season transitions. Inspired by nature, his creativity flows onto the canvas. David introduced the use of symbols for communication and passing on knowledge through stories. The students gained an understanding of Aboriginal culture and how diverse Aboriginal Australia is. Our students were captivated by David’s Didgeridoo and art performance, creating designs inspired by his unique style and techniques.
Lucy Timbrell is an Adelaide based printmaker and is inspired by the relationship between humans and nature, and often incorporates birds and cityscapes into her work.
The Year 10, 11 and 12 Art/Design students had the opportunity to work with Lucy and be inspired by her knowledge, skills and expertise in printmaking.
DANCE
On Monday our first day of Arts Week, a brand-new contemporary dance work performed at the Adelaide Fringe, ‘See You On The Other Side’ was presented to our Year 10 VET Dance students, and Year 11 and 12 dance students.
Choreographed by Israeli-Australian contemporary dancer, Liat Kedem, it is described as an intimate dance portrait of life in flux, examining the seemingly unimportant moments in our everyday lives that upon later reflection, end up changing everything. The students found the piece both emotional and lighthearted with moments where they laughed! Following the performance was a ‘Q and A’ with interests lying on the individual performers’ backgrounds in training and the diverse pathways they took to becoming professional dancers/choreographers. A truly inspiring opportunity!
For the fifth year running, 50 students and staff combined in a Silent Disco run by ‘Disco Diddi’ from Guru Dudu Productions. The fun and wellbeing generated by this event is always a hit when you can see the smiling faces in the photos and videos! What a fantastic experience for those not only participating but to the onlookers around the campus being entertained with the singing and grooving happening around them.
Lastly, old scholar and Co-Curricular Hip Hop Teacher, Charlie Gilbert (2018) kicked off a Dance Workshop on Thursday where students were excited to learn a hard-hitting sequence, to then open the floor for a battle in Founders Hall. The opposing teams quickly planned their ideas and freestyled showing their extra talents in a dance circle.
A great dance experience was had by all!
Ms Hayley Kollevris, Dance Coordinator
DRAMA
Slingsby Theatre Company; performance and workshop
This Tree is a Story (about everything, including you, as told by me)
In this year’s Arts Week, the Year 7, 10, 11 and 12 Drama students were privileged to have the world-renowned Slingsby Theatre Company visit the school to perform their new work, This Tree is a Story (about everything, including you, as told by me). Year 10, 11 and 12 Drama classes also had the opportunity to work with the company and learn their theatre techniques to create their own Slingsby-inspired pieces of theatre. During the workshop, many wonderful ideas were generated and experimented with, and we look forward to our up-and-coming theatre makers’ work with anticipation!
Ms Danii Zappia, Drama Coordinator
I Am Basketball Man, performance and workshop
A keen group of basketball enthusiasts from Year 7 and 8 were selected to attend a freestyle basketball workshop with Ra’shaun Daniels, aka Basketball Man, on Friday of Arts Week. In the workshop, Daniels’ broke down many of his famous tricks and moves for students to try and experiment with. This was followed by an outdoor street style performance at lunchtime to a boisterous and engaged student crowd.
Ms Emily Burns, Drama Cocurricular and Events Coordinator
MUSIC
Once again, Arts Week has come to an end, and we are ever so grateful to everyone who took part in organising, performing and supporting the performances!
The student performances were an amazing opportunity for young performers to step outside of their comfort zone and build their confidence in a supportive, low-pressure environment. It was great to see such a positive reaction from fellow students, especially those who would not normally participate, and we were especially amazed to see the amount of talented Year 7 students stepping up and performing alongside senior students. All performers should be incredibly proud of themselves for their efforts in rehearsing and performing their acts, and their work in encouraging the arts is largely appreciated.
Among the acts that took place on the Arts Courtyard stage were performances featuring two of our talented music captains, Harriet McClure and Carla Fontanelli, who played multiple times throughout the week, accompanying other students and performing solo pieces on the piano. We also got to see many staff acts, including Mr Mosca performing popular Italian songs along with College Captain Massimo Cavallo, and the Music Centre Staff Band performing fun sing-alongs such as “I’m a Believer”. Mr Musci’s “Be A DJ” session brought a crowd to the Arts courtyard and encouraged students to try their hand at being a DJ, regardless of skill level. This fun activity was a great way for students to participate in arts week and get the opportunity to perform!
On International Women’s Day, three of the Year 12 drama students, Anah Reaiche, Summer Ohrnberg-Wilson, and Megan Adrain performed beautiful and inspiring feminist poetry outside of the LEC, including a poem written by Megan herself, called “It’s As Easy As That”. These young women are brilliant role models, writers, and speakers, and we congratulate them on their performances!
From the collaborative planning to the amazing, it is easy to see why it has been an incredibly fun and busy week! As Music Captains, we are so happy to see the work that so many artists, musicians, and performers brought to the table this week, it is always such a pleasure to see the artistic creativity that is displayed this week by such a wide variety of students.
One of the most important things that was learnt from Arts Week is the collaboration and teamwork necessary to put such an event together. From the teachers, Ms Burns, Mr Donovan, Mr, Musci, and Ms LeRay, working with students and leaders in the planning and development of the events throughout the week to the performers themselves it is clear that the none of this could have been achieved without everyone’s help. A special thanks to Year 12 Leaders, as well as the wonderful Ms Plew for the additional help this week. Can’t wait to see you all next year!
Written by Music Captains, Harriet McClure and Henry Cook