Survivor Dinner Theater At CGUHS

Its that time of year again for the Survivor Dinner Theater at CGUHS. The show will actually take place Oct. 9 and 10 in the Black Box Theater at Casa Grande Union High School. Survivor is an interactive dinner theater in which audience members become part of the show through activities and voting cast members off. This show is purely an improv show for all ages. This year's theme is "Family Feud" in which cast members must bring a family member with them to be part of the opposite team. Tickets are $35 and include a full dinner and the show. Tickets can be purchased through the drama department or contact the drama teacher at mleybas@cguhs.org.

Extra Credit Opportunity
Members of my dance class who attend and write a summary of the show and turn it in will receive 25 pts. extra credit.

Hope to see you there!

Nutcracker Rehearsal Schedule

To help you out, I am going to post any updates here on the blog for schedule changes or any announcements. This blog is also for our Fine Arts students so you may occassionally see some other assignments up here. There is a link further down for dance supplies if you would like to check that out. It may be a real time saver for you if you don't have time to run up to the valley. I do reccomend you check out the clearance sections if you check these out, you may find what you are looking for, for a fraction of the cost. Please feel free to check out any of the other links also. I will also post other shows happening in the area and in the valley in case anybody is interested. I do check this frequently so using the comment box is another way to get a hold of me also!

Note: There is no rehearsal on Oct. 4 and Oct. 11. There will be rehearsal on Oct. 18!

Here is the current rehearsal schedule!

Saturday Sept 13, 20, 27, Oct. 18, 25, Nov. 1, & 8
No Rehearsals on Sat. Oct 4 and Oct. 11

11 am-12 pm-Clara, Drosselmeyer, Christmas Party Cast (Stage) w/ Cori
Dolls (Dance Room) w/ Julianne and Miguel

12:15-1:15 Mice and Soldiers, Clara, Drosselmeyer, Nutcracker (Stage) w/ Daniel and Miguel
Snow corps & Snow King and Queen (Dance Room) w/Julianne

1:15- 1;45-Lunch

1:45-2:15-Jesters (Beginning September 27th) on stage w/Cori

2:15-3:15 Russian (Dance room) w/Miguel
Flowers (Stage) w/ Cori



3:30-4:30 Chinese (Dance Room) w/Miguel
Angels (Stage) w/Cori
Candy Canes w/Julianne

4:30-5:00 Gigiones (Dance Room) w/Cori
Flutes (Stage) w/Julianne

Tuesdays Sept. 16, 23, 30 Oct. 7, 21, 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18
4:00-6:00 Clara and Prince (Dance Room)
4:00-5:00 Arabian (Stage)w/ Forsythe

Wednesdays
5:00-6:00 Spanish (Stage) w/ Julianne
6:00-7:00 Sugar Plum (Stage) w/ Julianne

No rehearsals Oct. 11 due to Fall Break

Nov. 15, 22

10:30-1:00 Act 1 Cast (Full Run of Act 1) With Tech crew

1:30-4:00 Act 2 Cast (Ensemble Pieces and full Run of Act 2) With Tech crew

Dec. 1, 2, 3 Full Dress Rehearsals 5:00-9:00

Pictures
Dec. 2 and Video Dec. 3. Performances Dec. 4 and 5.

9/11 Tributes through the Arts

"Art reflects life and life reflects art". In the aftermath of 9/11 we were all left feeling so many different things, fear, sadness, anger, resolver, patriotism etc. As artists we have the opportunity to express not just ourselves but also quite possibly what others cannot through dance, music, art, and writing. Often emotions spawing from life changing events move us. 9/11 was no different.

The following video was a tribute. While I was teaching up in Phoenix 9/11/2001, my class opted to use the same song as our tribute. One of my student's father was a Phoenix firefighter who was sent to ground zero to aide in the search for survivors. The images he brought back were chilling, but also inspired my students.












Please feel free to leave your comments!

Casa Grande HS Nutcracker Auditions

On Saturday CGUHS held auditions for the 18th production of the Nutcracker. We were amazed and overwhelmed with the number of people auditioning this year. I was especially amazed at the caliber many of our very young dancers came in with. The final casting list will not be complete until next week. But a very special thank you to all who came out to audition and the tech crew that assisted with auditions.

In honor of our upcoming production I found this overview done by Ballet Etudes out of Mesa. They are a youth ballet company and are considered semi-professional. Any of my students who attend a concert for a professional, semi professional or any of our performances at CGUHS, write a one page typed summary of the performance and attach either a ticket stub or program will receive 25 points extra credit.

Everyday things can be artistic

It has always amazed me how everyday things can be converted into something artistic. We've all seen the sculptures and artwork made of household items, trash and even have seen musical instruments made the same way. I actually saw this on "Sunday Today" and thought it was very interesting. Most of the instruments you will see are truly functioning instruments all made from car parts. This "Ode" was written for the car parts as a Ford Focus commercial that is actually airing in Great Brittain right now. I had never thought of the musicality of our vehicles but somebody did! In my classes this week we were talking about how everyday movements can become dance or art. I thought this was a fine example of how to illustrate this fact. The arts take the "everyday" and makes it extraordinary! Share some examples if you wish or comment on the video in the comments section. Enjoy!