World of Fine Arts

Rummage Sale for Macy's

2010-06-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

We will be having a fundraiser to help Vista Grande Dance fundraise for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Rummage Sale will take place at Vista Grande High School at 1556 N. Arizola Rd. on June 26th from 8am to 2pm. We will be accepting donations at 6am. We are also seeking donations of water, soda, and baked goods to sell at the rummage sale.

If you would like to make a donation please leave a comment on the blog and I'll get back to you.

Trying to get to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

2010-06-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Its no secret the Vista Grande dance has been invited to send students to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Casa Grande Dispatch did a wonderful feature on us a couple of weeks ago and we have been fundraising like crazy. Our most recent fundraiser was a carwas last weekend!

We are also planning a fundraiser through Partylite, a rummage sale, and batting around a few other ideas. We've done frybread fundraisers, a zumbathon, a fundraiser through Casa Grande Candle Company and soliciting sponsorships.

Special thanks to the following community sponsors for their support!
Cottonwood Medical Center
Walton Orthodontics
Ace Vending
Core Construction

Sponsors will receive a T-shirt, and tickets to a fall or spring dance show! If you're interested in sponsoring or if you have a great fundraising idea feel free to comment!

Fine Arts Updates

2010-04-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Taking the Show on the Road!

Vista Grande's first play, "Alice in Wonderland" was a smashing success, so successful in fact, it's been on tour! The day of opening night, members of the cast took a few select scenes to CAC's Academic Honor's Symposium. The symposium opened with the Alice performance followed by members of Vista Grande Dance. It was the first time Fine Arts has been included in the Academic Honor's Symposium.

On Saturday, April 17th the cast of Alice in Wonderland returned to CAC on the invitation of CAC's theater department to perform the third act of the show. Students participated in several workshops that included visual and sound effects for stage, stage makeup and improvisation techniques taught by members of the local Improv troupe, "Exit 185". The visual and sound effects workshop taught students techniques on how to create effects such as snow, rain, thunder, and lightning. At the end of the workshop students enjoyed a treat of edible sugar glass and stage blood made of corn syrup. The showcase gave staff and students the opportunity to network and meet other theater students and staff in the local area as well as learn a bit about education at the college level.

The last stop on the tour is April 26th when the group will perform the complete show at Mesquite Elementary by invitation. Performing at the elementary schools isn't the only outreach that Vista Grande Theater students are doing. Members of the Vista Grande Thespian Society have been volunteering their time to mentor young actors in at Casa Grande Middle School. Volunteers have been serving as junior acting coaches, assisting in costumes and working as technicians and assisting the director in anyway possible.

The Thespian Honor Society is also in the process of planning their first annual induction banquet scheduled for May 12 at 7pm in the auditorium. This first banquet will honor Thespians that were inducted at the beginning of the school year and inducting new members into the honor society. Members are inducted based on points earned from areas such as backstage work, performances and volunteer work in the community.

I Love New York!

Vista Grande Dance has been honored to select dancers to attend the 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Students need to raise nearly $3000 per participant. While in New York they will have the opportunity to take master classes from professional choreographers, see a Broadway show, see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall as well as participate in the Nationally televised parade as part of a national group of dancers. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity! Currently Dance is sponsoring a fundraiser through the local Casa Grande Candle Company followed by a Zumbathon on Friday, May 7th at 6:30 pm.

Zumba is a fun, high energy workout based on latin dance. The Zumbathon will be instructed by two certified instructors from Phoenix. Admission is $10 for the two hour class. All proceeds will go toward sending VG Dancers to New York. The Zumbathon will also host vendors such as candle distributors, clothing sales, a bake sale, and a variety of other vendors. We are currently looking for other vendors interested in setting up a booth during the Zumbathon. If interested, contact Cori Lee at 876-9400 ext. 4235 or email clee@cguhsd.org. In addition to the candle and zumbathon fundraisers, staff and students will be offering sponsorship packages that will be sent out to friends family and local businesses. Any and all sponsorships at welcome and can be used as educational tax credit!

Vista Grande Spring Dance Concert will be on Saturday, May 1st at 7 pm. Admission will be $5 at the door and proceeds will benefit the dance department. Concessions and flowers will also be available to purchase at the concert, proceeds from those sales will benefit the dancers attending Macy's. The spring concert will feature student choreography and host as our special guests, Desert Stage Dance Company from Arizona City. This is a great opportunity for dance to work with the community by hosting Desert Stage Dance. High School dancers will mentor young dancers while giving them the opportunity to perform on a stage with full theatrical effects. This is an opportunity the small dance group would not have otherwise. It is anticipated that this will be a positive experience and will open the door for more participation from the community to work with Vista Grande Students.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-26T23:33:00.001-07:00

Alice in Wonderland opened tonight. Yesterday they performed for 500 elementary and middle school students for their final dress rehearsal. Our district was also in the process of selecting a new superintendent so they were also touring the school while this was going on. Everything has gone very smoothly for yesterday and tonight's shows. I'm really proud of the kids!

There are still two shows Saturday March 27th at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are $5.

Today the kids from dance and drama participated in the Central Arizona College Academic Symposium. We were the only group from Vista Grande to participate and the only group that brought dance and drama performances. The dances were the two best from Community Choreographer's Showcase and we brought the tea party scene from Alice in Wonderland. They represented the school very well!

Giving New Meaning to the Phrase "Break a Leg!"

2010-03-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

My job as the theater teacher requires me to produce shows. The current show is "Alice in Wonderland" We had a fabulous review in today's paper (Wed. March 24) at www.trivalleycentral.com.

What you don't see are the stories about what goes on behind the scenes in the production. Every production has its stories, but this one is a doozey!

The show opens this Friday at Vista Grande High School. We've been in dress rehearsal all week. One of my student's who is the "knave" in the play,( I totally type cast this role!) decided to jump down the two story flight of stairs from the control booth to the auditorium. He did it three times successfully and the fourth, well wasn't so successful. One of my technicians came runing to find me backstage as I was helping with costumes and answering questions. Apparently, the kid couldn't move. I went to assess the situation and sent the tech to find the athletic trainer. When the trainer arrived he brought crutches, just in case. Both the kid's ankles were already very swollen, and we couldn't get him up. We called the paramedics and got a hold of his family. The paramedics arrived just as the local newspaper did to cover the play. That couldn't have looked good!

The paramedics wanted to splint both legs but needed to get his costume off. They asked me if they could cut it off him and said that I "could replace it, right?" At this point I'm absolutely mad that this kid was such an idiot four days before opening night and now they want to cut the costume that is two days old and I have no chance of replacing in such a short time. My answer was "Oh HECK NO! Haven't you guys been watching the news about budget cuts to education, there is no way I can replace it! Especially not four days before a show!" The paramedics sheepishly said "okay" and then very gingerly took the costume off the kid and handed it to me. I would have been okay if they had hurt him more because he brought it on himself.

So the report was after they got out of the hospital, two severely sprained ankles, one heel was completely shattered and the other mildly fractured. Broken is broken if you ask me, mild or not! Its considered bad luck to say "good luck" but we can't say break a leg anymore either, because one of the cast already has.

As for the cast member...well, you might want to come see for yourself! Show times are Friday March 26th at 7pm and Saturday March 27th at 2pm and 7pm at Vista Grande High School, 1556 N. Arizola Rd, Casa Grande AZ, 85222. Tickets are $5. Its very family friendly!

The Real Behind the Scenes Look at Choreographer's Showcase

2010-02-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

I want to say thank you to all the audience members and performers that attended the showcase. Despite its technical difficulties, it was a beautiful show! Thank you to the performers and crew for all their hard work and dedication. I hope to see this little show grow into something really spectacular in the future.

I did mention technical difficulties, which there were more than many would ever know. This isn't to ruin the magic of performance, but rather to enhance your understanding of what a person or people go through to make a show happen. From my end, this is one of the worst shows I've ever done and you'll see why if you continue reading.

Last week during auditions we noticed our sound board and light board in the auditorium not working the way it had been for the previous show. Sound wasn't working at all and the light board was malfunctioning where we didn't have complete control of the stage lights or the house lights. We spent the week trouble shooting in drama class, or at least I did, and then during all my plan time during this week to have everything running correctly before the show. Thursday, after a near death experience, I did finally get the sound working correctly. The problem, somebody had disconnected the CD player and reconnected it into a channel that wasn't compatible. The near death experience included me climbing on the ledge of the booth that is two stories above the auditorium to find the correct connections. When my foot slipped and I may have slightly dangled from that position for a few seconds, long enough to panic and realize that if I actually fell, there would be nobody to hear me scream and who knows how long it would be before I was found.

Now with the sound fixed, it was time to trouble shoot the light board. I took the manual home and read it cover to cover again, but couldn't find any answers. So I decided to start with some basic re-programming. It accomplished what I wanted it to with the exception that now I had no stage lights no matter what I did. This was 10:30 Friday morning, my show was at 7pm that evening. I think to myself "I've got time, no need to panic". So I called Tech support on my lighting board, on my cell phone where the signal is poor and my battery burns up in process. I get far enough to learn that because my board is a computer, there have been three critical updates in the last six months that I didn't know I needed, but the board could still operate just fine without them. After dragging two of my classes into the auditorium and giving them "busy" work, I met a friend for lunch who happened to know a thing or two about light boards. We found out that those things didn't apply to my light board. I was back to square one. It was now 1:30 and I had made no progress. I decide to go the route for the update from the website. That should be easy enough right? Wrong!!!!

The website is blocked by the school's filters, I can use my quota time in 5 minute or less increments, but this is a 10-15 minute download that can't be interrupted. So I email and call IT, but it is now after 2pm on Friday afternoon. No answer! Now I'm starting to panic a little.

My Academic Resource kids are sitting in the drama room because we have been yet again moved from the classroom we were assigned. This time, it was because my kids vandalized the keyboards in the computer lab we were in. Between my being upset about that and entering the early phases of panic mode, the few students who ventured to talk to me had their heads ripped off.

2:30 pm I still can't get a hold of IT to unblock the website and neither can I get a hold of the light board tech support from the land line in my office. I am making desperate calls to other colleagues in the district and contacts that I have to see if they have any ideas. I am completely desperate at this point and in full panic mode. I begin to look at my options, I am just over 4 hours away from the show and I have no stage lights. I make a call to the front office and get the principal's secretary and explain my plight. She is instantly as upset as I am and begins making calls to IT as well.

Come to find out that most of IT had exceeded their hours and were already off the clock. I was out of luck it appeared. I begin to really look at cancelling the show or carrying on with alternative lighting options, two followspots and the flourescents overhead, yuck! The office makes a frantic call to district office that has to approve a technician working over time. It is now 3:15, school is out.

The tech arrives at 3:42. The clock is ticking and it appears that to make the decision to cancel the show is out of the question. First order of business, install a makeshift landline in the booth so we can contact tech support. That should only take 5-10 minutes. Now we all know what should happen, and what actually happens are going to be two separate things nowhere near being related. This took nearly an hour to get a phone that worked and configured correctly because we were using an internet line. Once that is accomplished, tech support is contacted and the filter is finally disabled so we can download and install the updates the board is lacking. With all the formualted theories that I had picked up about this light board, I was praying that the update would clear the problem. It is nearly 5 pm and my tech kids are arriving, we install the updates and reboot the board. Miraculously, everything comes up in perfect working order. This left me an hour to refocus and gel lights for the show, no time for programming any sophisticated cues for this show. But that was fine as long as the lights were on.

6:45-We don't have quite the turn out we expected, including two acts that were MIA for dress rehearsal. One I attempted to contact had all their numbers and email disconnected. But we have lights, sound and 9 other acts ready to go. Because my sound technician didn't show, and the other students I have aren't trained on the sound board, so that left me to run sound, MC the show and call the few cues there were. I had planned on this happening so during all my hurry up and wait with the light board, I had rewound the cassettes that were being used, (yes cassettes), checked my cues, put CD's in order, ran a couple of sound checks, so when the show occurred, I was prepared. My plan had worked about halfway through when I needed to set a track in the middle of the music. My time signatures on the player matched what I had written down, but when the music started it wasn't in the right place. I tried again, laughter from the audience, I made three more attempts before I realized the time counter was in a different format than what it was in rehearsal the night before. After nearly five minutes of the audience sitting in the dark and 6 attempts, I finally had the cue correct. (This is why I asked for them to have their music cut and ready ahead of time to prevent something like this). The next disaster hits with the second to last piece when I hit play on the cassette recorder and it doesn't work.

We don't have a cassette player in the booth, and the one I brought from home didn't work. We were using a cassette walkman on batteries. You're thinking the batteries are dead right? That actually wasn't the case, in my effort to be prepared, I rewound the wrong side of the tape earlier that afternoon. We sat for 8 1/2 minutes while I waited for the cassette to rewind the correct side and then I prayed the batteries didn't give out. Thank heaven for small favors because, they did make it through even after all the extra rewinding. The performers themselves did a fabulous job. It was an enjoyable show overall. I did some profuse apologizing to the acts and the audience about the show. But at the same time, this is the nature of live theater, you never know what is going to happen.

Choreographer's Showcase

2010-02-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

Community Choreographer's Showcase is Friday Feb. 5 at 7pm. Tickets are $5 and will benefit the Vista Grande Dance Dept. The venue is Vista Grande High School Auditorium at 1556 N. Arizola Rd. Casa Grande.

The show will be about an hour long and will be featuring student choreography as well as choreography from members of the local community. We have belly dancers, Salsa Dancers, Lyrical/Ballet, Jazz and Hip Hop. Its a very family friendly show.

Hope to see you there!!

Choreography Auditions!

2010-01-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings all! I hope you all have had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. Being an instructor at a new high school, I have the opportunity to start some new traditions at Vista Grande High School. I am pleased to announce the first annual "Community Choreographer's Showcase". Auditions will be Friday, January 29th at 5pm at Vista Grande High School. The address is 1556 N. Arizola Rd. Casa Grande. We are looking for original choreography pieces from performers of all ages and styles. Choreographers will have the responsibility of costuming their pieces. We would like to encourage as much participation as possible so please spread the word!

Performance will be Friday, Feb. 5 at 7pm at Vista Grande, with a dress rehearsal Thursday Feb. 4 at 6pm.

Please let me know if you have any questions. 520-876-9400 ext. 423, email is clee@cguhsd.org or simply respond to this message.

Nutcracker and Ballet Arizona

2009-11-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

Greetings all! I just would like to make it known that "The Nutcracker 2009" for Casa Grande tickets are on sale! No you do not need to live in Casa Grande to purchase tickets, but you do need to be willing to get here to see the show.

Tickets are $10 and it is reserved seating. If you're interested either leave a comment on the blog or email me at clee@cguhsd.org.

We spent Tuesday night at downtown Casa Grande's "Art in the Alley" promoting the show and selling tickets.

Another update was the Vista Grande and Casa Verde dance departments trip to see Ballet Arizona perform Swan Lake. We saw an hour long excerpt that left us all wanting more! I think next time we'll opt for an evening performance with student tickets and the entire production. I think I may have more chaperones for that also!

My students were dressed so elegantly and behaved so well! We were the best dressed group in attendance. The very sad part was that people were stopping to ask us what we were dressed up for. My response was "the ballet of course"! I am always amazed by the lack of respect for the art and artists reflected in the way patrons now dress. Symphony Hall is a very elegant place and should be reflected in elegant attire.

Thank you to my students for showing respect for the art, artists and for themselves by dressing up appropriately! I'm very proud of you all!

ASU Dance Symposium

2009-10-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

We attended the ASU High School Dance Symposium. Our students were among the youngest ones there but they had a fabulous experience. Many of them have only taken class from me in the two years they've been dancing. This was the opportunity to take college level classes, gain new experiences, visit a university campus and meet other dancers.

On a sentimental note, my students were taking classes in the very same studios that I took class in. It was pretty neat!

As a teacher, I don't have many opportunities to take class. I was able to take class from one of the instructors that was a grad student instructor when I was still in college. It was so good to "take" class instead of teach it.

Students took six different dance classes, saw an informal performance and had a question and answer session with the grad students and staff. Teachers took a creative movement class, a choroegraphic process class, participated in AZDEO meeting and did a dance and video technology training.

There were things I was reminded of that I have long since forgotten since my college days. The choreography class was amazing. A quote made by the instructor that impacted me was "creativity is a life force, not something that is exclusive".

The whole purpose was to teach choreographic practices in creating meaningful work with purpose. Something I think that I have lost sight of in an effort to teach technique and foundation skills. We had to work in small groups, where everybody was equally heard and valued. It produced a piece of choreography that was creative and had significant meaning for all of us involved. We forget the art lies in the craft and discovery and not in the end products. This is something that I would like to implement more in class.

Casa Grande Nutcracker rehearsal schedule for Friday Oct.23, 2009

2009-10-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Due to a school activity taking away many of our dancers and choreographers, there will be no rehearsal on Saturday, Oct. 24. We will have an abbreviated rehearsal on Friday, Oct. 23 beginning at 5:30. Some groups will not require the makeup rehearsal

5:30-6:00 pm
Gigiones (Black Box) Julianne
Mice, Soldiers, Clara, Drosselmeyer, Prince (Stage) Reana and Patrick

6:00-6:30
Clara, Drosselmeyer, Maids, Christmas Party Cast (stage)
Julianne, Patrick
Chinese (Dance Room) Reana

6:30-7:00
Flowers (Dance Room) Julianne
Candy Canes-(Stage)Reana

7:00-7:30
Snow corps & Snow King and Queen (Dance Room) Julianne
Dolls (Stage) Reana

7:30-8:00
Angels (Stage) Reana
Flutes (Dance Room) Julianne

8:00-8:30
Arabian-Stage
Russian-Dance room

8:30-10:00
Clara and Prince- Julianne (Dance Room)

November 3rd Override-Casa Grande HS District

2009-10-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

Last year's failure of the override cost students in the Casa Grande High School district dearly, especially when it came to the arts. The Fine Arts department was hit hard when the drama teacher, and choir teacher were laid off and the remaining programs were significantly cut back.

At the time we thought the override failure was the worst thing that could happen and then came the budget cuts from the state legislature. This district now has two major high schools and guess what the first cuts to be made are? The remaining drama and choir programs at two schools, the dance programs at three schools, art and some music.

As it is, many of us continue to work beyond the school day without extra duty contracts, our pay has been frozen and our health benefits cut way back. We are enduring class sizes of 40+ only for those to become even larger if this override fails again.

Like last year I volunteered to call registered voters and encourage them to vote for the override. Although many are supportive, there were many that were not because they don't want to see taxes go up.

Here are the facts:
The override has been in place for twenty years prior to its failure in 2008.
The decrease of taxes due to the failure was less than $32.00 a year per household.
The need for the override is not due to schools mismanaging money, but due to extremely poor funding in our state, which has just become much worse in the past fiscal year.

Please get out and vote on Nov. 3. Toltec and Casa Grande Elementary Districts also have overrides on the ballots. Please support the schools and all of our futures by voting Yes! for the overrides.

Aren't our kids and our future generations worth it?

Nutcracker "The Tradition Continues!"

2009-09-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Nutcracker is back!!! I know that its been awhile since I've posted and I need to fix that. Two weeks ago we held auditions for Nutcracker and we just finished our second week of rehearsals. We also have a Facebook page for Nutcracker.

Here is the current rehearsal schedule.
Saturday Sept 19, 26 Oct.3, 24, 31, Nov. 7
No Rehearsals on Sat. Oct 10 and Oct. 17

Sugar Plum- times TBA
Arabian-times TBA
Spanish times-TBA

12:15-1:15 Dolls (Stage) Reana
Snow corps & Snow King and Queen (Dance Room) Julianne

1:15- 1:45-Chinese (Dance Room) Chinese

1:45-2:15- Candy Canes-(Stage)Reana
Gigiones (Black Box)Julianne
Jesters-(commons) Patrick

2:15-3:30
Clara, Drosselmeyer, Maids, Christmas Party Cast (Black Box)
Julianne, Patrick
Russian- (Dance room) Reana

3:30-4:30 Mice, Soldiers, Clara, Drosselmeyer, Prince (Stage) Reana and Patrick

3:30-4pm Flowers (Dance Room) Julianne

4:30-5pm-Flutes (Dance Room) Julianne
Angels (Stage) Reana

Saturday Nov. 14
10:00-1:00 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

Saturday Nov. 21-10 am-4pm (All Cast) 2x Run through and pictures

Pictures Nov. 21 Video tape, Dec. 1,
Nov. 30, Dec 1, 2 All cast dress rehearsal 5pm-9:30 pm
Performances Dec. 3 and 4.

Rehearsals are closed to the public. Performance dates are Dec. 3 and 4 at Vista Grande High School. For info contact clee@cguhsd.org.

Vista Grande High School is a brand new high school. With the recent budget cuts we are starting our brand new baby dance, drama, choir and band programs with less than we need. Tax Credit monetary donations are accepted in our bookstore, just specify the Fine Art department of choice. Email me or call 520-494-9400 and ask for the bookstore.

The drama dept is always looking for clothing, furniture and accessories to start off our prop and costume supply. Unique and period clothing is always in demand! We'll even take old Halloween costumes.

Nutcracker/drama booster meeting will be this Thursday at 7pm in the blackbox.
We have some important issues to discuss!

CGUHS Dance Concert-with videos!

2009-05-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 2 my beginning dance classes had their spring dance concert. Many of these dancers have never performed before. Overall they had a great experience! This shot in the hallway was during dress rehearsal taken by somebody's camera phone.

WGAZ Championships 2009

2009-04-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 28 I had the opportunity to attend the Winterguard Arizona Championships (WGAZ) held at Veteran's Memorial Colisuem. Winterguard features indoor cologuards and drumlines which happen after the fall outdoor season.

As a former colorguard member and instructor myself, I love to attend these events and don't get the chance as often as I would like to because of my other committments. Today I traveled with Casa Grande Union High School who featured a Winterguard, Drumline and a winter brass line for exhibition. I'll include a few of the decent shots I got with my camara. My shutter was too slow for all the action.

Winterguard

Casa Grande High School's Show was "In the Park" featuring the song "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.

Drumline

I haven't seen a drumline competition in a couple of years and I was amazed at the creativity and ideas that are now being incorporated into the show design. These shows were as much fun to watch as the guard shows.

Casa Grande High School is the only school in the state that features an indoor brassline. Because it is such a unique concept, there is no competition for them so they performed for exhibition. Their show was "Sweeney Todd". Like the drumline and guard shows they had a unique theme and incorporated so many different elements into their show.

There were so many groups for awards they almost couldn't fit them all in. Congratulations to the Casa Grande Drumline who took second place in their division for state and the Battery caption award.

Little Shop of Horrors

2009-03-24T21:58:00.001-07:00

Little Shop is my next project that I have been working on for Casa Grande Union High School. A couple of my dance students are in this cast. Although I am the choreographer, there really isn't a ton of choreography in this show. The kids have done an excellent job, and the musical, although humorous on the surface, is quite the commentary on society.

Little Shop will run April 3 and 4 at Casa Grande Union High School's auditorium, at 7 pm, tickets are $10. It will be the last production directed by Manual Leybas, who has been the drama teacher at the high school for 30+ years and has recently been laid off as a result of the budget cuts. This could also very well be the last musical at Casa Grande Union High School.

As for me, I will be assigned to teach dance, and drama at Casa Grande's second high school, Vista Grande next fall, so I too will be leaving CGUHS. We are still trying to decide where that will leave traditional productions such as Nutcracker.

The wrap on Nunsense!

2009-03-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

I know that I am way behind on blogging about this show, considering it has already come and gone. But I should mention it just the same. I had the priviledge of being the choreographer for this show at the request of Stacey Seaman, a former colleague of mine who directed the show. I also had the priviledge of working with an amazing cast of five ladies and the extracrdinary crew working backstage. The ironic part was that one of the cast members was a good friend I graduated high school with and hadn't seen since graduation until I found out she was living nearly in my backyard a few months back. I made so many new connections. If you have a chance check out S.T.A.G.E who helped promote this and is working to develop theater in the local area.

Some of the things I love about shows include the connections and new friendships that are built as a group works towards a common goal, being around other creative, passionate people, the rush and stress of show week as everything finally becomes real, the success of a show. This is the world in which I fit and no matter what is happening, somehow always makes sense to me.

In this case Nunsense was on March 5, 6 and 7 at Central Arizona College's Pence Auditorium. The show was seen by 1800+ patrons with a complete sell out for the matinee on the 7th. This was the first musical in several years at CAC and it is hoped that this won't be the last musical.

Here are a few shots as we rehearsed and wrapped up....

What Budget Cuts Mean to Us.

2009-03-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

The state of Arizona is facing massive budget cuts, the prevelant are in education. Now that we are now 51st in the nation for spending per capita on students here is what is really happening in our local districts. I say ours because every district in the state is facing the same issues and same cuts and actually this is happening in other states as well. As the economy spirals towards a full blown depression despite tax credits, and stimulus money, none of it is really going toward who really needs the help, the everyday people and education.

The state of Arizona is cutting so much out of education that we are getting to the point we may as well just sentence our children to a life of ignorance. Budget cuts are just counting the superficial expenditures, but the everyday necessities. For example, in my district, huge cuts in supply budgets, the potential loss of benefits for teachers, pay freezes, and the worst part program cuts and layoffs. Lightning has struck on either side of me with the lay off of our drama teacher, who has taught in this district for 33 years, and the choir teacher who has only taught fo three years. The justification, they don't have enough numbers for their classes to make the new requirements of 25 per class. So rather than reducing them to part time, the district is laying them off and bringing in a person who is not qualified. Part of this is due to the failure of our budget override, that we hope to try and pass again in November, along with every other district in the county. If the budget override fails again, it has already been decided that fine arts cannot be sustained and I too will be out of a job. In spite of this, we quietly do our jobs and continue in our cause. Our protests have fallen the in deaf ears of our school board and our legislators. We are treading on thin ice and if continued, will lose our accreditation making the diplomas our students earn worthless. But as our economy further deteriorates, what choices do we have? While sports will also be taking a hit, it isn't the hit that our department has taken. Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that after the override passed, our department came up with $65,000 worth of cuts that come mainly from band and drama that we voluntarily gave up? Today we learned that the vocal music and drama will be reduced to two periods each while the extra stipends for people who assist with band will also be cut, in addition to what we already gave up. What is going to be investigated, does the varsity football team really need 14 coaches when they haven't won a significant game in years and our band is nationally ranked. I don't understand the logic either. Band goes all year long, football among other sports is only a few months and takes time out of the school day for students and staff costing the district double for teacher pay, sub pay and stipend pay. Don't get me wrong, sports are valuable and teach valuable skills. My husband is a basketball coach, but does it all on a volunteer basis. I also put in many hours on a volunteer basis to support my department. My pleas as I stood up and confronted the board on why they have not heard us when we have been at every work session, yet sports have not set foot in the board room. My reccomendation, for every staff member cut from our department, cut a staff from sports to make it equitable. They'll save more money, sports receives more than we do for stipends. Again, the value of we do, is not viewed the same.

They ask for opinions and ideas, yet, this all falls on deaf ears. They claim "the squeaky wheel gets the oil", yet we're not asking for oil, we're just asking for no more parts to be removed. Their claim is "there are no sacred cows" however we're all standing at least knee deep in the bull crap! You tell me folks, I called them on it and for their lack of notifying us about extra duty meetings.

When budget cuts happen, we give up what we can, and still it isn't enough. They have to go further and begin dismantling the department starting with drama, choir and band. The collateral damage is the teachers who lose their jobs and the students who are losing their mentors. The students are and will continue to be the biggest victims.

For the record....let's not foget our superintendent's $600 monthly allowance for a car. I'm not sure where she goes, but if people are losing their jobs, should we really be using crucial funds to pay for a perk.

If you would like to comment please feel free! If you would like to complain to the board, their email addresses are at the Casa Grande Union High School District website, www.cguhsd.org. Otherwise, you can also contact your local representative and let them know your feelings about the budget cuts. These cuts will also cost you not just in loss of programs, but to pay to participate in sports too. Think about it......

The year is almost up- have you made your tax credit donation?

2008-12-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

As the year is winding down we are asking for tax credit donations for the fine arts department. In light of all the budget cuts, we are needing these donations now more than ever! Donations go directly to the department they are designated for and they can be written off on your state taxes. Thats up to $250 for an individual and $400 for a joint filing household.

Support the fine arts and make your tax credit donation to Casa Grande Union High School before the new year! To make donations contact the bookstore by emailing bkepler@cguhs.org or calling the office at 520-836-8500.

Designate your donations to
Art
Choir
Dance
Drama
Band

We want to wish you a very Happy Holiday Season and thank you for your support of the Fine Arts!

Nutcracker

2008-12-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well Nutcracker is done and over, but it was an amazing experience. Check and see if you know anybody in these pictures!

CGUHS Bond Doesn't Pass-Now What?

2008-11-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

This seems to be the questions on everybody's mind today including that of the administrators and the district office. It has been proposed that Fine Arts take the greatest hit, but truth be known, other than band, we are the cheapest programs this district operates. If this district were to completely cut the fine arts as has been proposed prior to the election, then the school would lose their accreditation. I had that confirmed by an administrator today. Besides students are required to have fine arts credit to be accepted into all major universities. I hope that our district really won't put itself into that situation. However....
Does that mean we sit idly by waiting to see what happens? At this point we need to more proactive as staff and students. Here are some steps that we can take.

1. Parents, students, staff need to be attending the board meetings to respectfully express their concerns and questions. These occur the first Tuesday of each month at the CGUHS District Office at 6pm.

2. Letters to the Editor need to be written to make the community aware of what is happening.

3. Organizing student/parent committees to organize petitions, proposals and rally support for the arts.

4.Options need to be seriously looked as by the district as well as the parents and students to create a win-win situation.

Options may include-

The Four Day School Week,

Pay to Play for sports and extra-curricular activities.

Cutting one position in each department as opposed to eliminating the Fine Arts Department.

Reducing the amount of transportation being used for away football games, fieldtrips etc.

Turning off the field lights, auditorium lights, building lights except for when the building is in use for school events only! I'd hate to see their electric bill!

Reducing teacher spending budgets-I don't like that one either, but it may come to that!

Freezing or reducing Salaries-If it keeps our programs, consider it a tax donation!

We have some options before cutting programs!

I can't tell you how shocked, angry and sad I was all at the same time when I found this out! This isn't fair! Let our voices be heard, that we will do what it takes to save these programs. It has already happened where the fine arts have all been cut from the Elementary districts, now its going to happen to the only place where kids can take fine arts classes, I certainly hope not!

If you have any ideas or comments, feel free to post! In fact, this may be one way that we can start protesting any possible fine arts cuts!

Art in Everyday Life-The Wedding

2008-11-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

We are surrounded by art everyday in our lives, but how often do we take time to appreciate it? Things from the pictures on your walls and the way you decorate, to the clothes we wear. Without art, our lives are bland and colorless and so are we. I promised you all pictures of the wedding I attended on Halloween. Since this is my creative/educational blog, I am going to tie it in with if nothing else art appreciation. Let's begin, shall we???

I've described the amazing dress that my cousin wore. Fashion requires immense artistic ability to work with colors, cuts, design and style right down to the fashions that the bridesmaids and guests wore. At this wedding, there were certainly some artistic statements, although they did confuse me! Examples in the following fashion show.

So now that we've looked at fashion and their artistic value, lets talk about the flowers and decorating. To be able to do this a person must be able to use color and design. The bride's sister, who was the maid of honor, made all of the bouquets, centerpieces and lapel pins. The bride's bouquet was a combination of silk flowers and plastic roses. That's right plastic, made from plastic spoons to be exact. It created a unique look and you know nobody had a bouquet like it! She does sell these "sproses". Look at Phoenix Art Space and type in "Sproses" for more information.

Now music...this is a touchy subject. We requested a country song and the bride did not want any country played at her wedding. What do you define as music? The guests probably would have preferred music to "mosh" to especially because the groom has his own death metal band. Instead, they place classics like Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, and some early rap and party songs. So what is appropriate music for dancing too? Walking down the aisle? The bride actually walked down the aisle to Paquelbel's Cannon, a classical piece of music. What artistic ability goes into writing the music and lyrics we listen to everyday? Doesn't that require some artistic ability?

Now the food, especially the cake! You have to have some excellent artistic ability to decorate a cake, especially like this one. The picture really doesn't do it justice. If you want to see the good, bad and ugly cakes, check out cakewrecks.blogspot.com. You can quickly see the artistic and lack of artistic ability. This cake was made by the groom's mom.

So let's look at the overall. Planning a wedding is much like planning a theatrical show. Who are going to be the leads and supporting roles such as the bridal party. What happens when somebody in your "cast" quits at the last minute. You look at the big picture as you begin planning then hone in on the details. The general place and time give way to the details such as what music should we play, when, what happens if something goes wrong at the last minute such as at my wedding when the cake showed up as nothing but a pile of crumbs, or you were so sick at your own wedding you had to make a made dash for the restroom during your first dance with your husband, who covers for you? (Yes it really happened at my wedding!) What order should the grand entrance be in? Who is our audience aka. the wedding guests and what kind of experience do we want to give them? Then you have seating arrangements, general seating-select your table, or reserved, place cards with assigned seating? Then there are lighting decisions, candlelight, disco lights, etc?

We celebrate some of our most memorable events in life with art and even the not so memorable with art and we seldom realize it. Planning a wedding is almost identical to planning a show for our guests and we are the performers. We have drama, love, passion, fun and closure when the bride and groom leave. The wedding is one of the ultimate stage productions we perform in and is one of the most significant events of our lives1

Politics and Fine Arts at Casa Grande Union High School

2008-10-22T21:45:00.001-07:00

No, these two never seem to go well together. Sadly it is usually the arts that lose. I hope that is not the case here.

Our district is needing to pass a bond override to help us fund the opening of a new school next fall. If the bond doesn't pass the district will need to make cuts to have adequate funds. If the bond passes, we maintain our existing programs and open the new high school with many programs as originally planned. If the bond doesn't pass programs will be cut to supply the needed funds. We recently found out that our entire department has been targeted as a proposed budget cut as well as some sports and most extra-curricular activities. The district is proposing to cut dance, drama, band, and choir. If these programs are cut, we are not even sure if the new high school will open with these programs in place or if they will be missing as well.

Here are the facts:

Approving the bond will not raise taxes, taxes will stay the same.

If the bond does not pass it will reduce taxes by thirty dollars a year per household.

If the bond is not approved, crucial programs such as fine arts will be cut completely as well as many clubs and some athletics.

Approving the bond will ensure that fine arts, sports and extra curricular activities remain at Casa Grande Union High School and at Vista Grande High School.

Major Universities require students to have fine arts credits as an entrance requirement.

Unanswered questions
Will the new high school have these programs that have been cut?
Will these programs eventually come back?
Will the teachers who have been displaced be reassigned elsewhere?
How will the unification issue affect this?
Will the school lose their accredidation for losing these programs?
Has there been a committee formed to investigate the long term impact on this?
What is the Union's stand on this issue?

Here is what we need....
Pass along the word! Share this link, leave a comment, write to the Dispatch, leave a comment and most important.....

VOTE!!!!!

Please save fine arts at CGUHS.

Modern Dancers and choreographers

2008-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Now that we've concluded our unit on tap, we are moving onto modern dance. Modern began as a rebellion against ballet just after the turn of the century. At this time the era was changing, woman's suffrage was a huge issue, fashion was evolving from the victorian style of dress to shorter skirts and rebellion against the confining corsets. While ballet focused on technique and telling a story, tap was night club entertainment, modern focused on self expression and reflected the personal experiences of the dancers. Check out Ruth St. Dennis, Martha Graham and Isodora Duncan. For the actors and Strasburg followers, modern dance is the equivalent of organic acting. This is organic dancing.

The following excerpts have been selected from articles found by Google.

Martha Graham

“I wanted to begin not with characters or ideas, but with movements . . .I wanted significant movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge.”

–Martha Graham

Martha Graham’s impact on dance was staggering and often compared to that of Picasso’s on painting, Stravinsky’s on music, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s on architecture. Her contributions transformed the art form, revitalizing and expanding dance around the world. In her search to express herself freely and honestly, she created the Martha Graham Dance Company, one of the oldest dance troupes in America. As a teacher, Graham trained and inspired generations of fine dancers and choreographers. Her pupils included such greats as Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, and countless other performers, actors, and dancers. She collaborated with some of the foremost artists of her time including the composer Aaron Copland and the sculptor Isamu Noguchi.

Born in 1894 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Graham spent most of her formative years on the West coast. Her father, a doctor specializing in nervous disorders, was very interested in diagnosis through attention to physical movement. This belief in the body’s ability to express its inner senses was pivotal in Graham’s desire to dance. Athletic as a young girl, Graham did not find her calling until she was in her teens. In 1911, the ballet dancer Ruth St. Denis performed at the Mason Opera House in Los Angeles. Inspired by St. Denis’ performance, Graham enrolled in an arts-oriented junior college, and later to the newly opened Denishawn School. Denishawn was founded by Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn to teach techniques of American and world dance. Over eight years, as both a student and an instructor, Graham made Denishawn her home.

Working primarily with Ted Shawn, Graham improved her technique and began dancing professionally. In “Xochital”, a dance made specifically for her by Shawn, Graham danced the role of an attacked Aztec maiden. It was the wildly emotional performance of this role that garnered her first critical acclaim. By 1923, eight years after entering Denishawn, she was ready to branch out. She found her chance dancing in the vaudeville revue Greenwich Village Follies. At the Greenwich Village Follies, Graham was able to design and choreograph her own dances. Though this work provided her with some economic and artistic independence, she longed for a place to make greater experiments with dance. It was then that she took a position at the Eastman School of Music, where she was free of the constraints of public performance. At Eastman, Graham was given complete control over her classes and the entire dance program. Graham saw this as an opportunity to engage her best pupils in the experiential dance she was beginning to create.

These first experimentations at Eastman proved to be the sparks of a new mode of dance that would revolutionize theories of movement in all of the performing arts. For Graham, ballet’s concern with flow and grace left behind more violent traditional passions. Graham believed that through spastic movements, tremblings, and falls she could express emotional and spiritual themes ignored by other dance. She desired to evoke strong emotions, and achieved these visceral responses through the repetition of explicitly sexual and violently disjunctive movements. Beginning with her Eastman students, she formed the now famous Martha Graham School for Contemporary Dance in New York. One of the early pieces of the company was “Frontier” (1935), a solo performance about the pioneer woman. This piece brought together the two men who would be close collaborators throughout her life. Isamu Noguchi, the Japanese-American sculptor, created a sparse and beautiful design that replaced flat backdrops with three-dimensional objects. Together Graham and Noguchi revolutionized set design through this inclusion of sculpture. “Frontier” also included the sound design of Louis Horst, a close friend and strong influence throughout Graham’s life.

Soon after “Frontier”,Graham brought a young ballet dancer named Erick Hawkins into the company. Together they appeared in one of her major works, “American Document” (1938). For the next ten years he would remain with the company and perform in many of her great pieces. The most famous work from this period was “Appalachian Spring” (1944), for which Aaron Copland wrote the score. In 1948 Graham and Hawkins married, but the marriage was short-lived. They continued to work together for a while and then made a permanent break. After this break, Graham plunged deeper into her work and in 1955 presented the world with one of her greatest pieces, “Seraphic Dialogue”. “Seraphic Dialogue” was a powerful and moving version of the story of Joan of Arc. Throughout Graham’s career she would return again and again to the struggles and triumphs of both great and ordinary women. Despite her age, she continued to dance throughout the 60s. It was not until 1969 that Graham announced her retirement from the stage.

For Graham, however, life away from dance was impossible. Though no longer able to perform she continued to teach and choreograph until her death in 1991. It is nearly impossible to track the influence of Martha Graham. Everyone from Woody Allen to Bette Davis cites her as a major influence. She is universally understood to be the twentieth century’s most important dancer, and the mother of modern dance. She performed at the White House for Franklin Roosevelt, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor. She was the first choreographer to regularly employ both Asian- and African-American Dancers. Her contributions to the art of stage design and dance production are countless. Martha Graham’s continued experimentation and her constant attention to human emotion, frailty, and perseverance, is one of the greatest individual achievements in American cultural history.

Ruth St. Denis

Ruth Dennis was born in 1879 on a New Jersey farm. The daughter of a strong-willed and highly educated women ( Ruth Emma Dennis was a physician by training), St. Denis was encouraged to study dance from an early age. Her early training included Delsarte technique, ballet lessons with the Italian ballerina Maria Bonfante, social dance forms and skirt dancing. Ruth began her professional career in New York City in 1892, where she worked as a skirt dancer in a dime museum and in vaudeville houses. Dime museums featured "leg dancers" (female dancers whose legs were visible under their short skirts) in brief dance routines. St. Denis was probably required to perform her routine as many as eleven times a day.

Ruth St. Denis and Belasco's "Zaza"
In 1898, the young vaudeville dancer was noticed by David Belasco, a well-known and highly successful Broadway producer and director. He hired her to perform with his large company as a featured dancer, and was also responsible for giving her the stage name "St. Denis." Under Belasco's influence, Ruthie Dennis became Ruth St. Denis, toured with his production of "Zaza" around the United States and in Europe, and was exposed to the work of several important European artists, including the Japanese dancer Sado Yacco and the great English actress, Sarah Bernhardt.

Egyptian Inspiration

St. Denis' artistic imagination was ignited by these artists. She became very interested in the dance/drama of Eastern cultures( ), including those of Japan, India and Egypt. She was also influenced by Bernhardt's melodramatic acting style, in which the tragic fate of her characters took center stage. After 1900, St. Denis began formulating her own theory of dance/drama based on the dance and drama techniques of her early training, her readings into philosophy, scientology and the history of ancient cultures, and the work of artists like Yacco and Bernhardt. In 1904, during one of her tours with Belasco, she saw a poster of the goddess Isis in an ad for Egyption for Egyption Deities cigarettes. The image of the goddess sparked her imagination and she began reading about Egypt, and then India.

"Radha"

By 1905, St. Denis left Belasco's company to begin a career as a solo artist. She had designed an elaborate and exotic costume and a series of steps telling the story of a mortal maid who was loved by the god Krishna. Entitled "Radha," this solo dance (with three extras) was first performed in Proctor's Vaudeville House in New York City. "Radha" was an attempt to translate St. Denis' understanding of Indian culture and mythology to the American dance stage. As this publicity photograph illustrates, St. Denis surrounded her Indian maiden with the symbols for the 5 senses: bells for hearing; flowers for smelling; wine for tasting; jewels for seeing; and kisses of the palm for touching. The men sitting around her are Indian immigrants living in the then flourishing Coney Island Hindi community.

St. Denis' Society Notice

As a solo artist, St. Denis was quickly discovered by a society woman, Mrs. Orlando Rouland. With the aid of her wealthy patron, she began performing "Radha" at private matinees in respectable Broadway theatres. The following description appeared in The New York Times on March 25, 1906 after a performance at the Hudson Theatre: "Society has discovered something new under the limelight. Out of the jaws of vaudeville a group of New York women who still keep a weary eye out for up-to-date novelties, have snatched a turn which they hope to make more or less an artistic sensation.

St. Denis in Europe

Like Loie Fuller and Isadora Duncan before her, St. Denis felt that Europe might have more to offer her. She left with her mother for London in 1906, and traveled the continent performing her "translations" until 1909, when she returned to give a series of well-received concerts in New York City and on tour in the United States. During the next five years she continued to tour, building her reputation as an exotic dancer with an artistic bent, a "classic dancer" in the same catagory as Isadora Duncan. These two artists were, however, inherently different in their approach to the solo dance. According to St. Denis' biographer Suzanne Shelton, Duncan sought "the Self in the Universe," and St. Denis sought "the Universe in the Self." For St. Denis, the exotic worlds she intended to interpret could be seen from the vantage point of her body.

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn

After 1911, the vogue for solo dancers on the professional stage died down. To support herself, St. Denis often gave private lessons to society women, including Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. In 1912, St. Denis' major patron, Henry Harris, died on the Titanic. In serious financial trouble, St. Denis went back to the studio and came up with a new exotic dance, this time on a Japanese theme. "O-Mika" was more culturally authentic than her other 'translations' but it was not a success. Around 1913, St. Denis began adding other performers to her touring productions. In 1914 she hired Ted Shawn, a stage dancer with strong Delsartean leanings, and his partner, Hilda Beyer, to perform ballroom numbers. St. Denis continued to perform her solo "translations" while Shawn brought a range of popular dance forms, from ragtime to tangos, into the act. Soon after, St. Denis and Shawn became dance partners and lovers, and St. Denis' career as a solo artist was over.

Isadora Duncan (1878-1927)
by Samuel Dickson

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The San Francisco part of this story came to me in bits, like the insignificant pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that have no particular import in themselves, but which, when placed in their proper positions in the over-all design, make a fascinating picture.
I found the first small piece in a book on old San Francisco. The year was 1878, and the item tells of the home of Joseph Duncan, a suave and cultured gentleman who was a cashier of the Bank of California and whose fortune crashed with William Ralston's. He was known as a connoisseur of the arts, and was often asked to select paintings and marbles for the palaces of his friends who knew little about them. His own home at Geary and Taylor Streets held many treasures. At one corner now stands a drugstore, at another a grocery and fruit store, at another the Bellevue Hotel, and the Clift Hotel on the fourth. In 1878 Joseph Duncan's home of art treasures occupied one of those corners. I'm under the impression that it stood at the northwest corner where the drugstore now stands. But it was shortly, after 1878 that the home was broken up and scandal and divorce resulted. Mrs. Duncan was a virtuous, high-principled Victorian lady. Joseph, the poet– a very good poet, too– the dreamer, the connoisseur of arts, had lost his heart to a spinster lady. on Russian Hill, and Mrs. Duncan divorced him.

The Duncans had several children and very little money, and that made the scandal more tragic. Joseph Duncan had been a brute and a scoundrel, and Mrs. Duncan virtuously spent many years telling the children what a scoundrel their father was. However, one of the children mat Papa some years later and found him a charming, cultured gentleman of appealing personality. But that all came later.

The second small piece in the jigsaw puzzle was a personal experience of mine that happened a few months less than fifty years after the scandal at the corner of Geary and Taylor Streets. It was the summer of 1927. I had been invited to a soiree– no other word describes the function– in a home out on Pacific Avenue. There were long-haired artists; there were hungry musicians; there were starving poets; and I, who belonged to none of those classes, joined the shrilling throng. It was the hour between sunset and darkness. Most of the guests congregated around a grand piano while a lady of mature years with a page-boy bob explained that she had never studied music or learned to play the piano, but in a dream had been inspired to go to the keyboard, and play. She now sit at the keyboard and played the most amazing music I had ever heard, while most of the guests congregated around her and sighed and clasped their hands. I sat on a small stool at Ina Coolbrith's feet.

Ina Coolbrith, the poet laureate of California, was very old. That was last year of her long life. She was a gentle, sweet-faced old lady, as old-fashioned and old-world as a miniature painted on ivory. She wore a simple, black silk dress, an old brooch at her throat, and her mantilla falling over her thin white hair. She told me of the men and women she had known when San Francisco was young. Her friends had been legion. Many of them had achieved greatness and died, and only Ina Coolbrith remained, a link between the Golden Dawn and the San Francisco of 1927.

Her friends had been Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Charles Warren Stoddard, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joaquin Miller, Harr Wagner, and Jack London, and they all had loved her. She told me about them quite simply as though their love was her rightful heritage. And there was one other. He was a poet, a dreamer, a musician, and a connoisseur of the arts! She had been the one great love of his life. His name was Joseph Duncan. Joseph Duncan was long since dead and she, the poet laureate, went on, dreaming in the memories of the departed years. Joseph Duncan! He had been so gentle, so great an idealist, and so fine a poet! What if he was a cashier in a bank; even a bank cashier could dream of sonnets. But he was dead and the pages of his story were closed. Yet it was not really ended, for he lived on in his children. There were four of them, and Ina Coolbrith had learned to know and love one of them well. Her name was Isadora Duncan.

As I stated before, that is the second bit in the pattern of the jigsaw puzzle. Now, before we come to the story of Isadora Duncan—for after all, this is her story—there is one more small piece in the puzzle pattern. It happened only a year or so ago. I went to see The Lute Song, one of the Theatre Guild productions at the Curran Theatre, and in that lovely pageantry one of the characters was an old blind father.

He was led across the stage, his steps faltering, as the blind should be led. But this wasn't acting; He was in fact blind, He was Raymond, one of children of Joseph Duncan.

There are the bits in the pattern. It was in Oakland, a few years after the scandal at Geary and Taylor Streets, that Ina Coolbrith met the child, Isadora. She came to the Oakland Public Library, as a few years later Jack London was to come, to ask the library lady, Miss Coolbrith, for a book to read. Just as Ina Coolbrith was to guide Jack London's reading some time later, so she guided and shaped the mind of the small daughter of Joseph Duncan.

Isadora was a quaint child, a strange mixture of practical common sense and worldly sophistication, and she was a dreamer like her father. The child loved poetry, beauty, and rhythm, and she hated reality. She was, in fact, a rebel. Her childhood had been an unhappy one. There was strife and divorce, with her mother's insistence that her father, Joseph, was a demon in human garb. Then there was her mother's disavowal of the religion in which she had been raised, and her espousal of the atheism of Robert Ingersoll. These were the unhealthy shapers of Isadora's childhood. Of course, when she eventually met her father, she found him a charming, lovable poet, and that heightened the confusion in her mind. Passing years tend to soften the intolerance of childhood, but Isadora Duncan never lost her contempt for the institution of marriage as she had seen it. When she was twelve years old she made a solemn vow that she would welcome love when it came, but she would never marry.

After the divorce, Mrs. Duncan found a small, drab home in Oakland for her brood of four children. The constant poverty in which they lived was softened by the wealth of poetry and music that Mrs. Duncan brought into the home, molding the lives of her small offspring. The four of them loved to sing, loved to play-act, and above all, loved to dance. Somewhere I have read that Isadora Duncan gave no thought to becoming a dancer until she had gone to Europe. This was an absurd distortion of fact. Isadora Duncan danced as soon as she could walk. The children read every book, good or bad, that chance flung in their path, and when chance was busy with other people's problems, Isadora went to the Public Library. There she met Ina Coolbrith. Ina possessed a rare talent. She not only created beauty, but she had the gift, as well, of inspiring the creative instinct in others. Isadora was an eager pupil. Her reading carried her back to the classical culture of ancient Greece, and the natural, unaffected, spontaneous Grecian art became her inspiration and dream. Toe-dancing, social gymnastics, was to be scorned. She demanded, from the very beginning, self-expression unrestrained by rule and custom.

When she was fourteen years old, pupils, children of neighbors, came to her to be taught to dance. The Oakland classes grew and then there were classes across the bay in San Francisco. Every day Isadora and her sister, Elizabeth, took the ferryboat to San Francisco and then walked from the Ferry building to Sutter and Van Ness Avenue. There, in the old home they had rented—the Castle mansion—they taught the young hopefuls of San Francisco society forms of the dance that were fifty years ahead of their time. Charles Caldwell Dobie, speaking of those days, said that he visited the old Castle mansion after the school had seen its last days, and found the hardwood mantels chopped away. Possibly surmises Dobie, it was used for kindling wood to keep the Duncan sisters and their pupils warm during their days of poverty.

But Isadora didn't like poverty and she didn't like restrictions. There were distant horizons awaiting her. She read about them in her books, the faraway places that call to all imbued with the creative instinct. Any place would do as long as it was "away." She induced her mother to take her to Chicago. What matter that the family purse was, as always, almost empty? Funds were found and, armed with a wealth of enthusiasm, mother and daughter started out.

The Eastern theatrical managers saw the girl dance, praised her, told her it was all very lovely. But, after all, that wasn't the accepted way to dance; it wasn't the way of the theater. No, it would never do. She'd better go home to San Francisco and be a schoolteacher! Their funds were gone, so they pawned their jewelry. They ripped a bit of old Irish lace from Isadora's dress and sold it. Finally, starvation, not a threat but an actuality, faced them, and then Isadora received an engagement. At last, she was to dance– to dance in a music hall. In a fogged atmosphere of stale beer and tobacco smoke the girl appeared, a breath of ancient Greece. Her audience chewed on its cigars. They found it all a little uncomfortable. This certainly wasn't what they'd come to see! In short, they wished she'd get through so the next act could appear.

But in the audience one night sat a dreamer like herself. He was Augustin Daly, the theatrical producer. He saw what none of the others had seen– the vision, the ideal, and the dream behind the dancing of the girl. He cast her as one of Titania's dancing fairies in his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He gave her small part in pantomimes. Perhaps she couldn't force her audience to understand the beauty of simplicity, but at least this gave her the opportunity to dance, and to eat.

Her brothers and sisters were sent for, and the family settled to New York. One night Isadora danced to the music of Ethelbert Nevin; Nevin was in the audience, entranced. He arranged for concerts for her and suddenly blasé New York. hailed a new star, a child with the wisdom of the ages and the simple innocence of the sheep that grazed on the Athenian hills. Society accepted her. She danced for the four hundred in Newport's exclusive salons. They made much of her, but just as swiftly they dropped her. And again the family purse was empty.

Once again the lodestone of distant horizons beckoned. What did it matter that the family had no money? They would go to London. After Isadora had borrowed right and left from her former friends of Newport society, the Duncans sailed.

In London, a few engagements brought a few dollars, but the few dollars weren't enough to fill the young hungry stomachs. Then one night Isadora and one of her brothers were dancing in their Grecian veils in the small garden of a tiny house in Kensington Gardens. They danced by the light of the stars and their only audience was their own shadows. Quite unexpectedly, a beautiful lady came and stood watching them and was amazed. When they had finished their dance she swooped down upon them and took them to her own home. She was Mrs. Patrick Campbell, the idol of the London stage. She played for them and they danced for her; she. sobbed dramatic tears, and introduced them to London society.

The meeting with Mrs. Pat Campbell was the turning point in the story of Isadora Duncan. Mrs. Campbell introduced them to London society acclaimed them, and British royalty honored them. Life became busy, hectic, and full to overflowing with triumphs– and setbacks, Duncan, the dancer, had arrived, but the girl, Isadora, was still a rebel against customs and traditions– and marriage.

She danced in Paris and was cheered. she danced in Berlin, and the art-loving Germans went mad with enthusiasm. The artists and students of Munich idolized her. The story is told of the night that, unharnessing her horses, they dragged her carriage through the streets of Munich in a rain of flowers. They carried her into their cafe, lifted her onto a table, and she danced for them. Life was gorgeous. But always at the back of her persistent mind was her dream, Some day she would dance in the land of ancient culture where the Athenian maidens had made the dance a religion. Some day she would bring back the beauty of classical simplicity to the people of the nineteenth century. What if she did dance in scant veils that showed the honest beauty of her form? There could be no evil in honest beauty. Europe cheered her and virtuous old wives condemned her. Isadora went to Athens and took her mother, brothers, and sister with her. And on a green hill that faced the Acropolis, she made a solemn vow that here she would build a temple to art.

In the Athenian hills Isadora gathered a class of small Grecian boys about her. She taught them the dances of ancient Byzantium, as well as Greek choruses and songs. bare-legged, with sandaled feet and flowing draperies, the Duncans danced from village to village, and the world called them mad. A year passed, and their purse was empty. Bidding a tearful farewell to the peasants who had learned to love the lady on Kopanos Hill, Isadora and her kin returned to modern civilization and Vienna.

Vienna took her to its gay heart, and success and wealth returned. But now Isadora Duncan learned that life without the fullness of love was incomplete. Then, in Berlin, in 1905, she met Gordon Craig, the colorful, handsome, glamorous son of Ellen Terry. This was the great love; this was life at its highest. The world sighed, and giggled, and was delighted. Isadora was perfectly happy. A baby was born, and they named her Deirdre. Isadora adored her.

New friends came to join the strange household. Eleanor Duse, her life shattered by the tragedy of her romance with D'Annunzio, took them to Italy to aid her in the production of an Ibsen drama. Isadora danced her dances of the Athenian hills in Rome. But now a new ambition and dream was born. She would train choruses, and build her greatest ballet around the music of Beethoven's immortal Ninth Symphony.

She came to the United States and danced to the music of Walter Damrosch's orchestra. America was shocked, and delighted. Of course, everyone had a body, but one didn't acknowledge the fact. Even modest ankles weren't to be exposed. That nonsense was ended by an edict from no less a wielder of strong opinion than Teddy Roosevelt. "Isadora Duncan," he proclaimed, "seems to me as innocent as a child dancing through the garden in the morning sunshine and picking the beautiful flowers of her fantasy." So the master politician became poet, and Isadora danced and was forgiven her sins.

She built a school where she taught young girls the beauty of the dance. She was the priestess of the dance, and in that role did more to return it to its ancient glory than any other single man or woman in the world's history of terpsichore.

Then, one night in Paris, Isadora Duncan danced to the haunting melody of Chopin's "Funeral March," and a vision of tragedy came to her. She danced with eyes closed and saw her two children threatened by evil. She danced as though in a trance, and her audience sat, thrilled, chilled, and breathless. It was terrible and it was beautiful. A few days passed and the father of her son stood before her. His lips were dry and his eyes were haggard. He told of the death of her two children.

Life was dead; dreams were dead; the world was empty. Isadora Duncan, the rebel, had won her rebellion and lost all that was worth the fight. She felt she would never dance again. But she did dance. In her tragedy she had become a giantess, and life does not or cannot stand still. She won new triumphs, found new loves, and achieved new furors. She faced new tragedy in 1914 when, under the shadow of the dawn of the first World War, another baby was born—dead. Still she danced, and still she continued to teach her girls. She danced her Ninth Symphony to an audience that sat as though in the presence of a creature divine. Her greatest creative dream had become a reality.

Isadora Duncan, the little girl of Geary and Taylor Streets in San Francisco, died in 1927. A veil caught in the wheel of her automobile. There was the grinding of brakes—and then darkness. She died tragically, horribly, and the world was upset for a few hours and then went about its business. But those who had loved her and who knew her dream of beauty mourned her passing of a human creature who had been an honest builder of dreams. She had done more for the art of the dance than any other man or woman in history. And above all else, she had been the honest daughter of her poet father.

Bill "bojangles" Robinson, Shirley Temple and Fred Astaire

2008-10-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

"Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson's "Little Darlin'" Shirley Temple

This clip features both Temple and Robinson from the movie "The Littlest Rebel". As you watch the clip pay attention to how many times Robinson takes Temple's hand and notice the choreography that occurs at that point. Does it appear to be easy or somewhat difficult? Robinson and Temple had an understanding that when the choreography became particularly difficult for Temple, Robinson would take her hand and squeeze it to reassure her. Robinson and Temple were featured in many movies together and both were successful independent of eachother. They remained very good friends until his death. (Tap Stars and Their Stories). Robinson does a bit of "hoofin" in the second video. Can you identify any of the steps or the variation of the steps that Temple and Robinson do in these videos?

Hermes Pan and Fred Astaire

Hermes Pan was Fred Astaire's choreographer although they often co-choreographed numbers together. Pan often made cameo shots such as this one in "Puttin on the Ritz" as a background performer. This tap number is what people will typically think of when they think of tap. This is a very classic number. Astaire like many stars from this era started off as a Vaudeville performer as a child. He and his sisters had their own tap act. Astaire revolutionized film by insisting that a dance sequence be shot in one shot from beginning to end. Prior to this much choreography was lost because only sections of it were filmed. Pan and Astaire were very much perfectionists and had a very similar style. They worked together for many years. Astaire continued to perform until he was in his 80's just prior to his death. (Tap Stars and Their Stories). Astaire was most widely known for his co-star from several movies, Ginger Rogers. The Astaire and Rogers duo were featured in several films from the late 1920's to the mid 1930's. Herme Pan worked with the Astaire and Rogers team for all but two of their films. The second sequence features Eleanor Powell also famous during this era for her ability to tap.

Now that you've read the chapter and watched the clips on Astaire and Temple. Please respond to the following questions. Be aware, there really are no right or wrong answers for most of these, but be prepared to support your answers with specific examples.

1. Compare and Contrast- compare the artistic styles between the clips featuring Temple and the clips featuring Astaire.

2. Can you identify any of the basic or variations of the basic steps we have learned in class in any of these clips. If so, what were the steps and in what clips?

3. Compare these performers to performers now. What are the similarities and what are the differences that you noticed?

4. What do you think the purpose was of these and other dance numbers in the movies during this time? How are movies different now?

5. Tap is considered to be a "dying" art. Would agree or disagree with that statement and why? Support your answer with examples.

6. These clips are from about the 1930's. What do you think was going on in history that may have influenced tap during this time?

7. What did you like/dislike about these clips and why?

8. What did Astaire do that revolutionized dance and film during this era?

This assignment is due no later than Thursday, Oct. 9 by 3:30 pm.

Survivor Dinner Theater At CGUHS

2008-09-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

"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

2008-09-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

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!

More of Moore

2008-08-29T23:49:00.001-07:00

By request to see more of David Moore's choreography and more complete choreography at that I am including these two videos. I also would like to thank all of those who have switched classes, whether by choice or not. I have read through some of the assignments that have been turned in and have been impressed by your thoughts and observations. Your suggestions will certainly help innovate this blog. I hope that you enjoy these clips. Don't forget Nutcracker auditions will be on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 8 am in the auditorium. I will give extra credit for those who audition from my class. The stipulation is that if you are offered a part, you must follow through with it. Just an FYI-powerschool for my class is not current, I am having glitches with it. I will update that as soon as I can! Thanks for all that you do, it has been a wonderful start to the school year!

Band Featured on DCI website

2008-08-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

The CGUHS band was recently featured in the Casa Grande Dispatch. Because of their staff affiliations with Drum Corp International veterans, they have also been featured on the DCI webpage as well. Check out the link on the side bar.

Please check out the links on the sidebar, we will be adding and updating features on this blog to make it more comprehensive to the arts. Recent additions include more music pages, choir, technical theater and art links.

Mrs. Lee's classes, don't forget your assignment is due on Friday of this week. It may be typed or handwritten, but it must be legible.

Hip Hop Fridays in dance class

2008-08-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to David Moore. David Moore is a choreographer out of Los Angeles who has been featured on shows such as America's Best Dance Crew and has choreographed for several celebrities. I had the opportunity to meet David and take a class with him at the Phatgrooves4U clinic I took a week before school started. He was very down to earth and easy to learn from, no matter how difficult the choreography. If you would like to see more videos check him out on youtube. He has about 40 videos of his choreography posted. This is just an overview. If you would like further information on David Moore, check out his website on myspace.com\djmoore.

Today was hip-hop Friday in my dance classes. Most of my classes were very accepting of the choreography and the music I was using. One of my classes began complaining that they wanted something harder or faster. Once we got going they realized that it wasn't as easy as it looked and that the whole process of learning, memorizing and executing choreography. The execution of the choreography was not quite the caliber that they thought it was but I know that will improve with time.

Willie Covan

2008-08-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

"Poetry in Motion"Willie Covan, in his day, was as well-known as Bill " Bojangles" Robinson or Buck & Bubbles, but this dancer hung up his tap shoes as a performer just before vaudeville surrendered to talking (and singing and dancing) movies. He went to Hollywood where he opened a dance studio and became MGM's resident choreographer and dance coach to Eleanor Powell (who insisted that MGM hire him), Ann Miller, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.

Covan is our historic artist of the week in my tap class. I love the history behind the arts as much as I love the art. It never ceases to amaze me how history influences the arts. Covan like many other tap artists endured the segregation that existed but found the arts to be a place where those boundaries were broken among the artists. Covan became a performer at the age of 6 and toured until the age of 12. After touring, Covan started the "Four Covans" which toured, and choreographed and taught classes.

Welcome to this blog

2008-08-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the arts, especially dance. I am fortunate enough to teach what I love at a local high school. I am designing this blog with my students in mind. Like my students I will be making discoveries about my own processes as an artist and will be sharing them here. In addition, I will be sharing photos, videos, websites and other links related to what we are covering in my classes as well as information about upcoming auditions and performances. If you have a link or website you would like to see featured, or have a request or question, please feel free to post it in the comments. My hope is that no matter where in the arts your passion is, or if your a beginner to advanced, this website will be a helpful resource for you. I know that I will enjoy developing this site!

Sincerely,

The Dance Teacher