{"id":17305,"date":"2020-02-26T16:50:59","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T21:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.successacademies.org\/?post_type=education_blog&p=17305"},"modified":"2025-05-13T18:58:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T18:58:01","slug":"when-the-magic-of-the-stage-brings-us-together","status":"publish","type":"education_blog","link":"https:\/\/www.successacademies.org\/education-blog\/when-the-magic-of-the-stage-brings-us-together\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Magic of the Stage Brings Us Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one thing we celebrate at Success Academy, it\u2019s self expression \u2014 and nowhere is that more apparent than on the night of the annual Festival of Performing Arts. This is one of the most exciting events of the Success Academy school year, a chance for scholars to walk onto the stage and express themselves by doing exactly what they love. This year\u2019s performance featured 22 different acts from schools across the network, showcasing the voices, acting, dancing, and musical talents of 278 scholars who dazzled a packed audience. <\/span>The remarkable stage presence of our performers is a testament to the teachers who prepared them \u2014 through training, motivation, and countless hours of rehearsal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Success sophomore Kiara Daniels explains what being on stage means to her: \u201cThe best word I can think of to describe the feeling of performing on stage in front of a crowd is \u201cfulfilling.\u201d The energy from the crowd is incredible and energetic.\u201d The performing arts, she says, enables a person who might not be very outgoing to learn how to raise his or her voice with confidence. Fellow performer and SA Ditmas Park<\/a> middle schooler Jaylen Wallace agrees that performing presents a special opportunity to connect to the audience: \u201cThrough the performing arts, I can de-stress by expressing my emotions. At the same time, I\u2019m hoping that the audience understands the emotions I put into dance. I want the viewer to feel the choreography I\u2019m trying to bring to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The arts move us. A song plays, and we cry. A scene ends, and we laugh. A dancer lands and turns on his toes, and a chill runs down our spines. The arts belong to each of us so that we may bend and shape them to see the world in a new, magical light. We\u2019re brought together by the arts \u2014 and our scholars are leading the way.<\/p>\n

Relive this year\u2019s Performing Arts Festival, below: <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

SA Harlem East <\/b>Afterburn <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Jamie Scotto <\/b><\/p>\n

Afterburn <\/span><\/i>is a piece for a young concert band depicting the excitement and the exuberant feeling of flight. This piece seeks to capture the many emotions a person may feel flying through the sky: excitement at takeoff, awe at the beauty of the earth, and a burst of joy when the afterburners hurtle through the sky. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Network Rock Band<\/b> Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Kenneth Hildebrandt <\/b>
\n<\/b>In its inaugural year, the Network Rock Band consists of scholars from across the Network who learn all the instruments of the modern band. These scholars are proud to perform the anthem to eighties arena rock, the Journey classic \u201cSeparate Ways (Worlds Apart).\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem North West <\/b>Get Angry <\/b>
\n<\/b><\/a>Teacher: Julia Ferra <\/b>
\n<\/b>Get Angry <\/span><\/i>is a contemporary dance piece performed by Harlem North West dance team scholars. The piece is an intro to our full length piece <\/span>RIOT! <\/span><\/i>which is based off the Detroit riot of 1967. In <\/span>Get Angry<\/span><\/i>, the dancers express their frustration with racial tension as they dance to Howard Beale\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m Mad as Hell\u201d speech. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Bensonhurst <\/b>Silent Film<\/b><\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n

Teacher: Elise Palma <\/b>Scholars have been learning about slapstick comedy in Theatre Club. Joel cleverly devised this short scene by drawing inspiration from classical physical comedians like Donald O\u2019Connor and Charlie Chaplin. His amazing ability to create a universal piece that everyone can identify with and polish it with his comedic timing really stood out! <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Washington Heights  <\/b>It\u2019s the Hard Knock Life <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teachers: Edward Powers, Briana Hall, and Jordan Farr <\/b>
\n<\/b>This is a selection from <\/span>Annie<\/span><\/i>, our winter show. In this song, \u201cIt\u2019s the Hard Knock Life,\u201d Annie and the other orphans find joy and play in times of hardship. In our production, the Music, Dance, and Theatre Clubs collaborated to bring this classic story to life. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Flatbush <\/b>Soulstice <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teachers: Caitlyn Kirby\/Jamie Devine <\/b>
\n<\/b>Soulstice <\/span><\/i>is a contemporary\/lyrical piece performed by SA Flatbush\u2019s grades 1-4 Advanced Dance Club scholars. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/b>SA Flatbush <\/b>A Dream Deferred <\/b>
\n<\/b><\/a>Teacher: Blaire Hillman <\/b>
\n<\/b>This is an excerpt from last year\u2019s Black History Month adaptation of \u201cOne Last Word\u201d by Nikki Grimes. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Bergen Beach <\/b>Mufasa vs. Scar <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Michelle Isaac <\/b>
\n<\/b>\u201cMufasa vs. Scar\u201d is an Afro-Modern piece performed by the Advanced Dance Club scholars of SA Bergen Beach. In this piece, the dancers reenact the famous battle scene between Mufasa and his brother Scar. This song is from Beyonce\u2019s recent album <\/span>The Lion King: The Gift<\/span><\/i>, which celebrates the recent remake of the classic film. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Network Chorus <\/b>We Will <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Joanna Malaszczyk <\/b>
\n<\/b>Acclaimed choral composer Jim Papoulis wrote <\/span>We Will <\/span><\/i>during a children\u2019s choir workshop in the months following 9\/11. The SA Network Chorus performs this musical and poetic rendering of the real emotions, thoughts, and hopes felt by children during this difficult and uncertain time in our history. The text includes the Swahili phrase \u201csi mama, wototo,\u201d which translates to \u201cstand tall, children,\u201d offering inspiration to move forward from the fear and worry that afflicted our nation. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem 6 <\/b>Who\u2019s On First  <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Alyssa Castellano-Smith <\/b>
\n<\/b>Our scholars have been exploring iconic Hollywood performances throughout the decades, finding ways to make them their own. This scene focuses on the 1940s era with a cut from the skit titled, \u201cWho\u2019s On First?\u201d Originally performed by the famous American comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, the routine centers on a play on words and the comedy surrounding it. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Crown Heights <\/b>Get Your Head in the Game <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Jeff Cowens <\/b>
\n<\/b>Get Your Head in the Game <\/span><\/i>is an upbeat hip hop piece performed by Crown Heights dance elective scholars. Scholars have been working hard to showcase both basketball and dance skills, and they can\u2019t wait to show you how they get their heads in the game! <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem North West <\/b>A<\/b>n Absolutely True Story (As Told By a Bunch of Lying Liars)<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/a>Teacher: Michael Springthorpe <\/b>
\n<\/b>Someone broke dad\u2019s precious vase, and he and mom demand to know who. The only problem is that no one\u2019s version of the truth is 100 percent accurate. In this excerpt from Ian McWethy\u2019s play, we see the first of many \u201ctruths,\u201d this time from the perspective of Fred, the family\u2019s son. Who really broke the vase? Well, they say there are multiple sides to every story: yours, mine, our friends\u2019, the dog\u2019s, and the truth. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Fort Greene <\/b>Willy Wonka Medley – Golden Ticket and I Want It Now <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teachers: Nicole Carlson and Emily Winter <\/b>
\n<\/b>This is a musical mashup of two songs from our winter production of \u201cWilly Wonka Kids.\u201d The first song is right after Charlie Bucket finds the last golden ticket in Wonka\u2019s contest to tour his magic chocolate factory. The second is a song sung by Veruca Salt, an ungrateful child who wants the whole world to be hers. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem East <\/b>You Are the Reason <\/b><\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n

Teacher: Liz Gosselin <\/b><\/p>\n

You Are the Reason<\/span><\/i>, a contemporary piece performed by the Harlem East Dance Club, focuses on holding tight to those who are important to you and who inspire you. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem West <\/b>People Have the Power <\/b>
\n<\/b><\/a>Teacher: Brandon Dinklage <\/b>
\n<\/b>\u201cFred \u2018Sonic\u2019 Smith and I wrote this song with the great hope that it would inspire and incite people to action. We are moving into a new time and I look at our young people to lead us.\u201d – Patti Smith (April 2018) <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem 3 <\/b>This Is Me  <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Kaylin Carlucci <\/b><\/p>\n

This is Me<\/span><\/i>, a contemporary dance performed by Harlem 3\u2019s Dance Club scholars, explores what it\u2019s like to feel unaccepted and the journey of overcoming those feelings to stand confidently in your own skin. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Harlem East <\/b>Black History Is… <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Ramon Guzman <\/b>
\n<\/b>Black History is… <\/span><\/i>is a spoken word piece performed by the Beast Theater Company at Harlem East. The piece follows the trajectory of Black history in America. Beginning when slaves came from Africa and continuing to present day, the piece highlights events, figures, and sentiments that have contributed to Black history. <\/span><\/p>\n

SA Ditmas Park Middle School<\/b> Ballin Flossin  <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Teacher: Michael Reyes <\/b>
\n<\/b>Ballin Flossin <\/span><\/i>is an energetic piece performed by our Ditmas Park Club scholars. The piece highlights scholars\u2019 footwork using influences from house dance and Chicago footwork styles. Now get ready to see Brooklyn scholars Ball & Floss it out! <\/span><\/p>\n

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