Synergy Arts Camp: Synergy Magic!

I'm especially excited about this week.  I've loved magic tricks since I was a kid.  I remember Dad getting me a magic kit for my ninth birthday, I perfected each and every one of them in that kit.  I couldn't get enough.  There was a novelty & joke store in the local mall I used to get a bunch of pocket tricks from and carry them around to practice.  I even made up stage names and costumes from Dad's suit jackets and hat collection, performed little shows in the living room every Sunday.  I had so much fun!

I'm excited to pass on the same fun I had to the camp kids this week - three older girls with a passion for dance and fantastic attitudes all around - a perfect way to end the summer!

I had put together a basic Magician's Glossary and a few simple tricks for the kids to perform, each needing props and plenty of practice: the   I had also thrown in a 'bonus trick' from my early years of pocket tricks, and something that they could do at home.

I can't believe I'm doing this - some of you stage magicians might be a little upset with me, but consider it for the love of art and passing on the craft, so to speak.  Take a look at these fantastic and simple tricks - and how you can do them yourself!

Magic Trick Manual

Synergy Arts Camp: Pirate Adventure!

Everyone loves pirates.  Who doesn't love a good swashbuckling adventure?  We couldn't resist ourselves when it came to our love of the original rebels and decided to school our campers this week with a little bit of the seafarin' life!

The kids made their own pirate hats, eyepatches and swords as part of their costumes, and we've been working on a bit of pirate speak, courtesy of International Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Alessandra will have the kids decorate their very own treasure chests to participate in a scavenger hunt!  We're looking forward to that on Friday.  In the meantime, have a read of our Pirate Adventure!

Pirates are celebrating and feasting on fruits and veggies to make sure they don’t get scurvy on their sea journey – they’ve found a treasure map in a bottle!  The map leads to a mysterious island in the middle of the ocean and the legend of the buried treasure of Captain Bluenose!  They’ll have to be brave pirates to battle a sea monster and overcome a terrible storm – and finally find the mysterious island!  They follow the map and dig at the ‘X’, where they find a chest full of pieces of eight, doubloons, precious gems and pearls – and they wondrous treasure of the Magical Invisible Ever-Changing Whirly-Burly Ball – changing into any round object the holder desires!  With their bountiful booty, they sail back home to the Caribbean, where they become the most famous pirates of all for revealing the legend of Captain Bluenose!

Scene:  The pirates are feasting on their favourite fruits and vegetables as they prepare to take a sea journey.  They sing heartily and dance a jig and practice their ‘sword fighting’ until the pirate Captain Sassypants enters with her parrot, Peggy.   The pirates all cheer when the captain holds up a bottle with a message inside.

Synergy Arts Camp: King of the Jungle Script!

After learning about our animal characters and starting on our puppets, we've got our story line all mapped out - now it's just up to me to put it into a script!  And here it is - enjoy!

Explorer

Welcome to our jungle adventure, where we’re on the search for the elusive and rare pink dragonfly!   I’ve been studying about this rare insect for years, and I’ve come to this very jungle – the only jungle where it lives in the world! – to snap a photograph.  When I’m all done, I’ll just get back in my boat and float up the river to the local village, safely back to civilization.  I even have this map with me to help remember the way!  (Pulls out a thick folded piece of paper.)  I’m very glad you’re all here – maybe we can find some other animals on our adventures! 

Like that parrot!  Oh my!

(PARROT puppet flies onto the stage.)

Synergy Arts Camp: King of the Jungle!

This week we're gonna have some fun in the jungle - puppet style!

Puppets are a great way for shy kids to express themselves if they've got terrible stage fright.  It's also a great acting exercise to have a sense of bodily presence outside of yourself, and also learning how to focus on different elements of performance other than physical stage presence.  That, and puppets are just so darn fun.

Welcome to Synergy Arts Camp King of the Jungle Week! 

We’ll be exploring our ‘inner animals’ and learning how to ‘move’ and ‘act’ like our favourite exotic animals in the jungle – lions, monkeys and lizards, oh my!  This week, we’ll play theatre games that will focus on how we can move different parts of our body to ‘become’ these animals, give them personalities and help solve a crisis!

Our explorer is lost in the jungle after being chased by a ferocious tiger and other sneaky fiends, but with the help of a few animal friends – and the protection of the ‘king of the jungle’ himself, Brave Lion! – our explorer finds the boat on the river that leads back to a local village. 

Each animal in the jungle has a unique ability to help our explorer reach her boat and return to civilization.  Animals can do many things that our explorer cannot do, as well – breath underwater, fly in the sky and many more!  What can our animal friends do to help the explorer find the river – and how can they protect her from the predators of the wild? 

Get ready to release your inner animal – the fun’s about to begin! 

Our first day focused on theatre games that helped the kids become uninhibited with their body movements, forming them into animal shapes, taking turns walking and behaving like the animals above after we completed a writing exercise describing them.  Consider how differently you would move when you're a hovering dragonfly, or a slithering snake, or a limber monkey!

The kids will start making their puppets during the art portion today.  Because we've got a number of younger kids this week, we're sticking to the regular 'popsicle stick' puppets.  The older one will be making their puppets out of paper bags.  The lesson plans were inspired by something I found on childdrama.com, with more puppet projects I hope to use with future students, such as the Japanese Doll Theatre or shadow puppets.  Puppetry work is a great tool to have in an actor's kit.

After the kids get a sense of 'character' with their assigned animals, we'll go through a scenario to decide whether they'll help or hinder a lost explorer in their jungle.  That's tomorrow!

Synergy Arts Camp: Synergy Superhero Mission: "What? No Milk?!"

Here it is, friend of friends!  The script to be performed on Friday for Synergy Superheroes week, based on the kids' superhero characters and guided suggestions to solve the mission!  The characters and their abilities are all named after the kids, and they were rather pleased with the outcome.  We'll be rehearsing this skit for the rest of the week to perform on Friday!

 

 Script for Mission: “What? No Milk?!”   

Narrator 

The last we left our heroes, they’ve ready to enjoy their delicious treat of their favourite cookies

(Simran pretends to take cookies out of the oven, while the other heroes are around a table, waiting eagerly.  She pretends the cookie pan is hot, and carefully brings the “pan” over to the table without dropping any cookies.  The heroes at the table cheer!)

Synergy Arts Camp: Synergy Superhero Missions!

The kids had a great time yesterday creating their superhero characters, creating backstories and even a chance to design costumes and 'fighting weapons'.  I had one rule for that - they had to distract the villian, not wound or harm him/her.  One kid had a ray gun that turned everything into frosting.  Pretty nifty!

I had created three 'mission' scenarios that allowed the kids to use problem-solving skills in a group setting, with their selected powers.  It's also a great version of the improv game 'Stunt Double', where you call another actor in to perform a 'dangerous stunt'; example, turning on the hose to wash the car.  The 'missions' themselves are all based on common situations: What? No Milk?! has the superheroes out of milk, thus not being able to fully enjoy their freshly baked treats until they procure some; It's My Party! has the heroes prepare for a friends' birthday and making sure everything is perfect to the last detail; A Clean Room has the heroes performing an important task before they can enjoy the day's crime-fighting.

We had agreed to perform their favourite mission, What? No Milk?!, at the end of the week for the parents - which is perfect, because we've got a delicious surprise for them at the end of the week! 

Synergy Arts Camp: Synergy Superheroes!

It's a week to make heroes!

I was really inspired by the 'fill-in-the-blank' script format that helped me create the script for this week's theme, Synergy Superheroes!  I'll be giving the kids a questionnaire first to help create their superhero identity, followed by a few 'missions' that they'll have to use their superpowers for.

I figure since we only had a week, and kids' imaginations can really turn to the weird and ridiculous, I controlled the options while still making them weird and ridiculous.  Have a look-see!

Welcome to Synergy Superheroes Week!  Although we live our everyday lives in our ‘mild-mannered alter-egos’, there are ‘superhero’ potential and qualities inside each and every one of us – and we’ll be discovering them with each other this week!  Here’s a character-building writing exercise to help discover your superhero name and powers, even your superhero costume!  

Your superheroes will represent some of your actual personality traits, your talents and ‘superpowers’ you would love to have as a hero!  The Camp Teacher will divide you into groups to create your very own Synergy Super Team, where you’ll share you superhero identities to each other.  You’ll then be given a ‘world crisis’ by the Camp Teacher and an opportunity to use each of your teams’ powers to solve the crisis and save the day! 

Remember, heroes – it’s all about teamwork, because no one could solve a crisis alone, big or small!  Let’s get started in designing your superhero!

Synergy Arts Camp: Rapunzel Remixed!

Well, we surrender this week, most definitely.  And Alessandra and I were more than happy to oblige.  It makes our jobs much easier, too!

Simran, a little lady who will be spending a good deal of the summer with us, has clearly stated her healthy obsession of Tangled by means of her backpack, wardrobe, toys and books, even convincing us to play her copy of the movie once a week to watch.  I don't blame her; I had Beauty and the Beast when I was a kid.  I wore out my VHS copy in a matter of a few months or so. 

Thanks to freedrama.net, I think we can give Simran and the rest of the campers next week some unique fun with her favourite story.  I've found a 'fill-in-the-blank' version of the story that will give some unique takes on the classic tale.  I'll be revisiting freedrama.net now and again for some more class activities when I start in September.  They've got great stuff like theatre warm-up games, unique scripts and monologues for all ages and suggestions for class productions.  I've already a few things bookmarked!

Can't wait to see what the kids come up with!

Synergy Arts Camp: Hip Hop Dance

Thursday is Hip Hop day at Synergy Arts Camp!  Hip hop culture is rather young in comparison to the history of the other dances we've reviewed this week, and it's also the most popular!  We gave some of the original and classic moves like The Running Man and The Robot - old school, for sho!  Check out the handouts I've made for the kids to enjoy!

Hip hop began as a form of musical expression and artistic culture in the South Bronx neighbourhoods of New York City in the 1970s.  There are four major elements of hip hop culture: MCing and rapping, DJing technique, graffiti art and hip hop dance.  Over the years, hip hop has crossed borders and cultures from its humble beginnings in Harlem and Brooklyn, becoming the most popular form of dance performance in the world – almost every country in the world has its own local hip hop scene, from music artists to dance crews!

There are many dance moves and techniques used in hip hop dance that borrow from other dance forms, such as tap and jazz dance.   Hip hop dance also has unique dance styles such as breaking, locking and popping, which were developed by African- and Latino-American communities in the 1970s.  Hip hop dance is also unique because of its often improvisational dance performances, or freestyle, where dancers occasionally perform in formal or informal dance competitions, usually known as battles.  

Hip hop dance was recognized as a performance dance form more than 30 years ago during the presence of professional breaking, locking and popping crews formed at the time.  Some of the most influential dance crews were the Rock Steady Crew, The Lockers and the Electric Boogaloos, who were responsible for spreading the art of hip hop dance respectively.  

As hip hop music began to evolve, the dance element evolved with it to include new moves, new styles and new expressions.   Dance styles such as new style, jazz funk, lyrical hip hop and krumping have all developed in the last ten years.  Hip hop dance movies have been popular since the 1980s, with titles such as Beat Street, Wild Style, Breakin’, You Got Served, Step Up, Honey and Save the Last Dance, and has also been featured in many reality television shows such as America’s Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance.  Hip hop culture now has a presence in theatre performance, featuring spoken word and hip hop dance and music combined in the production.

Synergy Arts Camp: Jazz Dance

Wednesday - we jazz it up!  I'm most excited about this handout because of my personal background in jazz dance with musical theatre performance.  It's energetic, it's full of expression, it's fun and exciting to watch!  My informal jazz training has come from years of musical theatre choreography, and I've got a handle on some of the basic stuff to know about jazz.  We tried a couple of moves in the Bob Fosse page - Sinead and I gave the Crane a try, both as a pose and a jump.  Our Stack looked pretty nifty, and especially cute with all those different sized arms!  Take a look at the rest of the Bob Fosse poses, as well as some jazz stretches, isolations and dancewear - all in the handouts!  Enjoy!

Jazz dance has its roots in African American free-form dance styles of the late 1800s to mid-1900s.  Tap dance was considered part of the jazz dance form in the mid-1950s, being the main performance dance at the time, and it was also choreographed to jazz music.  Tap and jazz began to evolve into separate dance forms, and many different jazz steps became popular.  Everything from swing dancing to the Charleston, boogie woogie to the Lindy Hop all became forms of jazz being danced everywhere! 

The pioneers of jazz dance start with the vaudeville star Joe Frisco, who, in the 1910s, danced in a loose-limbed style close to the ground while juggling his derby, hat and cigar.  Much of the musical theatre and modern jazz style can be credited to famous choreographer Bob Fosse, who's work can be defined in such musical theatre productions such as Chicago, Cabaret, Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game.   Other artists famous for their work in jazz dance are Jack Cole and Gus Giordano, who’s techniques are still used in modern jazz!

You'll find jazz everywhere nowadays!  It's the backbone of musical theatre choreography and it's all over television, movies, music videos and pop concerts.  Teen favourites such as Hairspray, High School Musical, So You Think You Can Dance and Glee are all great examples of some of the best modern and musical theatre jazz dance!

Synergy Arts Camp: Tap Dance

Tuesday is Tap Day at Synergy Arts Camp!  Tap dance is one of my favourite dance forms, I've been an appreciator of tap for some time, recently purchasing my very first pair of tap shoes from Synergy!  (We've got all sorts of dancewear here!)  I've been practicing with them on my balcony and some spare time in the Grand Ballroom at the academy.  I'm rather elated, actually, and will be considering proper tap lessons in the future.  I've had some basic lessons a few years ago and remember the steps, and have also looked up a few basic moves that are really good for balance and weight transfer for young kids to try.  Here's the handout for tap dance, as well as an activity sheet for the kids to fill out on the parts of a ballet pointe shoe.  (First one to finish got their choice of sticker!)  Enjoy!

Tap dance was developed in the United States during the nineteenth century and has gained popularity around the world!  The name 'tap' comes from the sound of the small metal plates on the soles of a tap dancers' shoes when they touch a hard floor.  This dance form uses precise and quick foot patterns in rhythms, choreographed to a pace in the music very much like a drummer in a band.  American composer Morton Gould has composed concertos for tap dancer and orchestra - using the dancer as the rhythm section!

A history of tap can be seen in traditional clog dances in the Netherlands, Irish and Scottish jigs, as well as the rhythmic foot stamping of African dances.  North American tap dancing has two modern techniques: classical tap and hoofers.  Classical tap blends elements of ballet or jazz dance into the upper body movements into the tap choreography, and tend to stay on their toes.  Dancers like Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and Julie Andrews are great examples of classical tap.  Hoofers use every part of the shoes to make their feet sound like drums – a great example is the Broadway show Stomp!, where the dancers also incorporate objects like trash cans and broomsticks into their rhythmic choreography!

Tap dance is also a regular part of musical theatre choreography, with many shows specifically composed for ‘tap dancer accompaniment’.  Busby Berkeley started the trend of ‘movie musicals’ with hundreds of dancers tap dancing at once!  Other popular musicals featuring tap dance are Anything Goes, 42^nd Street, Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins and many more!

Basic Tap Dance Warm-ups and Stretches

Arm Circles

Holding your arms straight and out to the sides, gently circle your arms about 20 times; 10 to the front and 10 to the back.   (A tap dancers uses the arms and shoulders for balance, so these will need to be nice and loose!)

Ankle Rolls

Standing with your weight on one foot, point the toe of your other foot into the floor.  Gently roll the heel of your foot around your toe.  Perform 20 turns on each foot, 10 to the front and 10 to the back.  (This helps stretch the muscles and tendons in your legs and feet!)

Point and Flex

Stand with your weight on one foot.  Point your other leg to the front, keeping your knee straight.  Change from one foot to the other until each foot has had 20 turns.  (This helps stretch your calf muscles in the back of your legs!)

Runner’s Lunge

To perform a runner's lunge, lunge forward on one knee, straightening the other leg behind.  Place your hands on your lunged knee.  Push the heel of your back leg into the ground, feeling the stretch through your entire calf area.  Hold the stretch for 20 seconds on each leg.  (A tap dancers’ lower legs work very hard – this stretch helps stretch those out a little more!)

Hamstring Stretch

Stand with one leg in front with your foot flexed.  Place your hands on your thighs to support your body weight.  Lower your upper body towards your leg.  Hold the stretch for 20 seconds on each leg.  (This will help stretch the back of your thighs!)

Tap Dance Shoes

Here are some great tap dance videos to inspire!

Gene Kelly and Julie Andrews are two of the most popular classical tap dancers, having entertained in movies and musicals together with their singing voices and tap dancing.  This clip features a very interesting way you could practice your tap moves!



Ms. Sutton Foster stars in the Broadway revival of the musical Anything Goes, full of romantic antics aboard a steamer cruise ship across the Atlantic.  This tap dance number, as performed at the 65th Annual Tony Awards celebrating Broadway theatre, is of the title song 'Anything Goes' that closes the first act.  And for an added surprise ...



The opening credits from one of my favourite movies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!  Here's Kate Capshaw peforming 'Anything Goes' in Mandarin - and a Busby Berkley tribute to tap dance!

Synergy Arts Camp: Ballet

Monday at camp, we learn about ballet in dance!  I introduced these handouts and activities during the Toy Story week, and they were great for the kids!   I was very careful to have plenty of inclusion for boys in the ballet handout, from pictures to written content, especially for future weeks.  Boys in ballet still carries a stigma about it being solely a girls' activity, and I would like to help change minds in young boys who would like to be dancers.  Ballet is an important base form if one wishes to be a professional dancer, because its movements are translated into just about every other dance form in the world.  Ballet also has a history that not many people may know about, that it used to be danced exclusively by men until the Romantic era, when the female dancer became featured and the tutu was invented.  The handouts were a big help, and certainly helped me learn much more about ballet!  I'll be posting the handouts separately for your perusing pleasure, and I also plan to expand them over the next few weeks, especially since we'll have kids coming back for a few weeks at a time.  (I'm sure there's only so many times you can show them the five basic positions!)  Enjoy!
 

Ballet comes from the Latin word ballare, meaning to dance.  Its origins trace all the way back to the 1500s in Italian Renaissance courts as dances regularly performed at aristocratic weddings by the guests.  It would become a formalized form of concert dance with the help of its development in countries like France and Russia.  Louis XIV, king of France in the 1600s, was known around the world for his talent as a ballet danseur and had a role created for him, Sun King in Ballet de la Nuit, written by Jean-Baptiste Lully.  Louis XIV's favourite ballet teacher, Pierre Beauchamp, created the five basic positions of the feet and arms that are taught in ballet technique even today!  Just think - you are learning what was taught to great kings!

Choreographed ballet works also include elements of mime and acting, and are usually set to classical music.  One of the most popular ballet music composers is Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who wrote music for Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and his most famous, The Nutcracker!   Nowadays, ballet is danced to many types of music, including rock n' roll!

Learning ballet is very hard work; it is highly technical with its own recognizable 'vocabulary' of movement and requires a lot of practice.  Its technique includes pointe work, turn-out of the legs and its graceful, flowing movements.  Professional ballet dancers look like they're floating on air!  The most popular form of ballet is called classical ballet, while there are also modern forms such as neoclassical ballet and contemporary ballet.

Basic Ballet Positions of the Arms and Feet 

Ballet Dancewear

Fill in the blanks below!

Here are some ballet performance videos for you to enjoy!

This ballet is inspired by the popular classical ballet Coppélia, about an inventor who makes a life-size dancing doll.  It is known as a comic ballet, and this modern interpretation is for a family audience, still with its ballet traditions.



The Moscow Ballet is a famous international ballet company, with many dancers aspiring to study with their teachers.  This excerpt is from one of their performances of The Nutcracker, featuring beautiful technique and spirited dancing as the toys come to life!  Look at how they dance on their toes - that's called 'pointe work'.



Karen Kain is Canada's most famous primaballerina and an international star!  She has danced with some of the best international ballet companies for over thirty years!  Now retired from ballet, she is the Artistic Director for the National Ballet of Canada.  Here she is, dancing a pas de deux - a 'dance duet' - with Frank Ausgustyn from the ballet Gisele.

Synergy Arts Camp: 'Toy Story', Day One

Hey hey, welcome to the second week of Synergy Summer Arts Camp, where we've got our very special version of Toy Story: our campers' very own toys will come to life in their own imagination!

Last week was a great learning experience with running the camp.  I have to admit that I was lacking the material I really wanted for the dance portion of camp, and took advantage of how to build interest in the different dance forms I'll be showing the kids this week.  I spent some quality time creating some handouts that would give the kids information about the history of the dance form, warm-ups and stretches, basic dance moves and what to wear for your first dance class.  I'm also really fortunate that I have Rianna, Dante and Simran - The Paper Bag Princess kids from last week, they'll have what they should have received last week!

We've also got Sinead and Deidre, 12-year-old sisters who will be joining us on our Toy Story adventure.  Say hello, girls ... oh, sorry, they look pretty busy, we won't bug 'em!

Our Toy Story scripts are rather unique!  I was inspired to create a couple of fill-in-the-blank scripts, or 'mad scripts' as I like to call them, about the kids falling asleep and becoming their favourite toys in a dream.  I had said that anything goes in their very own dream and there was no wrong answer.  We shared our favourites after we took some time writing them and had a few giggles!  I had also included a writing exercise for the older girls, should they feel the need for a little challenge.

As the Synergy Camp Kids enjoy their free time, they share their favourite toys that they’ve brought to camp with each other.  As the Teacher instructs them that it’s ‘Relaxation Time’, they fall asleep – and become their favourite toys in a crazy dream!

Fill in the blanks to create your toy’s ‘dream scene’!

STORY #1

Let me tell you about my dream – it was really (description), because I was (word ending in -ing) as my toy, (your toy’s name), in my dream!  I was in a (description) (place) on a (weather) day.   There were (things) in the sky, and (favourite candy) grew in gardens everywhere I looked around.  Suddenly, I was surprised by a pile of (kind of vegetable) in the middle of the road, and it made me very (feeling)!  I decided to fly away with a winged (animal) to meet with my other toy friends in (country).  We ate (flavour of ice cream) and played (game)!  I was almost winning … and then I woke up!  I wish I stayed asleep a little longer!

                  

STORY #2

This was the (description) dream I’ve ever had – I dreamed I was (your toy’s name), and it was (holiday)!  I watched as my (relative) put me in a (thing) and wrap me in (piece of clothing).  My heart was beating like a (kind of bug), waiting to be unwrapped.  I would think about all the cool things I’d get to do, like eat (favourite food), play (favourite game) and meet a whole bunch of new toy friends.  I hope I get to meet (the latest toy in stores)!  I’ve heard so much about that toy!  Wait!  I hear (type of sound) – I think they’re ready to unwrap me … and that’s when I woke up!  Oh, nuts – I wish every day was like Christmas!

WRITING EXERCISE

Write a few sentences in narrative and one spoken line you would say as your toy character for each section to complete your scene.  You can include your fellow campers, other toys you own, or even creatures and characters from your own imagination!

Scene One:

This scene will include yourself as your toy and at least one other character.  Give lots of detail about your setting – place, time of day and weather conditions.  (Remember that it’s a dream; the sky could be purple with marshmallow clouds!)

Scene Two:

This is your first action scene!  What happens to surprise you and your cast of characters in the dream?  The Easter Bunny?  A tornado?  A freight train?  A mountain made of mashed potatoes?  Think of something unexpected that you may not see every day!

Scene Three:

This is your second action scene.   How do you all react to this surprise?  Are your surprised?  Shocked?  Overjoyed?  Confused?  There’s no wrong answer!

Scene Four:

This is your third action scene, where you and your cast of characters are leaving the scene.  How would you leave?  Would you all tap dance away?  Would you all climb in a race car?  Would you blast off in a rocket ship, or simply walk away?  Think of something creative!

Scene Five:

You and your friends are now relaxing after your ‘unexpected surprise’.   Think about a place you like to go to celebrate a special event, or an activity you like to do with a group of people.  Anything from tree-climbing to dress-shopping to cookie-baking – the sky’s the limit for what makes you happy!

I'm excited to show you my dance handouts that I've made for this week.  Last week helped me in preparation for this portion of camp, and I'll be posting them separately this week since my camera's being a bit of a jerk.  It's on the fritz, unfortunately, and I'll need to send it back to the shop.  Grrrr.

Looking forward to the rest of the week to see how these Toy Stories turn out!

Synergy Arts Camp: 'The Paper Bag Princess', Day Five

Please forgive the few grainy photographs of our final day.  It seemed that my camera didn't want to cooperate, and I'll need to get it looked at.  Needless to say, it went off without a hitch, and I'm very proud of these kids!  Our final presentation included musical performances and our very special version of The Paper Bag Princess!

I had also started a little tradition of sorts; I grabbed a Synergy t-shirt for the kids to sign, and hopefully I'll have every single camper's name on the shirt by the end of the summer!  Rianna and Simran were the first to show up on Friday and got creative with writing their names.

Dante and Rianna played a piano piece accompanied by Alessandra, and Simran worked on her own, since she's already a piano student at the academy.  The kids performed their rendition of The Paper Bag Princess - with yours truly as the narrator - with their parents in the audience.  They also had a chance to tell everyone about the art they had made, including their costumes and set for PBP.

Alessandra and I also rewarded our very first 'Simply the Best' Camper, who isn't necessarily the prettiest, funniest or most talented, but more like a congeniality award.  The kids voted amongst themselves - and we pitched in our votes, too - with a clean sweep going to Rianna, for her hard work and leadership skills with the other kids, and her ease in ability to make friends!  Congrats, Rianna!

We'll be seeing all three kids for next week's camp - a very special version of Toy Story, with our own toys coming to life!  We'll see you there!

Synergy Arts Camp: 'The Paper Bag Princess', Day Four

Look out - here comes day four of Paper Bag Princess week!

We started the day with a simple physical game that's a whole heck of a lotta fun, called the Mirror Game!

• The Mirror Game (focus, movement, group building, trust)
• Each person finds a partner and stands across and faces each other; one being A and the other B.  A will move their bodies slowly and easily at first so that B can 'mirror' everything they're doing at the same time.  The goal is to do their best to do every action together so that an outside observer can't tell who is following who.
• What's the benefit of this game?  This is a great exercise as the kids learn to trust each other in a follow-and-lead game.  This sense of trust is important to build in theatre when performing with other actors.  

With the warm-up game all wrapped up, we got to rehearsing Paper Bag Princess!

I had snapped a few pictures of the kids during their free time rooting through some play costumes we had in the back room.  Hilarity ensues!

With this week as a great learning experience for the dance portion, I'm working on some extensive dance handouts which will include the basic history, dancewear, and diagrams of stretches and dancemoves.  I've even found some awesome articles, pictures and exercises!  We worked a little on tap today, trying out some basic dance moves sans tap shoes.  The kids had a great time 'stamping' their feet around in different rhythms! 

The kids are doing so well in their Paper Bag Princess rendition, I can hardly contain my excitement for tomorrow!

Synergy Arts Camp: 'The Paper Bag Princess', Day Three

Welcome to day three of Paper Bag Princess week!

We started the day by stretching an important muscle that the kids have been exercising these past few days - their imagination!  The game is called 'Anything' Prop, taking everyday objects around the house - and some weirder ones, too! - and seeing what your imagination can turn them into.  Here's how you play!

• ‘Anything’ Prop (quick thinking, encouragement, creativity, group building, improvisation, listening 
• The kids stand in a circle.  The leader shows them a prop with ‘creative versatility’ and passes it around the circle, asking each of the kids what the item could be used as, or what it could become.  For example, a cheer pom could be a feather duster, a wig, a flower, an exotic pet etc.  The more interesting the item, the more interesting the answers could become.  A variation of this game for younger kids would be with a simple piece of brightly coloured fabric.  
• What’s the benefit of this game?  The kids’ imaginations are stimulated when given a chance to reinvent an interesting object, as well as encouraging multiple answers for the same question. 

I had passed around a small orange pylon, a hula hoop and a blue-and-white cheer pom.  We got lots of very creative answers - here are a few favourites!

The kids have told me that they had practiced their scripts 'all day yesterday' - funny, being they just got them yesterday!  (Oh, kids say the darndest things ... of course, I'm sure they meant that they practiced it as soon as they got home.)  

And with dancing - we got to tappin' away!

Tap dance was developed in the United States during the nineteenth century and has gained popularity around the world!  The name 'tap' comes from the sound of the small metal plates on the soles of a tap dancers' shoes when they touch a hard floor.  This dance form uses precise and quick foot patterns in rhythms, choreographed to a pace in the music very much like a drummer in a band.  American composer Morton Gould has composed concertos for tap dancer and orchestra - using the dancer as the rhythm section!

A history of tap can be seen in traditional clog dances in the Netherlands, Irish and Scottish jigs, as well as the rhythmic foot stamping of African dances.  North American tap dancing has two modern techniques: classical tap and hoofers.  Classical tap blends elements of ballet or jazz dance into the upper body movements into the tap choreography, and tend to stay on their toes.  Hoofers use every part of the shoes to make their feet sound like drums!

Let Gene Kelly and Julie Andrews show you some fun ways on how to practice those tap moves - as well as entertain you with a familiar song!

I also thought that today would be a great opportunity to show you what the kids are doing over on Alessandra's side of the camp.  She's introducing the kids to music and art, teaching them about different instruments and making set pieces, costumes and more fun crafts in art.  I stuck around to see the kids' introduction to woodwind instruments and snapped a few pictures of their elation.  Alessandra also took some pictures of the kids practicing their piano pieces for Friday's recital and making art projects like 'egg carton bugs' for the garden and trees and the princesses' castle for the Paper Bag Princess set!

The kids did a lot of fun stuff today - and tomorrow's got even more!  Thank you, Alessandra, for the photos!

And, of course, we're starting to get used to these faces at the end of the day, which is terrible - yet adorable.

These frowns will turn upside-down very soon!