Monday, October 22, 2012

SMMART ART: Body Creations

Four high school summers, I had the amazing opportunity to attend Summer Institute for the Arts, focusing on drama.  Our instructors shared many activities to help us young students learn to control our bodies and become very comfortable in moving them. 

In this activity, your child will use his imagination as he molds his body to create different objects.  If there are siblings, pile them on for more eleaborate body creations.  

Make a space for your child to move and to lie on the ground to recreate shapes.  "Make a black cat."  "Become a pumpkin."  "Create a haunted house".  Take photos with your digital camera and show your children their body creations afterwards.

The choreographer for Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic (in Salt Lake Nov. 14-18) helped to choreograph the ice skating part of the 2002 Winter Olympics...right here in Salt Lake City!  She says “It’s always interesting to try and create new shapes within the skating language. You can only do that through experimentation.”  This makes me think of the elaborate formations they create using so many ice skaters.  Think about creating elaborate shapes as you photograph your childrens' body creations.

CHOREOGRAPHER SARAH KAWAHARA:
A LOOK AT HER VISION FOR DISNEY ON ICE CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF MAGIC
The on-ice work of Emmy® Award-winning and Olympic choreographer Sarah Kawahara takes audiences on an unforgettable, imaginative journey down a memory lane of classic and new Disney stories in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic. Produced by Feld Entertainment, this show highlights Kawahara’s clever, innovative and evocative style, which ranges from romantic and playful to dramatic and heroic.
Kawahara, who won two Emmy® Awards for the skating segments in the 2002 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies and Scott Hamilton: Upside Down,defines choreography for figure skating as “the fusion of music with interpretive movement and the technical elements of skating. It is more than just skating. You define what you want to say and how you want to say it.”Indeed, she takes great pride in her work and has a very clear vision of what she wants each of her projects to accomplish.
Growing up in Montreal, Canada, Kawahara expressed her creativity through piano, violin, ballet, jazz, drama and figure skating. Today, her curiosity, openness and holistic approach can be seen in all aspects of her work. For example, Kawahara feels it is vital to meld the basic components of costume, set, lights, music and skating so they come together seamlessly as a whole experience.
She is also keenly observant and nurturing when working with her impressive roster of international figure skaters. “I really work off the talent of the individual skater to tap into the inner sense of who they are and their own body rhythms,” she explains. “I blend what I have with their strengths and arrive at a new and different place for both of us.”
Kawahara is known for incorporating set pieces into her choreography. “I like to have skaters go in or through the props rather than just working in front of a set. It gives the production more dimension,” she explains.
Speaking about the broad spectrum of her art, Kawahara says, “It’s always interesting to try and create new shapes within the skating language. You can only do that through experimentation.” She adds, “You must grab and hold the attention of the audience…take them with you on a fantastic journey.”

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