Shana Tucker. Photo by Chris Charles for Creative Silence
By Natasha Anderson
In an ongoing commitment to arts in education for all students in WNC, the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is offering virtual educational programs at no cost. A variety of workshops and interactive experiences offer learning opportunities for students of all ages and their families.
“In addition to their academic value, studies repeatedly show the social and emotional benefits associated with learning through the arts,” says Wortham Center community engagement director Jared McEntire. “With many parents doubling as teachers during the pandemic, these programs for children and parents are fun ways to learn together at home.”
Virtual workshops led by Wortham Center artist-in-residence Black Box Dance Theatre (BBDT) are designed to integrate dance standards with other core curriculum areas. Using Google Classroom and live moderators, BBDT’s virtual lessons include: Heat Energy Transfer Dance, Geometry Formula Dance and Grammar on the Move. BBDT also offers interactive videos to get kids and parents moving together.
The company’s Show & Tell: Interactive Performance Experience, for grades K-12, is a 30-minute virtual dance performance with crafted discussion prompts. For a live experience, BBDT presents Rovin Ronnie’s Human Yard Art, during which BBDT’s Ron West visits neighborhoods and leads engaging dance sequences from the back of a truck. Ronnie’s hip-hop dances teach science, math and history lessons set to a funky beat in parks, neighborhoods and even participants’ driveways.
“For many of us, our first step into the world of grammar was through song—singing our ABCs,” says McEntire. “The associative learning that takes place when pairing melody and movement with lessons is a powerful tool.”
Student and teacher favorite Aquila Theatre offers two Shakespeare workshops for students.
Decoding Shakespeare, for grades 9-12, teaches techniques for reading Macbeth as it was intended to be read and understood for the stage, and uncovering Shakespeare’s directional clues embedded in the text. Macbeth In a Minute, for grades 5-8, is an interactive workshop in which students work as a group to break down Macbeth into its essential story blocks and perform the play online in under a minute.
In Performing Arts, multi-talented musician Shana Tucker will interpret works of art through music to teach students in grades K-4 about storytelling, community and self-expression.
A special ticketed event for families, the livestreamed show Joshua Lozoff: Virtually Impossible, takes place via Zoom on Saturday, March 20. The illusionist amazes and amuses during this highly interactive show designed for all ages.
The virtual programs for students and families are free, with the exception of Joshua Lozoff: Virtually Impossible, which costs $25 per household to view, plus tax and fees. For information and reservations, contact Jared McEntire at 828.257.4512 or Jared@WorthamArts.org. More details available at WorthamArts.org.
