It’s Saturday the 12th, and week one is finally over. As you probably read in my last blog post, the first REAL week of SITAC was honestly exhausting. Between working with the No. 4 High School students, the Beijing dancers, and all our other activities, I felt like I barely had time to breathe. It was extremely stressful working under such conditions, but in the end I somehow made it through (don’t ask me how).
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Working with the students from No. 4 was absolutely the highlight of the week. Firstly, the purpose of our workshops with the students was to exhibit the intersection between dance and multiple disciplines – showing that the arts are not just used to “express oneself” but can also be used as a medium to learn and explore. Jen’s workshop focused on Psychology, Sonia’s the Sciences, and mine on Economics/Business. The layout of my workshop resembled the game “Life” (hopefully you know which game I’m talking about). Instead of creating “a life” for themselves, however, my workshop taught the students the various aspects that are essential in creating a dance performance such as lighting, costumes, marketing, choreography, and much more. They were required to stay within a budget when making decisions regarding their performance, and at the end of the game, the team with the most points won. It’s a lot easier to explain in person, trust me, but I think that will suffice for now.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I absolutely loved my students. They were all so incredible – smart, creative, fun, everything that a teacher would want in their class. They made coming to the school everyday so enjoyable, and by the end of the week, it seemed like they had really learned a lot from them. Although they were already aware of most of the topics we were discussing, we were able to provide them with an alternate perspective on the arts and how they play into these disciplines. We encouraged them to never let the arts out of their lives; if they truly loved them, continue to pursue them, if it isn’t in the hopes of a professional career. They were extremely appreciative of everything thing we did, and we were just as appreciative of their attentiveness and willingness to learn and listen to us. I love those kids so much. Hopefully we will hang out a lot more in the upcoming weeks.
