Dance and Body Arts Studio in Ledyard, CT
THE TAPA DANCE DEPARTMENT
The Dance Department at Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (TAPA) created and performed a series of original devised pieces this January 2018. These pieces were conceptualized and imagined by students, both in class and during an artist residency at the Dragon’s Egg Studio.
“As Creative Director of the Dance Company at TAPA, it is a privilege to witness young artists expressing passion, resilience, and power – not only while performing on stage, but also during the process of creative collaboration and rehearsal. It is a beautifully challenging process to create something that did not exist before. Our work in the Dance Department at TAPA aims to re-center conceptual dance and contemporary art around the authentic expressive movement as well Afro-Latin traditions. By doing this, we are saying: We exist. Our imaginations exist. We belong. Our imaginations belong.”
Matt Garza, TAPA Dance Artist in Residence
CONSENT – Imagined & Performed by: 9th Grade Dance Majors
“This piece was and is important because “CONSENT” is a very serious subject in which people now-a-days take very lightly. It is your right, your yes, your no and everyone has it. People shouldn’t be scared or feel as if they have done something wrong if they don’t give someone consent to do something. People should feel safe with themselves and others and consent plays a very big and important part in this.”
Joylynn, 9th Grade Dance Major
“The dance was about consent. I feel like it was also based on other things. For example: maturity, family, and role switching. We as the dance Majors have showed a lot of maturity while being on stage because most of the time we are goofy. It showed that the ninth graders are finally learning how to cooperate and dance as a family like we are blood. Lastly we did a role switch. What I mean by that is that in our society we are so used to boys having to be tough. Well in our performance we showed that it is okay for boys or men to cry ; that they are allowed to have feelings.”
Lavell, 9th Grade Dance Major
DOOMED – Imagined, Choreographed, & Performed by: 10th Grade Dance Majors
“This is a dance piece focused on emotional, mental, and physical pain and how people deal with it and express it.. It was created by us as a whole when we were sharing out ideas and brainstorming on what is pain, what bring us pain, how we express pain, and how we deal with pain… it shows the importance of pain in our lives.”
Oscardavid, 10th Grade Dance Major
“I would describe this piece as healing from a point in life when you felt sad…It’s important to show people that it’s okay to be sad; that you’ll heal from it or can get healed; that you’re not the only one.”
Natalie, 10th Grade Dance Major
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