Bend and Snap: Shannon Peters, Assistant Choreographer

Being assistant choreographer this year was tons of fun! I got to experience a side of the theater program that I hadn’t seen before. A typical day for me working on Legally Blonde consists of me coming up with choreography in my room or dining room, basically anywhere I can find a mirror. I will also take any break I have at my outside of school dance studio to work on choreography, if I’m not doing homework.

This year I had the opportunity to choreograph the  "Bend and Snap.” It was challenging coming up with choreography that would work not only for every person in the number, but for the stage, and for musical theater in general. I’ve never had to choreograph a musical theater piece, so I never really have to think about the fact that people will be singing while dancing. So this year I learned a lot about choreography and about working through certain challenges. The other obstacle I came across was the fact that every dancer has different skill levels and styles, so I realized that I couldn’t just choreograph things that I know that I can do well, which is my general strategy when I choreograph pieces.

            There are many, many talented dancers in the program, but it’s important to realize that they all come from different backgrounds dance wise. My favorite things to do in my dances are turns and leaps, because those are my strong suits, but I learned that it may not be the strongest points for everyone else. After realizing that, and getting familiar with the group as a whole, and what they’re capable of, I was able to tweak the dances.

            Another part of the process that I hadn’t been quite prepared for was working on spacing. The set created problems with dancing because a lot of the choreography required traveling, but the space was extremely limited, so I also had to learn to work around that limitation.  All in all, I learned a lot this year about choreographing and working with others. I hope that I’ll have the opportunity to do something like this again in the years to come! 

-- Shannon Peters, '14

Free Food. Free Inspiration. Don't Miss It.

Do you feel creatively suppressed? Do you wish you could take a break from the drudgery of your academic and athletic life to free your mind and unleash your ideas? Are you sick of the same old food and looking for a delicious free lunch?

Your prayers have been answered! The illustrious Brendan Constantine is offering a FREE creative writing workshop with FREE food ONE DAY ONLY! 

What: Creative Writing Workshop

When: Wednesday, March 12 during Lunch

Where: CTL Seminar Room

How: RSVP by the end of today (Tuesday) to Brendan, DJ, Alec, or Daniel (dgutierrez[at]windwardschool.org)

This Just In -- Windward News Episode 4

Is the Coachella lineup awesome or awful? Are iPads a danger to 8th grade minds? What's the best part about being on the girls soccer team? What was the design process like for Windward's newer buildings? Find out on this week's episode of Windward News:

Windward News Episode 4 from Windward School on Vimeo.

"The Techie Diaries: Legally Blonde" by Annabelle Amato

Now that midterms have passed, its crunch time for everyone involved Legally Blonde, this year’s Spring musical here at Windward. With less than a month until the show opens, it is important that techies attend rehearsals, and as the stage manager, I have quickly learned that it is essential to observe as much as possible, so that the lighting and sound cues are precise.

 I have been sitting in on rehearsals since February 20th, and even though it has only been a few days, I can already see the show pulling together, both for the actors in their scenes and music numbers, and for myself, in better understanding the plot of the musical, and in literally understanding where the light and sound cues will be in the show. In the upcoming weeks, tech will meet to set the lights for the show, and we will be figuring out all of the logistics for the musical.

Come see this Spring Musical, Legally Blonde this March!

-- Annabelle Amato, '14

Valentine's Day in the CTL