Greenwich Academy Press - December 2001

Kiira Heymann and
Leticia Frazao
Staff Writer and Arts Editor

Dance, drama, and dexterity! This year's annual Winterfest was held on Friday and Saturday December 14 and 15, at 7 pm in Massey Theater. The show included performances from the GA Dance Corps, Dance Workshop, Dance II, and the Drama Club.

This year, the drama portion of Winterfest included a variety of different types of acting. Directed by Mary Birnbaum, XII, the musical scene was "Our Time" from Merrily We Roll Along . Mary stated, "I am so excited to be directing one of my favorite songs with such an amazing cast. It makes perfect sense to have a song that is essentially about the transience of life set on roller blades, because even when people seem to be standing still, they are equipped to move at any time."

"A Little Holiday Metaphor," directed by senior Shula Grossman, by the Neo-Futurists, was a scene about a girl who does not receive her Secret Santa present. Her friends tell her a story about an alienated cowgirl who came east. Eventually, the cowgirl is liked, but she faces a challenge and leaves.

Jeff Goode's "The Reindeer Monologues" was directed by Courtney Sutton, XII. This was a scene about unconventional reindeer and it added a comic twist to the pessimistic stories of four of Santa Claus's reindeer. Gretchen Faraci, IX, stated, "The scene is very funny and was a great addition to Winterfest."

Lastly, the seniors performed an adaptation of "Winnie the Pooh" as their traditional senior scene.

The dance portion of the show included performances from Dance Corps and Dance Workshop. Dance Corps prepared an eclectic mix of dances from ballet to hip hop. There were student-choreographed pieces, two dances by guest choreographers Ms. Donna Dragon and Ms. Claudia Stoltman, and a piece by GA's Ms. Meg Rodenbusch.

Donna Dragon choreographed an interesting piece using exercise balls, utilizing members of the Corps. Ms. Stoltman created a dance using the Martha Graham style about the Shaker religion.

In addition to the Dance Corps dances, Dance Workshop also performed. This year's impressively large group of girls came together to create three dances of their own.

Also, the Dance II class performed a piece choreographed by France Hunter called "Hijad" based on issues surrounding Muslim women.