By Cassy Sottile
News Editor
Kent County Public Schools will be partnering with students from Washington College in a 12-week performing arts program.
Due to funding from the Kent County Arts Council and Arts in Motion, WC dance professor Benjamin Sterling Cannon is directing the program “Movement.”
“Kent County students will work with Benjamin and WC students to learn professional movement vocabulary from several dance genres, and to explore elements of theatre, storytelling, and choreography,” Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance A.T. Moffett said.
Moffett will also serve as associate director of the program and coordinate WC student involvement. Dance minor Caitlyn Creasy, a junior, and theatre major Katie Peacock, a senior, will be working as assistant teaching artists.
“The culminating goal of the program is for students to work with the teaching artist and assistants to devise an original choreographed work that reflects their perspectives of current world events and causes. Their choreography will be performed at a showcase for their school,” Moffett said.
According to Moffett, the “Movement” residency will provide an experiential learning opportunity for WC dance and theater students and deepen their knowledge and skills in the performing arts through working with Cannon, Creasy, and Peacock.
“I didn’t have dance in my schools, and it’s such an important thing to be exposed to. Benjamin is teaching the students to get outside their comfort zones by performing in front of their friends and learning to move their bodies,” Creasy said.
After graduation, assistant artist Creasy wants to teach dance and play a role in dance education in young people.
“Dance also has a valuable lesson in discipline and Benjamin is doing a really great job of having the students follow directions and wait their turns,” Creasy said.
Peacock also enjoys working with children, which is why she wanted to be a part of the program.
“The past couple years I have been exploring activities that allow me to mentor and help educate people. I did this a lot as a peer mentor and with my light shop manager position in the Department of Theatre and Dance. When I heard about this opportunity through A.T., I thought of it as another opportunity to work on these skills and get involved in the community,” Peacock said.
This past spring, Cannon taught a three-day workshop at Kent County High School. He then met with Gina Jachimowicz, director of teaching and learning for KCPS, to begin building the additional dance programming for the 2018-19 school year.
“[It] began as a conversation with Tom McHugh of Arts in Motion and John Schratwieser of the KCAC, both of whom are deeply invested in creating high quality arts opportunities for young people in Kent County and see WC as an ally in the effort,” Moffett said.
The program will be centering around a fourth-grade physical education class at Garnet Elementary, a seventh-grade theater class at Kent County Middle School, and a mixed grade theater class at Kent County High School.
“’Movement’ is Benjamin’s brain child. He shared it with me last spring and this summer, we have been working together to develop a program that benefits both our college students and the community,” Moffett said.
More information about the upcoming showcases will be coming soon.
“I am very fortunate to have A.T. as the associate director of ‘Movement’ and be working together with the WC and KCPS students, teachers and administration. Doing what we truly love is a wonderful gift,” Cannon said.
According to Cannon, the plan is to expand the program and serve students and schools in the Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania areas as well, and train and provide employment opportunities to teaching artists to share this work.
“The program is great for KCPS students. Benjamin is amazing with kids, and his experience choreographing and knowledge of the business is something both WAC and KCPS students can learn from. It’s awesome that WAC students will be able to work in the community more and gain teaching experience that will make an impact on these students’ lives,” Peacock said.