PERFORMING ARTS MEGA BLOG (updated weekly)

1. Who are you performing with?
I am performing with my friends Nadia and Samantha. Check out their school blogs at: http://hhsnadiao.blogspot.com and hhssamanthar.blogspot.com. 


2. Which type of performing art are you performing?
We decided on performing 'musical theatre'. On the assessment task sheet musical theatre must include dialogue and a song.

3. What song/theme are you performing and why?
After some planning and some singing, we decided on Candy Store from the musical Heathers. Visit the original video that we have been inspired by below! We picked this because it's personally one of Nadia and Sam's favourite musicals movies and after listening to it, I loved the soundtrack so much too. 


4. What are we starting with first?
I am of course going to listen to and learn the lyrics  before we begin practising. I'm actually the only one in the trio that doesn't know all of the lyrics because I hadn't seen it before this... lucky me. 

MICHAEL MEW INSPIRED COLLAGE

In art, we have been working towards the completion of a mixed-media collage inspired by the artist, Michael Mew. Michael Mew, if you don't know, is a (currently) 61-year-old collage artist who is known for his unique, mixed-media collages as well as painting, but for this topic we focused primarily on collages. 

Creating the collage was quite interesting yet scary at the same time; I've never actually tried my hand at collage for a long time. 

We started off by cutting out pieces of magazine; this was my favourite part personally. I didn't have an idea in mind at this point and I think that's where I went wrong. I found that without a structured idea or thumbnail sketch, which I was unable to complete because I wasn't here (oh, the shame!) the whole piece was difficult to work with and I couldn't decide on anything. 

The next part we took some time to arrange and come up with potential ideas WITHOUT gluing down. We'd previously been working with Whaea Rowena on focal points, thumbnail sketches, leading lines, etc, etc, but for me it was really about just getting something reasonable on the page. Second red flag. 

Now, the task we were set was meant to be a mixed-media collage, so of course we had to use another medium. We also had the task of including a bird in our work so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone (pun intended) and draw out a rorirori (grey warbler) bird, which was my personal favourite out of the choices we had. The birds, by the way, are also the names for the new building that are currently being constructed at Hornby High School. 

Another media I used in my piece was watercolour paint - purple. I planned this out as a 'river' - breaking the piece in two to make it look unique, and also to colourblock, which is something we learnt about previously. Colour-blocking is a technique I wished that I used more in this just because I think the work became way more busier and cluttered than I would have liked. 

Now, onto the point of the blog point.

Focal point

My focal point was intended to be the hand. I thought this was a good choice because it was bright and big, but as the work developed I could see that I needed something else. It was Whaea Rowena that influenced my decision to actually do something about it and I decided to incorporate some white paint into it to make it stand out. I ended up painting some dripping white off the side of the hand which I think looked good, although it was difficult to get the white to look opaque because the glossy card beneath it was not a good texture to work on top of. This is another example of why I really need to plan and structure my artwork next time!!!

Leading lines

I think I used leading lines okay. There are lines stretching from the side and the top. One thing we learnt about was using a subtle kind-of 'grid' pattern in our artwork, which is a technique I think Michael Mew uses very well. I really liked, however, how I used the diagonal line in the bottom right corner and I think this is something I'll incorporate into my future art.

Layers
One thing I think I did well was how I layered my artwork out. There were some places that were layered and some that weren't, which I think made for a really nicely layered piece.

Overall, I'm definitely not proud of this collage because of all the mistakes I made not only in the actual 'making' process but in the planning process. But, as Bob Ross says, we don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents. But at least this happy little accident that this turned out to be is my happy little accident.

HARRIET TUBMAN PARAGRAPH

In her years of service in the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, ex-slave, played her part in the abolition of slavery in the role of conductor. Being a conductor ultimately meant that she, Tubman, would guide fugitive slaves to safe houses (run by station masters). This was often through the use of spirituals. Spirituals were songs sung by black slaves to assist them through their hard labor, although certain songs, when sung at certain times, had secret messages to it. An example of this is when 'O Sweet Chariot' was sung at night, it meant 'All Clear' allowing slaves to escape successfully. This was just one of the ways Harriet Tubman, conductor, personally guided over 700 slaves to freedom over her years of service in the Underground Railroad.

DISSECTING A CHICKEN THIGH (gross) 🐔🔪

Yesterday in science, we were given the opportunity to dissect a chicken thigh as part of our introduction to medical science - right now we're working on muscles and bones. 
I have to admit, dissection is not really my thing, but luckily Natasha was up for the challenge so I observed and took pictures.

✨ THE LIFE OF HARRIET TUBMAN ✨

Harriet Tubman research project :)

What have I learned?
Throughout my research I learned practically everything about Harriet Tubman that I know now; I had no previous knowledge of her, nor the Underground Railroad. I learned what she was famous for -- being a conductor on the railroad (not to mention, I learned what a conductor is too) to her legacy and military honors, and everything in between. 

What do I want to learn?
I want to learn about slavery in other countries, not just in Africa-Europe-Americas. Did slavery exist in other countries such as Asia, Australia, or even, despite being discovered in a much later time period, New Zealand? 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERFORMING ARTS! 💃

Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre is a genre of theatrical performance combining spoken dialogue, song, dance, and acting, in which singing is the essential part. 

My favourite musical I don't care what anyone thinks ↓


Mime
The theatrical technique of suggesting action, character, or emotion without words, using only gesture, expression, and movement.



Silent Movies
<1920's

Silent movies have no speaking, but they do have a soundtrack over top. The actors communicate by facial expressions and physical gestures. Fun fact: actors often painted their eyebrows thin and dark so it was easier to show how their eyebrows moved in an effort to accentuate their facial expressions. They require some skills and have to put a lot of effort into their performances. Charlie Chaplin was probably the most famous silent movie actor. 

Silent movies also required a lot of specific costumes as the actors weren't able to communicate what they were. Because of this, setting was also important too.



Musical Theatre extension research

Wicked, The Musical, Synopsis
When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire's acclaimed 1995 novel, 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West', re-imagines the Land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' in 1900.

WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two young women who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Sourced from: https://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/london/about



Mean Girls, the Musical, Synopsis
How fetch! After years in the making, Mean Girls: The Musical hits the stage with the favorite characters from the movie, powerful music, and timely pop culture and news references. Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard welcome the audience to their “Cautionary Tale”: Cady Heron is the new girl at North Shore High School in Chicago, desperate to fit in and find friends. Janis and Damian befriend the new girl, and when The Plastics set their sights on Cady, Janis convinces naive Cady to be their “friend” in order to bring down Queen Bee Regina George’s reign. Along the way, Cady loses herself, her friends, and her crush, all for the chance to be popular and loved. When dethroned Regina gets revenge by releasing the Burn Book, Cady is brought down and must mend her broken relationships with Janis, Aaron, and even Regina. With dynamic songs for young performers, Mean Girls is an anthem to friendship, loyalty, girl power, and being true to yourself.

Sourced from: https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/8900/mean-girls



Hamilton, The Musical, Synopsis
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Pulitzer prize-winning transformation of Ron Chernow's biography, Hamilton, into a hip-hop musical is taking the world by storm. At the center of this groundbreaking multi-award-winning new musical is the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton, whose ambition drove him from the position of Caribbean outsider and bastard child to American war hero and George Washington's right-hand man. In the process, Alexander Hamilton powerfully shaped America as we have come to know it -- and gave us all a template for what it means to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and realize the American Dream. This exploration of Hamilton's political mastermind is being called "the most exciting and significant musical of the decade." David Brooks of the New York Times declared seeing Hamilton to be "one of the most exhilarating experiences I've had in the theatre." With heart, humor, and respect, Lin-Manuel Miranda's new musical breathes vibrant, colorful life into this story of America's founding fathers.

Sourced from: https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/4417/hamilton



Dear Evan Hansen, the musical, synopsis
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a young man with social anxiety disorder who so yearns to make a connection with his peers that he fabricates a relationship with a deceased student to become closer to the boy’s family. When a classmate commits suicide, shy Evan Hansen finds himself at the center of the tragedy and turmoil. In a misguided attempt to comfort the boy’s grieving family, Evan pretends that he was actually good friends with their son. He invents a fabricated email account to “prove” their friendship, and when a fake suicide note makes its way online, Evan finds himself the unintended face of a viral video about loneliness and friendship. As his social currency skyrockets, Evan is drawn deeper and deeper into the lie. His relationship with his actual mother wanes in comparison to that of his “shiny new family.” He finally lands the girl of his dreams, and most importantly--he’s no longer invisible. Eventually, Evan is forced to make a decision: Will he give himself over to the fantasy he’s created, or will he bite the bullet and risk losing everything he’s ever wanted? With a fast-paced new score from fresh young songwriting duo Pasek and Paul, (not to mention a few Tony awards), Dear Evan Hansen has become an instant hit among theatergoers everywhere.

Sourced from: https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/7745/dear-evan-hansen