Wolmer's Dance Troupe goes beyond
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CHILD'S DAY 2014 AT WOLMER'S PREP
3rd Hosting of Science Fair
Theme:-"Science,Technology & Entrepreneurship
St. Andrew Division Brownies Promise Ceremony at Hopefield Preparatory School
Russell Academy Tennis Competition
MATTHEW BRAMWELL
Won the 6 and Under Competition
MATTHEW BRAMWELL
Won the 6 and Under Competition
SCIENCE FAIR 2013 JAMAICA DAY 2013
2013 Jamaica Day
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Wolmer's Dance Troupe going strong at 22
Michael Reckord, Gleaner Writer
Cheers and applause continually rang through the Little Theatre on Friday night as members of the audience expressed their delight. The show, titled 'Series', was Wolmer's Dance Troupe's 22nd season of dance.
On stage were scores of performers from both the Wolmer's Preparatory School and Wolmer's High School for Girls. The creators of their dances were Barbara McDaniel, the troupe's artistic director and chief choreographer; Onaje, Orrette Beckford, Natalie Nash, Stephanie Smith and Jair Jones.
Though the dancers were children and teens - with many more of the former than the latter, making the average age of the troupe quite low - the subjects of a number of the dances were fairly philosophical.
For example, the first of the dances, Where We Were, was based on Dr Martin Luther King Jr's famous 'I have a dream' speech.
The third dance, The Year 3000, was introduced in the printed programme in this way: "After the great tragedy that obliterated mankind, humans are reborn. To avoid war, which had once destroyed us, we detach from human-like emotions and evolve into half man, half robot." The fourth dance, Creation, has as its epigraph the first verse of the book of Genesis.
Two of the movements in the fifth dance were tributes, one to the late singer Whitney Houston, the other to Jamaica's own Olympic star sprinter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Jamaican journey
For the final dance, Young, Gifted and Black, the audience was invited to take a Jamaican journey "from the good old days to 2012".
One does not expect professional-level dancing from young, and therefore inexperienced, dancers; nor did the audience get same.
Admittedly, though, a lot of potential was on display, for in dance, as in all the arts, Jamaica has abundant raw talent; and here special mention must be made of Jair's excellent performances in a number of the dances.
But what was lacking in technique was made up for in clever choreography and costuming. Children and teens (that is, tiny tots, intermediates, juniors and seniors) were judiciously mixed in most of the dances; that meant cute kids and relatively talented older dancers alternated rapidly as one movement (or dance segment) followed another.
Along with the continual shift of body sizes, shapes and activities came a continual change of costumes. Thanks must be extended to the designers: McDaniel, Loran V, Arlene Richards, Quindell Ferguson and Carol Matthews who did a wonderful, eye-pleasing job with colour and cut of cloth.
All the colours of the rainbow were used in the costume designs and when the stage was full of gorgeously dressed dancers, especially at the end of the final dance, the picture created was quite marvellous.
Visually, therefore, the show was an indisputable hit.
Accompanying the generally easy (but eminently suitable for the age groups) choreography was a lot of popular music. Older songs like All of Me, Sinner Man, One Moment in Time, and Houston's haunting I Will Always Love You were part of a mix which also featured songs by contemporary hit makers like Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Mr Lex.
The three-day season of dance ended on Sunday. The off-stage producers have every reason to be proud of the on-stage performers who by now must be back with their books.
Cheers and applause continually rang through the Little Theatre on Friday night as members of the audience expressed their delight. The show, titled 'Series', was Wolmer's Dance Troupe's 22nd season of dance.
On stage were scores of performers from both the Wolmer's Preparatory School and Wolmer's High School for Girls. The creators of their dances were Barbara McDaniel, the troupe's artistic director and chief choreographer; Onaje, Orrette Beckford, Natalie Nash, Stephanie Smith and Jair Jones.
Though the dancers were children and teens - with many more of the former than the latter, making the average age of the troupe quite low - the subjects of a number of the dances were fairly philosophical.
For example, the first of the dances, Where We Were, was based on Dr Martin Luther King Jr's famous 'I have a dream' speech.
The third dance, The Year 3000, was introduced in the printed programme in this way: "After the great tragedy that obliterated mankind, humans are reborn. To avoid war, which had once destroyed us, we detach from human-like emotions and evolve into half man, half robot." The fourth dance, Creation, has as its epigraph the first verse of the book of Genesis.
Two of the movements in the fifth dance were tributes, one to the late singer Whitney Houston, the other to Jamaica's own Olympic star sprinter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Jamaican journey
For the final dance, Young, Gifted and Black, the audience was invited to take a Jamaican journey "from the good old days to 2012".
One does not expect professional-level dancing from young, and therefore inexperienced, dancers; nor did the audience get same.
Admittedly, though, a lot of potential was on display, for in dance, as in all the arts, Jamaica has abundant raw talent; and here special mention must be made of Jair's excellent performances in a number of the dances.
But what was lacking in technique was made up for in clever choreography and costuming. Children and teens (that is, tiny tots, intermediates, juniors and seniors) were judiciously mixed in most of the dances; that meant cute kids and relatively talented older dancers alternated rapidly as one movement (or dance segment) followed another.
Along with the continual shift of body sizes, shapes and activities came a continual change of costumes. Thanks must be extended to the designers: McDaniel, Loran V, Arlene Richards, Quindell Ferguson and Carol Matthews who did a wonderful, eye-pleasing job with colour and cut of cloth.
All the colours of the rainbow were used in the costume designs and when the stage was full of gorgeously dressed dancers, especially at the end of the final dance, the picture created was quite marvellous.
Visually, therefore, the show was an indisputable hit.
Accompanying the generally easy (but eminently suitable for the age groups) choreography was a lot of popular music. Older songs like All of Me, Sinner Man, One Moment in Time, and Houston's haunting I Will Always Love You were part of a mix which also featured songs by contemporary hit makers like Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Mr Lex.
The three-day season of dance ended on Sunday. The off-stage producers have every reason to be proud of the on-stage performers who by now must be back with their books.
Farewell to Mr. Adrian Mandara and Mr. Sterling B. Soares
GSAT students having fun
School Life
A great school develops so much more than the academic abilities of its students. At Wolmer's Prep we're committed to nurturing all the interests and abilities of your child - both as a part of the regular school programme and through a raft of after school extra-curricular activities.
Students participate in Physical Education – twice a week for kindergarten through grade 4 and once a week for grades 5 and 6. We compete in the Jamaica Independent Schools’ Association Prep Schools Track and Field Competition, held annually in June.
Our students have been steadily improving their performances over the last several years, moving from finishing 14th in 2006, up to a 3rd place finish in 2010.
Our music programme introduces students to piano, recorder, acoustic guitar, drums and a variety of percussion instruments. Many of them grow to excel as musicians at their age level, with the school most recently winning a gold medal in the JCDC National Festival Competition in 2010 for one of the pieces entered.
We have a dynamic visual arts programme which encourages creative thinking, which is critical for a child's development. The programme also give the children an opportunity to relax and express themselves in different ways.
Our youngest students tend to be very enthusiastic about about the opportunity for hands-on projects using a variety of media. The upper school curriculum is geared towards students learning a wide range of art forms and the elements and principles of design. They also discover the many careers related to art, such as architecture, interior and exterior design and fashion design.
Students participate in Physical Education – twice a week for kindergarten through grade 4 and once a week for grades 5 and 6. We compete in the Jamaica Independent Schools’ Association Prep Schools Track and Field Competition, held annually in June.
Our students have been steadily improving their performances over the last several years, moving from finishing 14th in 2006, up to a 3rd place finish in 2010.
Our music programme introduces students to piano, recorder, acoustic guitar, drums and a variety of percussion instruments. Many of them grow to excel as musicians at their age level, with the school most recently winning a gold medal in the JCDC National Festival Competition in 2010 for one of the pieces entered.
We have a dynamic visual arts programme which encourages creative thinking, which is critical for a child's development. The programme also give the children an opportunity to relax and express themselves in different ways.
Our youngest students tend to be very enthusiastic about about the opportunity for hands-on projects using a variety of media. The upper school curriculum is geared towards students learning a wide range of art forms and the elements and principles of design. They also discover the many careers related to art, such as architecture, interior and exterior design and fashion design.
Canteen
With all of this going on, it’s especially important that your child is eating well each day. The canteen, operated by Joan Sinclair and her capable team, is focused on providing hot nutritious meals. Each day between three and five meal choices are available, as well as side order options - see our menu. Snack items are only sold after school hours. We take special care of our youngest children by ensuring that lunch lists for pre-school through intermediate classes are sent to the canteen and the lunches are brought to their classrooms.
Extra-Curricular Activities
After the school day has finished your child has the opportunity to learn and explore through activities including dancing, karate, art club and sign language. They can also learn to swim and compete in other sports including tennis and football. There's the chance to deepen their knowledge of Spanish, the Bible, science or the environment, as well as learn valuable social and practical skills in the Brownies or Cub Scouts.
With all of this going on, it’s especially important that your child is eating well each day. The canteen, operated by Joan Sinclair and her capable team, is focused on providing hot nutritious meals. Each day between three and five meal choices are available, as well as side order options - see our menu. Snack items are only sold after school hours. We take special care of our youngest children by ensuring that lunch lists for pre-school through intermediate classes are sent to the canteen and the lunches are brought to their classrooms.
Extra-Curricular Activities
After the school day has finished your child has the opportunity to learn and explore through activities including dancing, karate, art club and sign language. They can also learn to swim and compete in other sports including tennis and football. There's the chance to deepen their knowledge of Spanish, the Bible, science or the environment, as well as learn valuable social and practical skills in the Brownies or Cub Scouts.
Some of these activities are provided at an additional cost but several of them are free. All of the extra-curricular choices, as well as the scheduled days and times and their cost are listed below.
Here are the free extra-curricular options: Kingdom Kidz (Bible Club): Thursdays, 2:15 – 3:00pm Reading Club: Tuesdays, 2:15 – 3:00pm Cub Scouts: Thursdays, 2:15 – 3:00pm Brownies: Fridays, 2:15 – 3:00pm Environmental Club: Fridays, 2:00 – 3:00pm |
Dancing
$2,200 Mondays and Wednesdays 2:15 – 3:15pm/3:15 – 4:15pm Art Club $1,800 Thursdays only 2:15 – 3:15pm Extra Lessons $4,500 Mondays to Wednesdays Karate $3,000, Uniform - $3,500 Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:15 – 2:45pm, 2:45 – 3:15pm |
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N.B. All prices for the activities listed above are per term and are subject to change.
Dance Troupe The excellence of the Dance Club is evidenced by the numerous awards that it has garnered over many years. The group was named Most Outstanding Junior Group and Teacher for 10 consecutive years in the JCDC National Festival Competition and has won over 60 gold medals. In 1994 they were honoured with the Ivy Baxter Award for excellence in dance. There is a strong relationship between the Dance Club and the Wolmer’s Dance Troupe, which consists of Wolmerians and other dancers. The Dance Troupe has established a reputation for excellence since it was started in 1991 by Barbara McDaniel. Each year the Troupe puts on its highly anticipated Season of Dance at the Little Theatre. |
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