Region One fourth-graders devote entire day to the arts

LAKEVILLE — Fourth-grade students from the Region One School District public elementary schools spent Wednesday, March 9, at The Hotchkiss School for the popular Fourth-Grade Arts Day.There were 16 workshops in the intensive day-long program, with three performances interspersed throughout the day.Lisa Jones exhorted the students who were at work on decorating Ukrainian eggs. “Be bold!” she urged. “Get some color in there!”Austin Dailey got his hip-hop dance students’ attention when he executed a series of spins and flips. “Now this one might be a little dangerous,” he said with a grin. “You up for a little danger?”Dave Wonsey managed to work a little U.S. history into his drumming class. “Tho-mas Jeff-er-son!” he chanted, as he banged out the rhythm on a conga drum. The workshops offered included silk painting, polymer clay creatures, printmaking, puppetry, ballet, hip-hop, percussion, improvisation, clay, and theater games. Workshop artists included Adam Battelstein, Kimberly Barrant, Joe Brien, Dailey, Lois Fiftal, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Jonathan Grusauskas, Jones, Terre Lefferts, Jennifer Markow, Lanny Mitchell, Charlie Noyes, Karin Noyes, Diane Schapira, Joel Schapira, Susanna Schindler and Wonsey.About 150 fourth-grade students, in groups of eight to 10, each participated in two workshop sessions. All the students attended the three feature performances, with Adam Battelstein and Friends kicking Arts Day off with a dance program that showcased the human body. Battelstein is a veteran performer who has toured with Pilobolus and Momix.The noon program had Hip Hop Dimensions performing a set that emphasized the history and development of hip-hop dance and music — and the appeal of the form, which cuts across generational and ethnic lines.And the fourth-graders got a sneak preview of “Guys and Dolls,” this year’s musical from the Housatonic Musical Theatre Society (performances are March 17, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.).The Arts Fund for Region One operates as a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Its mission is “to increase arts opportunities for all children of the six towns of the Northwest Corner of Connecticut and further enhance the public schools’ curriculum.”It was the 17th year of the event, which is held while Hotchkiss is on spring break. The six towns in the regional school district are Falls Village, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Kent and Cornwall.

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