Charlotte Ballet Works with Students at Reynolds High School

In the Nov. 13 issue of the Winston-Salem Journal, reporter Arika Herron writes about the Charlotte Ballet working with students at Reynolds High School. Photographer David Rolfe took the pictures. Here is an excerpt:

By the time Charlotte Ballet’s second company took the stage Wednesday night at Reynolds High School’s auditorium, the dancers and Reynolds High School students had already put in a full day’s work.

The performance featured 50 dancers from Reynolds and eight professionals from the Charlotte Ballet in a modern ballet production titled “Black, Blue and Green.” The piece is about black history, blues music and environmental science. Those weren’t the only lessons taught through dance, though.

Performers met with students earlier in the day in a variety of Reynolds classes. The collaboration is part of Reynolds’ fall campuswide arts experience, an annual event where the school brings in artists to assist with lessons in many different subject areas. Last year, electric violinist Mark Wood aided in a physics lesson about sound waves before performing with Reynolds students.

While last year’s theme was self-expression and awareness, this year is all about social justice and human rights. Karen Morris, arts magnet director at Reynolds, said that students have been exploring the topic in their classes. Teachers also received professional development in using dance and movement in all classes before the company’s arrival, Morris said.

Wednesday morning, Charlotte Ballet apprentice Ben Youngstone shared the stage with dozens of Reynolds students to assist in English, math, anatomy and physics lessons. The English students read their own poetry while Youngstone performed improvisational dance along with it, using the subject matter, cadence and tenor of the students’ voices as inspiration.

For the complete story, go to Winston-Salem Journal