On Tuesday, October 4, 2022, students from Fayetteville High School joined University of Arkansas undergraduates majoring in Secondary Education for a dance workshop led by members of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre from Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by the Faulkner Performing Arts Center, the workshop took place on the Faulkner’s mainstage and included more than an hour of exercises and experiments with narrative storytelling through jazz and modern dance. More than 40 participants jazz walked, leapt, crawled, jumped, lunged, and shimmied their way across the stage, culminating in a choreographed dance modeled after the finale of Cerqua Rivera’s current production. Afterwards, the high school and college students circled up on the stage for some conversation. Cerqua Rivera dancers shared their personal experiences living in a world where dancers don’t necessarily fit in to the “popular crowd.” Everyone left the workshop with a sense of accomplishment, inspiration, and hope. This “Beyond School Hours” program took everyone beyond the traditional school walls to an artistic experience that explored movement, storytelling, diversity, and imagination. “It was great,” “I had fun,” “It was exciting,” and “I had a lot of fun when we did the dances,” were some of the responses from high school students. “Thank you,” wrote one student, “and keep being who you are.” The Faulkner Performing Arts Center continues to be a valuable partner for CCY’s Beyond School Hour programming. It is everyone’s hope to bring their new friends from Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre back from Chicago next year for expanded workshop offerings and a staged performance including the entire dance company and their jazz music ensemble.
Dance and Self Expression with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre
