The Blue Heron Dance program is about to mount its biggest and most collaborative program ever, thanks to the efforts of a host of Island artists, teachers and performers who have spent the past several months working with hundreds of creative Island kids.
The result — the debut of of a world premiere dance piece called “The Whistling Monster” — will take place this weekend at Vashon High School.
“It’s amazing and unusual for kids to have the opportunity to be involved in a project of this magnitude,” said Wendy Finkleman, the director of education for Vashon Allied Arts.
Finkleman has helped spearhead a series of classes at VAA that have have fed into the production of the show.
In addition to dance classes that focused on “The Whistling Monster,” VAA also offered classes in costume and set design, puppet-making, drumming and choral singing connected to the production. A youth string ensemble, led by Islander Gaye Detzer, will also perform in the piece.
“This project has been touched by so many members of the arts community,” Finkleman said.
“The Whistling Monster” got its start last year, when Chautauqua Elementary School music teacher Andy James and his students composed a CD based on a South American folk tale by the same name.
James said that he is “beyond excited” to see the dance adaptation of the CD and to have had the opportunity to continue working on the project as the director of the children’s chorus that will sing in the show.
He credits Blue Heron Dance artistic director Christine Juarez with being the glue that has held the show together.
“From the moment Christine took on this production, she went as far as she could,” he said.
Juarez, for her part, said she’s been having such a good time working on “The Whistling Monster” that she’d love to do similar projects in the future.
“I’ve learned so much about doing a big collaborative process like this,” she said.
And if the premiere of “The Whistling Monster” wasn’t enough for Juarez to take on, this weekend’s dance concerts will also include a presentation of excerpts of George Balanchine’s dance opus, “Jewels,” as well as six original three-minute new works choreographed and performed by Blue Heron Dance students.
“I wanted to have a vehicle to showcase the work of our classically trained dancers,” she said, adding that “Jewels” is a non-narrative ballet that she’d never considered doing until now.
“I love the composition of the show, where we have one non-narrative piece, and then ‘The Whistling Monster,’ which is completely narrative,” she said. “They really complement each other.”
Blue Heron Dance will present its spring concert at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8, at Vashon High School. Call 463-5131 or visit www.vashonalliedarts.org for ticket information.
