Arts News Archives - Page 5 of 5 - San Francisco High School of the Arts

2023-01-312023-01-31Arts News, Newsletter

Featured Arts Class of the Week: Musical Theatre

September 29, 2022
By Ms. Hannah Ogden, Acting Teacher and Musical Theatre Program Coordinator

In Musical Theatre Acting classes, we are well on our way through rehearsals for our fall play, The Con, by Tracy Wells. Our program has doubled since last year to include six full time Musical Theatre students and six elective students, all of whom are working hard on this semester’s busy performance schedule. Students are growing their on-stage skills, script analysis, and technical theatre knowledge. For many, this year is their first in a musical theatre program so we are building on the foundations of a strong actor. These include volume and projection, enunciation, reaction to what is happening on stage, and character development. When I was a theatre student, I learned that an actor must demonstrate confidence, creativity, and discipline. These three tenants have followed me into my professional teaching career, and I strive to ensure that my students excel in each of these areas. Each production showcases a year’s worth of growth, and I am so excited and proud to help students reach their goals in this first quarter!

2023-01-312023-01-31Front Page news, Arts News, Newsletter

HSArts Now an Art Renewal Center Approved School

Front Page News
September 29, 2022

HSArts is now an Art Renewal Center (ARC) Approved school. HSArts is one of the few high schools recognized by this prestigious community of talented ateliers, artists and professionals.

To become an ARC Approved school, all ARC Approved schools and ateliers must focus on skill-based training and classical and naturalist education and be firmly grounded in realism defined as the accurate, detailed, depiction of nature or of life. Ninety percent or more of the instruction taking place at the school relating to drawing, painting, or sculpting must be in line with the above requirement.

This is a great honor and we look forward to sharing more news with you about the many new opportunities presented by this new affiliation. Stay tuned!

2023-01-312023-01-31Arts News, Newsletter

Featured Arts Class of the Week: Chiaroscuro

September 22, 2022
By Ms. Millie Hankinson

Our high school class began the year focusing on some of the foundations of drawing: shape, form, and proportion. After practicing these fundamental principles for several weeks, we worked on longer, more complex projects incorporating value and perspective to refine and advance our basic skill level. Now, with autumn at our doorstep, we turn our efforts toward quick sketching to prepare for our first portrait drawing session on Tuesday! Our model will be festively dressed as a fortune teller to celebrate the beginning of the Halloween season.

About Ms. Millie

Ms. Hankinson is a figurative artist and instructor. She studied fine art and illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and has been teaching throughout the Bay Area since 2013. After a guest lecture last school year, she joins our Visual Arts department as a full-time teaching starting this year.

“I studied Millie’s works when I was in high school, and I’m happy to have the chance to connect and work with Millie. Our visual arts program is in very good hands!”
– Mr. Kailin Qu, visual arts teacher

2023-01-312023-01-31Arts News, Newsletter

Repertoire Spotlight: Flowery Hats

By Ms. Hanna Zhang, Dance Choreographer
September 8, 2022

During the Tang Dynasty, tea tasting was prevalent in the country. Every Spring, when new tea was picked, the palace would hold celebrations with tea art performances. The tea-picking dance was a special dance in the Tang Dynasty. Cheerful and gorgeous in costumes, this dance expresses the joy of singing and dancing when picking new tea in the royal tea garden. In the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925), the tea-picking dance was introduced to Jiangxi Province. Locals formed a folk tea-picking dance team, performing three common tea-picking movements: swinging a fan, picking tea, and presenting a basket.

Flowery Hats is one of the dances for our high school dance students and they are already almost finished learning this dance. With lively pace and light movements, girls hold tea-picking hats and wear embroidered shoes, reflecting the graceful and lively beauty of young girls. This dance is full of creativity and storyline. The sun hats in the hands run through the entire dance. The girls sometimes laugh and play in the fields, and sometimes dance with hats. Please look for this dance at our Winter Wonders showcase in December!