SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – The National Institute of Arts (NIA) ushers out 2019 with a big bang, NIACA Festival 2019, NIA Festival of Arts and Culture celebrating the Arts and its different genres, NIA said in a press statement on Thursday.
This year the activities will span from November 22nd to December 14th, 2019. On the roster of performances and guest teachers for workshops, talent coaching and community outreach are 3 performances of the “Magic Flute” by Mozart, a mélange of drama, dance and music honoring the 40th anniversary celebration of the Freemasons Union Lodge 266.
Performances are on Friday November 22 at 8:00 pm and Sunday November 24 at 4:00 and 7:00 pm at the John Larmonie Center, Longwall Road #20. NIA’s National Youth Orchestra hosts conductor Juan Cristobal Palacios for 10 days of workshops with its youth musicians and teachers.
This educational journey will culminate in a performance for the schools and the community in general on December 6th and a grand finale on the Cirus Wathey Square on December 7th. Both programs will feature as guests the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School Concert Band. Both concerts will also host the Jazz bands from the same institutions. The “Music Brings People Together” project is co-sponsored by the Dutch Disaster Fund.
NIA’s Dance department will host Classical Ballet Pedagogue Ms. Graciela Acedo arriving from San Francisco on Friday November 22 for a week of Dance workshops. Honored with a grant award from the University of San Francisco to study pedagogy in Cuba where Ms. Acedo received a certificate of methodology and pedagogy on the Cuban syllabus from the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.
In 2014 she was awarded with the teaching development fund to do an Intensive Pedagogical Immersion with Celia Marino in New York. She is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique teacher. For the last 15 years Graciela has been a faculty member at, San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA), where she has created original work every year.
As an adjunct professor of University of San Francisco, she has created a relationship between Alonzo King Lines Ballet and students from USF. With the pre-professional program from Diablo Ballet she has staged the classical repertoire. As a main ballet teacher for the Dance Attack School (Sunnyvale) she created the ballet curriculum and program. She is also a faculty member at Ayako Ballet School and at Berkeley Ballet.
Ms. Graciela encourages students to strive for professional careers while giving them individual attention, stressing impeccable technique and nurturing the growth of their uniqueness. She believes in the importance of creating versatile dancers. Many of her students have gone on to dance with professional companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Julliard, Napoles Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Le Grand Ballet of Canada, Boston Conservatory, and other important dance programs. The NIA Gymnastics program features an Open House on Wednesday and Friday November 27 and 29 from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Asha Stevens School Gym. In-house STAR competitions will be December 9th and 13th.
Last but not least don’t miss the Christmas Tribute Show by the Tribute Troops on December 14th! “NIA is certainly closing off the year 2019 bubbling with activities” says Director Arlene Halley Newhouse, we hope that the community of St. Maarten will partake in these wonderful events.
NIA would like to thank all Art, Education and Social supporters among others the Dutch Disaster Fund, MECYS, Belair Beach Hotel, Richardson Bus Transportation, St. Maarten Timeshare Association, TELEM, Worldwide Products and Services, St. Dominic High School.
Source: Souliga Newsday https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com-k2&view=item&id=28436:national-institute-of-arts-ends-2019-with-a-bang&Itemid=451
View comments
Hide comments