DAWSON’S PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS

Middle School Arts Showcase

In November, our fifth through eighth-grade students put their incredible first-semester visual arts, photography, and 3D design and technology work on display for our entire community during a special art show. This was an amazing opportunity for students to hone their public presentation skills by sharing their artistic processes and various forms of self-expression through different media, as well as further advance the Mission and Vision behind the Dawson Difference.

THIRD-GRADE IDENTITY

PBL ART SHOW

In their visual arts class, our third-grade students investigated how artists portray identity through visual images. Their culminating project during the first semester was to interview a member of Dawson’s administrative team to create a piece of art that not only showcases how a person looks but who they are –their unique identity. During a special exhibition of their work in December, students shared their creative process and how they used their ideas to finalize their art pieces.

In a first-ever joint Coffeehouse performance, our seventh and eighth graders brought their orchestra and choir skills together for two songs, “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons and “I Put a Spell On You” from the Harry Potter films. The night also featured eight soloists, two duets, and one trio.

Kindergarten Musical We Honor The Brave

Set at a Veterans Day parade, the kindergarten musical performance We Honor the Brave celebrates and honors the men and women who have risked or given their lives to protect our country and those who are currently serving in all branches of the military. Families, faculty, and Early Childhood students attended this special performance on Veterans Day itself, a holiday recognized by our entire community with in-school commemorative activities and events.

2ND-GRADE MUSICAL JOURNEY INTO OUTER SPACE

The second graders performed Journey Into Outer Space , complete with fun songs about the planets, the moon, space travel, and aliens. This fun and joyful performance was an excellent way to debut our renovated Dining Hall stage!

4TH-GRADE MUSICAL GO WEST!

The fourth-grade musical, Go West! combines music, history, and drama to explore important facts about the westward expansion of the early United States as adventurers of all kinds make their way west to chase the promise of the American dream. This musical performance allows students to make cross-curricular connections, as it pairs with fourth-grade social studies units focused on indigenous peoples, modern pioneers, and westward movement.

Middle School Acting Showcases

During the first semester theater-acting elective, students studied aspects of theater in multi-cultural, social, and historical contexts.The fifth graders performed the one-act play Container of Sharks , a parody of the show Shark Tank , and the sixth graders performed the one-act play So You Wanna Be A Cheerleader , which showcased students’ comedic acting skills during a series of cheerleading auditions gone wrong. The seventh and eighth-grade acting students performed an adapted play of Lewis Carroll’s classic story Alice in Wonderland , complete with the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, and many others as Alice traveled through Wonderland. The students flourished on stage and off, building their talents and gaining the confidence to share their skills and ideas.

MIDDLE SCHOOL WINTER CHOIR & ORCHESTRA CONCERTS

Our Middle School students spent the first semester focusing on perfecting their craft as individuals and as an ensemble through collaborative musical efforts. Though the work is difficult, students find a lot of reward through public performances, which include the culminating winter choir and orchestra concerts in December. Both with a theme centered around holiday music, students had the chance to showcase their talents as soloists, small ensembles, and large groups. All students enjoyed the chance to express their passion for music, singing, instruments, and community, and they gained a wealth of knowledge about music theory, history, and appreciation.

7TH & 8TH-GRADE PERFORMANCE AT THE SMITH CENTER

Our Middle School vocal ensemble and orchestra students showcased their musical talents at a pre-performance experience for The Nutcracker ballet in the lobby of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in December. “Dawson students are incredible on and off the stage,” says Cindy Fox with Nevada Ballet Theater. “Their talent, attitudes, and overall demeanor are wonderful, and we work with a lot of performers. Thank you for sharing their professionalism and enthusiasm with us.”

Early Childhood Winter Performances

All five Early Childhood classes participated in developmentally-appropriate winter musical performances that fostered self-esteem, creative thinking, concentration, and teamwork skills. As an introduction to later taking the stage in front of a live audience, students enjoyed smaller-scale opportunities to perform for their families in the EC lobby. The students chose their roles in the performances, and each class was involved in all of the preparation for their shows. This process included brainstorming what they wanted their costumes to look like and then sketching the designs, gluing pieces, and helping with the sewing machine to make them. Students also used their finger-painting skills to design the backdrops, save-the-dates, and programs for their shows. Additionally, our eight-grade music tech students helped with the music by enhancing the sounds and slowing it down so the EC students could better sing along.

Early Childhood Winter Performances