22 minute read
FEATURE
from November 2019 Issue
Seattle’s youngest performers are also some of our city’s most dedicated. From weeknight rehearsals to lugging instruments on vacation, these kids go the extra mile for the performing arts they love. Meet a few of Seattle’s brightest young stars and the arts educators who are bringing theater, music and dance to kids citywide.
Getting in on the act
Fall f o r FOLK DANCE
Seattle kids learn all about Chinese culture and history through the joy of dance
by MEG BUTTERWORTH / photos by JOSHUA HUSTON
Our bodies tell stories through dance.
Combined with traditional dress and music, dance can be a visual, physical and emotionally evocative way to share culture and history and remind someone of their roots.
Kids in Melody Xie’s classes learn the body language of dance.
This is the driving force behind the Melody Institute Chinese Language and Dance School. Founder Melody Xie has taught traditional Chinese and folk dance to youth in the Seattle area for more than 25 years. “I find it’s a very good tool to make kids interested in culture, to learn about themselves, learn skills and learn the body language of dance,” she says.
Melody arrived in the U.S. in 1992, with her then-3-year-old daughter in tow. They joined her husband, who had made the move earlier to pursue a graduate degree in anthropology from the University of Washington. The move CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >
< Fall for folk dance CONTINUED
not only meant adapting to a new country and customs, but leaving behind a promising academic career of her own. After obtaining a degree in international business from Xiamen University, Melody intended to pursue her Ph.D. to become a professor. She made the difficult decision to forego that path in order to devote her time to her daughter and starting their new life in the U.S.
The transition was not easy. When her daughter was 5 and enrolled in kindergarten, she was not doing well in school. She refused to speak Chinese at home, complained about her black hair and didn’t like that she looked different from her classmates. Melody feared her daughter’s behavior would negatively impact her future and tried to find an explanation for it all. As Melody says, “I found out that she lost her roots, her identity.”
At the time, Melody had recently joined a local Chinese performing arts group. She had been dancing since age 11 and was trained in ballet and traditional Chinese dance and folk dance. Convinced that the most important thing for her daughter was to learn how to appreciate her Chinese culture, Melody considered her dance background and thought, “Maybe I can do something for her.” Since it was close to the Chinese New Year, she asked her daughter’s school if she could teach traditional Chinese dance in her class and perform for a school assembly. She taught her daughter and some of her classmates a short routine and also brought in traditional food to share. It was a success, and a real turning point for her daughter. “I gave her confidence to be proud of herself, and not imitate others,” Melody reflects.
It was a turning point for Melody as well. Soon after, she decided to incorporate dance into the Chinese language classes she was teaching at a small Chinese school in Seattle. She understood that “Asian kids are more shy, not as outgoing. This is a very good way for them to open their minds, to learn how to present themselves in front of people, and is good for the future when they find a job.” In 2005, she started the Melody Institute, the only school in Seattle that offers a mix of Chinese dance and language classes. In 2011, she moved the school to its current location in northeast Seattle. She’s quick to point out that unlike many dance teachers who copy dance routines they see on YouTube or from other performances, she does all of her own choreography. In addition to traditional Chinese dance, she teaches China’s numerous folk and ethnic dance styles. As she says, China is a big country, and it’s important that people know its “minority and not just its majority.” Parents contribute to the cost of costumes and props that she purchases from China.
Classes are open to boys and girls between the ages of 2½ and 18. Melody also offers adult dance and exercise classes. Although
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN FOLK DANCE
If you’re interested in learning about other cultural dance programs for youth in the Seattle area, check out some of these offerings:
3Greek dance:
saintdemetrios.com
3Nordic folk dance:
sites.google.com/site/ barneleikarringen/home
3Mexican folk dance:
joyasmestizas.org
3West African dance:
kouyatearts.com
many of her students are children of Chinese descent or who have been adopted from China, she welcomes students from all different ethnic backgrounds. Her program follows the Seattle Public School calendar, with three sessions per year; summers are off. Classes take place after school and on weekends, and last from an hour and a half to two hours. Class size is limited to 12 students.
The Melody Institute performs at several events in the greater Seattle area and is the only Chinese dance youth group that works with the Seattle Theatre Group. Her students have performed at such popular venues as the Moore Theatre and the Northwest Folklife Festival, where she is a showcase coordinator. Melody also schedules performances at nursing homes and senior centers as a way to imbue in her students the Chinese value of paying respect to your elders.
In addition to educating youth about Chinese culture and its beauty, Melody believes that dance is an effective tool to teach leadership and cooperation. In each class, she assigns a student leader to help group kids, and check on costumes and makeup. She encourages older students to try their hand at choreography. “They have to think,” she says, “instead of just learn to dance.”
Parent feedback has been consistently positive, emphasizing how the Melody Institute has helped their children feel connected and allowed them to explore their culture.
Piper Bronson’s two adopted daughters participated in Melody’s language and dance classes from the time they were 4 until they graduated from high school. “It was important for us to do what we could to help them maintain contact with their Chinese heritage,” says Bronson. “Over time, I realized Melody was also a mentor to the kids. That’s what I valued most.”
At 59, Melody reflects on what she has gotten out of teaching dance to youth all of these years: “Lots of people my age start to retire and wait for the end of their life. I find meaning in my life, to help people, to give them what I know and to see how happy they become. That’s the most achievement for a teacher.” q For more information about the Melody Institute: melodyinstitute.org
Juan Felipe Molano conducts the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Transforming lives THROUGH MUSIC
Raising the next generation of classical musicians, one note at a time
by DANIELLE HAYDEN / photos by JOSHUA HUSTON
The rehearsals are nearly as good as the concerts them
selves. Sure, the acoustics of the space are incredible, but what’s truly awe-inspiring is listening to the sheer talent of some of Seattle’s most exceptional young musicians as they play the works of legendary composers. Each movement enraptures; a crescendo of pride swells in the audience as we sit, spellbound.
The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) is the largest youth symphony in the United States, as well as one of the oldest. Last season marked its 75th anniversary, and its legacy is apparent. Since its inception it has grown into an organization of great renown, with a considerable range of programs for young musicians. From five orchestras, to two summer programs, partnerships with local schools and a conservatory, SYSO offers a breadth of opportunity for cultivating musicianship in Seattle to more than 1,800 students per year.
Admission is competitive; auditions include a combination of scales, a solo, and sight reading, and many talented prospects are turned away. For those admitted, the work can be grueling but the payoff is great.
Violinist Leeia Stroh, 14, eagerly anticipates SYSO rehearsals every Saturday. “Yes, I look forward to sitting in a chair for four hours doing the same three pieces over and over again. And yes, it can be very difficult at times,” she says. “But the coaches and the conductors make everything seem possible. Not only possible, but easy and fun. They break the hard spots down into just a few note spots, and drill us through them until it starts to sound like music.”
Of course, parental support is key. Providing encouragement, shuttling kids to rehearsals, keeping them on track with practicing, and setting up private lessons are just a few of the responsibilities families take on for their young musicians.
“Our family does a lot of weekend hiking, skiing and camping trips, and joining SYSO meant saying goodbye to family outings on Saturdays and weekdays,” says Leeia’s mom, Lucie Huang.
For Martha Reynolds, whose son Hugo plays the French horn with SYSO, the commitment felt natural: “We are a family of musicians. While pregnant with him, I routinely placed earphones on either side of my belly and played the Adagio movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major.”
Research on music education reveals a number of benefits, such as improved cognition and memory, teamwork skills, stronger academic performance and other advantages, compared to peers who are not exposed to music. Despite the benefits of arts education, many students around the country have suffered losses, as arts-based classes and programs are deemed expendable and cut from the school budget.
SYSO strives to close the music education opportunity gap through the Musical Pathways project, bringing classical music instruction to Seattle public schools where economic barriers have limited student exposure to the arts. Giving students in less affluent neighborhoods the opportunity to work with professionals at the top of their field is a core value of the organization.
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SYSO features some of the area’s best young musicians.
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The Endangered Instruments program, another one of SYSO’s educational initiatives, teaches less-taught orchestral instruments to interested players. Instruments like the viola and bassoon are often overlooked in favor of the violin or flute. By offering free instruction for these and other underexplored instruments, SYSO helps to maintain a robust assembly of players.
“Music is a human right,” says Juan Felipe Molano, the organization’s new musical director.
Born in Colombia, Maestro Molano is happy to call Seattle his new home. “Seattle has been and will be an incubator for really talented people,” says Molano, citing other classical art forms such as ballet and opera, but also grunge rock and other alternative art forms that consider this city their birthplace. He believes that Seattle’s melting pot is also a strength of our city. “The immigrants in this part of the country are so diverse. Different cultures coming together in one place … the arts are [positively] affected by that.”
This cultural cornucopia is something he’d like to see a little more of in the SYSO’s repertoire as well. In the future, Molano would like to enhance the 18th- and 19th-century European artists who comprise the traditional canon by adding compositions from other cultural backgrounds — American, Asian and South American, for example — whose work is likewise brilliant, but lesser known. Molano believes that this will help to usher in an era of well-rounded musicians: “We need to remind the next generation that diversity and inclusion are so important.”
Although each individual member of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra is remarkable, the harmonies they produce will leave you speechless — giving credence to the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
SEE SYSO LIVE Interested in seeing the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra live? Juan Felipe Molano’s debut concert with SYSO is Sunday, Nov. 17 at Benaroya Hall. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit syso.org/ concerts-tickets
Seattle’s GOT TALENT
Local child actors work hard, learn important lessons and make lifelong memories
by HALLIE GOLDEN / photo by JOSHUA HUSTON
When a friend suggested to Heather Sanders that her daughter Piper Harden would make a very cute Tiny Tim in ACT Theatre’s 2018 production of A Christmas Carol, she thought it might be a fun
opportunity. The then-7-year-old had enjoyed acting in productions at Tacoma Musical Playhouse and modeling for print and commercials when she was younger. But this would be Piper’s first foray into professional stage performance.
Piper went to a half-hour audition, where she performed a monologue and sang “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie. She was asked to return for a callback, where she read Tiny Tim’s lines with other young actors under consideration for the show.
Days later, Sanders received a call from CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >
Piper Harden, left, and Tia Kwanbock are veterans of A Christmas Carol.
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< A Christmas Carol CONTINUED
casting director Margaret Layne, with some good news: Piper had been cast as Tiny Tim. The second-grader would become one of the youngest children ever cast in ACT’s annual holiday production.
“It was crazy, I could not believe when I got the part,” says Piper, now 8. “It was like, mind blown.”
In its 44th year, A Christmas Carol has become a beloved holiday tradition at ACT Theatre in downtown Seattle. The adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous 1843 novella follows grumpy old miser Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey through his past, present and future, ultimately reigniting the true holiday spirit of generosity.
Actors dedicate weeks to intensive rehearsals, then commit to dozens of performances between Nov. 29 and Dec. 28, sometimes twice a day. Seven are younger than 16.
Kelly Kitchens, directing the show for the first time this holiday season, says the child actors rehearse mostly after school under guardian supervision, but otherwise are held to the same professional standards as the adult actors. They are as much a part of the production as anyone else, and Kitchens plans to treat them accordingly.
“They’re all at different points on the journey of how many stories that they’ve potentially told or how much training that they’ve had,” says Kitchens. “But in the end, it’s about reflecting humanity, and I believe everyone is capable of that.”
On a late September Sunday, ACT Theatre held an open-call audition: 40 children between 6 and 15 delivered their prepared monologue, sang a song, and played a series of interactive theater games with other youth actors.
“It is a very efficient process, this casting process,” says Kitchens. “So children who are prepared, have a sense of play and who can live truthfully inside a set of circumstances; those are the ones I think that will bloom in the callback room.”
Twenty-eight youths were invited to return for a callback during the second week of October. Only a handful joined the final 2019 cast.
Tia Kwanbock, 16, who has played Bob Cratchit’s oldest daughter Martha the past two years, said she learned a lot working alongside professional adult actors. In a party scene in last year’s production, she had to improvise with an adult actor. She was impressed by his ability to commit to speaking and acting like his character, whether it was a performance or simply a rehearsal.
“You’re working with people who are doing what you want to do as equals, which is such a unique experience, and [it’s] incredible to learn from people who are doing what they love for a career,” says Kwanbock.
As a high school student at Seattle’s Lakeside School, Kwanbock talked with the administration about having to miss most of 8th period during the rehearsal process. She had to meet regularly with her teachers, making up any work she missed.
Piper and her family live in Gig Harbor, about an hour south of Seattle, so it took a bit more planning. While it would have been possible to commute to the theater every day, Sanders wanted her daughter well rested for the show, so they rented an apartment on Capitol Hill.
Sanders opted to homeschool Piper during the rehearsal and performance process. Her elementary school teachers sent worksheets and granted access to schoolPiper Harden as Tiny Tim.
Tia Kwanbock as
Martha Cratchit.
work online. Sanders also incorporated the show into Piper’s schooling, making the play script a reading assignment and requiring her to keep a daily journal.
All that work paid off. Piper, who dreams of appearing on the TV show America’s Got Talent and working as a professional actor when she grows up, said she had a wonderful experience playing Tiny Tim in last year’s show.
“She loved the crowd,” says Sanders. “One thing she said was, ‘We say the same things, but the crowd acts different every night, so it feels different.’ ”
In fact, Sanders says Piper began asking about auditioning for the show again less than two months after the 2018 show run ended.
“At 7, with the first big production, it’s kind of like, well, fingers crossed that it goes well,” says Sanders. “I figured she’ll either be retiring at the end of December or we’ll be in it for the long haul. And here we are. She’s talked about it all year.”
Editor’s Update: Piper landed the role of Tiny Tim for 2019! See Piper and the rest of this year’s talented cast in ACT Theater’s SEE A CHRISTMAS CAROL 44th production of A Christmas Carol Editor’s update: Piper landed the role during the show run Nov. 29–Dec. 28, 2019. of Tiny Tim for 2019! See Piper and No one under the age of 5 permitted. Backthe rest of this year’s talented cast stage tours available for weekend matinee in ACT Theater’s 44th production shows. acttheatre.org of A Christmas Carol during the show run Nov. 29–Dec. 28, 2019.
No one under the age of 5 permitted.
Backstage tours available for weekend matinee shows. 3acttheatre.org
1
Nov. 5
Detective Cookie’s Chess Club
Head to the Rainier Beach Library and learn to play chess! This game club has been around for more than a decade, and new members are always welcome. Great for children 7 and older and teens.
2
Nov. 8
Mommy Matinees at the Admiral
Remember pre-kids, long ago, when you could go to a movie theater? Those days are back at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater. Bring your child and enjoy a movie where no one cares about fussing or crying.
3
Nov. 8-17
The Monkey King
A rambunctious young boy wants to be a god! Bellevue Youth Theater brings this adaptation of a classic Chinese legend to life on stage. Does the Monkey King have supernatural abilities? Find out.
4
Nov. 14-15
Rise Up: The Hamilton Tribute Band
Rise Up is an ensemble of top Seattle vocalists and musicians who perform the amazing music of Hamilton. Don’t miss this incredible, uplifting event at the Kirkland Performance Center.
5
Nov. 28
Seattle Turkey Trot
Burn a few calories before the big feast for a great cause. Join this fun, annual 5K run/walk in Ballard benefiting the Ballard Food Bank. Strollers and dogs on a leash 6 feet or shorter are welcome.
„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, frequently updated calendar go to seattleschild.com »Calendar
What’s happening around town
11/19
by LEAH WINTERS
Friday, November 1
SEATTLE AREA Community Night Out at SAM. Celebrate Día de los Muertos at SAM by checking out this year’s unique tapete (sand painting) installation inspired by Oaxaca’s beautiful traditions. There will be a dance performance, art activities and music. 7 to 9 pm. FREE. Seattle Art Museum, Downtown Seattle. www.seattleartmuseum.org
Family Nature Class: Falling
Leaves. Preschoolers and caregivers explore the natural world using all five senses, creativity, and pre-math and literacy skills. Activities, circle time and a short hike with games and stories. 9:30 to 11 am. $$. Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle. www.botanicgardens.uw.edu
Small Frye: Storytelling + Art.
A dramatic storytelling by Seattle Children’s Theatre in the galleries, followed by an optional art-making session. For preschoolers and caregivers. 10:30 to 11:45 am. FREE; pre-register. Frye Art Museum, First Hill. www.fryemuseum.org Family Fun Night. If you’re looking for family fun on a Friday night, here’s your ticket. Tonight’s theme: Board Games! 6:30 to 8:30 pm. FREE. Ravenna Eckstein Community Center, Seattle. www.seattle.gov/parks
Día de los Muertos & Movie Night.
Celebrate and learn about this Mexican tradition. Dance performances, face painting, sugar skull designing and a movie screening. 5:30 to 8:30 pm. FREE. Miller Community Center, Seattle. www.seattle.gov/parks
SOUTH SOUND
Disney on Ice Presents: Mickey’s
Search Party. A brand-new adventure filled with world-class skating,
Día de Muertos at Seattle Center
high-flying acrobatics and unexpected stunts! Performances include characters from favorites including Peter Pan, Coco, Moana, Beauty & the Beast, Frozen, Aladdin, and more. 7 to 9 pm tonight; various times through Nov. 4. $$ to $$$. ShoWare Center, Kent. www.disneyonice.com
EASTSIDE Free First Friday at BAM. BAM’s Free First Friday program offers free admission to the Museum the first Friday of each month, with special lectures, tours, presentations, and programming throughout the day. Extended hours from 11 am to 8 pm. FREE. Bellevue Arts Museum. www.bellevuearts.org
Saturday, November 2
SEATTLE AREA Día de Muertos. Experience the Mexican traditions of this day honoring
departed loved ones with crafts, food, performances, displays and more. 11 am to 7 pm Sat. and 11 am to 6 pm Sun. FREE. Seattle Center Armory (Lower Queen Anne). www.seattlecenter.com Green Seattle Day. Get out into your local neighborhood to help restore Seattle’s forests. Join the fun at 17 parks across the city, and be one of hundreds of volunteers planting thousands of plants. Begins at 9 am. FREE; preregister. Various park locations. www.greenseattle.org Day of the Dead Festival. Watch a neighborhood parade, followed by a festival of music, dance, crafts, a community altar, sugar skull decorating and more. 3 to 7 pm. FREE. Phinney Center, (Phinney Ridge), Seattle. www.phinneycenter.org
Hmong New Year Celebration.
Experience the culture of the Hmong people from the highlands of China, Laos and Thailand. 11 am. FREE. Seattle Center Armory, Lower Queen Anne. www.seattlecenter.com
NORTH SOUND
Northwest Artists Holiday Show.
Award-winning artists will be selling paintings, prints, pottery, gourmet food and more. 10 am to 5 pm today and Sun. FREE; donations appreciated. Unitarian Universalist Church, Edmonds. www.nwartshow.org
SOUTH SOUND Pier Into the Night Live Dive. Take an underwater journey of Gig Harbor Bay… without getting wet. Professional divers livestream what they encounter below the surface. Narrated by biologists. 6 to 7 pm. FREE. Jerisich Public Dock, Gig Harbor. www.harborwildwatch.org
Sunday, November 3
SEATTLE AREA ArtVenture: Bodies of Water. Which animals and plants live around us in the Puget Sound area? Investigate this and other water-themed ideas as you make art. 1 to 3 pm. FREE. Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington. www.henryart.org Toddler Time at the Aquarium. Tots explore developmentally age-appropri- ate, hands-on activities. For children 5 and younger. 9:30 am to noon today through Nov. 5 and Nov. 10-12. $$$. Seattle Aquarium, Downtown Seattle. www.seattleaquarium.org
Bunka no Hi Japanese Culture Day.
Japanese groups and organizations showcase their cultural traditions in- cluding taiko drums, tea ceremony, mu- sic, dancing, food (cash only), martial arts, games and crafts. 11 am to 4 pm. FREE. Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, Seattle (Interna- tional District). www.jcccw.org
EASTSIDE
Juanita Bay Park Interpretative
Tour. Watch for songbirds, waterfowl, turtles and more during a ranger-led interpretive tour of this wildlife habitat. Children ages 6 and older. 1 to 2 pm. FREE. Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland. www.eastsideaudubon.org Plant a Tree. Learn why some tree leaves change color and others don’t. Then go for a walk through the forest and plant a willow tree. Children ages 5-10 and caregivers. 2:30 to 3:30 pm. FREE; pre-register. Lewis Creek Park, Bellevue. www.bellevuewa.gov
