High School Students Are Living the Art of Pawtucket

The Pawtucket Arts Festival promises something new at this year’s celebration: an exciting work titled “Living the Art of Pawtucket,” a collaboration between Ten31 Productions, Metamorphosis Dance Company, students from Shea and Tolman High Schools and local musicians. This 10-minute movement piece is being created with the goal of representing and celebrating the diversity of Pawtucket by gathering a community of professional artists and high school students to create a piece of moving art. The piece is being formed through several rehearsals based on improvisational movement and very structured movement.

Shea High School is known for its highly praised annual fashion show that incorporates dance. This new festival piece is an off-shoot of the Shea event, but welcomes collaboration with professional artists. The music that provides the backdrop for the piece comes from a mixture of local artists’ talents and pop music. The high school students perform as the models, and although they don’t walk a traditional runway, each student’s specific movements represent the structured elements of the piece. The Metamorphosis dancers intertwine between and around the models, creating fascinating singular pictures that are powerful and thought provoking.

Costumes play a huge role in this piece as simple ideas come together to create a kaleidoscope of messages about engaging with and celebrating our individuality, our diversity, our equality and our beauty.

“Living the Art of Pawtucket,” which is funded in part by RISCA, will be presented in the streets of Pawtucket  in the Cultural Shock area on September 22.