I recently came across the most thought-provoking reel by Ethan Hawke, where he proposes that “Art is not a luxury; it’s actually sustenance… we need it.” He expounds that we often don’t pay attention to poetry or art until something terrible happens, and we need to make sense of the world. Or the inverse, something extraordinary happens, and our heart explodes, and we turn to art to check in and see if anyone has ever felt this way before. This was solidified for me earlier this term when I had the pleasure of attending the annual Dance Curriculum Evening here at Kristin.

This event is where students in Years 10-13 showcase their work. For those in Years 12 and 13, the performance pieces on this evening make up a significant portion of their final NCEA grade. The first section of dances had been choreographed by the Year 13 students, and the intention of their piece was read aloud to the audience before we watched the dance unfold. Some examples of the intentions are outlined below:

“My piece embodies the notion of the well-known mantra “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” that influences humans to ignore and remain silent in the face of injustice.”

“Inspired by the soldiers of World War II, my choreographic intention is to convey how leaning on each other for support bands individuals together, instilling strength within them.”

“My intention is to portray the struggle of feeling overwhelmed and striving to break free of negative emotions by searching for an escape. Despite persistent efforts, each attempt proves to be futile.”

For anyone who has ever questioned whether dance or any other arts subjects are an academically rigorous offering, this evening put that to rest. These students not only have to know and hone their craft, think critically, and develop art in response to an authentic prompt, but vulnerability is a prerequisite for success. They are learning to turn the human experience into something visual to give it shared meaning. It’s critical thinking in action.

I read an article by a local playwright who stated that she will never get used to the deeply uncomfortable feeling of putting her art into the world for others' judgement. However, she was encouraging other writers not to let this discomfort stop them from creating and sharing their creations with the world. Our children are learning this as they engage with the arts here at Kristin: to be bold and brave and to face the criticism that will inevitably come their way. I don’t know about you, but I feel that these are definitely the skills we want our children to learn in a supportive environment such as ours.

Ethan Hawke finishes by reminding us that creativity is not just a nice to have but “In singing our song, in telling our story, [art] is inviting you to say ‘hey, listen to me, and I’ll listen to you’. We’re starting a dialogue, and we start to witness each other's common humanity."

Thank you to all teachers for guiding students in their creative pursuits, and congratulations to all students who are brave and bold enough to share their work.