Throughout the school year our 6th, 7th and 8th grade students take a variety of visual and performing arts elective classes taught by our artists in residence as well as local professional artists. Twice during the year these students come together to share the culmination of their artistic endeavors with their families, friends and the community at large in the NCSA Artistic Showcase.
Drama, dance and music teachers work with their classes during the semester to prepare finished pieces for the evening performance. Visual art teachers respectfully prepare their students’ artwork for public display in the exhibit coinciding with the performance. Our January Showcase includes auditioned pieces created outside of school — often a dance with original choreography, a small band playing an original song, a poetry reading or theatrical monologue — while our May Showcase is reserved exclusively for work created in school.
The Artistic Showcase is presented at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, giving students the experience of performing on a professional stage with high quality technical support, and simultaneously showing their visual artwork in a public gallery. Several students are trained as the backstage crew and are responsible for working with adult Sound and Light Technicians to make sure the performance flows smoothly. The art exhibit is displayed for two to three weeks and allows the wider community to see what we do at NCSA.
The Artistic Showcase is both motivating and exciting for all of our students and it is a highlight for the entire school as we gather our community and celebrate arts in education!