On Saturday May 18, NDB held its annual Evening of the Arts at the College of San Mateo’s theater. The event was created in order to celebrate work from the Visual and Performing Arts Department, with displays from classes such as Art and Sculpture and performances by Dance.
All VPA electives include entry-level courses and continue to more grueling classes, the highest being AP Art Studio, Sculpture IV and the In-Step dance team to name a few. While the art classes require students to begin at the entry-level, dancers can audition in the spring of each school year and are then placed where their skills are best suited, beginners starting with Dance I while the more experienced students are moved to In-Step.
The Evening of the Arts is the most anticipated night of the year for this department as it is a chance for the students’ hard work from throughout the year to be represented to the entire NDB community. Tickets were available for purchase for anyone interested in attending, with the link being posted on NDB’s website.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the VPA department held separate showcases for theater and art. However, since NDB’s return to in-person schooling, there has been a singular event to display the work of the entire department, which was held on campus. The last two year this was moved to CSM so that it can include a proper stage as well as an art gallery.
Students began preparations for the night early in the school year, spending months perfecting their routines and art work while staffulty finalized details regarding the location and how it would be run.
“We come in in August, we talk about what we think the ideas are going to be and we talk about what kind of art we think we’re going to do,” said VPA Department Chair Marthaanne Kuntz. “And then crunch time is usually around the holidays, Christmas, because that’s when we realize we only have a few months left and we have to see what actually fits what art pieces are going to go in and what dance pieces.”
At 5:30, the doors to CSM opened and attendees were invited to browse amongst the work in the Art Gallery, which was complete with refreshments. The displays included pieces from Art and Sculpture classes, many connected to a central theme.
“I want [artwork] to be a little bit more advanced than that so that when it’s shown people are really impressed with the ideas behind it,” said Kuntz. “And as far as Ms. [Coleen] Lorenz and the dancers are concerned, I think that they think more about the movements they have and they put [them] together. One of the numbers that they have this year has to do with saying goodbye, because many of them are graduating and so it starts to come together with the different pieces and then we get a thread.”
The effort and care that had gone into creating each piece was exceedingly evident by looking at the Art Gallery. The multitude of colors and artistic mediums represented allowed for a vibrant hall with plenty of interesting samples to draw one’s eye.
Then, at 6:45 p.m., the auditorium was opened and guests enjoyed performances from the Dance classes. NDB’s In-Step team showcased 25 dances that students had choreographed, offering an impressive lineup of entertainment.
“As a senior member of our In-Step company, I’m actually the only upperclassman, so my job is to kind of see through all our pieces … and I also choreograph a couple of pieces, clean them,” said junior Keara McDevitt. “We basically take all our dances from the open house and our winter show, or winter performance. And then we continue on learning throughout the spring and we just take them all and put into the show. So as of currently, I have eight groups and one solo for the show.”
Although it requires an extraordinary amount of effort, the Evening of the Arts is an important tradition as it gives students the opportunity to express themselves through their art and shine onstage through a celebration of creativity as well as showcase the many offerings of the VPA Department.
