Second-graders Made Us Squirm!
The first grade-level show of the school year
Just in time for Halloween, the second-graders performed the musical Squirm!, an eerie, comical show about the creepy critters that make us all, well, squirm.
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The leadership of the creative team, Jessica Barker (music), Lindsey Curry (dramatics and tech), and Cathy Finne (choreography), led the students to deliver a fun, polished performance in just one week.
"We spent time in Music Class working to sing with a blended choral tone," said Music Specialist Jessica Barker. "This requires each singer to focus simultaneously on their own voice and those around them; working as a team to achieve a balanced sound."
Dance Manager Cathy Finne is new to JCDS this year, and this was her first show at the school. She enjoyed the experience with the students.
"I do feel quite a bit of self-applied pressure to make sure the choreography is special," said Ms. Finne. "I want to make sure the students enjoy the movement and, of course, have fun while doing it."
The show opened with the familiar nursery rhyme characters of Miss Muffett (played by Eesha M.) and the Itsy-Bitsy Spider (Alexandros F.), and an Addams Family-inspired opener, We're Going to Make You Squirm.
They sang and danced to a Bossa Nova beat of It's So Cool to Be a Worm.
A moody black-light spider dance, enhanced by glowing spider webs, was a crowd favorite.
Fine Arts Coordinator Lindsay Curry worked with the students on their lines, as well as handled the spider's share of the staging and lighting effects.
"I am always trying to enhance the set designs and lighting," explained Ms. Curry. "The black lights for this show are always a big hit! This year, we added the glowing spider webs as a prop for our dancers."
Ms. Finne added, "The spider dancers were very excited to use spider webs. Many of them have never used a prop before, so they were very inquisitive!"
Eight boys dressed in green became the Snake in the GraSSSSS, and the vaudeville-suggested Bats are So Beautiful offered some clever dancing as well as a string of lighthearted jests.
By the end of the show, the Itsy-Bitsy Spider was finally successful at climbing up the water spout, which led into the closing number, a reprise of We're Going to Make You Squirm.
"This year we used a spider puppet to help the Itsy-Bitsy Spider climb up the water spout," Ms. Barker noted. "Alexandros was a great puppeteer!"
The show was enjoyed by the families, students, and faculty who were in attendance. The young performers received a thunderous round of applause!
"The second-graders did a great job," Ms. Finne said. "The only challenge we faced was containing their excitement to perform!"
Sharky rates this show "two fins up!"
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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