By Makenzie Pridgen
This year marks the first winter concert since Covid! This is a big deal because it is the first official concert from the Upper School on stage and in person since abruptly switching to virtual learning in March of 2020. The previous year, performances were pre-recorded and viewed via zoom. This being said, now, has been a special time to feel the joy of watching students shine on stage.
The winter concert typically consists of performances from the Roses Repertory Dance Company, Semiquavers, chorus, as well as upper school dance classes. There are many performances that are constructed with the help of dance teacher, Ms. Short, and music teacher, Ms. Diver.
Putting together a full production can be very tedious and, at times, challenging.
Ms. Diver summarizes the experience as “somewhat going back to some basics about getting on and off stage and performing again and just what it means to be performing and…physicality, expression, presence.”
When asked how it feels to finally have a ‘normal’ showcase after Covid, Ms. Diver replied, “It was so joyful…I really actually found myself getting a little emotional today, more than I thought, because of just feeling the love being sent from an audience was pretty incredible, and getting to actually do something live again was wonderful.”
Many agree that nothing compares to the adrenaline and rush that having a live audience gives someone. Ms. Short attested to this, saying, “immediate applause from the audience afterwards and just bringing back the community feeling was really wonderful.”
Of course, with change comes challenges, as can apply to anything. In reference to this year’s winter performance, just when the community thought they were in the clear, the concert was unexpectedly interrupted by the Omicron Variant of Covid.
“It all had to shift because of the amount of people out due to Covid. We then had to find a new date that would work for people involved,” Ms. Short said. “Just finding time during the school day where students were free and Performing Arts faculty were free was challenging, but you know the community always comes together. All the faculty were so supportive about the time taken away from classes.” The interruption called for postponing and rescheduling so all performers could attend and perform to the best of their ability.
On the brighter side, despite struggles that naturally come with returning to school amid a new variant of Covid, some very joyful things have come out of it. In particular, students were very enthusiastic about putting on these performances. When speaking with Isabel MacFarland, the Roses president, she mentioned that she was very in favor of her class’ dance to a popular song by Adele, “I absolutely love Adele’s music…so dancing to a song that I really like is very fun.”
The winter concert is a time to view the variety of talent within the community of Roland Park. Many students and faculty were so delighted to finally have the opportunity of putting on a real performance again. Isabel McFarland said. “While we have had performances such as opening day, it’s a different feeling being on stage with the lights and an audience.”
So much hard work goes into the winter concert every year, and given challenges thrown their way, this year’s hard work shined through.
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