Upcoming Performing Arts

This year, the Performing Arts Cultural Program for SD83 schools will showcase a vibrant array of performances including, ventriloquism, dance, clown acts, music and more. Schools will be hosting Ventastic, LazyLegz, Piano Heist, and the Merry Marching Band.

Program organizers, Michelle Reed, Vice Principal of District Music, and Gloria Cox, Vice Principal at J.L. Jackson, emphasize the importance of arts and cultural performances in student development. These experiences foster creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, allowing students to explore different perspectives, cultures, and histories.

By engaging with music, theatre, dance, and visual arts, students enhance their appreciation for diversity and the world around them. These experiences not only encourage self-expression and build confidence but also promote hands-on learning that goes beyond traditional academics. Overall, the arts and cultural programs nurture well-rounded individuals, contributing significantly to their cognitive and social development.

Ventasti
The Performing Arts schedule will be kicked off in early October with Ventastic, a one man show featuring award winning ventriloquist and puppeteer, Michael Harrison of Victoria. Michael turns ventriloquism upside-down with his original puppets and creative routines that have amazed audiences of all ages for over 30 years.

Michael channels the talents of his legendary great grandfather, Frank Merryfield (vaudeville ventriloquist) into a one-man, laugh out loud romp into the past with his new up to date twist on this long lost art form. Michael is a talented ventriloquist, puppeteer and comedian with a lifetime of experience in this unique field of entertainment. He has worked with Kelly Clarkson, The Muppets and Boyz to Men. He has headlined on the world’s most luxurious cruise lines; Disney, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian and Crystal.  Michael took his talents to a new level when he appeared on America’s Got Talent, receiving glowing reviews from the celebrity judges.  He has written and performed on the award winning television show “Kids in the Firehall” (Bronze Apple Award Winner) and is the star of the reality television pilot “The Dummy Test”.

No Excuses, No Limits. – LazyLegz
In late October, Montreal-based dancer/motivational speaker Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli will be performing at SD83 high schools. Fresh off his featured performances at the recent Olympics and Paralympics, Lazylegz spreads positive thinking by sharing their stories with motivational entertainment programs and theatrical dance performances worldwide.

Patuelli has been dancing since the age of 15. He has developed a unique dance style by incorporating his crutches and the strength of his arms, earning him worldwide recognition. Luca came up with the idea to create an all-star team of some of the world’s best differently-abled dancers. ILL-ABILITIES™ was officially formed in 2007.

The crew gets its name from the standard in hip-hop culture of using a negative term to refer to something positive. Examples of this can be heard in studios or at competitions where dancers compliment each other by saying they were bad, nasty or mean. The “ill” in ILL-ABILITIES™ does not refer to “sick” or “unwell” but rather to incredible, amazing, intricate, talent.

Although the crew will not be in SD83, Patuelli will be accompanied by his DJ, who shares stories and teaches about the arts of Hip Hop and being a DJ.

Piano Heist
Described as a delightful performance of innovation, comedy and a creative history of piano tunes wrapped in a feel good presentation, Piano Heist is coming to SD83 elementary and middle schools in mid-January.

Lifelong friends, and colleagues, Nico Rhodes, and Patrick Courtin, ‘shocked and appalled’ by the realization that piano just isn’t cool anymore, set off on a divine quest to redeem the keyboard and reinstate its reputation as the greatest instrument of ALL TIME! Armed with the music of the greatest composers, songwriters and performers of the past 300 years, and the technology of the 21st century – their virtual orchestra D.O.U.G.I. (Digital Orchestral Ultimate Gizmo Intelligence), Nico and Patrick deliver everything from classical piano raptures to bombastic boogie woogie, from romantic piano ballads to 80’s keyboard synth battles in their show Piano Heist! What ensues is a mishmash of theatrical wonder, comedy, audience participation, heartfelt stories, a pinch of history, and a world of musical madness.

Merry Marching Band
Merry Marching Band will be bringing a contemporary approach that merges music, body percussion and clowning to SD83 elementary and middle schools in mid-May as they introduce students to brass instruments and music from around the world.

The show features a band from the town of Underpantsburg. Under the guidance of a pompous band leader, who is by turns bossy and bird-brained, this merry band sets out to see the world. With plenty of humour, no small amount of eccentricity and a touch of poetry, the band of music-makers makes its merry way—with a honk and a toot and a rat-a-tat-tat—from Quebec to Brazil to Ukraine and back, with a stopover on Planet Mars!

In a resolutely modern performance that combines world music with the clown arts, The Merry Band introduces young audiences to brass instruments and even a little body percussion. Set to playful choreography, each number celebrates the music of a particular country, with zany antics and talented musicians making for a fun, discovery-filled performance that will leave kids eager to embark on a musical journey of their own.