May 20 & 21, 2021, online
County Prep Dance celebrates its 20th annual concert with a student produced dance film, How Does the Journey End?. In response to the events of the past year, students redirected their attention to using movement as a tool for storytelling in film. Students conceived of the show’s theme, and also choreographed, filmed, and edited the work. The hour-long film offers an important perspective on how our youth are experiencing the pressures and unrest of today’s world. How Does the Journey End? will be screened virtually on May 20 & 21 at 7pm Tickets here: https://www.onthestage.com/show/county-prep-high-school/how-does-the-journey-end-64141
The County Prep Dance program was founded in 2001, with the intention of offering access to dance education and training for all teens in Hudson County. The program is focused on creative process and art-making, and provides the opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to dive into a focused and creative dance program. Shifts are currently happening in arts education toward the values on which our program was founded: how cultural diversity and inclusion elevates the dance classroom. The program supports advanced students with an opportunity to join the 407 Dance Company, where select dancers perform work by guest choreographers. County Prep also hosts the ChIRP dance residency, which provides partnership with professional dance artists who teach and mentor students while developing their professional work in the school’s black box theater. County Prep dancers have been recognized by the NJ Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, the NJ State Teen Arts Festival, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the National Honors Society for Dance Arts. Alumni have gone on to study at renowned institutions such as NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Mason Gross at Rutgers, and have performed with Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, the Latin Ballet of VA, and beyond.
Instructor Heather Warfel Sandler has been teaching at County Prep for 21 years, and is a professional artist living in Jersey City. Her art practice is interdisciplinary, and she brings that perspective into the classroom, by allowing students to define their own aesthetics and creative pathways. Ms.WarfelSandler is also the Chair of the Jersey City Arts Council, a local arts advocacy organization. “I see my work with the JC Arts Council as an extension of my dedication to young artists. As our education programs prepare students for careers in the arts, it is important to ensure that we are living in a society that supports and recognizes the value of creative workers.” Ms.WarfelSandler has presented her teaching methodologies for Jersey City Public Schools, Dance New Jersey, and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). She recently joined NDEO’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion workgroup, and continues to dedicate herself to equitable arts education locally and nationally.
For more information about the program visit: https://www.countyprepdance.org/
For tickets to How Does the Journey End? visit: https://www.onthestage.com/show/county-prep-high-school/how-does-the-journey-end-64141