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Students inspire each other for Synergy of the Arts
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield High School students sophomore Alex Kluchar (left) and junior Isaiah McInnis-Colon (right) prepared for their solo vocal/guitar performances at the school’s sixth annual Synergy of the Arts on Jan. 16.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield High School sophomore Natalie Brown was inspired to create a sculpture to present at the school’s sixth annual Synergy of the Arts on Jan. 16.
By ABBY SLANKER
More than 25 Canfield High School students performed a varied array of artistic endeavors in a talent show performance during the sixth annual Synergy of the Arts Jan. 16. Canfield Players Drama Club students had to base their talent on the influence of another student’s art, which was started by a secret phrase in a fortune cookie.
Artists, poets, actors, singers, dancers, songwriters, pianists and film makers shared in the performance. The students had to follow specific parameters when developing their original creations and could use any art form they wanted.
In September, students signed up to work independently or in a group and were told they would have one week to come up with their creation once it was their turn. The first students, Nicole Noakes and Alyssa Armstrong, then opened a special fortune cookie with the phrase ‘Light can only shine through broken vessels,‘ which was to serve as the inspiration for their creation.
“The first students are the only ones who knows the phrase in the fortune cookie. The inspiration for each performance morphs and changes throughout the program. It is not clear to each performer what the original phrase is, so each artist interprets the previous performance and gleans inspiration from it and goes in their own direction,” said Dr. Becky Heikkinen, Canfield High School guidance counselor and Drama Club advisor.
At the end of the first week, Noakes and Armstrong had choreographed a ballet duet, which they performed for Mackenzie Wright, who was inspired to write the poem “Shatter Me.” Wright’s poem in turn inspired Alaina Fuller and Bridget Griffin to perform a vocal cover of “Mean” by Taylor Swift.
Alex Kluchar then took inspiration from Fuller and Griffin to perform a guitar/vocal cover of “You’re Not Alone” by Mice and Men. Matt Myers took inspiration from Kluchar’s performance to act on stage. Jaclyn Edelstein used her inspiration from Myers to perform a vocal solo “What I Used to Have.” Kate Jenkins then presented an inspired drawing, which inspired Madeleine Gebacz and Shelby Zarlenga to present a film, “Roots.”
Bailey Brocker used her inspiration from Gebacz and Zarlenga to create a digital painting, all the while inspiring Abby Sigler to create a digital painting. After Sigler, Jennifer McClune then presented her digital painting. Natalie Brown took her inspiration from McClune to create a sculpture.
The band Trial and Error, made up of members Peter Crescimanno, Sam Rantilla, Jake Rizer, Lennon Sackela and Annie Vallas, used their inspiration from Brown to perform “Unafraid” by Crescimanno.
Taylor Mead then played the piano and sang “Set Yourself Free” taking inspritaion from Trial and Error. To close the show, and end the chain, Isaiah McInnis-Colon was inspired to perform his original song “Smoke in the Atmosphere.”
Only Noakes and Armstrong were aware of the words which kicked off the whole process, having read the fortune cookie and each group had only seen the previous group’s finished project.
During the “Synergy of the Arts” performance, all the students were clued in to the original phrase and were able to see the chain of performances.
“Our kids are amazing. They are so dedicated and do everything on their own. We had one meeting in September to start the process and they were responsible for contacting the next person in the chain. We had one dress rehearsal and they were ready to go. They are so great,” Heikkinen said.
According to Heikkinen, the show could not go on without the crew of Jeff Mentzer, Matt Stevens, Anna Brocker, Andrea Stanic, David Labra, Melissa Dahman, Harmeet Kaur, Carmel Cerimele, Camille Bagnola and Elena Merhaut.
“We could not put on this performance without our great crew. We even have former students Jeff Mentzer and Matt Stevens, who are now at YSU, coming back and helping us with many things,” Heikkinen said.
The show was a fundraiser for the Canfield High School drama club, and proceeds will go toward funding next year’s fall musical, “Mary Poppins.”
“Synergy of the Arts started out as a fundraiser, but these students really like, and appreciate, the opportunity to perform, so the show has become much more than a fundraiser. It is less about the money we raise and is so much more about the students’ performances, which is the most important,” Heikkinen said.