Two California Stories Told Through Dance

The annual second grade dance intensive with Susan Thomasson offers students an introduction to the elements of dance while building toward a final performance.  

“Movement is a language through which we can tell stories, create images or pictures, create abstract patterns in space and time, and express emotions — it’s capable of all those things,” Ms. Thomasson told an audience of parents in Syufy Theatre before the second grade boys took the stage.

Inspired by a K–12 dance curriculum Ms. Thomasson created for New York City’s Department of Education focused on the Chinese-American experience, Stuart Hall students performed an original piece depicting Chinese workers’ contributions to building the Transcontinental Railroad. 

The following week, Convent second graders told the migration story of westward-bound pioneer women on the California Trail who challenged gender roles with an adventurous spirit and a resourceful approach to life on a wagon train.

Made possible by the Hudson Gibson Endowed Fund to support the Beaux Arts Artist-in-Residence Program at Stuart Hall for Boys and a related endowed fund at Convent Elementary, a dance workshop with Ms. Thomasson has become a hallmark of the second grade experience. You can watch full-length recordings of both of this year’s performances below.

Stuart Hall Performance, May 13, 2022


Convent Performance, May 20, 2022

Photo credit: Michel Edens Photography