Get ready for a night of music, dance and song as the teachers at St. John School of the Arts take the stage on Tuesday evening, April 15, at 7:30 p.m.
The SJSA Faculty Concert is sure to impress and entertain with instructors showcasing their guitar, steel pan, piano, flute, spoken word, drumming, violin, singing and dancing skills and more.
The evening will feature the talented Eddie Bruce, Jude Woodcock, Shikima Jones, Karen Samuel, Kim Sammartano, Mike Sorzano, Drapes Jensen, Alesia Georgiou, Luba Dolgpolsky, Jeune Provost, Abigail Rene, Kazumi Schaub and Kim Wild with special guests.
Anyone who attended last year’s SJSA Faculty concert will recall a night of high energy and inspiring performances with one highlight being Shikima Jones’ bring-down-the-house rendition of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” with Wild and Woodcock shimmying as back-up dancers.
The trio will be back again this year with Jones singing an Aretha Franklin number sure to get the crowd going once again.
Last year’s faculty concert was sold out so residents are encouraged to get their tickets early, explained SJSA Executive Director Kim Wild.
“We had a full house last year so people should get their tickets early,” said Wild.
Parents of SJSA students are encouraged to attend the faculty concert and bring along their children who will gain free admittance, Wild added.
“We have 10 free student seats for a child who comes with a paying adult,” she said. “It would be great if some parents came out to see their children’s teachers.”
The number of teachers — many of whom work at SJSA part time — who are taking part in the concert is a testament to the faculty’s dedication to providing arts education to St. John students, Wild explained.
“We are a really busy faculty,” she said. “Many of our instructors are part-time so it’s hard to get everyone together and get this whole show working. But everyone is really excited about doing the show again because it was a lot of fun last year.”
For Kim Sammartano, who has been teaching flute at SJSA since the fall, SJSA is an important avenue for offering arts education at an affordable price, she explained.
“I’ve been playing the flute since I was seven and I used to teach years ago,” said Sammartano. “I like teaching at the arts school because classes are affordable and there are not a lot of things that are affordable here. It’s important for kids to be able to have arts education and making it affordable is key.”
The SJSA faculty concert will give the public a chance to appreciate the talented instructors at the Cruz Bay arts school, Sammartano explained.
“People should come out to the faculty concert because it’s a chance to see some very talented musicians and wonderful teachers,” she said.
Another of the evening’s highlights is sure to be several dance numbers choreographed by SJSA tumbling instructor Jude Woodcock, a former member of the ground-breaking Pilobolus dance troupe.
Woodcock was inspired to choreograph a number for the SJSA Faculty Concert after hearing a pop song while visiting family in Missouri, she explained.
“I heard this really pretty song that I liked and I’m not usually drawn to pop songs,” said Woodcock. “I don’t usually like to choreograph to them, but this song was different. I really liked this song and I thought I’d like to do something with it.”
Woodcock enlisted her husband marine biologist Jeff Miller as a dance partner for the number, which is set to “Say Something” by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera.
“I asked Jeff, who is not a dancer, to take part in the dance and he said yes,” Woodcock said. “So we’re all in for a treat.”
Woodcock will also be reprising her four short dance numbers from the recent Caribbanese II – Interiors show. The show focused on the interplay between Caribbean and Japanese aesthetics with a look at interiors which sent Woodcock thinking about matters both emotional and tangible.
“For two of the dances I did fans and mosquitoes for Caribbean and Japanese interiors and for the other two they were more about emotional interiors,” said the dancer and choreographer. “One related to slavery and the other is about the importance of the child.”
From the modern and abstract to emotional spoken word, original songs on piano and knock-out vocal performances, the SJSA Faculty Concert will be a night to remember.
“People should come out to the faculty concert because it’s going to be a good time,” said Wild. “We’re going to have so many different performances from one extreme to the other. You’re going to like something.”
The event will also feature a finale that promises to be a crowd favorite, but is being kept under wraps, Wild added.
“I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s going to be a lot of fun,” she said.
Tickets are $30 and can be reserved by calling (340) 779-4322. Or buy tickets online at www.stjohnschoolofthearts.org