We were honored to host Stephanie Cunningham, Nord Anglia Juilliard Drama Specialist from New York, in our DCIS Drama department last week. Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education and we believe Juilliard’s world-class education in all three core performing arts: music, dance and drama which we teach in an integrated fashion, gives our students first-class learning experiences, and provides high-level professional training and personal development opportunities for our teachers.
As a member of the Nord Anglia Education group, Dover Court is unique in Singapore in providing our students with access to Juilliard’s innovative and globally recognised curriculum and instruction across the performing arts.
Stephanie, a director and a passionate arts educator delivered a much appreciated Year 7 lesson on Theatrical Clowning, titled "What Fourth Wall?" — a conceptual barrier between those presenting some kind of communication and those receiving it. During the Year 10 workshop, Stephanie shared strategies on how to structure a piece of theater and how to work collaboratively with others, and she set the students up with some great methods, which they will be putting into practice very soon, as part of their GCSE Drama course.
Our Year 12 IB Theatre students were also able to discuss with Stephanie the role of a director, gaining top tips and advice for their own work. Alongside these sessions, Stephanie also hosted a Q&A session about working in the Performing Arts and outlined the potential next steps for our budding performers.
"I have felt very privileged to work with Dover Court over the last four years, and it is a pleasure to be welcomed back in person. The drama teachers at DCIS are passionate, accomplished educators and it is wonderful to get the chance to talk about big ideas in teaching and learning," Stephanie said.
We had an enriching couple of days, and the power and importance of the collaboration between Nord Anglia and one of the leading drama schools in the United States was clearly demonstrated. Juilliard curriculum specialists frequently visit our school to bring excellence into the classroom and ignite the love of the arts in our students. Their expertise, combined with our exceptional teachers, will have a positive impact on our children’s experience and connection to the performing arts.
We are so thrilled to be able to give our students this wonderful opportunity. We look forward to working with Juilliard throughout the rest of the year - and beyond.
