Character Building - Cannon School

Bharatanatyam: My Cultural Experience
By: Tias Sen ’13
Recently, as a culmination of our study of
India, I had the privilege of dancing for the
World History I classes. Since I was five years
old, I have been learning Bharatanatyam, a
form of Indian classical dance. It originated
Tias Sen performed Indian classical dance for
classmates.
in Tamil Nadu in the southernmost part of
the Indian Peninsula and is one of the oldest
forms of Indian classical dance. For the past
nine years, I have been learning this dance
form from my teacher, Radhika Unnithan.
She holds dance recitals every year that always
benefit a charity, and she choreographs about
15 to 20 dances for over 80 students.
Bharatanatyam has been not only a great way
to perform for a good cause, but it has also
given me the chance to learn more about my
culture. Through the mudras (hand gestures)
and abhinaya (facial expressions), dancers
tell the stories of the different Hindu gods
and goddesses and their lives. The songs are
in several different languages, but most of
the time they are in Sanskrit.
As my presentation to the World History
I classes, I performed two dances, showed
my classmates pictures of the traditional
costumes, and told them about my
Arangetram, or classical dance graduation
(a two-hour solo performance).
Doing Bharatanatyam is my favorite extracurricular
activity, and I feel very privileged
to do it. It has given me the chance to learn
about my culture artistically, while sharing it
with others.
Select Singers
Two Cannon School students were
chosen to participate in honors
choruses featuring the state’s best young
singers following a rigorous selection
process. Stephen Metz, a senior, and
seventh-grader Joanna Copio were
among a select group who sang with
honors choruses that performed in
November at the North Carolina Music
Educators Association (NCMEA)
Conference in Winston-Salem.
Follow the Gold and Maroon Walls
By: Bri Wyatt ’12
Upper School art teacher Belinda Armstrong spent last summer
creating a masterpiece on the Lower School and Middle School
walls. The Fine Arts Department approached her to complete
the project and she agreed. “I have always been interested in
improving the aesthetics of our school,” she says. “I know that
color can impact how we feel, act, and think.”
The walls show how Cannon values our core values because of
their depiction on the walls in the School’s colors. It was the
perfect touch to the hallways, adding passion, color, and life.
Mrs. Armstrong also painted a “Go Beyond” logo mural on a
wall near the Middle School hallway. See the finished product
next time you are on campus!
The selection process began in October
and culminated with auditions
before a panel of six independent
judges. Stephen and Joanna worked
independently for four weeks with
Middle School/Upper School Choral
Music Teacher Tim Rancont to prepare
for the event.
The experience provided both students
with a valuable opportunity to work
with a nationally acclaimed choral
conductor and then to perform with a
group. This year’s High School Honor
Chorus was conducted by Jefferson
Johnson, director of Choral Activities
at Kentucky University, and the
Middle School Chorus was conducted
by Jonathan Willcocks, a renowned
English conductor and musical director.
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