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'Purrfect' Program
Mya DiDonna, 5, looks the part of a wild cat in the "Rectory Stomp" presentation last week. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photo.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
POMFRET --- With a little help from the older kids, the elementary students at Rectory School, clawed, stomped, danced and dazzled their way into the audience's heart with "Rectory Stomp," interpretive movement pieces.
With the middle school students serving as an orchestra, the younger students entertained the audience with their studies expressed through movement. Marita Kleissler is the movement director.
The kindergarten through first grade students had been studying the basic needs of wild cats and each child became an expert with the facts about their particular cat. The kids studied nature videos to learn how to imitate their cats' unique movements. With their faces painted like the cat they were studying, the students roared and prowled around the stage at the Tang Performing Arts Center.
The wild cats included: Sawyer Stewart, Mya DiDonna, Mason Turner, Shota Pinkowski, Skylar Egan, Cormac Nielsen, Zachary King, Benjamin Gordon, Conor Stewart, Mia Ruggeri, Graham Scribner, Noah DiDonna and Thomas Bergeron.
"The River Flows in You" dance featured Ana Carafotes, dancer; Cindy Park, violin,, Chloe Lee, cello and Jessica Choi, piano.
The second grade "Stompers" included: Noah Salsich, Katherine Scripps, Anthony Besardi, Dominic Durand, Melanie Pazienza, AJ Williams, Emma Hayden, Owen Ritzau and Lindsay Nielsen.
Bach's "Prelude in C Major" was presented by dancers Julie Chute and Grayce Gibbs and Megan Bastow with Meg Ritzau on the piano.
Gabriel's Oboe featured Abbey Harrington, Taylor Hunt, Ana Carafotes, dancers; Jessica Cha, Diana Kim, Jay Lee, Robin Park, Ted Park, Jack Song, Billy Cho, David Kang, Minseung Yoo, Sandra Park, Tim Kim and Kyle Kang, musicians. The grades three and four "Conductors of Electricity" included: Austen LeDonne, Anna Mendenhall, Aidan McCarthy, Jonathan Carafotes, Sonny Nielsen, Alex Chon Kang, Emily Cournoyer, Jeffrey Gibbs, Garrett McMerriman, Watts Herideen-Woodruff, Zachary Paige, Ellie Sangree and Sebastian Evans.
The Rectory School now offers dance as a winter sport and intends to expand the program.