Archive for category Arts Camps

Session 3 was amazing!

Posted by centauri in Acting Camp, Arts Camps, Centauri Arts Camp, Centauri Summer Arts Camp., Film Camps, Theater Camp, Writing Camps, fine art camp on August 14, 2010

Well, session 3 ended on Thursday. As usual, the final shows, films and art exhibits were amazing. It always amazes us how much campers learn in less than 2 weeks!  It was great to see some collaborations between departments such as the writing and dance departments, making poetry come to life in movement, and programs stretching the boundaries of theatre in the  presentation of “Acting outside the box” where the program used the whole of the loyalist building as a big stage, having vignettes going on in different rooms as the audience moved between them!

See photos here of Session 3, 2010!

We are now looking ahead to a great session 4!

Craig

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It’s August and it’s Session Three!!!!!

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps, Centauri Arts Camp, Centauri Summer Arts Camp. on August 8, 2010

Camp always has a different feel in August. Things are more relaxed. Laid back. No one is arriving straight from school – campers are generally calmer, and the pace is less frenetic. That’s not to say camp lacks spirit – far from it!! We have the usual cheering at meals, and loud singing of the popular camp songs.

It’s session 3 now and we’re one week in. This session’s banquet celebrated Peru. Dinner was an Inti Raymi celebration – which is the annual Inca festival to celebrate the sun. Atahualpa presided over the banquet, in which we ate traditional Peruvian food and offered gifts to the Inca King. Then, at the end of dinner, in stormed the Conquistadors. They took Atahualpa prisoner, and sent off all the campers (Inca villagers) to bring back gold – enough to fill the dining hall. Instead, we all decided to attempt to ‘win over’ the Spanish Conquistadors by offering them examples of Inca culture. We made beautiful clay pendants and head-dresses decorated with Inca symbols. We learned a traditional Inca dance, and prepared a retelling of the myth suirrounding the creation of the Inca empire by the Brothers Ayar. Then, we headed into the theatre and presented our cultural discoveries to the Conquistadors as our king, Atahualpa, lay bound at their feet. The Conquistadors, in our version of history, were so impressed with our rich culture that they decided to release Atahualpa and return to Spain. Of course, we had to end by telling the campers what really happened. The Conquistadors took to the stage and enacted the destruction of Atahualpa in a red spotlight, while the banquet host narrated the true history of the Inca conquest over the mic. All in all, it was not only a fun, artistic (and yummy!) cultural banquet, but a thought-provoking one, too.

Other highlights so far this session include a Grease Spirit Supper, Circus Night, Pajamarama, bizarre Science Fair and our annual Music Festival. On the day of the Music Festival, no less that SIX bands visited camp. Four of them consisted of Centauri alumni who are now making their way in the professional music world. Maddy Rodriguez opened the festival, a camper alumni, now doing some great music. One hightlight was a band called The Elwins, who were hugely popular with all our campers. Dozens of them stayed behind for autographs, and to chat with the band. Another was Aline Morales, who gave a Brazilian drumming workshop and performance just before Onoscatopeia, the University of Toronto’s Hart House Jazz Choir! The day ended with a concert by the Sweet Peas and  Calvados. Campers burned off their energy in a bout of frenetic dancing before we all wandered off for a relaxing evening program.

Photos and video clips of the Centauri Arts Camp Music Festival are  now up at http://www.centauriartscamp.com/media/Galleries/2010 click on SESSION 3!

Today, we`re inhabiting Camp Demi-God in a Greek Mythology Festival., As I write this, campers are getting to know their resident Greek God, building forts and shrines together, making flags and undertaking fun training activities such as archery, mosaic-creation and human chess. They don`t know it yet, but their training (and the information they unwittingly receive) will be essential later on in the festival, when monsters break into camp…

Julie

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Session Two: Final News…

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps, Centauri Arts Camp, Centauri Summer Arts Camp. on August 2, 2010

Session Two has simply flown by. We had the largest summer camp ever, with a grand total of 146 campers! The second camp session began with a Viking Banquet in which we were visited by Norse Gods, and hunted for runes all over camp. The evening ended with a burning of a Viking ship down at the campfire pit.  Once day later we held our second Artsarama Night, in which campers can choose either to participate in a regular evening program, or to hang out at one of our arts departments, and create their own original art. Artsarama Nights were suggested by a group of our older campers last summer, and the new ‘tradition’ is hugely popular. Almost the entire camp chose a department to visit, and the evening saw the creation of poetry, music, art, clown skits, improv teams and much more.
As the second week of camp progressed, we held a ‘Film-in-a-day’ festival, a whole-day event in which every camper participated in the making of 5 short films… all in a period of 24 hours. Campers could choose to write, direct, operate the cameras, take on a host of other production jobs, work with film make-up and costume, dance for the music videos, create original movies, work on claymation films or act. It was incredible to walk about camp and see entire buildings transformed into film sets and campers young and old taking on leadership roles – with staff around only for supervision. This ‘Film-in-a-day’ festival was our first ever, and we discovered one hitch: even with a team of 10 editors (half of them our film staff) editing 5 short movies in the last 3 hours of the day was an impossible task. Instead, we ended the event with the watching of rough cuts, and final edits will be loaded onto our website at the end of summer.
We celebrated Avatar, raised money for animal charities in our hilarious ‘zooperb’ spirit supper, and before we knew it, it was tech day. With 10 final presentations to mount (including a music concert, 4 theatre productions, stage combat, a film premier, a dance show, poetry readings and a digital photography display!) preparations were as hectic and as fun as ever.
Then… secret ceremony (with many tears of farewell!), dress rehearsal, the final chance to dance on our chairs at meals, and before we knew it, session 2 was over. How do we pack so much into each session? I have no idea. And my blog notes never even include all the crazy fun that goes into dorm hours, free time, water games, theme tuck, bedtime programs and pajamaramas! All I can tell you is that each session feels like a year of exciting events, and symultaneously is over in a flash. And we lost count of the number of parents who thanked us for everything we had done. And for everything Centauri had done for their child.
Summer is more than half over already, and session three is beginning as I write this. The adventures are starting once more!


Julie

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A thank you letter to camp we just had to share!

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps, Centauri Arts Camp, Centauri Summer Arts Camp., Ontario Camps, canadian summer camp on July 28, 2010

Thought we would share a lovely letter we just received (edited to remove names)
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Hi Craig and Julie
There’s nothing in Camper Handbooks that tell you how to deal with withdrawal from camp. There’s always advice on what to do if your child will be homesick, but nothing about the child who wants to spend the entire summer at camp. She cried all the way home, and I think that finally, today, she has turned the corner and stopped crying about missing camp.

I have never seen her so emotional. She had a fantastic time this year at Centauri, and we thank you and your staff for running such a wonderful place for arts-minded kids. She continues to talk about all the fun activities and the amazing food, and has been in touch with some of the campers via email. She loved every minute of camp and she’s already planning for next summer.
Thank you!!

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I love my job!

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Session One, 2010 goes out with a BANG!

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps, Centauri Arts Camp, Centauri Summer Arts Camp., canadian summer camp on July 20, 2010

Presentation Day was fantastic, with shows happening all over camp – stage combat (superheroes) in the rock garden, a fantastic, interactive art display in two locations, as well as the premiere of our session one films, and multiple stage shows. Our campers went home very happy… we lost count of the parents who stopped by to say a huge thank you before leaving with their child. Camp was quiet that night, with all of us conserving our energy for the start of the next session – yet the phone did not stop ringing with parents attempting to re-booked session one campers for later in the summer! Session One was a fantastic start to the season and we’re now looking forward to session number two!

Check out the photos and videos at  www.centauriartscamp.com/media/Galleries/2010

Julie

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Summer Camp: a Different Way to Be Connected!

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps, Ontario Camps, articles about summer camp, overnight camp, teen camp on July 19, 2010

There’s a new challenge facing overnight camps these days. For our teens, it’s harder than ever before to leave behind their technologies, and immerse themselves in social interactions that are ‘face to face’ rather than over the internet. The average teen in North America sends and receives 200 text messages a day, something they can’t do at camp. They are constantly in touch with the mini-dramas occurring in the lives of their friends – who has split up with who, and which friends are arguing. ‘Turning off’ this constant barrage of ‘issues’ in their peer groups is a challenge when they come to overnight camp.

So what can we do to help, as camp directors, camp staff, parents and guardians? The direct social interaction that camp offers is more important than ever before. All we can do is reassure our kids that their friends will still be there when they get home. And hope that social media and text messaging do not become a reason for them to lose out on all the fabulous experiences that sleep-over camp can offer.

Any thoughts from our families? Please share them. We often hear kids tell us it’s hard to be away from the mini-dramas they share in on Facebook. But sleep-over camp can offer so much more than a summer spend interacting online. When I watch our campers share together in an arts workshop, an important group discussion, a night star-gazing, a moment celebrating new achievements, or a meal of singing and dancing together… well, you get the idea.

Julie

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Centauri Arts Camp – Batman Festival Photos !

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps on July 7, 2010

Bat Man Festival Photos are now up at
http://www.centauriartscamp.com/media/Galleries/2010/

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New Online Film Contest for Youth

Posted by centauri in Acting Camp, Arts Camps, Arts and Culture, Film Camps on May 17, 2010

We were notified today of a new Online Video Contest for Kids and Teens. Here are the details:

On June 17th 2010 Filmpossible will be launching, an online video contest in which youth are challenged to create videos under two minutes in length that bring visibility to disability. Videos can tell someone’s story, illustrate changes we can make or dispel myths surrounding disability. Winners will be determined by a panel of celebrity judges and online public voting. There are some terrific prizes to be won, including a cash prize of $5000 for the winner, but more importantly, youth will play a role in creating a world where children with disabilities can live as full participants. The website is www.filmpossible.ca

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Calling all High School Writers!

Posted by centauri in Arts Camps, Writing Camp, Writing Camps on May 11, 2010

Did you know there is a creative writing magazine based in New York that has a section specifically for high school writers? They welcome submissions of poetry and short stories, and appear to be very encouraging to new writers as well. You may want to check them out if you are a writer – but don’t forget to read the submissions guidelines carefully, before sending anything off! The magazine is ‘Hanging Loose’ , and you can find out more about them at www.hangingloosepress.com

Don’t forget Centauri also offers some amazing writing camps for teens! Our writing camps include writer’s workshops, poetry, play-writing and more!

A Summary of our 2010 Writing Summer Camps!

Session 1  Writing Camp: Play Writing & Performance  (ages 14-18)
Session 2  Writing Camp: Creative Writing: Rock, Paper, Scissors!   (ages 9-14)
Session 3  Writing Camp: Forms and Formlessness: A Poet’s Odyssey (ages 13-18)
Session 4  Writing Camp: Stop Making Sense! A Writer’s Workshop (ages 14-18)
Session 4  Writing Camp: Words in Action: POP Theatre! (ages 14-18)
Check out the full descriptions of the writing workshops at
http://www.centauriartscamp.com/summer-camps/writing-camp-programs.htm

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Why Theatre? Why Theatre Camp?

Posted by centauri in Acting Camp, Arts Camps, Theater Camp, Theatre camp on April 23, 2010

Why Theatre? Why Theatre Camp?

Someone asked me this recently. Why is theatre relevant any more? Why would a camper choose an acting camp?
My first reaction was irritation. Does anyone ever ask themselves why someone should choose to play baseball, or hockey? Is this all about the fact that our society doesn’t value creative pursuits? Most young people who play hockey don’t become professional hockey stars, any more than the average teen who takes a theatre workshop ends up on Broadway. No real difference there. But treating this as a serious question for a moment, what is the value of theatre camp (or theatre workshops) to a young person?
I recently heard about a study undertaken at a Canadian university to determine what successful teens had in common. If the parent of a 12 year old wants to maximise the chances of their child emerging from their teenage years as a confident, successful, promising and generally ‘good’ human being, what is it they must do? The response of the study was this: all successful, thriving teens have one thing in common… an activity they are good at. Something on which to focus their time and energy. Something that raises their self confidence, and make them feel they have a valued contribution to make in the world, no matter how small. The nature of this activity is immaterial. What matters is that the young person feels good about doing it. The chosen activity is ‘theirs’, and helps them to see what it means to work towards something and achieve results. In this one activity – whatever it may be – others look up to them. They feel valued and respected because of it.
This is reason alone for some young people to attend theatre camp, theatre workshops and acting classes. But there are many other reasons, too.
Drama is a social activity. It requires an understanding of team work, collaboration, problem solving and effective communication. In other words, youth develop all the same skills in an acting workshop that they would develop in an intensive leadership program. Drama workshops also encourage young people to grapple with the often-complex motives that determine human behaviour. Young actors explore what makes a person – and the world – tick. The more you understand others, the greater your capacity for empathy – as well as personal happiness. But drama also provides young people with a forum in which to look critically at their world. They can formulate, in acting class and in collaborative performancs, ideas for how they feel their world needs to change. After all, the future belongs to them. Finally, drama – as with all creative activities – encourages young people to think outside of the box. To find new ways of looking at old problems, and new ways of expressing ideas. This is a skill that has infinite applications; it’s the one thing that all hugely successful people have in common – the ability to see opportunities where others do not.
But then there’s the age-old issue: why create theatre? Isn’t theatre dead, these days? Why don’t all acting camps focus on film acting?
Some of our programs do focus on film acting – but acting on film is not the same as learning how to create something for a live audience. Young people who perform in front of a live audience are sharing in a timeless tradition that is dependant upon community, and the direct giving of one individual to another. Film acting relies primarily on realism, while for participants in a theatre camp, there are as many styles of creation available to them as there are to a painter. Surrealism, dada, clown, stage combat, Brechtian theatre, Shakespearian, choral speaking, improvisation theatre, collective creation, Greek theatre, musical theatre, physical theatre, Japanese theatre styles and Stanislavsky’s techniques – in our theatre programs we have explored all of these, and more.
Chatting with our program directors on the final day of a session is the very best way of seeing the importance of drama camps. ‘I thought he would never have the courage to tackle that role – but just look what he achieved!’;  ’She went from talking to nobody, to really understanding how to work in a group’; ‘Playing this character was very cathartic for him, because of all the changes he is facing in his life’; ‘The fact that they did this, all of them together, really showed them what a team can achieve’. The sense of pride is always palpable in our staff on the last day of each session, and it’s not themselves they are proud of (although they should be!) – it is always their campers.

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