New World School of the Arts presented its new arts showcase, Arts al fresco, a strolling experience. This event allowed guests to leisurely stroll through dedicated art spaces, carefully staged at MDC Wolfson Campus, allowing them to enjoy the arts outdoors and at their own pace, right here in downtown Miami, in a safe and intimate setting. Guests had the unique opportunity to meet South Florida’s emerging dancers, choreographers, actors, playwrights, musicians, singers, visual artists, painters and sculptors – all while witnessing their creativity come alive. 

The showcase, lasting two hours, was comprised of a visual arts exhibition and numerous dance, music, and theater performances offered in a loop several times each, in specific locations throughout MDC Wolfson Campus.

Dance presentations featured in the Program included Jeffrey Lloyd Smith’s new work in progress, “UPHILL”, showcasing seven dancers as they struggle to advance, pushing their individual and collective burdensome orbs in an uphill battle. Evocative of the struggles of these times of pandemic and relative isolation, the stark simplicity of their journey is balanced by pleasure in seeing the fluidity of dancers moving live and in person, and making this journey masked and distanced, but as a group. Peter London’s new work, “The Nile”, inspired by images found throughout the temples and palaces in Ancient Egypt, suggest rituals and celebrations that might have been done for the Gods and other secular events. Solos included an excerpt from a work by Robert Battle, entitled “Channels”, and an excerpt from Peter London’s college work, “The Nile.”

Music featured its students across all areas in the department, from high school students in the instrumental and vocal areas to college students from each of the four concentration tracks, including members of the NWSA Wind Ensemble assisted by Brent Mounger, as well as the NWSA High School Jazz Combos in works by Horace Silver, directed by Jim Gasior.  A string ensemble performed Mascagni’s Intermezzo (as recently heard in the online concert, Resilience), Piazolla’s Libertango, and led by Dr. Hayslett, students from his cello studio to perform Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileira’s No. 1.  Guests also heard the continuous voices of students from the NWSA High School Choir and College Opera Theatre Ensemble, led by Alan Denning and Rodney Miller respectively.

For theater, the artistic offerings included the song Magic To Do, from the musical Pippin performed by the college music theater students. Directed by James Randolph, this award-winning musical was recently presented live at the Miami Beach Bandshell to a sold-out house. Several college seniors also presented a portion of their Peron Shows including Julio Otero’s poignant “Half Kidding” and Tatyana Mack’s “R.B.A” which brought to the forefront the always relevant topic of stereotyping.  

A dozen monologues and duets performed by the NWSA high school theater students rounded off the Arts al fresco Theater program with excerpts from some of the most popular plays of all time including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Color Purple and My Favorite Year, among others.