The Preeceville School had the opportunity to bring the art of drama, music, visual arts, dance, and writing to students in all grades on October 14, when the Workshop Tour visited.
The Workshop Tour has been traveling to Saskatchewan schools since 1984.
"Every fall, students get to learn directly from professional artists and experience artistic creation first hand," said Sarah DeRuiter, Preeceville School teacher.
"The Tour assembles a group of working artists, sending them out for full days of giving workshops in their fields," said Dancia Lorer, artist with the workshop. "The Workshop Tour of the Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange strives to nurture independent thinking, the imagination, respect for one another, and enthusiasm for life in students through balanced programs integrating multiple forms of artistic activity."
Workshops are specifically tailored for any age group from elementary to high school, she said. The program has long been referenced by artists who have chosen their profession in part due to early interaction with the Workshop Tour.
The Tour continues with the goal of encouraging the next generation of independent and creative thinkers.
The visual artist on tour included Josh Goff, who is a Saskatchewan-based artist with over 10 years of professional experience. He is a visual artist and workshop instructor who has been working in a variety of mediums to develop a well-rounded workshop.
During the past year Goff was the artist-in-residence for the Cathedral Village Arts Festival in Regina. He also was responsible for performing the illustration drawing workshop, which focused on the process of illustration using pencils and markers. With him students learned how to compose an illustration by breaking down images into basic shapes to complete its form.
Lacey Eninewwas the actor on tour. Eninew is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and has spent the majority of her life living in the north. She was awarded her education degree in 2008 and since then has taught elementary, middle years, high school, and physical education. When she is not in the classroom, she is taking short contracts in the arts as an actor and occasionally sings a few songs on stage with her guitar.
This marked Eninew’s first year in which she can fully marry two of her deepest passions: the arts and education. She said she is very excited and honoured to have the opportunity to do this. Eninew was responsible for teaching the forum theatre workshop during the program. This workshop focused on play creation and provided students with the tools to create their own work, utilizing theatrical games and story creation.
The dancer on the tour was Alex Hartshorn, who is not only an actor, but a creator, dancer and choreographer from Saskatoon. Hartshorn has a background in many types of dance, including traditional and folk dance. She was a member of Saskatoon’s Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble, a semi-professional Ukrainian dance troupe for nine years. She is a graduate with a bachelor of fine arts degree in the acting program at the University of Saskatchewan.
During the Ukrainian dance workshop, participants learned about the history of Ukrainian dance in Saskatchewan and had fun learning a variety Ukrainian dance steps. This year marks 125 years of Ukrainian immigration to Canada.
Nathan Coppens was the musician on the tour. Coppens is a musician, actor, puppeteer and educator originally from Regina. As a pianist/keyboardist, he has worked with companies including Alberta Opera, RuBarb Productions, Souris Valley Theatre, Sterling Productions, and Wide Open Theatre. He has taught piano privately and worked as an accompanist for the University of Regina, and plays everything from Sondheim to Springsteen. He is a graduate of the University of Regina (bachelor of fine arts in acting) and the Globe Theatre Conservatory, and has performed professionally across Western Canada.
In the song creation workshop, students were led through the process of writing their very own song.
Dancia Lorer was the writer on the tour. Lorer has been a professional storyteller for more than 15 years. She collects and imagines stories and pictures throughout Saskatchewan and beyond. She has been short-listed for Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association awards in the categories of Columnist of the Year, Best Habitat/Conservation Writing, Educational Coverage and Best Culture Story.
In the storytelling workshop she engaged students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 as they dug into their own memories and imaginings, encouraging comfort in the use of narrative, voice, and emotion.
