Teaching Artists Directory

Artists in residence
      directory of teaching artists: WENDY de la HARPE
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  Describe a transformative process that has occurred in your own practice as an artist or in a past residency as a teaching artist.
When I started a residency at a school in Nampa, the teachers were very resistant. The Principal wanted the residency and the teachers felt they did not have the time for it and were asking the Principal to cancel the residency. The residency was for ten weeks, at the end of ten weeks the teachers were asking if it could be continued longer! They had seen such a difference in the students, particularly those who were typically challenged in the school environment. As fairly young teachers they had not had much experience with kinesthetic learning and this was a breakthrough for them. The children’s change in behavior with regard to discipline and their grasp of academic concepts was remarkable to them.

How do you identify when learning is taking place?
I know the students are learning when I see them focused and engaged particularly when they are working on co-operative projects. I also have a series of pre and post tests to evaluate the learning.

What excites your imagination and in turn how does your work excite imagination for your audience?

I love to watch a creative movement take shape and when children are given an opportunity to create movement shapes patterns and forms, they become excited too.

What characteristics mark a successful collaboration for you?
When the teachers are just as engaged as the students. When parents come to observe the class because their child has talked so much about it.

How do you foster creativity, both in your own work and as a teaching artist?
By being flexible and constantly open to new ways of doing things

Three key understandings in this discipline are:
  1. Self control and discipline
  2. Self awareness and value from thinking in a new way
  3. Creating movement and shapes with your body is fun!

List three Idaho Humanities Content Standards that correlate with the each of the core concepts you have identified above.:
  1. Standard 2: Critical Thinking, Goals 2.1 and 2.2
    Conduct analyses in dance. Engage in reasoned dialogue and make decisions about dance performances.
    1. Talk about dance as a means of communicating meaning
    2. Observe a dance performance, discuss its meaning and voice a personal response to it.
    3. Create movement based on a theme.

  2. Standard 1: Historical and Cultural Contexts, Goals 1.1 and 1.2
    Discuss historical and cultural contexts of dance and perform examples.
    Demonstrate through movement interrelationships among visual and performing arts disciplines.
    1. Describe the role dance plays in today’s society.
    2. Discuss common subjects, ideas and themes in dances from different cultures.
    3. Compare dance and other art forms associated with various cultures in various time periods.

  3. Standard 3: Performance, Goals 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
    Identify and practice concepts essential to dance. Communicate in dance through application of different concepts, knowledge, and skills. Communicate in dance through creative expression.
    1. Identify and practice different movement qualities.
    2. Improvise movement based on various stimuli.
    3. Express ideas, moods and feelings through dance.
Vocabulary words that relate to music:
Plie, eleve, sauté, grand jete, pirouette, ballet

Subject areas outside of the fine arts that relate to potential residency work include:


Language arts: verbs, nouns, creating a story
Math: symbols and equations
Science: Solar System, Maps Three States of Matter, Simple machines

References:
  1. Marsha Johnson
    St Joseph School
    Boise
    (208) 342-4909

  2. Dr Christina Olson, Principal
    Collister Elementary
    Boise
    (208) 338-3436

  3. Trish Bechtell, Principal
    Moscow Charter School
    (208) 883-3195

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Wendy de la Harpe
Discipline: Dance

Phone: (208) 343-0556

Email: wdelaharpe@balletidaho.org

Website: www.balletidaho.org

Wendy  ballet





Idaho Commission on the Arts- Teaching Artists Directory

Phone: 208/334-2119 or 800/278-3863 Fax: 208/334-2488
Mailing address: P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0008
Street address: 2410 North Old Penitentiary Rd., Boise, ID 83712