Abram Lansing Elementary School and Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company
kick off year long storytelling project

Students and staff at Abram Lansing Elementary School, along with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, storyteller Pleasant DeSpain and percussionist Brian Mellick, will embarked on a journey of music, movement, storytelling and art beginning on Sept. 17.

Through grants from the Partners for Arts Education and Partners in Dance, the school and dance company secured money to bring three different artists to the school to coordinate the project, which will end with students in four grades performing an original story.

At the Sept. 17 assembly, students watched a performance called "Telling Tales," presented by the three artists who will be working with students throughout the year. The performance will explored storytelling through multicultural tales and will showcase how the art form can be accompanied by words, sound and music.

The dance performance explored the ways performers can depict a story, as well as how the performance can change tempo or segue into another mood. Percussionist DeSpain accompanied the dancers as well as storyteller Mellick.

Throughout the year, DeSpain will meet with the fourth-grade classes several times and students will develop an original story based on a historical or legendary aspect of the Cohoes area. The fourth-grade writers will tell their tale to third graders who will work with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company to create movements to perform the story. Next, third graders will work with Mellick and the school's music teacher to learn about the science of sound and create a soundscape for the performance. Finally, the second-grade students will develop visual aspects for the story and performance such as costumes, sets and props.

In addition to the art forms, the project will tie in and align with the New York State curriculum in social studies, English Language Arts, physical education, math, science and technology. Students will keep journals throughout the process, as well.

The project will conclude in May when students will perform their finished work for the school and community.

This project is made possible with public funds provided by the New York State Council on the Arts and administered through Partners for Arts Education. This project is supported by Partners in Dance with support from the NYS DanceForce which receives funding from the New York State Council on the Arts Dance Program and Altria Group, Inc.