A special dance experience with Collegian Soraya Sullivan (Class of 2024)
A special dance experience with Collegian Soraya Sullivan (Class of 2024)
Pre-Kindergarten (the Wagulan) class taught by Ms Trewin enjoyed a very special incursion with Radford Collegian, Soraya Sullivan (Class of 2024) at the Radford Dance Academy. The experience beautifully complemented their How We Express Ourselves Unit of Inquiry, which explores the central idea that “Creative expression is a joyful gift.”
Soraya is currently studying and training in London at the English National Ballet School, pursuing her dream of becoming a professional ballerina. Through music, movement and dance, she guided the children in exploring different ways to express creativity, how creative choices can influence the feelings of others, and how creativity can bring joy and positivity to those around us.
The session began with a ballet demonstration, where Soraya showed the students how she warms up at the barre before performing two solo ballet pieces. She then spoke about how dancers use costumes, including tutus and pointe shoes, to tell stories and express emotions through movement. The children were fascinated and asked many insightful questions, particularly about Soraya’s pointe shoes, which they were delighted to examine up close.
Inspired by Soraya’s performance, the children then had the opportunity to become dancers themselves. Listening to a variety of musical pieces, they explored improvisation by responding to the emotions and ideas that the music evoked. They also listened to Vivaldi’s Winter, discussing the feelings and imagery it inspired before learning ways to represent the season through movement.
Working both independently and with partners, the students embraced the idea that creative expression is a gift to be shared. Together with Soraya, they collaborated to choreograph a dance inspired by Winter, drawing on all they had learned throughout the session. The children were so proud of their creation that they decided to share their performance with their families during their upcoming Learning Journey later in the term.
The experience concluded with a performance of the students’ choreographed dance and a very special gift from Soraya: a pair of her signed pointe shoes, which now have pride of place in the Wagulan classroom.
The Wagulan students were inspired by Soraya’s talent, passion and generosity, and were grateful for the opportunity to learn from a Radford alumna who is already making her mark on the international stage.