Last term, Provo High School’s Dance Company and AP Art students collaborated to create their visual arts film, “The Star,” which was selected for the prestigious Utah Dance Film Festival. This marks a significant achievement for all involved and is the first of its kind for Provo High.
The Star emerged as a project between the Dance Company and AP Art students, coordinated by Dance Teacher Jocelyn Smith and Arts Teacher Lindsay Ruiz. Students received directions offering them artistic autonomy: find inspiration from a piece at the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York City and then create a piece that combines visual art and dance elements.
The students did just that, and with over 230 submissions from 39 countries vying for a spot, The Star was among the 35 submissions chosen for the festival.
Helming the film were student directors and creators Emma Parke and Emmeline Dally; Emma Parke directed the choreography of Provo High Dance Company Members, and Emmeline created the art component, directing Ruiz’s AP Art students. Inspired by the “Twelve-Pointed Star-Shaped Tile.” The piece signifies a shape often seen in Islamic art, reflecting a complex interplay of geometry and spirituality, which symbolizes the infinite nature of the universe.
Traditionally, these tiles served to distinguish and adorn sacred spaces, symbolize the infinite complexity and unity of the universe through their geometric precision. They set aside spaces as places for contemplation, inspiration, renewal, and growth. This historical and spiritual significance sets a profound backdrop for Provo High’s students as they blend tradition with innovation, a journey Emma Parke found both challenging and enlightening. To share Emma’s reflection on the experience:
One of the hardest parts of collaborating was trying to mesh so many ideas all together… But the most fulfilling part was definitely seeing it all come together and create something beautiful.
Emma’s reflection on the challenges and rewards of merging disciplines underscores the pivotal role that teachers played in fostering an environment where such innovative collaborations could thrive. And clearly, as evidenced by the art, Jocelyn Smith and Lindsay Ruiz believe that collaboration across art transforms students, leading to innovation. To quote Jocelyn on the philosophical underpinnings of the project:
Doing is learning and asking students to engage in a collaborative project like this allowed them to make new connections about what dance and art expression can look like. I am inspired by these young dance and visual artists who see the world in ways unique to them and am proud of all students involved.
Lindsay Ruiz shared similar sentiments about their classes’ collaboration, examining how each student grew through this project:
I saw this as an opportunity for my students to expand their vision of what art is and the power of collaboration. Watching them grow from pitching their ideas in front of an audience, to budgeting, to leading a team of artists/dancers, and executing their vision was so rewarding. My highlight was watching my visual art students attend the dance concert to see their hard work come to life on stage and on film! They were so proud of themselves and the dancers they had grown to know through this experience.
The challenges described by Ruiz are real– which is, as we would argue, what leads to student growth, and makes the reward of a finished product more fulfilling, as noted by Emma:
Having my piece selected by the Utah Dance Film Festival is a very rewarding and amazing feeling. I feel very blessed that I got to work with some of my friends I’ve grown up with and that all of our hard work paid off!
In reimagining the Star-Shaped Tile through dance and art, Provo High’s students are not just reproducing a design, but re-interpreting it through personalized expression in new mediums for a contemporary age.
It is a piece of art perfectly suited to signify the value of the art project itself; art transforms continuously, the old stories inspire, and our experiences reach and shape the world beyond ourselves. The Star is a film worthy of praise and recognition, and is itself a symbol of this most core educational philosophy.
We congratulate all of Provo High Dance Company and artists Emmeline Dally, Lilly Tuinei, Audrey Guzman, Eleanora Jaynes, and Kiana Oldham for their talents, skills, artistic input, and outstanding achievement.
The district would like to join Jocelyn and Lindsay in thanking Richard Crookston for his filming services, and Lakeview Elementary Principal Jamie Davis-Leite and her fellow administrators for offering their support and school space for filming.
Lastly, we thank teachers Jocelyn Smith and Lindsay Ruiz and others like them for creating spaces for students to find inspiration, imagine, and grow.
