Behind-the-scenes during the School of Dance Intensive Arts
During her one year of high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Paige Amicon knew that there was so much more to learn in the field of dance. She chose to continue her studies at UNCSA to grow not only as a dancer, but as a student and a person. Now a fourth-year contemporary dance student, Amicon has benefitted from the wide range of training in the program from the unique blend of both contemporary and classic, to the liberal-arts education she has received.
This balance, she has learned, is the key to her success. “I’ve broadened my horizons as far as what learning is and where it can occur,” Amicon said. “Learning doesn’t just happen in a classroom with a textbook and a teacher lecturing.”
One of the most rewarding learning experiences she has experienced at UNCSA is the two-week period of Intensive Arts where academic classes are put on hold and students are allowed to explore their passions within their concentrations.
“Intensive Arts is an ideal form of every dancer's dream,” she explained. “A time to focus on dance with little to no distractions.” See what a day in the School of Dance Intensive Arts week is like through the photos and videos she took during her takeover of @UNCSACAM below.
Amicon is currently working on a Trisha Brown piece entitled “Sololos,” staged by
School of Dance faculty Abby Yager, to be performed in Spring Dance 2016.
“It’s a challenging piece, technically and mentally, which leads to different types of exhaustion when rehearsed in a time like Intensive Arts,” she said.
Some nights after rehearsal, her body needs attention with stretching, warm baths
and plenty of water. But other nights, she admits that her mind takes priority, needing
to process the material from the day.
To be challenged physically and mentally in a work is a gift I cherish and I feel so grateful to be a part of this process.
Paige Amicon
Behind-the-scenes during School of Filmmaking Intensive Arts