New York Tour
By Jerri-Lee Matthews, Tecaher of Media and Photography, and Fiona Rakimov, Teacher of Photography, Design and Visual Arts
In April this year, a crew of students from Media, Design, Photography, Art, Drama and Dance embarked on an incredible two-week creative adventure of New York City!
From the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the iconic halls of MoMA, Media, Design, Photograhy and Art students soaked up the very best of New York’s creative scene. At the International Centre of Photography, they explored the gritty world of Weegee and got hands-on in a polaroid workshop. A visit to the Museum of the Moving Image brought film and media to life, as students created stop-motion animation flipbooks and explored special effects and costumes from cult movies.
“My highlight was seeing all the art in the Met because you could see up close how much detail and thought is put into everything.”
In Brooklyn, a graffiti workshop uncovered the cultural and political layers of urban art. Meanwhile, a behind-the-scenes tour of NBC Studios offered a surreal glimpse into the sets of Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Students even produced their own news segments, before visiting the iconic F.R.I.E.N.D.S apartment in Greenwich Village and capturing street photography in Central Park during peak cherry blossom season.
“My favourite was seeing Times Square and shopping around in a new and exciting city.”
“Central Park was one of my highlights because of how beautiful it is. It’s now currently my iPhone wallpaper as the scenery just felt so peaceful and calming while walking though.”
While visual artists captured the city through lenses and sketchbooks, Dance students were taking to the studios of Broadway and beyond. In a series of inspiring workshops, they learned choreography from MJ the Musical with cast member, Joshua, explored the Horton technique at Alvin Ailey Dance Studios, and honed contemporary skills at Broadway Dance Center and Perri Dance.
“We joined the Drama group at a Hamilton workshop, taught by cast member, Lauren, and that night we watched MJ the Musical and got to see Joshua at the stage door where he signed our playbills. We took a precision jazz class with former Rockette, Courtney, and learnt a small chorus kick-line combo. We all tried the famous Raising Canes for lunch, as well as getting that week’s Crumbl cookies, and finished off with a contemporary class at Perri Dance.”
Alongside the performers, Drama students immersed themselves in the professional world of New York theatre. At Ripley-Grier Studios and other top venues, they participated in workshops covering screen acting, improvisation and scene study, led by industry professionals.
“We did a workshop from the show ‘Hadestown’ and then that night we were able to watch it with our instructor in the ensemble. It was absolutely incredible and used lighting and set in creative ways that gave it a unique spin.”
“The Drama girls got to take part in a wide variety of workshops, from screen acting to improvisation. These lessons provided an insight into what acting in New York truly entails”
Beyond the individual programs, there were many unforgettable moments that brought the entire group together, such as watching Broadway shows, visiting iconic landmarks like Central Park and Times Square, and enjoying shared meals in classic NYC locations like SoHo. All of these experiences added even more cultural exposure to the tour.
We explored, we created, we laughed and we learned together.
Now we carry a little piece of New York with us, ready to inspire the next chapter of our creative stories at Penrhos.
