Williamsville Poetry, Music, Art and Dance Celebration Wows Again

By Gillian Marcus

It’s that time of the year again – the time when musical, artistic, and creative students all come together to put on an incredible performance filled with dancing, poetry, and – quite obviously – incredible compositions.  That’s right, this year was the 17th annual Poetry, Music, Art, and Dance Celebration, and, needless to say, it certainly lived up to its predecessors.

The Poetry, Music, Art, and Dance Celebration features various poems that students ranging from elementary school to high school have written, as well as the poems of a special guest poet.  This year, Richard Jones, a poet, editor, and critic, visited Williamsville East to read his literary works.

This celebration is certainly unique in the fact that it does not solely involve reading poetry; students also create musical compositions, artwork, and dances.  These compositions, art, and dance routines are all created as a representation of a single, specific poem that the student selected.  Students across the district all take pride in this incredible event, as it showcases the many talents so many of our peers possess.

“Everyone’s been preparing for the show for months,” said Jenna Marcus, a junior in East’s Wind Ensemble.  “They’ve all put so much work into this amazing project, and I really think it showed.” Jenna isn’t the only one who feels this way, however. “We’re so lucky to have this amazing celebration here at East”, says junior Zina Miqdadi.

However, one of the most impressive parts of the show was that it wasn’t only East students who participated.  Again, kids ranging from elementary school to high school were all able to submit a poem.  “One of my favorite parts of the show is getting to see how the little kids react to the compositions that are meant to represent their piece,” senior Sam Degen told us.  “Some of them look so amazed at the fact that an entire, elaborate composition has been dedicated to their poem.”

The dance aspect of this show also captured many of the audience’s attention. Elementary School, Middle school, and High School dancers all performed on stage on Sunday.  “The dances with the younger kids are always so cute,” said Nicole Kazmierczack.

“My favorite would probably have to be the one to ‘Prank War’, where the elementary school dancers all waved around ribbon wands.”  “Prank War” was written by fourth grader Keira Feuerstein and composed by eighth grader Priya Pindiprolu.

Clearly, the success and uniqueness of this celebration has not gone unnoticed.  It has won awards almost every year since its first showing in 2000.  Last year, it won the First Niagara Foundation Award, while in 2014, it won the Town of Amherst Arts & Culture in Public Places Board Award.  In addition, this program has even been recognized by our very own College Board, otherwise known as the makers of the AP exams.  Out of all the schools nationwide, our very own program won the College Board Award, which goes to show just how special this event is.

If you missed out on this amazing experience, do not fret.  The entire show has been filmed by Mr. Greg Barber.  Should you wish to buy a copy, contact Mr. Kryder.