Students made versions of the masks they wore for their performance final. (Zachary Nelson photos)
By Zachary Nelson
With the culmination of the fall quarter, comes an influx of dance, art, oral presentations and other performances around the UW Bothell campus as students show off what they have learned. These are innovative ways to take a final that don’t involve sitting down to a two-hour written test. Instead, these students are demonstrating their learning publicly, around campus.
One such event was a Mask Improv performance on Nov. 30. Students in the course were tasked with creating a short skit in small groups — an assignment that was new territory for some students.
“When I first started in this class I was nervous and shaky performing in front of my classmates. I didn’t know if I could do it,” said Matt Rossal, a student interested in studying architecture. “However, this class was designed to teach students to open themselves up to new experiences.”
“I met new people in class who hadn’t performed much either, and we were able to learn and grow together,” he said. “I got more comfortable being in front of a crowd, and I now love that I am able express my artistic talent in public confidently.”
In their final skit, Rossal and four classmates acted out a murder scene using a combination of different characters and masks. “I have come so far since that first day,” he said. “I am glad that UW Bothell offers these hands-on courses.”
Diana Garcia-Snyder, a lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, is proud to see how much students develop in her courses.
“In my Intro to Dance & Mindful Movement classes, we study ballet, contemporary dance and dances from various cultures because of the diversity of the students here,” she said. “In their final performances, students choreograph two-minute dances. I like this because it allows students to be creative. I can see what they have learned in this class and how they have applied that to their dance.”
“My art class is also having a show this quarter. We are having a ‘happening’ which is a massive showcase of talent being shown at once,” she said. “The audience will sit in the middle of a circle of students who are all either drawing, singing, dancing or giving speeches simultaneously.”
The following student performances and presentations in December are open to the public.
American Refugee Public Art Installation
Global Agitation workshop (Anida Ali)
Dec. 5 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Lawn / plaza between UW1-UW2
Final Photography Critique Sessions
DCI-Photography (Howard Hsu)
Dec, 5 and 7, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
UW1-121
Dance Works in Progress
Intro to Dance & Mindful Movement (Diana Garcia-Snyder)
Dec, 6, 9:30 a.m.
UW1-021
Acting Final Scenes
Intro to Acting (Gavin Doyle)
Dec, 7, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
UW2-021
Performance Art Final Pieces
Performance Art (Diana Garcia-Snyder)
Dec, 5 & 7, 12 noon
Disc-165B
Mask Creation Pop-Up Gallery
Mask Improv (Gavin Doyle)
Dec, 7, 1:30-3 p.m.
Commons
Dance Works in Progress
Intro to Dance (Diana Garcia-Snyder)
Dec, 7, 6:15 p.m.
UW1-021
Oral Presentations
Habits of Highly Successful Students (Gavin Doyle)
Dec, 8, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
UW2-040
Oral Presentations
Academic Transition for International Students (Gavin Doyle)
Dec. 8, 1:30-3 p.m.
UW2-040
Poster Presentations
Senior Capstone Exhibition
Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
North Creek Events Center
