Building Friendships, Dreaming Big
A little rain and power outage can’t stop us! We jumped right in and had such an amazing first three days!!! The magic of camp is in the air and the friendships forming in just three days is amazing to witness! Our first week of StarQuest is spent bonding, creating our camp culture, and getting familiar with all that camp StarQuest has to offer – friendships, singing, acting, dancing, bringing out your inner artist, and so much! At StarQuest we focus a lot of our energy during week one to set the tone that will ensure our campers feel inspired, supported, and safe so they are empowered throughout camp, in all activities, to rise to each moment and greet it head on! We encourage our campers to set daily intentions, to try new things, and to express themselves fully. We take time for mindfulness mediation, we share our positive affirmation of the day, and we discuss how it looks to be a kind and supportive friend to others and to ourselves. It is from this foundation that our campers stretch their comfort zones and have a creative blast!
Here’s the Inside Scoop
On the first day of camp, we jumped right in by taking fun group pictures with photo booth props and making group banners. We then had our morning POW-WOW by our creative tree (ask your camper more about our tree – and little Quest and little Power) and we jumped right in with “getting-to-know-you” games and our famous “skit-in-the-bag” game was a hit! This was a great way to get our campers interacting, laughing, and having fun! We continued the week with bonding exercises, learning about the process of theater (education, auditioning, ensemble work) and of course spending time in acting, dancing, voice classes, auditions, and rehearsals for Alice in Wonderland JR. All of our counselors worked with their groups, daily, on gaining trust in one another and achieving comfort levels that allow all the campers to feel nurtured. Our voice, dance, and acting specialists focused on setting up basic skills and foundations, helping our stars gain confidence in their abilities. We also had auditions, casting, started our character and scene work, and learned several songs for Alice in Wonderland JR! To top off the week, our appreciation circle today brought all of our campers together to share their gratitude for each other and for the moments they loved most all week! We also gave everyone a heart necklace to remind them that, as part of our StarQuest family, you are safe, supported, loved and loving! Oh and don’t forget the ice cream bar YUM and lip sync contest at lunch.
Creative Tree
Voice
- Audition prep – learned our audition song
- Reading Music 101 – the basics
- Learned – When I Grow Up Reprise from Matilda
Acting
- Introduced to our key conception for acting: “acting is reacting”
- Began to work on stage directions by identifying parts of the stage
- Increased self-awareness and awareness of others through mirroring exercises and standing on the stage
Dance
- Dance started off with a bang as we learned our choreography for our auditions.
- We discussed technique and improvisation used through dance and acting and how that plays into characterization.
- We learned a pas de bourree step and can’t wait to dive into more next week.
- Learned how to stretch correctly.
Audition/Rehearsals
Before we conducted auditions, the entire camp was guided through a visual meditation to bring in the love and release any anxiety they may be feeling. Couldn’t be more proud of our campers; everyone did a fantastic job!
Conversation Starter
Ask your camper what our camp contract/agreement says. Ask them what they said in our Friday morning appreciation circle. Ask them about our compliment wall. Ask them what wish they made on their star. Oh and ask them if they “took what they needed” words of encouragement from our wall.
Big Announcements, Dates, & More
Alice in Wonderland JR.
Tuesday, July 2 @ 6 pm
Zale Auditorium
Every child will be given four complimentary tickets for their family and friends. We want the house to be packed for our campers, therefore, tickets are currently on sale on our website – click here for tickets.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Tell your friends to come and support Camp StarQuest!
Please remember how critical it is for your children to be here for all rehearsals. Since our time is limited to get this show up on its feet, strive for being present for all of it. At every rehearsal, campers will be learning new numbers.
Please encourage your camper to read their scripts over the weekend and listen to the music! The more they learn and practice at home the more productive our rehearsals will be. J
Please encourage your camper to read their scripts over the weekend and listen to the music! The more they learn and practice at home the more productive our rehearsals will be.
This is How We Do It at Camp StarQuest
To see more pictures of our campers and continue to get updates please download the J camp app from the app store, become a friend of our JPAS Facebook page and follow us on Instagram.
Can’t wait to see what happens next week at Camp StarQuest!
Alise Robinson
Director Camp StarQuest