Focus on the Arts 2019

Focus on the Arts 2019

Highland Park High School

April 9, April 11 & 12, 2019

Highland Park High School students, staff and community members are gearing up for the 27thcelebration of Focus on the Arts, the school’s renowned festival of the arts. With more than 250 workshops, performances and lectures in all genres of art, Focus aims to increase the appreciation and understanding of the arts and arts professionals.

The 2019 event will kick off with an Opening Night of Music and Dance. Two of our premiere evening events, Opening Night and Dance Night, have been combined to create a very special evening.

The evening will include dance performances from C5, Cerqua Rivera Dance, Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago; and music performances from An Octave Above and Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow. HPHS’s Collage Dance Company, Jazz Ensemble and Swing Choir will also be performing.

Opening Night will be held on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.

This is a ticketed event – tickets will be available online at https://showtix4u.com/events/f... beginning on March 15that 10:00am

Tickets are free and available to the public.

The next Focus evening event, Art Night, is free and open to the public. Showcasing an eclectic selection of professional artists, Art Night offers students and community members the opportunity to interact with artists, observe demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities geared toward all ages. Talented HPHS visual arts students will also present their work. Some of the highlights of this year’s Art Night include Ecru, Body Painting, Paper Cutting and a demonstration of lathe work.

Art Night will be held on Thursday, April 11 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the HPHS Cafeteria and Student Commons.

The lineup for student workshops is equally exciting. Workshops take place during the school days of April 11 & 12. Students will have the opportunity to attend and participate in drama, music and dance performances, interactive activities in the visual arts, creative writing and architecture, and discussions with media personalities and social justice activists. Some new workshops for Focus 2019 are an Architectural Bus Tour of HP, Menu Art, Dialects, Indian Fusion Dance, Loom-Weaving, Foley Sound Design, and Electronic Music Jamming. Several workshops are themed to coordinate with the 150 anniversary of Highland Park. We are thrilled to welcome over 60 Highland Park High School alumni back as presenters for Focus.

“We are thrilled to present the 27thCelebration of Focus on the Arts,” says Focus Coordinator Jody Weinberg. “Over 30 committees made up of student, parent and staff volunteers have been working for months to bring in the many outstanding workshops and events to Focus. It is wonderful to see the excitement and enthusiasm created around Focus on the Arts.”

For more information on Focus on the Arts visit our website at www.hphsfocus.org, or our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hphsfocus/or contact the Focus office at hphsfocus@dist113.org or 224-765-2164.