Arts Category

By Curtis Sun. Art teacher Daniel Vance was immersed into the world of art from the moment he was born. His father was an artist himself, with a master of fine arts in ceramics. “Some of my earliest memories were working with clay as a kid or wandering around my father’s studio.” Vance’s love of art comes from the process of making it, not the final product. He explains that “if you’re the cow, you don’t need milk; your walking around with milk!” As a child, Vance spent a majorityRead More

By Nicole Malofsky. Senior Nicole Baressi has been a tap dancer for the majority of her life. Ever since she was little, rhythm has captivated her. Ballet class at three years old was “a struggle (to say the least), yet the moment tap shoes were placed on [her] feet, [she] was free,” said Baressi. Not only was she free to make noise, but she was “free to be ‘ungraceful,’ free to be [herself].” Baressi noted that although she does not have the poise and grace required for ballet, she possessesRead More

By Kate Coley. The Overture Awards recognize and reward talented high school arts students from around the Tri-state. The Overture Award judges give awards in several categories: Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Vocal Music, Creative Writing, and Visual Art. Eighteen finalists win a $1,000 scholarship, and the first-place winners in each discipline are rewarded $4,000. The 2015 regional competition, the first step toward an award, took place on Saturday, January 10.             Several Seven Hills students competed at regionals: Nicole Barresi (12, Dance) Maria Bobbitt Chertok (11, Theatre) Nina Fatuzzo (10,Read More

By Kate Coley. Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB) is the biggest youth poetry slam in the world, created by The Young Chicago Authors in 2001. This year, LTAB came to Cincinnati, thanks to WordPlay, an organization that fosters academic and personal growth. WordPlay is organizing monthly open-mic nights throughout Cincinnati to prepare for the competition. Louder Than a Bomb semi-finals will be held on March 14th and finals will be held in April at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Seven Hills has decided to join the Cincinnati slam poetry sceneRead More

By Kate Coley. Director Stephanie Park is accelerating the Seven Hills theatre program with her next project, the winter musical. 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is exactly what it sounds like – a musical about a spelling bee. The musical, beloved to many musical theatre aficionados, will be performed for one night only (February 6th). Unlike the other two shows this year, Spelling Bee’s cast was hand picked. In other words, the auditions determined not only which part each student would play, but also whether they would make theRead More

By Kaylan Young. In this thrilling take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a Hollywood flare, the infamous Puck and Oberon are transported from their magical world onto Max Reinhardt’s Warner Bros. set. As one could only expect, hijinks ensue. The Seven Hills Theatre Department outdoes itself with its production of Shakespeare in Hollywood. It is absolutely vital to recognize the show’s set crew, led by Stage Seven’s new set director, Trey Tatum. Thanks to Trey and the crew, the production has both talent from the cast and aestheticsRead More

By Nicole Malofsky. Senior Ellie Pasquale has been dancing for as long as she can remember. Diagnosed with asthma as a child, Pasquale could not participate in typical sports, but she quickly found a love for dance at age three. Pasquale began by taking ballet and tap classes in a local dance teacher’s basement in Independence, Kentucky. At age six, she took private lessons with her instructor and attained small solos in the studio’s recitals. Everything changed, though, when her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio when she was eight. PasqualeRead More

By Curtis Sun. On September 29th, Steve Aoki released Neon Future I. The album is his sophomore studio album, and the first of two albums collectively known as Neon Future. Having been known to be a great artist in the past and reaching number eight on the annual DJ Mag Top 100 DJ popularity poll, there was a lot of hype around his newest release. Jus by breezing through the track-list it is clear that the album has its ups and downs. A dance album where just about every songRead More

By Kate Coley. Few Seven Hills students are as zealous for art both in and out of school as senior Chauyie Wei. Her passion for art began at the young age of four, when a friend of hers inspired her to take art lessons: “Every weekend when I would see her at church, she would have a new drawing piece for me. I admired them so much, I asked my mom if I could learn how to draw so I could be just as great as her.” Wei’s artistic abilitiesRead More

By Stuart Edwards. The Seven Hills’ Authentic People’s Pleasure Company has always been known for producing shows slightly out of the ordinary. From French bedroom farce to dark drama, theatre director Stephanie Park’s newest selection shouldn’t come as a surprise to the student body. Shakespeare in Hollywood is a comedy designed to pick up where the original Midsummer Night’s Dream left off. “It’s 1934, and Shakespeare’s most famous fairies, Oberon and Puck, have magically materialized on the Warner Bros. Hollywood set of Max Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Instantly smittenRead More

By Stuart Edwards. Sophomore Kate Coley is no stranger to the many facets of the art world, participating in theatre, dance, and some fashion design on the side. Coley cites movies, television, live theatre, and opera as the main contributors to her love for theatre today. As well, Coley said she has had “immense support from [her] parents” in her artistic pursuits. When asked about her favorite shows, Coley said, “One of the shows that stuck with me the most was my 7th grade show, Flowers for Algernon. My favorite partRead More

By Emma Uible The Authentic People’s Pleasure Company’s play Disturber of the Peace was based on D.E Stevenson’s novel Miss Buncle’s Book. Modified for the stage by the 2013-14 Acting Workshop class and Upper School theater teacher Stephanie Park, the production proved to be both sophisticated and entertaining. Stevenson’s novel is about the chaos that ensues after Barbara Buncle writes a popular book about the residents of a close-knit English village of Silverstream. Buncle’s book reveals gossip and critiques members of society, all under the pseudonym of John Smith. MissRead More