On Oct. 6 and 7, the students of IAA will perform live for their annual show, Collage. The show incorporates every medium, collectively showcasing what it means to be an artist as it captures the viewers’ attention with a fast-paced performance that fills every corner of the stage and the audience.

Being in Collage gives students the opportunity to transform their idea of collaboration through art. The show ranges from performance majors dancing and singing on the stage to poetry being read by Creative Writing majors in the audience. Collage immerses the audience directly into the art, while giving every individual room to imagine the piece differently. The students and faculty involved work hard to make this show unique every year. 

In an interview with Rachel James, a member of the Dance faculty who has been teaching at IAA for seven years and has had her pieces performed in Collage twice, she explained that the Collage piece being performed by the Dance majors this year has already been created for the Fall Dance Showcase. However, the piece needed to be cut down to fit the required two-minute time limit. James believes that Collage is a great starting challenge for the year. 

“It is a highlight of the year,” said James. “A lot of things need to happen in a week.”

However, a busy week is not unusual for the IAA community, as there is always an exciting performance or activity happening on campus. Many students keep a busy schedule. For instance, Drucilla Dumas, a senior Classical Voice major, was notified that they would be recommended for a possible solo. To prepare for a possible piece in the show, Drucilla incorporated more practice into their day while simultaneously trying to conserve their voice for the official day.

Lukas Drysdale, a senior Visual Arts major who was interviewed for the Collage performance, was told the day before his interview that he would be in the show. To prepare for his interview, he wrote down what he wanted to say about his artwork and asked peers for suggestions. Lukas’ interview will be projected on a screen along with four other Visual Arts seniors, allowing Visual Arts students to join the collaborative performance.

“I appreciate the effort they are putting in to be able to have Visual Arts be a part of Collage,” said Lukas.

Julia Birkenstein, senior Dance major, has been in multiple Collage shows, including both a contemporary and character dance piece. Dance majors are told in advance that they are in the show, as they have to learn their choreography beforehand. Julia has managed her schedule to work with the extra rehearsal for the show, on top of her daily dance schedule. 

“Every year I wish I could watch [Collage] instead of dance in it,” Birkenstein said, highlighting what a notable show this is on IAA’s performance calendar each year.

With the support of parents from all over the world, students get the opportunity to collaborate with peers and celebrate their high school years as an artist at IAA. This makes the program a perfect start for new artists that want to grow more within their art. 

The Interlochen campus is thrilled to be performing Collage for a lively audience.

Project Arkifish would like to thank The Interlochen Times, our campus newspaper, for allowing us to present this story on Project Arkifish's website.