PACE at Mamaroneck High School
PACE, the Performing Arts Curriculum Experience at Mamaroneck High School, is a curricular elective program which offers students four progressive years of study in dance, music, and theatre. It also offers students the opportunity to learn through extra-curricular performance and production projects. PACE students culminate their four-year study with a year of specialization in Dance, Music, or Theatre. The PACE philosophy is that the performing arts are for all students as they make individuals more focused, more confident, and more responsible. In addition, there is also the belief that doing work in several performing arts areas accelerates this progress. Thus, the PACE program is designed for everyone —those with no previous experience in performing, those aspiring to careers in the performing arts, and those who are considering any career that requires problem solving, teamwork, clear thinking, and effective public speaking.
In PACE dance, students study dance technique but the focus is on choreography – a much more complex cognitive and social endeavor than simply learning to be a dancer. Students study choreographic craft including solo and group choreography and modern dance technique based on influential modern dance choreographers such as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Jose Limon, and Paul Taylor. In addition, there is a strong emphasis on Musical Theater choreography, specifically the works of Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins. Dance students learn to look at works of dance with a critical eye and learn how to use their own movement ideas and personal histories to choreograph dances that express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. No previous dance experience is necessary to be successful in the PACE dance class.
In PACE music, students get hands on experience working with the ukelele, keyboard, voice, guitar, drums, and also GarageBand, Sibelius, and ProTools. There are creative opportunities to compose, record, arrange, direct, or run live sound. The basic concept is to empower students to envision and realize their own unique dreams and aspirations for their musical lives. No previous music experience is necessary to be successful in the PACE music class.
In PACE theater, students begin their journey through becoming comfortable taking risks through games, improvisation, and beginning acting experiences. Throughout their four years in PACE, students progress to advanced acting, playwriting, and directing techniques so that by the time they leave the program, they have a holistic foundation which enables them to create dynamic and artistically strong original theater work.
* These courses satisfy the New York State Regents requirement for art.
Performing Arts 1 (PACE 1): Dance, Music, and Theater
Performing Arts 2 (PACE 2): Dance, Music, and Theater
Advanced Performing Arts (PACE 3): Dance, Music, and Theater
Performing Arts 4 (PACE 4): Advanced Dance, Advanced Music, and/or Advanced Theatre for a full-year
- Performing Arts 1 (PACE 1)
- Performing Arts 2 (PACE 2)
- Performing Arts 3 (PACE 3)
- Performing Arts 4 (PACE 4) Advanced Dance
- Performing Arts 4 (Pace 4) Advanced Music
- Performing Arts 4 (PACE 4) Advanced Theatre
- Unified Theatre
- PACE Extra Curricular Activities