Performing Arts

At the heart of the Performing Arts Department is a commitment to process; to helping students learn and experience what it is to be an artist. The Performing Arts Department offers a variety of courses in dance, instrumental and vocal music, and theater, to demonstrate the breadth and depth of each discipline and to supply opportunities in the arts for the wide range of Windward students attracted to our programs. Ensemble building, creativity and discovery, artistic rigor and contribution, and the development of a clearly articulated voice are at the core of our philosophy.

With dynamic facilities, a growing body of full-time and guest faculty working professionally at the top of their fields, and a steady influx of talented new student artists, Windward Performing Arts seeks to provide a creative, challenging, and nurturing environment that offers the highest quality of instruction to every student. This aim seeks to serve both the bright and talented student coming to experience the pure enjoyment and appreciation of the arts to those seeking unparalleled preparation for higher education and beyond.

Theatre

The Windward Theatre Department is a vibrant hub for emerging artists, dedicated to building a diverse community through collaboration and intellectual rigor. We offer a comprehensive suite of classes in performance, production, and design, tailored to develop each student’s personal voice and technical skill.

Through our philosophy of discovery and inclusive education, we provide a space for creative risk-taking. From mainstage productions to discipline specific workshops, our students gain the ensemble skills and artistic discipline needed to succeed in higher education and beyond. We explore the power of storytelling in a space where every student is empowered to lead with their heart and their craft.

Dance

Windward Dance is a place where movement becomes discovery, dedicated to uncovering each student’s personal potential and nurturing the unique artistic path of every dancer who moves through our program. Rooted in encouragement, curiosity, and discipline, students are invited to discover their artistic voice while developing the technical skills and confidence to express it.

Through a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to dance education, Windward Dance offers coursework from beginning through advanced levels. Our curriculum combines the rigor of conservatory-style training with an integrated study of practice, theory, history, and composition, while fostering a supportive environment where students can take creative risks and grow as artists. National and international collaborations with leading choreographers, dancers, and educators connect students to the excitement and diversity of the professional dance world.

Vocal Music

Windward Music offers a wide variety of courses in vocal music and music theory reflecting the breadth and depth of musical study, while ensuring that every Windward student feels welcomed and included in the artistic journey. Ensemble-building, artistic rigor, engagement with and immersion into a wide range of musical styles and genres, and the development of a clearly articulated voice—shaped by tenacity and strengthened by collaboration—are at the core of our philosophy.

Our performance ensembles include a Middle School Vocal Ensemble, an Upper School Vocal Ensemble, and an Honors Advanced Vocal Ensemble that is open to 10th-12th grade students by audition only. We feature a wide range of musical genres, from Renaissance to Classical, from a capella jazz and pop arrangements to musical theater, and featuring languages and musical cultures from around the world.

Instrumental Music

Windward Music offers a wide variety of courses in instrumental music, music production, and music theory reflecting the breadth and depth of musical study, while ensuring that every Windward student feels welcomed and included in the artistic journey. Ensemble-building, artistic rigor, engagement with and immersion into a wide range of musical styles and genres, and the development of a clearly articulated voice—shaped by tenacity and strengthened by collaboration—are at the core of our philosophy.

Our performance ensembles include jazz ensembles, American music ensembles, and chamber music ensembles of varying levels to accommodate the wide range of experience levels and musical interests of our students.

Ensembles

FEATURED ENSEMBLES - THEATRE & DANCE

Honors Advanced Theatre Ensemble
This audition-only class for advanced (11-12 Grade) acting students is designed to hone their craft by working as an ensemble to create dynamic work. The year begins with scene study and monologue work to prepare students for the college audition process. Students will build a practical portfolio by creating resumes, spotlight videos, and developing polished material. The curriculum includes in-depth discussions about their work and process, supplemented by discipline-specific workshops led by guest artists. This ensemble will also perform a full-length play and showcase other material in both informal and formal performances.

Theatre & Dance Masters
This course is designed for students in their Junior and Senior years who wish to pursue their art at the college level. Whether considering a full-time arts conservatory, pursuing a minor in acting, dance, or musical theatre along with their academic major at a university, or utilizing their extensive experience and commitment to acting, dance, or musical theatre to bolster a general application, each student will have the resources to meet their needs.

Dance Company
Windward Dance Company brings together exceptional Upper School dancers for a high-impact repertory experience. Chosen by audition, members collaborate with leading choreographers and performers through immersive residencies. The result: seminal recreations and bold, original works that push artistic boundaries and showcase the dancers’ technical mastery and artistry.

Middle School Repertory Ensemble
Windward's Middle School Repertory Dance Ensemble is a performance company for Windward’s most dedicated Middle School dancers, where students work closely with special guest artists in a series of short-term residencies to create work for performance, outreach, and special events.

FEATURED ENSEMBLES - INSTRUMENTAL & VOCAL MUSIC

Honors Advanced Vocal Ensemble: Windward Chromatics
Open by audition to Windward’s most advanced singers in Grades 10-12, with a focus on collaborative musicianship skills and a wide variety of musical genres from Classical masterworks to musical theatre favorites, pop selections and jazz standards as well as music from different cultures and countries around the world.

Honors Chamber Music Ensemble
Open by audition or invitation, this advanced ensemble for Grades 7–12 focuses on collaborative musicianship through diverse repertoire, music theory, and performance experiences including field trips to professional concerts in Los Angeles.

Honors Advanced Jazz Ensemble
Open by audition to Windward's most driven and accomplished instrumentalists in Grades 9-12, this ensemble offers each student the opportunity to pursue music with improvisational features rooted in American Gospel, Delta Blues, Jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and South American languages.

PAHero.jpg

Popular Searches

In this Section