[Courtesy of Bryan Berkowitz]

       Despite a year-long respite from performing thanks to Covid-19, Seabury Hall’s student-run club, Art with Heart, managed to host an amazing performance last Saturday with twenty-six stunning performers taking the stage. 

       Although I wasn’t performing, I felt weirdly nervous and filled with energy as I arrived early to help set up. As my fellow club members and I prepared the check-in booth and the food tables, the faint sound of guitar strumming and gentle singing made its way outside. As I checked in with some of the performers in the dressing room, the feeling of excitement was high. It seemed as though everyone was anxious to perform once more.

       Slowly, after 5:30, guests began to slowly trickle in. The smell of fresh pork hovered in the air as guests looked at the beautiful artworks and the sunset coloring the sky orange like a monarch butterfly’s wings. As the sun sank behind the mountain, a cold chill settled outdoors. 

       Eager for the show to begin, we headed into the warm indoors. 

       “I better hear you cheer for me,” my friend told me before heading backstage, her laughter echoing in the empty hall as she ran backstage. 

       As I rushed into the CAC, albeit a little late, I was met by the song “Grief” by Bastille and a beautiful and touching video of Dylan. 

       The Art with Heart performance was honoring Dylan by giving all of its profits to the Paia Youth and Cultural Center. The video created by junior Natasha Jugl was a beautiful celebration of Dylan and the paddle out. 

       After an introduction by Ava, Luz Bridgeford took the stage with a peaceful and flowing hula dance. Performance after performance, song after dance, I found myself perpetually stunned by the high quality of every single performer. Time seemed to fly by as I was enchanted by the performances and the intermission seemed to arrive too soon. My stomach disagreed though, and I was delighted to find a vast assortment of sweets waiting outside. As I walked around with my Rice Krispies in hand, all I could hear were congratulations for the students who had already been on stage. The warmth of the Seabury Hall community coming together for the show overwhelmed the chilly night. 

       I was still grateful however once the bell rang and we were summoned back into the CAC for part two of the performance. As I watched in awe once more, I found myself inspired. The courage of each and every one of the students who got on that stage in front of over two hundred people was touching. I genuinely found myself admiring them, the hard work they put into all of their pieces, and their smiles as they walked on space. 

       As the show ended, I joined the crowd in a standing ovation with a wide smile on my face. For over two hours, I had managed to forget my troubles for a moment. For two hours, I had been taken to a wonderland of song and dance, tears and laughter. For these moments of bliss, I have all the members of Art with Heart to thank with all my soul. I can say with full confidence that Art with Heart has truly astonished once more.