Visual and Performing Arts

Gabrylle Bautista ‘24 (Art 1) created her own Frida Kahlo digital artwork– inspired by Kahlo’s self-portraits

Art students created artist copies of famous Latinx artists to celebrate Latinx Heritage.

Raina Eichhorn ‘23 (Art 2) recreated Still Life with Parrot and Fruit by Frida Kahlo

Dance

Zhoujue Wu ‘21 (Art 2) recreated Migration is Beautiful by Favianna Rodriguez

Katelyn Vo ‘22 (Art 3H) recreated a painting by Cundo Bermudez

Abigail Scully ‘24 (Art 1) recreated work by Favianna Rodriguez Jazmine Moran ‘24 (Art 1) recreated Fernando Botero's Mona Lisa Claire Wagner ‘23 (Art 1) recreated a sculpture by Fernando Botero using colored pencils

"The Visual and Performing Arts Department teachers always strive to expose students to different variations of art, artists, and artworks. We teach them to find beauty in everything they see, look into diverse worlds of art to find the deeper meaning, and to use their learned skills and talents to create their own masterpieces." —Nadine Baroudi, Ed.M., VPA Department Chair & Visual Arts Teacher

Last spring, Dance Teacher Joy Thiesen-Braunstein’s classes pivoted from their preparations for the Spring Dance Concert to a virtual performance. Instead of dancing live, Mercy students perfected their dance choreography with each other on Zoom. They then created their own costumes and recorded themselves for an ensemble video performance.

“Studies have shown that dance is beneficial for physical, cognitive and emotional function. We typically start class with a warm up stretch, followed by new dance techniques, then dance choreography. When a student has been sitting at a desk for the majority of a day, stretching helps to alleviate tension that may have built up from being sedentary. Many of the dance techniques we learn in class are physically challenging, which aids in the students’ cardiovascular health and muscle strength. Learning new choreography engages their cognitive functions, as students have to learn specific dance steps to precise musical counts and cues (all on Zoom!). Most importantly, dance helps to aid in the students’ mental well being and “ stress relief by releasing endorphins and providing an outlet for students to express themselves through movement. Dance provides many benefits especially during this time of Distance Learning. - Joy Thiesen-Braunstein, Dance Teacher

Mercy Cheer ON CAMPUS Mercy Athletics “We are so excited to be back this year for another season! Even though there are some big changes, being back together to cheer in person is all I could ask for to finish off my senior year. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this year brings as we get ready for our competition season.” —Katarina Fontana ‘21

“I am beyond excited to get to work with my teammates in person this year–especially because of everything that is currently happening. Cheer is something I have been passionate about for years, and Mercy has only grown my love for it tremendously. I love my teammates and my coach, and I can’t wait to spend my senior year working and having fun with them.” —Nataly Lara ‘21

Our Cheer Team practicing on a beautiful day at our Mercy campus! We are working on lots of fun things for the rest of the year while wearing masks and using hand sanitizer to stay safe. GO MERCY!