Lucy Gellman

It's the tree, rendered in crayon beside a sturdy brick column, that first catches a viewer's eye.

On stage, two bodies staggered through space, their arms extending out, then recoiling back in. One, standing in a ghoulish light at stage right, pulled at soft, sock-shaped weights fitted around her body, like a hive-shaped dress made of stones. The other heaved herself towards a doorway, a dimpled basket fitted over her head, an eraser-colored, thick outfit swallowing her form. Music, ambient and instrumental, swirled around them, part of this garish waking dream.

To the sound of drums ringing over the New Haven Green, dancer Julio Jean stepped forward, bands of red silk tied at his neck and waist. In one hand, he carried a machete, its blade curved and sharp as it sliced through the air. In the other, he lifted a shaker wrapped in green, yellow and blue beads. After he had bowed to the sun-warmed ground, his feet began to fly atop the pavement.

When Husha Hakimi walked into her first Arabic class at Wilbur Cross High School, she didn't know what to expect.

After the announcement went out at 11:08 a.m. Wednesday, many teachers, students and administrators were left scrambling to get students onto buses, check in with parents, and figure out what an afternoon of disrupted learning looked like for the rest of the week.

Tarishi “Midnight” Shuler and Michael “Chief” Peterson stand at attention, eyes fixed on the audience. Their hands rest clasped at their waists, expectant.

Part dance party, part testimony, and all heart, (TRAC, also known as Tia Russell Dance Studio or TRDS) marked its one-year anniversary in Hamden Saturday afternoon, with a ribbon cutting and short speaking program that celebrated the creative and cultural village it has built through dance.

A master class in learning to be one's true self—and communicate with others more clearly— came to the stage at Hill Central Music Academy Friday, as fifth through eighth grade students mounted a sweet performance of Shrek, Jr. for a packed auditorium of friends, family, and adoring siblings. Directed by Becca Corbin and Jaclyn Chiarelli—who have become beloved theatrical magic-makers at the school—the show included a cast and crew of over two dozen students, many of whom have never acted in a play before.

Tuesday night, Hilton conducted Michael Sweeny's “Band Room Boogie,” a rollicking, bluesy ode to musicianship that lets every section of the band shine, during Mauro Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School's mellifluous spring concert. Rescheduled after extreme heat

When Amara Everlasting needed emergency food aid during the Covid-19 pandemic, the New Haven Pride Center was there to help them apply for SNAP.