Dance | Education & Youth | Arts & Culture | New Haven Public Schools | New Haven Academy
Top: Teacher Karissa Kee-Conyers and star student Jada McMillan. Grayce Howe Photos.
New Haven Academy seniors Layla Render, Zurielle Moore-Epps and Jada McMillan took their place at center stage, glowing under a luminous purple and blue stage light. As the second half of Beyoncé’s “Haunted” filled the room with an ominous melody, they rose from the stage, a tangle of hands and arms. They rose and spread out, certain of every step.
It was their final performance as dancers before graduating, and they wanted to savor it—and pay tribute to the teacher who helped them get there.
On the cusp of graduation season, New Haven Academy (NHA) hosted its annual arts showcase, highlighting the work students have done on in dance, visual arts, and drama classes and extracurriculars throughout the course of the year. This year, it took on added meaning as it celebrated Dance Director Carissa “Ms. Kee” Kee-Conyers, who is marking her 10th year at the school.
“The most important thing to me this year was getting as many students as I could to engage and fully participate,” said Kee-Conyers, “For the students it was really important to put on a show that the audience could truly enjoy and get hyped about.”
This year's showcase brought a whirlwind of emotions, as Kee-Conyers received her award for 10 years teaching dance at the school, where arts classes and extracurriculars are meant to boost social and emotional development and dovetail with the school’s civically engaged mission.The seniors seemed to feel the moment especially: most of them have been involved in the dance department since their freshman year. Kee-Conyers’ classroom has become a second home.
“Ms. Kee’s dance room has given me an outlet,” said McMillan, “It’s given me a place to talk without words, a place to cry without tears, and a home outside my home.”
McMillan spent the majority of her weekdays with Kee as she took the role of a teacher’s assistant in her dance class during the school day. She was also an avid member of the dance ensemble in the school’s production of Once On This Island this past spring.
By the showcase, Kee-Conyers felt similar gratitude to McMillan. While giving her senior awards, she told the audience that McMillan was the best TA she’s ever had. Whenever she was running late, had to call out sick, or was just having a rough day, McMillan was there to pick up the slack. McMillan kept the younger students engaged, supported Kee-Conyers, and gave dance class her all.
McMillan's eyes filled with tears as she received her award from Kee, and the two shared a hug on stage.
Tuesday night was also a testament to the arts at NHA, which Kee-Conyers and Tyheed Scurry have transformed into a powerhouse, deeply collaborative program that runs on a shoestring budget. At the showcase, for instance, students brought out 10 dances from three different dance classes at NHA, highlighting styles such as hip hop, majorette, contemporary and African.
This past spring, Kee-Conyers also got on board with the musical, incorporating classic African style of dance and Afrobeats into the work. That commitment and creativity was clear in , “Ti Moune’s Dance,” performed by McMillan, rising senior Tomisela Engel- Halfkenny, and rising junior Solimar Quintanilla who played the roles of Asaka and Ti Moune in the spring musical.
“Being with NHA for 10 years feels amazing,” Kee-Conyers said. “A decade of dedication is a long time. When I started my kids were young, and now one has graduated and the other is going into her sophomore year! I truly feel like time is flying. I love my program and God willing I will be around for years to come to continue this amazing work!”
Along with student dancers from NHA, the showcase displayed work from dancers Kee-Conyers teaches in five other settings, including, Kee2Dance in New Haven, Performing Art Studio BE in North Haven, Westbrook Dance Academy, Visions of Praise in New Haven (of which she is the founder and director), and her work as a choreographer at large for ) Sweet 16s , quinceañeras, weddings, and so forth.
A true lover of the arts, Kee-Conyers teaches her students how to communicate through dance, letting the emotions they feel flow through the movement of their body. When she teaches dance, she explained, she also teaches her students how to bring their light into the world.
“This final dance is a testament to all their hard work,” she said to the crowd before the entire NHA dance program took the stage for their last dance of the year, set to Beyoncé’s “My Power.” “I try my best to teach my dancers about their power, knowing their power and bringing their light to the world.”