Powerful Learning

1 February 2017

Arts Tour to New York City

Arts Tour to New York City

On Thursday 8 December 2016, while everybody was winding down after a busy year, 21 girls and three staff members gathered at the Melbourne International Airport ready to embark on the Arts Tour to New York City. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend two weeks in New York, allowing the girls to fully immerse themselves in both the visual and performing arts culture of the city that never sleeps.

The girls spent countless hours exploring the streets of New York and catching the subway from their hotel, which was opposite the world renowned Madison Square Garden and only 15 minutes from Times Square. Despite the snow, rain and very cold weather, nothing was going to stop the Ruyton girls from experiencing all that NYC had to offer. This included visiting and participating in workshops at the Museum of Modern Art, the American Natural History Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the Guggenheim Museum and the emotional experience of visiting the Ground Zero Memorial and Museum. The girls also attended performances by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra of Handel’s Messiah, the New York City Ballet’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and the New York institution that is The Christmas Spectacular at the art deco-inspired Radio City Music Hall, featuring the Rockettes and a lot of American glitz. Other noteworthy places the girls were fortunate to visit included Freedom Tower and the 9/11 Pools, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park and the Empire State Building.

A big thank you to all of the girls who embraced everything that was put in front of them and for the positive way they approached the tour. Special thanks also to Ms Lucy Fenwick from Edu Tours for her assistance organising and planning the tour and to the Ruyton staff, Mrs Jacinta Power and Ms Sara Valentino, for their assistance and support, and the care they showed towards to the girls.

Mr Paul Smith, Director of Performing Arts