I have gotten the privilege of working closely with theater teacher Kittson O’Neill. O’Neill has been a theater teacher and director of plays and musicals at AFS since 2022, and since her arrival she has continued to shape and mold the theater department into a thriving part of academic and social life here at Abington Friends. O’Neill, while being a theater teacher and director for years, has a soft spot for the art of dance: a common sport and art form that some students participate in, whether on stage or in the studio outside these walls.
What is your background and experience with dance?
I was very serious about dance when I was also in school, so I took dance from when I was three or two all through college. When I was in junior high and high school, I was in a dance school that also had a company. I was very serious about modern dance; I really wanted to be a modern dancer. So I took workshops with a company when I was in high school thinking I would study dance, then I had an injury and I thought “Oh I guess I’m not gonna be a dancer.” But I still love dance and it’s something I still do to keep me happy.
How does this translate to your job now as a theater teacher at AFS?
Ask anybody in my classes; movement is big part of my practice as a theater maker. They’re always rolling around on the floor. I think that having a really grounded practice to use
O’Neill in her office
your body to make art and to create characters and make stories is so helpful as an artist and a teacher for the work that I do in this school.
Do you think anybody is too young or too old to pursue dance?
No, I think everyone should dance. I think our bodies want to dance like how we want to sing. We want to dance, we want to tell stories, and, in my opinion, it’s what we crave. We crave celebration with each other, and dance is how we celebrate with our bodies.”
O’Neill loves and appreciates her past with the art of dance. She marries her two passions of being a theater teacher and dancer together to promote movement and personality. I can’t wait to see what she has in store this year with her future projects.
Molly • Oct 30, 2024 at 7:46 am
Humans of AFS: Stage and Studio
This article surprised me a lot more than I expected it would! not only is Kittson the director of the musical I have been participating in through the past two months, but she is also my advisor. I was shocked when I learned that Kittson was a serious dancer as a teen! I am not surprised, as she has definitely helped with dances throughout the show, but, I am definitely surprised that I had never learned this before! In her interview, Kittson states that “movement is big part of [her] practice as a theater maker” which I completely agree with. In Urinetown along with her classes movement is a key part of getting comfortable and ready to act. We often start with a warm up that involves movement, which I feel definitely prepares me get into character!