The Drama & Creative Mime residency offers a performance based, interactive series of workshops that support your school curriculum. The Drama & Creative Mime program is an integrative process that develops imaginative thought and creative expression in children. Through the use of movement, pantomime, improvisation, story dramatization and group discussion, children acquire language and communication skills, social awareness, problem-solving abilities, self-concept enhancement, and an understanding of theater. The goal of Drama & Creative Mime is to guide a child to self-fulfillment and
self- expression with confidence through the process of theater techniques.
My goal as residency AITS teacher is to encourage each student to find the joy in expressing themselves safely and fully and with confidence. Drama & Creative Mime offers fun yet disciplined techniques that encourage and empower students to express themselves with honesty and joy.
The empowering techniques we explore include: Emotion Aerobics, Characterization, Leader Follower, Taking One Step at a Time, Centering and Balance, Tension and Release, Creating Illusions, Focus and Concentration, Alignment and realignment, Stillness and Motion, Dynamic Changes, Moving with Breath, Beginning – Middle – End.
Drama & Creative Mime brings out the best in each student. The students perform the drama & creative mime techniques and work together to create short scenes that express a feeling, a mission statement or a scenario from your curriculum. The process is fun and inspiring. Drama & Creative Mime is the creative process in action with techniques that are exciting to learn.
Janet is available to travel interisland to offer her residency.
“My students were immediately enthused and engaged! I hosted Janet in my grade 6 language arts classroom twice, and each time she got my students to step out of their shells and do mime, then talk and write about the experience using language I didn’t know they possessed. Even the shyest students were engaged from the beginning, end even the most jaded were participating with enthusiasm and expressing themselves with honesty and joy.”
Janet Carafa studied and performed as Lead Company member of the American Mime Theatre in NYC for 15 years. She studied directly with the world master mime artist Marcel Marceau for 12 years.
While in NYC, Janet performed and taught residencies at The United Nations, Lincoln Center, MOMA to name only a few. Janet brings her extensive experience as a professional mime artist who has performed and studied with the masters to the students.
Here on Kauaʻi, Janet is a Certified Yoga Teacher and studio owner in Princeville, Kauaʻi (In The Light Yoga Studio aka HotYogaPrinceville.com) where she presently teaches yoga and the art of mime. During the COVID closedown she has been teaching foster children in Nepal on Zoom. She has created educational participatory videos for the community to enjoy with Anaina Hou Community Park.
Janet taught Drama & Creative Mime at Hawaii Children’s Theatre as faculty member for 5 years teaching and directing children and young adults. She has given her performance/workshops at Kilauea School 5th & 6th graders, Island School 12th graders, Center for Spiritual Living teen program, Mahelona Hospital for the Elderly. She performed at Art Lunch at Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. She performs annually for Peace Day on Kauaʻi offering a workshop for Peace – We Hold the World in Our Hands. You will find Janet presenting at many events on Kauaʻi with interactive performance & participation – highlighting the message of the event.
The Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster is an adjudicated directory of Hawai‘i professional teaching artists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies in educational settings. Each artist or arts organization has a page in the directory with contact information, a short bio, and an artist statement. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts draws from this roster for arts education programs including Art Bento at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Artists in the Schools.
