Totally Trollwood Academy

TOTALLY TROLLWOOD ACADEMY
Grades 5-7

(all grades refer to 2025-2026 school year)

Period 1 (9:00am-10:20am)

Jazz/Contemporary Dance
Get ready to have fun and learn some awesome dance moves! Whether you’re new to dance or want to try something fresh, this class is the perfect way to express yourself! You’ll jump into Jazz dance with high-energy moves and get creative with Contemporary styles. It’s all about having a great time, building confidence, and learning cool new combinations!

Performance Lab – One Act Play
Ready to hit the stage? Join our Performance Lab and take your acting skills to the next level! In this class, you’ll work with your classmates to rehearse and perform a One-Act Play. You’ll dive into character development, learn how to project your voice, and work on timing, expression, and body language. Whether you’re a seasoned actor or just getting started, this class is all about having fun while creating a performance you’ll be proud of! At the end of the session, you’ll get to show off your hard work in a live performance for family and friends at Sun Celebration! Get ready to shine in the spotlight and bring a story to life!

Musical Theatre Vocal Technique – Traditional
This class provides essential training for any young vocalist while singing songs from your favorite classic Broadway shows! From “The Wizard of Oz” to “Annie” to “The Sound of Music”, you will learn all the basics of healthy singing, such as proper breathing, how to support the voice, proper diction and vowel formation, extending your range, and finding the ideal resonance. You will learn how to sing for an audience, including correct posture, interpretation, and how to work with an accompanist through the use of solos and group numbers. Daily sessions include physical and vocal warm-ups, group work on vocal techniques, and individual coaching on solo pieces.

Beginning Acting
Unlock your creativity and engage your imagination as a new, young actor. Through theatre games and scene work, learn the basics of creating characters and using your voice, body, and emotions to breathe life into them. Explore dramatic text and learn how to bring a character from page to stage! Have a blast alongside your peers as you explore working together on many scenes, and not only enhance your acting skills but boost your self-confidence!

Stage Makeup
Explore the field of makeup design & application in this course! Beginning with an understanding of physical facial structure and visual principles, this class will open your mind to different ways of approaching the human face—through a wide range of application techniques, materials, and conceptual play. Example lessons may include transformation, character design development, artistic drawing, tattooing, and a variety of character looks, including glamour, old age, scar/blood/injury, fantasy, and more! Anyone who has taken Stage Makeup previously is invited to participate again as course topics and instruction levels adjust each year to match the experience and knowledge of students enrolled.

NOTE: It is required that each student has their own personal Ben Nye makeup kit. Complete kits are available for purchase from TPAS for $80 which is paid upon registration. If financial barriers preclude the kit purchase, please contact Student Services for assistance.

Beginning Stagecraft
In this hands-on course, you’ll dive into the exciting world of theater production by focusing on set design, lighting, and sound. Over four weeks, you’ll learn practical skills like building and painting small set pieces, focusing and coloring stage lights, and connecting and testing sound equipment. You’ll collaborate with your peers to design and execute a short theatrical scene, combining all the technical elements you’ve learned. Each session includes hands-on activities like constructing props, programming light cues, and creating sound effects to bring stories to life on stage. The course concludes with a student-led showcase, where you’ll demonstrate your technical creations to an audience. No prior experience required—just bring your creativity and a love for teamwork!

Period 2 (10:30am-11:50am):

Musical Theatre Dance
Each week, you will discover the physical fun of iconic Broadway musicals as you learn and perform multiple dance combinations from selected shows! Whether it’s jazz, ballet, or contemporary styles, this class is your ticket to exploring diverse musical theatre dance techniques while increasing expressiveness and improving dance memory. This class is a great opportunity for those aiming to hone their dance audition skills.

Songwriting
Immerse yourself in the art of songwriting! Hone your craft in both music and lyric writing. Expect an interactive and engaging experience where you will receive expert support and feedback on your original material. Discover essential tools and techniques needed to bring you musical ideas to life and learn the ropes of recording your music.

Intermediate Acting
How does an actor create a character from just some writing on a page? Join this character-building experience and learn the importance of all character types to tell a story ranging from the protagonist to the villain to the comic relief! Using dramatic text and media, you will discover the complexity of character creation through making vision boards, group discussions, creative writing exercises, role-playing scenarios, and collaborative projects and scene work. Even explore what it would be like to write or create your own character! By delving into character traits, backstories, conflicts, and motivations, you will quickly realize how dynamic a character’s inner world can really be.

Film FUNdamentals
Interested in movies and television but don’t know where to start? This class will screen and analyze clips from popular movies, breaking down storytelling secrets such as the importance of setting, how camera movement underlines a scene, how to disguise exposition, how costuming, lighting and even the actors’ blocking all help to establish a tone–and much, much more! From classics to contemporary films, we will explore every genre to find out why we all love going to the movies so much! Popcorn is optional. Then to apply all that newfound knowledge, learn the basics of how to operate camera equipment, set up shots, and piece it all together using user-friendly computer editing software. Walk away with your own mini movie! Quiet on the set, please, we’re ready to roll camera!

Period 3 (1:00pm-2:20pm):

Tap Dance
Get your toes tapping and your heels clicking in this class where you will explore the foundations of tap dance while grooving to catchy tunes! From learning basic tap steps like shuffles and flaps to piecing together exciting combinations, discover the magic of making music with your feet designed for beginners to intermediate tappers alike.  This is a great way to learn or increase your Tap skills for the Totally Trollwood Musical, Newsies JR!

NOTE: This class requires a pair of tap shoes to bring to class each day. If you are unable to purchase or provide a pair, please contact Student Services and share your shoe size as we may have options for you to borrow from our inventory.

Musical Theatre Vocal Technique – Contemporary
This class provides essential training for the young vocalist while singing songs from your favorite Broadway shows of today! You will learn all the basics of singing, such as proper breathing for singing, how to support the voice, proper diction and vowel formation, extending your range, and finding the ideal resonance. You will learn how to sing for an audience, including correct posture, interpretation, and how to work with an accompanist through the use of solos and group numbers. Daily sessions include physical and vocal warm-ups, group work on vocal techniques, and individual coaching on solo pieces.

Beginning Acting
Unlock your creativity and engage your imagination as a new, young actor. Through theatre games and scene work, learn the basics of creating characters and using your voice, body, and emotions to breathe life into them. Explore dramatic text and learn how to bring a character from page to stage! Have a blast alongside your peers as you explore working together on many scenes, and not only enhance your acting skills but boost your self-confidence!

Improv Basics
Get ready to join the world of improvisation and spontaneity! Learn the power of saying “YES!” to ideas, creating stories on the fly using intuition, how to rely on storytelling over punchlines, and the basics of scene building–physicalization, careful listening, high stakes, environment, and so much more! From fun games that build trust and teamwork to crafting imaginative scenes that have a beginning, middle, and end, this class is all about playing and letting loose!

Period 4 (2:30pm-3:50pm):

Hip-Hop Dance
This class allows beginner and intermediate dancers alike to unleash their self-expression and individuality through basic hip-hop moves! Over the course of the month, you’ll learn the fundamentals while finding your confidence on the dance floor in a supportive environment. Participate in exercises designed to enhance your groundedness and master quick weight shifts to use during dance sequences. Break it down!

Intermediate Improv
Building on what you already know, get ready to amp up your improv skills! In this class, you will dive deeper into making scenes organically spontaneous by saying “YES!” to ideas without overthinking. Jazz up your scenes by playing around with different types of characters, movements & gestures, and really listening to each other to make the stories even more engaging. Short and long form improvisation skills will be explored in a supportive and encouraging environment!

Show Choir
Show Choir is where melodies meet motion! This class is designed for a singer and/or stage performer who wants to explore a mix of pop, rock, and Broadway hits. Not only will you be jamming and singing your heart out to loveable tunes, additionally, stage movement and stage presence will be incorporated. We will work together to craft an ensemble performance to entertain and delight an audience at the end of the month at Sun Celebration!

Character Creation Studio
Ever wanted to stand out on stage and bring a character to life? In our Character Creation Studio, you’ll learn how to perform a variety of characters with confidence and creativity! This class will teach you how connect with your character and use your voice, body, and emotions to tell a compelling story. You’ll build your acting skills through fun exercises, get personalized feedback, and create characters that are believable and unique. By the end of the class, you’ll feel more confident performing various roles in front of others. It’s a great way to discover the actor within you and take your first step toward the stage!

TOTALLY TROLLWOOD ACADEMY STAFF

ALLISON ZIESMER
Student Services Advisor

My name is Allison! I just graduated from NDSU with a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and plan to continue on to my PhD studies this fall. For fun, I enjoy reading, buying new plants and fish for my aquariums, and spending time with my family and cats. I am super excited to return to Trollwood for my fourth summer as Student Services Advisor!

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MARIAH SCHAFER
Dance Teacher

Hey guys, I am Miss Mariah! This will be my fifth summer at Trollwood and I am so excited to spend it with you. I will be teaching TTA Jazz/Contemporary, Dance for Stage, and Hip Hop, as well as choreographing for the Conservatory. I will also be teaching a week of ArtSpark in July. Outside of Trollwood, I work at an elementary school in West Fargo, Red River Dance & Performing Company as a competitive instructor, and Fargo South High School and Carl Ben Middle School as their musical choreographer. These past two years I have also had lots of fun choreographing for Concordia College’s opera as well. Outside of work I enjoy reading while snuggling my cats Baymax and Boo, going to the lake with my parents and two younger sisters, thrifting and vintage shopping, puzzles and coloring. Trollwood has made my summers more fun, given me one of my best friends Hannah, and opened the door for so many opportunities that I am forever grateful for. I hope you immerse yourself in all that Trollwood has to offer this summer. I can’t wait to spend June with you, and if I’m not your teacher, please still say hi! I am not hard to miss, just look for the girl with big hair, long nails, always wearing sneakers to match her outfit 😉

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PATRICK KASPER
Dance Teacher

Patrick Kasper is an internationally known and respected motivational speaker/ dance instructor/choreographer. He has been an energetic force in the entertainment business for over 25 years.

Patrick grew up in Fargo and studied with Kathy and Eddie Gasper. Patrick then combined his love for fitness and dance and became a popular instructor / choreographer at Voight Fitness and Dance Center in Los Angeles. He then presented his motivational dance class POSITIVE+MOTION in Nice, Bahrain, Palm Springs, Paris, New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Grand Cayman and on cruise ships.

As a Fitness Representative for Reebok in Chicago, Patrick choreographed and danced on The Reebok Demo Team that performed at Fitness conventions throughout the world. Patrick hosted the television show SHAPE UP CHICAGO and was the seasonal manager/choreographer at VALLEYFAIR. He performs around the country in the tap duo PATEO with Mateo Leslie. Patrick wrote the musical PURPLE RHYMES WITH ORANGE which is available for licensing.

Locally, Patrick teaches at Gasper School of Dance and choreographs several high school, college and professional theatrical productions each year. He is excited to share his tappin’ energy with the students at Trollwood!

PositiveMotionPatrick.com PurpleRhymeswithOrange.com

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Scott McClure
Filmmaking Teacher

Scott McClure is a writer, producer, and filmmaker. A Fargo native, he created several popular web-series and sketches with followings on YouTube and TikTok. Currently, he is working as a producer on several films, as well as corporate media consulting out of Minneapolis and Los Angeles. He’s excited to be back for his 11th year as an instructor and returning for his 5th year as writer/director of the Trollwood non-musical show “Primetime of Your Life” this summer.

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ANNIE HARDT
Makeup Instructor

Annie Hardt is so excited to be returning to Moorhead to design hair and makeup for Frozen at Trollwood. A graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead, Annie discovered her passion for wigs and makeup during her time here and working with Strawhat Players. She has gone on to work professionally as a wig stylist, makeup artist, and designer, including over 8 years in Las Vegas on shows such as The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil and Discoshow by Spiegelworld. Previous design credits at Tuacahn include Cinderella, The Prince of Egypt, Matilda, Mamma Mia!, and Newsies. Annie is also the founder of The Caged Wig, a Las Vegas–based small business specializing in sculptural wig styling and education. All my love and thanks to my friends and family who have supported me throughout all of these adventures.

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AMBER PRESTON
Improv Instructor

Amber Preston has appeared on national commercials for Buffalo Wild Wings and Booking.com, at numerous festivals from Sketchfest to Gilda’s Laughfest (where she was named “Best of the Midwest”), and even on Marc Maron’s “Five Comedians to Watch” list for Vulture. Her debut album Sparkly Parts is now out on Stand Up! Records.

From fifteen years of stand-up experience to national commercials for Buffalo Wild Wings, Comcast, and pretty much every Midwest insurance company imaginable, actor/comic/producer Amber Preston is as mischievously charismatic onstage as she is onscreen.

Originally hailing from Fargo, North Dakota, Preston earned her Theater Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. Along with musical theater, short films, and improv classes at UCB, she credits roadwork at VFWs and hole-in-the-wall sports bars for enabling her to connect with any audience. These days her resume boasts performances at San Francisco’s Sketchfest, the Boston Comedy Festival, the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, and Portland’s Bridgetown Comedy Festival. She’s even placed third at the Great American Comedy Festival and won Best of the Midwest at
Gilda’s LaughFest.

Podcast-wise, Preston’s appearances include Doug Loves Movies, The Dork Forest, and WTF with Marc Maron. (Twice!) On the list-making front, she’s been cited as Thrillist’s Best Undiscovered Comedian in North Dakota and one of City Pages’ Top 100 Creatives in Minneapolis. Maron even named her among his Five Comedians to Watch for Vulture, adding, “She’s the kind of comic who could play a one-nighter at a bowling alley or a thousand-seat theater, and just nail it.” In 2020 Preston releases her debut album with Stand Up! Records. In her spare time Preston mentors low-income youth through Stand Up with Comedy. The non-profit organization encourages creativity, self-expression, and exploration of the arts through live performance

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Clothing for Totally Trollwood Academy:

Clothes should be comfortable and movable.  Athletic wear works great!
Tops –Tank top, t-shirt, sweatshirt
Bottoms – Sweatpants, long shorts, leggings
Footwear – Appropriate shoes for the class:
Dance:  Ballet, jazz, or clean tennis shoes. Tap shoes if you are taking that section.
(If you need help acquiring dance shoes, please contact Student Services)
Acting, Improv, Musical Theatre, Other:  Clean tennis shoe.  NO sandals or flip-flops.

Standards & Benchmarks

TOTALLY TROLLWOOD ACADEMY – Grades 5-7

Totally Trollwood Academy exposes students to the performing arts in three curricular areas: Vocal Music, Drama, and Dance.  The applicable standards and benchmarks for this program are listed below.  Not all standards and benchmarks will be addressed in the four week session, but a significant number of them will be represented.

MUSIC

Standard 1: Singing
Students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

6-8.1.1. Sing accurately and with good breath control throughout their singing ranges, alone and in small and large groups.
6-8.1.2. Sing with expression and technical accuracy a varied repertoire of vocal literature.
6-8.1.3. Sing music representing diverse genres and cultures.
6-8.1.4. Sing music written in two and three parts.

Standard 2: Instrumental Performance
Students perform on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

*This standard is not applicable in Totally Trollwood Acacemy.

Standard 3: Improvisation
Students improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

6-8.3.1. Improvise simple harmonic accompaniments.
6-8.3.2. Improvise melodic embellishments and simple rhythmic variations on given pentatonic melodies in major keys.
6-8.3.3. Improvise short melodies, unaccompanied, over given rhythmic accompaniments.

Standard 4: Composition
Students compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

*This standard is not applicable in Totally Trollwood Academy.

Standard 5: Reading Music
Students read and notate music.

6-8.5.1. Read complex rhythms in simple and compound meters.
6-8.5.2. Sight-read simple melodies in both the treble and bass clefs.
6-8.5.3. Know standard notation symbols.

Standard 6: Listening
Students listen to, analyze, and describe music.

6-8.6.1. Understand appropriate terminology to describe specific music events.
6-8.6.2. Know the uses of the elements of music in the analysis of compositions representing diverse genres and cultures.

Standard 7: Evaluating Music
Students evaluate music and music performances.

6-8.7.1. Know how to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of music and music performances.
6-8.7.2. Know how to apply specific criteria when offering constructive suggestions for improving the performance of self and others.

Standard 8: Music and Other Disciplines
Students understand the relationship between music, the other arts, and other disciplines.

6-8.8.1. Know how relationships expressed through music can be expressed differently through other art forms.
6-8.8.2. Know how principles and concepts of other disciplines are related to those of music.

Standard 9: Music, History, and Culture
Students understand music in relation to history and culture.

6-8.9.1. Know the characteristics of music genres and styles from a variety of music cultures.
6-8.9.2. Know exemplary musical works from a variety of genres and styles.
6-8.9.3. Know the functions of music, the roles of musicians, and the conditions of performance in several cultures of the world.

DRAMA

Standard 1: Dramatic Literature
Students comprehend a wide variety of dramatic literature.

6-8.1.1. Know a variety of significant works from various major playwrights.
6-8.1.2. Know themes of dramatic literature.
6-8.1.3. Understand the construction elements of dialogue and actions.
6-8.1.4. Understand elements of improvised and scripted scenes.

Standard 2: Acting
Students will engage in fundamental acting skills.

6-8.2.1.Know resource elements that help to create character motivations.
6-8.2.2. Develop a character’s behavior through a combination of movement, vocal pitch, and tone.
6-8.2.3. Interact in an ensemble.

Standard 3: Production
Students use fundamental production skills.

6-8.3.1. Know the technical elements of a scene or play.
6-8.3.2. Know publicity and house management duties.

Standard 4: Cultural Context of Drama
Students will understand the drama’s role in cultural and human experiences.

6-8.4.1. Know the historical, social, and cultural factors that influence theatre.
6-8.4.2. Know aspects of dramatic genres from a variety of cultures.

Standard 5: Consumer of Theatre
Students will understand how to be knowledgeable consumers of theatre.

6-8.5.1. Use appropriate audience behaviors.
6-8.5.2. Prepare for selected theatrical events.
6-8.5.3. Use knowledge of production elements to respond to a theatrical event.

Standard 6: Drama and Human Development
Students understand the role of theatre in human development.

6-8.6.1. Use drama to develop creative thinking skills.
6-8.6.2. Use drama to develop critical thinking skills.
6-8.6.3. Use drama to develop social skills.

Standard 7: Drama and Other Disciplines
Students understand the connections between drama and other disciplines.

6-8.7.1. Know the relationship of the other fine arts to drama.
6-8.7.2. Know how concepts expressed through drama can be expressed differently through other art disciplines.
6-8.7.3. Know the relationship of other disciplines outside of the arts to drama.

DANCE

Standard 1: Movement Skills
Students understand the role of movement elements and skills in dance.

6-8.1.1. Understand the characteristics of various dance movements and the underlying principles common to all movement.
6-8.1.2. Know basic dance steps, body positions, and spatial patterns for dances from various styles or traditions.
6-8.1.3. Understand the process of transferring a spatial pattern from the visual to the kinesthetic.
6-8.1.4. Understand the process of transferring a rhythmic pattern from auditory to kinesthetic.
6-8.1.5. Know a range of dynamics/movement qualities.
6-8.1.6. Use kinesthetic awareness, concentration, and focus in performing movement skills.
6-8.1.7. Use dance vocabulary to describe the action and movement elements in a dance.

Standard 2: Choreography
Students understand choreographic principles, processes, and structures.

6-8.2.1. Understand the relationship of principles of creative design to dance.
6-8.2.2. Understand the significance of the processes of reordering and chance.
6-8.2.3. Understand the importance of dance structures or forms.
6-8.2.4. Understand the importance of working cooperatively in a small group during the choreographic process.
6-8.2.5. Know partner dance skills.
6-8.2.6. Know performance etiquette and stage terms.

Standard 3: Dance and Meaning
Students understand dance as a way to create and communicate meaning.

6-8.3.1. Understand the difference between pantomiming and miming.
6-8.3.2. Understand how different accompaniments can affect the meaning of dance.
6-8.3.3. Communicate feelings, ideas, and needs through dance.

Standard 4: Dance and Thinking Skills
Students apply critical and creative thinking skills in dance.

6-8.4.1. Solve movement problems.
6-8.4.2. Know the critical elements that contribute to a dance in terms of space, time, and force.
6-8.4.3. Know the possible aesthetic criteria for evaluating dance.

Standard 5: Dance, History, and Culture
Students understand the historical development of dance and its relationship to various cultures.

6-8.5.1. Know the similarities and differences in steps and movement styles from various cultures.
6-8.5.2. Know social and theatrical dances from a broad spectrum of 20th Century America.
6-8.5.3. Know the role of dance in various cultures and time periods.
6-8.5.4. Know the appropriate audience response to dance performances.

Standard 6: Dance and Personal Wellness
Students understand the connection between dance and personal wellness.

6-8.6.1. Know strategies to prevent dance injuries.
6-8.6.2. Understand the value of personal health goals for dance improvement.

Standard 7: Dance and Other Disciplines
Students understand the difference between dance and other disciplines.

6-8.7.1. Know how various dance concepts and principles relate to other disciplines.
6-8.7.2. Know the aesthetic impact of performance.