Fine Arts
Band
Choir
Welcome to the Westside
Choral Department!
For all things Choir, please visit us at:
http://westsidehschoir.weebly.com
Dance
Inertia
OUR MISSION:
Inertia aspires to create the total theater experience that is satisfying to the most existential mind while also being compelling to the general audience. What makes the Inertia program unique is the integration of technology in our classrooms, class projects and theater productions, given that Westside High School is a magnet school for integrated technology.
Inertia strives to achieve:
- Creative and entertaining body of work guided by the mission of Inertia
- Educating young men and women from various walks of life about discipline and excellence in the classroom.
- Collaborating with other artists and companies including, but not limited to musicians, lighting designers, costume designers, set designers, filmmakers, and other choreographers.
- Offering teaching and choreographic opportunities at festivals, studios, and public schools both private and public.
INERTIA DANCE COMPANY:
This is a coed performing ensemble representing the Westside Dance Program. This group is nationally recognized with over 30 National titles from competition, performances in New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, features in People Magazine, Dance Teacher and Southern Living as well as appearances on CBS Early Show, The Tony Danza Show, and all local affiliates. Inertia has been featured half-time performers for the NBA San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Symphony. Most recently Inertia traveled to Suzhou and Beijing, China as representatives of the United States at the 8th China International Folk Art Festival. Inertia company members are selected through an audition process. This is a coed group, which requires travel, fundraising activities, and extensive after-school rehearsals and performances throughout the year. Inertia company members are required to maintain passing grades by UIL state standards. Students are required to follow ‘no pass, no dance’ rules.
INERTIA 2: This class/team are for students who have had previous dance training and experience outside and/or in the Westside Dance Program through beginning and intermediate dance classes. An audition is required for enrollment in this class/team. The purpose of this team will be to advance students in their dance training; moving up in technical training and performance. Students in I2 (Inertia Two for short, formerly known as Inertia JV) are required to attend dance and/or theatrical performances each semester. Students are encouraged to extend their dance technique and performance abilities through daily work in class and outside studio training, although outside studio training is not a requirement. This class is considered a pre-professional class for students who have an interest in dance work on the college or professional level.
CONTACT:
Amberly Altamirano Daniels: Inertia, Inertia 2, break-dance, and Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced dance leading to Inertia. Amberly.Altamirano@houstonisd.org
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Contains: information about Inertia, Inertia 2, schedules, events, performances, and audition information.
Pride
All about us...
The Pride Dance Team is a competitive dance team from Westside High School. We consist of young ladies from Freshman to Senior grade levels. Our year consists of everything from performing at football games, pep rallies, and basketball games to competing both within the state of Texas and Nationally. We have also performed with Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl , Houston Texans halftime, Houston Rockets halftimes, and with Disney Land productions just to name a few.
Our team is chosen by a qualified panel of judges and we are trained consistently throughout the year. Jazz is our signature style but we also perform: kick, pom, lyrical, contemporary, prop, hip hop modern, game day, and open routines. Besides our love of dance we excel academically and have most of our team taking college level courses.
3X Overall National Champions Overall State Champions
National Champion Officer Jazz
National Champion Officer Open
National Champion Officer Contemporary
Overall National Champion Officers
National Champion Team Game Day
National Champion Team Open
National Champion Team Jazz
Overall National Champion Team Pom
Highest scoring routine Team Pom
Jena Emert: Pride Dance Team, Pride Packerettes JV Dance Team, Beginning- Advance Dance, Dance Honors: Jena.Emert@houstonisd.org
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Orchestra
SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA
SYMPHONIC STRINGS
Westside Orchestra
Chamber & Sinfonia Orchestras
The Westside High School orchestras offer students with varying music skills, multitudes of opportunities to grow as an individual musician and as a performer. In the program’s history, the students and ensembles have received numerous accolades, including their first sweepstakes in. Currently, the orchestra program offers two classes – Chamber (varsity) and Sinfonia (non-varsity). The classes feature concerts at Westside throughout the school year, and participate in contests and festivals in the district and region along with community performances.
For additional information, please feel free to visit our website at: https://westsidehsorchestra.weebly.com/
AUDITIONS, TRY-OUTS, PREREQUISITES
All students wishing to participate should have some experience on a string instrument. Unfortunately, we do not offer any beginning level classes, and therefore at least one year of experience on a string instrument is necessary (we recommend three years of experience). Any student new to Westside is encouraged to perform for the director for proper chair placement and assessment. This is not necessarily an audition, but a means for the director to place the student that is best suited for them. Contact the director for more information.
DIRECTOR
Melody Celedon - Melody.Celedon@houstonisd.org - 281-920-8000
REQUIREMENTS
Depending on the time of year, outside of class time commitments vary. Weeks leading up to performances may require after school rehearsals. Students will be given ample notice. All students are required to pay ensemble dues. This fee covers expenses such as music, concert uniform, clinicians, competition fees, transportation, and many other miscellaneous expenses. Students who require the use of a school owed instrument may do so by paying a yearly rental fee. This fee covers the maintenance and repairs of the instrument while in possession of the student. The yearly fee is determined during the summer months after a budget is approved by the Music Boosters.
Theatre
Visual Arts
VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT
Art is an integral part of the educational experience. An education in the arts has been shown to strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills, improve concentration and observation, and to help in communicating ideas. This in turn prepares students for success in all their academic pursuits. An arts education is more than a creative outlet; it is a fundamental key to a student’s process.
Since the opening of Westside High School in 2000, the visual arts students have achieved honors in local, regional, state, and national competitions. These competitions include the National Scholastic Art Competition, V.A.S.E. (Texas’s equivalent of UIL in the Visual Arts) and local competitions in HISD and Rodeo Art. We believe in the following quote:
"The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create" – Barack Obama