One of the campers, Oona Darling, 17, is on the singing track. She said she normally sings with the St. Marks Church choir in Rittenhouse Square, as well as whenever the feeling strikes her.
“When I was little, I used to walk around and sing like I was a Disney Princess,” she said. “So much so that my friends would get mad, because I wouldn’t talk to them. I would just say, ‘I’m singing right now. No.’”
Although the singing track is taught by Opera Philadelphia, the campers will not learn opera music. Rather, instructor Valentina Sierra guides them through basic vocal exercises to improve technique, while having them sing pop and musical theater.
The dance track, taught by Philadelphia Ballet instructors, includes fundamental ballet moves along with jazz, contemporary and hip-hop.
Throughout the course of the week the two tracks merge, as dancers sing and singers dance.
“As a singer, learning how to move our bodies, we sing better,” Chapman-Smith said. “As a dancer, when we learn how to sing, we learn more about the melodies and how to move our body and how dance is influenced by the sound. It’s really beneficial for everyone.”