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Stage Combat

My teenager was thrilled when he discovered Fairfax County Schools' IFTA summer program.  "Institute For The Arts" is a summer school program, six weeks of four different courses, chosen by the students.  Trey chose Stage Combat, Foundations of Drawing, Alternative Strings, and Introduction to Computer Graphics.  He LOVED every minute of it and was sad when it ended.  His brother thinks he's completely insane ... "signing up for SCHOOL in the SUMMER on PURPOSE!?!?" but he had a great time.

IFTA hosted an Open House during the last week of classes so Nate, Joshua, and I got to see some of the cool things he has been doing.  First up? Stage Combat.  I love that the instructor talked us through their methods and goals then emphasized that stage fighting is the exact opposite of real fighting.  Real fighting focuses on hurting the other person while stage fighting is all about making sure the other person is safe.

This is what it looks like when your teen takes stage combat:











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