Image Source: Hun School Office of Communications

On Wednesday, November 17, The Hun School welcomed Freestyle Love Supreme Academy to campus as part of the School’s Centennial Speaker Series and Her at Hun: Celebrating 50 Years of Girls and Women. The outdoor performance was high-energy, interactive, and carried a message of positivity and inclusivity.

Freestyle Love Supreme (FLS) was conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, and Anthony Veneziale. The group is currently performing on Broadway and are the subject of a Grammy Award-winning documentary on Hulu. FLS Academy are talented members of the cast who spin cues from the audience into humorous bits, instantaneous songs, and fully realized musical numbers. From singing to rapping to beatboxing with harmonies and freestyle flow, each show is unique to their audience.

During the performances, Hun students were just as much a part of the show as FLS Academy, and along the way, there was no shortage of participation. Prior to the performance, each student wrote down one word, any word, and put it into a bucket to be used in the performance. The artists then pulled from the bucket and used the words to fuel their freestyle flow. In another act, students with a passion for beatboxing emerged from the crowd for one-on-one beatboxing lessons from cast members including two-time World-Champion Beatboxer Kaila Mullady.

After the show, the Middle School Improv Club and the Upper School Janus Players joined the performers for a lunch and open forum discussion. Students were able to get some tips and tricks from the FLS Academy members on how to be a successful improv artist, as well as learned some valuable lessons on the importance of being present while performing and connecting with cast members to enhance a show.