Archives

Speak Up! Assembly

Speak Up! uses the percussive dance styles of tap dance, stepping, and body percussion to narrate iconic moments of John Lewis’ legacy. The program highlights the life of John Lewis, the 1960 Lunch Counter Sit-ins, the 1961 Freedom Riders, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March. This educational performance assists in preserving Black History and […]

Speak Up Residency

This residency uses percussive dance to explore the significant contributions of John Lewis. Through this residency, participants dive into themes of justice and civil rights while embodying collaboration, teamwork and learning the importance of Lewis’ “Good Trouble.” Each session expands on the previous day with participants learning to embody the essence of John Lewis using […]

Joy Resides Here: An Interactive Justice Journey of Oral History/Telling and Diasporic African Drum and Dance Traditions

Uncover how Diasporic African Polyrhythms from Africa, Brazil and America create mechanisms for place-making. Experience a Porch Choreo-Story from a Historically Black Neighborhood while learning about the Great Migration. Oral History/telling practices allow us to document our own stories, and speak for ourselves. Using dance as text, students will dance a friendship quality in the […]

American Dance: From Africa to Broadway

Two versatile dancers the OKRA Dance Company take you on a cultural tour through three centuries of American history to explore how the combination of migration, culture and communication created the popular American theater and stage dances we know today. From European classical court and folk dances and African plantation narratives, to vaudeville, tap, the […]

Afro-Puerto Rican Folkloric Music: la Bomba y la Plena

Segunda Quimbamba is a cultural gem based in Jersey City. Led by Master Drummer Juan Cartagena and Master Dancer Nanette Hernández, the band performs and teaches Afro-Puerto Rican folkloric music La Bomba and La Plena, honoring their ancestors and heritage through practicing this preservation. The call-and-response music creates a collaborative artistic space in Bomba for […]

Workshop: Dancing Ourselves

Heidi Latsky Dance’s Education Program, “Dancing Ourselves” was designed to enhance an individual school’s curriculum needs through classes incorporating music, self-expressive dance, social interaction, and self–reflection. Created for use with students in grades 1 to 12 the underlying objective is to provide a strong model of tolerance and acceptance of both themselves and others based […]

Hip Hop Dance in your Classroom

This professional learning program will introduce hip hop dance into the classroom space as a tool to explore thematic content and assess student understanding. Educators will experience hip hop dance as an opportunity to have fun, reflect, discuss, and analyze creative teaching strategies. Activities such as the story circle exercise and choreography created from thematic […]