Archives

Soul Steps

Soul Steps speaks the language of rhythm! This showcase of the African-American dance tradition known as “stepping” explores how step started among African-American fraternities and sororities on college campuses as a means of unity and self-expression, and has deep roots in the migrant labor culture of South African gold mines. Students enjoy the high-energy step […]

Traditions of Chinese Acrobatics

This is a mesmerizing one-woman acrobatic performance. Li Liu performs hand balancing, plate spinning, artistic cycling, ribbon dancing, foot juggling, and more. Students join her to create an impromptu ribbon dance and try their hand at plate spinning. Students learn about Chinese language and culture. In addition, Li Lui explains some of the rituals of […]

Stories from Around the World

Take your students on a lively dance expedition with Nimbus – exploring culture, language and history from throughout the world. With stops in China, Sweden, and Cuba, students make connections between dance and literacy with this performance based on folktales, historical events, and cultural traditions. Bright costumes, engaging music, and live narration enhance the program, […]

Folktale Fun

Clever spiders, signifying monkeys, and grinnin’ buzzards are just some of the intriguing characters in Folktale Fun. This interactive program is ideal for preschoolers and elementary school-aged children. Performing in her signature high-energy style, TAHIRA captivates young audiences while imparting universal values such as appreciating differences and being kind with your words. Family audiences around […]

Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is both a means of communication and an expression of a person’s artistic identity. Students learn the meanings of and ways to  write words in Chinese ideographs while using traditional brushes and paper. They also discover the cultural and historical context of Chinese  calligraphy, which occupies a distinguished position in the field of […]

Chinese Dragon Shadow Puppets

Students explore the history and culture of traditional Chinese shadow puppet theatre and learn about characteristics of the mythological Chinese dragon. After learning some steps of the dragon dance, students are guided in making their own dragon shadow puppets. Additional time will allow students to perform a story with their dragons. Program options: In-person Please fill […]

Arabiqa with Karim Nagi

Karim Nagi is a native Egyptian and performs on multiple percussion and string instruments from around the Arab world. He describes the history of each instrument, shares how they are made, and writes out the names in Arabic script. In the program, Karim involves the virtual audience with rhythmic clapping, word pronunciation, line dancing, and […]

Kwanzaa Tales

In her interactive performance, TAHIRA, shares the seven principles (Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa. She does this through storytelling and music. Kwanzaa is an African American and pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. The central cultural values of Kwanzaa are: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. These values […]

Stories of Africa

In Stories of Africa, students take a journey through the African Diaspora via story. From the villages of Africa to the urban streets of America, TAHIRA teaches students the origin and purpose of stories in the African experience. Each student has an opportunity to select a story; make their own adaptations; and perform the story. […]