Grades 5-12

Passport TO CULTURE

Teacher’s Resource Guide

Deeply Rooted Dance

Theater

Generous support for Schooltime provided,

in part, by

S C H O O L T I M E P E R F O R M A N C E S E R I E S • S C H O O L Y E A R 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 1 1

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2 Passport to Culture • Deeply Rooted Dance Theater

just imagine Arts Education and You The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Arts Education Department presents the 14th season of the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series.

With Passport to Culture, Verizon and NJPAC open up a world of culture to you and your students, offering the best in live performance from a wide diversity of traditions and disciplines. At NJPAC’s state-of-the-art facility in Newark, with support from Verizon, the SchoolTime Performance Series enriches the lives of New Jersey’s students and teachers by inviting them to see, feel, and hear the joy of artistic expression. The exciting roster of productions features outstanding New Jersey companies as well as performers of national and international renown. Meet-the-artist sessions and NJPAC tours are available to expand the arts adventure.

The Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series is one of many current arts education offerings at NJPAC. Others include: • Professional Development Workshops that support the use of the arts to enhance classroom curriculum • Arts Academy school residency programs in dance, theater and literature, and Early Learning Through the Arts—the NJ Wolf Trap Program • After-school residencies with United Way agencies

In association with statewide arts organizations, educational institutions, and generous funders, the Arts Education Department sponsors the following arts training programs: • Wachovia Jazz for Teens • The All-State Concerts • The Star-Ledger Scholarship for the Performing Arts • The Jeffery Carollo Music Scholarship • Summer Youth Performance Workshop • Young Artist Institute • NJPAC/New Jersey Youth Theater Summer Musical Program

Students have the opportunity to audition for admission to NJPAC’s arts training programs during NJPAC’s annual Young Artist Talent Search. Detailed information on these programs is available online at njpac.org. Click on Education. The Teacher’s Resource Guide and additional activities and resources for each production in the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Series are also online. Click on Education, then on Performances. Scroll down to “Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format” and select desired guide.

Permission is granted to copy this Teacher’s Resource Guide for classes attending the 2010-2011 Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. All other rights reserved.

To Teachers and Parents The resource guide accompanying each performance is designed • to maximize students’ enjoyment and appreciation of the performing arts; • to extend the impact of the performance by providing discussion ideas, activities, and further reading that promote learning across the curriculum; • to promote arts literacy by expanding students’ knowledge of music, dance, and theater; • to illustrate that the arts are a legacy reflecting the traditional values, customs, beliefs, expressions, and reflections of a culture; • to use the arts to teach about the cultures of other people and to celebrate students’ own heritage through self-expression; • to reinforce the New Jersey Department of Education’s Core Curriculum Content Standards in the arts.

CONTENTSOn Stage 3

In the Spotlight 4

Dance Talk 5

African-American Dance: Steeped in Tradition

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Before and After Activities 7

Teaching Science Through Dance

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Delving Deeper 8

FoundationKid Power!Through energy efficiency and conservation, kids can help preserve our planet’s rich natural resources and promote a healthy environment.

Tip of the DayDeeply Rooted Dance Theater is known for using dance to present stories about people from the African Diaspora community. Whether we are members of the African Diaspora or have a different national origin, we are also part of a larger community—the Earth’s community. Pollution is a growing problem for all our oceans and its inhabitants. We can help solve this problem by not littering. Trash tossed carelessly outdoors often washes into storm drains which empty into rivers and streams that eventually flow to the oceans.

Made possible through the generosity of the PSEG Foundation.

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Performing dance pieces by nation-ally renowned choreographers, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater offers work that springs from an African-American tradition of dance and music to reveal inspiring and innovative expressions of contemporary life. The performance entertains but also sparks a visceral experience that ignites an emotional response from audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

At this NJPAC performance, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater will present:

I Am Deeply Rooted (2010) choreo-graphed by Artistic Director/Founder Kevin Iega Jeff and featuring music by Mahalia Jackson, Roger Eno and Drums Over Miami. The life affirming I Am Deeply Rooted examines aspects of what Jeff calls “the genius journey one takes through life, reflecting upon one’s inner voice for authentic guidance. The work pays homage to sung and unsung heroes who help make each of us and the company’s mission possible.” I Am Deeply Rooted is funded in part by the Chicago Dancemakers Forum.

Flack (1984) choreographed by artistic director and founder Kevin Iega Jeff and set to music by Roberta Flack, Quincy Jones and Donny Hathaway. Flack is a portrait of strife, despair and ultimate triumph. Excerpts to be performed are “Tryin’ Times,” “The Ballad of Sad Young Men” and “Do What You Gotta Do.” (Friday, March 18, 2011 performance only)

Dounia (2010) choreographed by Nicole Clarke-Springer and set to music by Rokia Tratore. In this piece, five women faced with HIV/AIDS find themselves as one. (Thursday, March 17, 2011 performance only)

Heaven (2004) choreographed by Artistic Director/Founder Kevin Iega Jeff and Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbot with original music by Janice Pendarvis and Anthony Moten. The New York Times calls Heaven “a slyly…funny piece that captures the slow tease of its score, the hip-hop and rock equivalent of a gospel shout.”

On Stage

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In the SpotlightDeeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT), based in Chicago, was established in 1995 by Kevin Iega Jeff and Gary Abbott as the professional dance company of Deeply Rooted Productions. A culturally-specific performing arts organization, DRDT creates and performs choreography based on African-American traditions of storytelling and universal themes. Performing the work of nationally renowned choreographers, the company—known for its energetic performances and pieces which often delve into current social issues—presents a contemporary modern dance style which is accessible and unforgettable, reflecting powerful humanity and emotion.

DRDT performs extensively in Chicago and has presented at noted venues, festivals and universities throughout the United States including Aaron Davis Hall in New York City and the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia. The group has also appeared widely in Europe. The company has an extensive arts education residency program. Its dance training program includes classes, internships and dance ensembles on the community, student and professional levels.

Kevin Iega Jeff (Artistic Director/Founder), a New York native, is an accomplished choreographer, director, teacher, and performer with over 25 years of experience in artistic direction and management in the dance field.He formerly was artistic director of the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater. In 1982, after making his Broadway debut in The Wiz and appearing in Coming Up Town with Gregory Hines, Jeff founded the Jubilation! Dance Company which made a tremendous impact on the New York dance community and received wide critical acclaim.

His credits for direction and choreo-graphy include an international tour of Porgy and Bess and choreography for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Jeff’s awards and acknowledgements include a New York “Bessie” Award nomination, National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and National

Council for Culture and Arts recognitions. He received a Merit Award from the International Association of Blacks in Dance and joined its Board in January 2006.

Gary Abbott (Associate Artistic Director/Founder) is a dancer, teacher and choreographer whose work has been seen nationally and internationally for more than 30 years. Abbott attended California Institute for the Arts and has studied and collaborated with a number of renowned dance artists including Donald Byrd, Talley Beatty, Katherine Dunham, and Donald McKayle. He was the associate artistic director of the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Company before establishing DRDT with Jeff. He has appeared with Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Los Angeles

Contemporary Dance Theater and others including the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. It was during his 10 years with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble that Abbott first visited Gillette, Wyoming and directed and choreographed a year-long project called Harambee. After more than 30 years, Abbott is still teaching and directing artistic programming in the Gillette community.

The Company: Adriene Patrice Barber, Pierre Clark, Kelsey Chilton, Tashara Gavin-Moorehead, Erin Murphy, Joshua L. Ishmon, Shantelle Jackson, Carolina Monnerat, Angela Nicole Patmon, Nijawwon Matthews, Drew Shuler, and Kathleen Turner.

Kevin Iega Jeff

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modern dance - a form of dance originally developed in the early years of the 20th century as a revolt against classical ballet and its codification of steps and movements. The varied modern dance styles encourage artistic individualism and personal vision; there are as many different styles as there are choreographers. Although today’s modern dances often incorporate elements of classical ballet technique, there is an emphasis on natural movements such as walking, running and falling. Movements are often floor-bound, not aerial, and dancers generally perform in bare feet.

movement - in dance, a particular instance or manner of moving that usually has its own rhythmic structure or posture.

technique - in dance, the manner and style in which the technical details of movement are treated or used; the ability to execute or use movements.

All dance has three basic building blocks:

space - the whole design and use of the place in which a dance unfolds.

time - a measurable period during which movement or dance occurs. Time is indicated in dance in many ways that may range from complex rhythmic patterns to periods of long, unbroken stillness.

energy - the intensity, amount or force of the movement, also sometimes referred to as the quality, color or texture of the movement. Adjectives such as restless, restrained, unrestrained, calm, smooth, free, concentrated, furtive, tense, explosive, fiery, etc. may be used to describe this aspect of dance.

Other relevant terms that will enhance understanding and appreciation of a dance performance:

body awareness - the dancer’s perception, skill, knowledge, and use of his or her body as a vehicle of expression.

shape - a formation or design created by the dancers with the lines of their bodies.

artistic director - the person who has creative leadership in a company. He or she takes responsibility for the vision, direction and management of the company including casting, hiring and repertory (the dances performed by a company).

ballet - a specific style of dance that has a defined vocabulary of steps and arm movements and was first codified in France in the 17th century; the theatrical art form that, through movement and music, tells a story without words or conveys moods and emotions. In ballet, the body is generally held erect with the feet pointed. Many of the movements call for the legs to be rotated open from the hip joints so that the knees and toes face outward at an angle of 90 degrees. This rotation is known as turnout.

choreography - the arrangement of movement in time and space.

choreographer - a person who conceives and creates a dance.

dancer - a performer who gives meaning to the choreographer’s work. Dancers generally train in one or more techniques for several years before performing as professionals.

ethnic - of or relating to dance forms endemic to a particular cultural group that shares the same language, customs and social beliefs.

ensemble - a group of performers working together as a unit.

jazz - a style and technique of music (and later dance) that originated with African-American musicians in the early years of the 20th century. Jazz dance developed from elements of the syncopated ragtime of minstrel show dances and the slower, more mournful Negro spirituals and the blues. Jazz dance is loose-limbed, carefree and seemingly improvised.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s educational touring company, Shakespeare LIVE!, in Julius Caesar, 2007. Ph

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Dance Talk

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Dance has always served as a powerful tool of cultural expression and transmission for African Americans. Enslaved Africans who survived the difficult trans-Atlantic voyage carried and preserved dance movements as well as religious practices (most notably from West Africa) which then became fused with Catholicism.

As dance became more secular, some of these retentions left an indelible stamp on African-American dance and movement. New World dances such as the Ring Shout, The Charleston, Buck and Wing, and Cakewalk among others carried these imprints. Some of these same imprints can also be seen in movement patterns from communities around the world where Africans of the diaspora have lived. African and African-American movement imprints and signatures have helped to shape American culture and are visible in contemporary dance forms such as break dancing, hip-hop and free-style as well as in jazz, ballet and modern dance.

Over the past century, dance has continually evolved. Dancers and choreographers have challenged many of the classical and traditional forms. They wanted to deconstruct and redefine several of the models and techniques that they felt had become sedate and stagnate. During the first half of the 20th century, professional concert dance was the domain of white America. However, in the 1940s and ’50s when African-American artists began to explore and restructure those forms, they developed broader modes of expression and thereby created more access to all dance. The influence of these dancers and the music of Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean that they brought with

them seeped into the modern dance schools, where proponents began to integrate multicultural elements into their choreography and techniques. These were the transmutations of leading African-American choreographers such as Katherine Dunham, Talley Beatty, Donald McKayle, Alvin Ailey, and Arthur Mitchell. Their presence and influence created a new context for dance and helped to give contemporary concert dance the energy and resurgence that it needed to nurture subsequent generations of dancers through the turbulent times ahead.

The 1950s and ’60s were periods of political upheaval and social unrest that dismantled institutional racism in America. It was, consequently, a time of tremendous artistic and creative activity as new artists and many of those previously mentioned used their creative energy and talent in the service of social change. Subsequently, many African-American dancers and choreographers together with visual artists, musicians, writers, and actors, became part of the Black Arts Movement thereby

gaining greater visibility and influence and making a consequential impact on America’s shifting cultural landscape. These artists created work that reflected the changes of the period.

Their dance gave voice to social and political protest messages that resonated in and for segments of the nation’s population that had previously been dismissed and ignored. By the 1970s, the African-American dance community had exerted a tremendous force and presence in American culture. But it was not just visibility that artists wanted. Black artists also advocated for more control and equitable access to resources to create, develop and sustain their work. Correspondingly, a number of significant companies were established in the early ’70s including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theater of Harlem, Joan Meyers Brown’s Philadanco, George Faison’s Universal Dance, and Garth Fagan’s Bucket Dance.

In recent decades, African-American dance has continued to thrive, gaining a firm foothold in American culture and media. Its choreographers and dancers continue to create and redefine dance in an environment challenged and nurtured by the digital age, an emerging global culture and precarious economics while retaining the threads of African influence. The collective body of African-American dance and choreography demonstrates that it is inextricably imprinted by these retentions and an African aesthetic that embodies the values of ritual, purification, affirmation, celebration, and endurance.

African-American Dance: Steeped in Tradition

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Katherine Dunham

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In the ClassroomBefore the Performance

After the Performance1. Ask the students to pretend they are dance critics at a local newspaper. Have each student write a review of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s performance. Each review should address specifically what the students liked or did not like and why. Did they have a favorite choreographer and why? Did they have a favorite dancer and why? Did they like the music? Was it appropriate for the choreography? Which costumes did they like the best? Which did they like the least? Were the costumes appropriate for the choreography? If the students were journalists who had the opportunity to interview one of the choreographers of the NJPAC program, what questions would they like to ask, for example: Where do you get your ideas? What got you started in dance? Have the class clip advertisements about upcoming dance performances as well as reviews of those same performances from newspapers and magazines. Discuss the differences between reviews which are one person’s opinion and ads which are written to sell tickets. (1.4)

*Number(s) indicate the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard(s) supported by the activity.

1. Dance is a visual medium that depends on line, shape and spatial relationships. Bring in pictures or examples of dance, movement and/or other visual art forms that use these elements. Discuss their similarities and differences. (1.1, 1.4)*

2. “Why Dance?” is an arts integrated resource of Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org. In this lesson, one of a multipart unit from ARTSEDGE, students identify reasons why people dance. Centers are set up to research various kinds of dance. After exploring three centers, students create a dance, poem, report, or collage to explain why people dance. Artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2319 (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)

3. Have the students research the life and work of important African-American dancers and choreographers such as: Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Talley Beatty, Donald McKayle, Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Bill T. Jones, Garth Fagan, Chuck Davis, Ronald K. Brown, Rennie Harris, Donald Byrd, Robert Battle, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. As a class, prepare a timeline of African-American dance that includes illustrations if possible. The timeline should also include important dates in United States history and culture. Development of this timeline can lead into a discussion of how dance reflects the period in which it is created as well as how it can be used to portray political and social ideas and beliefs. What do today’s dance and music say about the world we live in? (1.2, 1.4)

Additional Before and After activities can be found online at njpac.org. Click on Education, then on Performances, then on Curriculum Materials. Scroll down to “Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format” and select desired guide.

Teaching Science Through Dance (Grades 6-12)By Sharon J. Sherman, Ed.D.

Dance is a means of self-expression. When used as symbolic language, students can “show what they know” through dance. In the science class, students routinely study environmental issues. Learning about renewable energy is an important topic and one in which students can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through dance.

The Earth’s natural resources bring us renewable energy from sources such as sunlight, wind, water, tides, and geothermal heat.

• The sun brings us solar energy. Students may be familiar with using solar energy for heating and cooling homes, cooking or heating water.

• The power of moving air brings us wind energy. Wind farms are common sites in some areas, particularly where the wind is strong and constant.

• The power of moving water from oceans, seas and dams brings us electricity.

• The Earth, itself, brings us geothermal heat which originates deep inside the planet.

• Biomass and biofuel are two additional forms of renewable energy. Biomass is organic material made from living or recently living organisms. Biofuels are a wide range of fuels which are in some way derived from biomass.

Through research, students can learn more about the various sources of renewable energy while honing their information literacy skills. They might research the conditions under which wind energy is best harnessed or identify and map geothermal energy sources. Regardless of the topic, engaging in research is important to those in grades 6-12. Through this process, they learn to recognize when information is needed and where to locate it. Libraries, community resources, special interest organizations, diverse media, and the Internet are good sources of information.

Using dance, students can show what they know about renewable energy by creating short, original choreographic compositions. Present them with a variety of movement problems and ask them to create solutions. For example, you might challenge them to choreograph and perform movement sequences that demonstrate wind energy at work, to interpret the work of the turbine or to use body language to demonstrate steam rising from a geothermal power station. Having the class critique the individual (or group) performances in terms of quality of movement, shape, pathways, rhythm, and tempo adds meaning to the experience.

Sharon J. Sherman, Ed.D. is Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Teacher Education at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ.

The Teaching Science Through the Arts content of this guide is made possible through the generous support of Roche.

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William J. Marino.……............................…………………………………………………………………….Chairman Lawrence P. Goldman …....……..................…………………………………..President & Chief Executive Officer Sandra Bowie………….……….....................……………………………………..Vice President of Arts Education Sanaz Hojreh.……………..................….……………………………..Assistant Vice President of Arts Education Uday Joshi.……………....................….………………………Director of Partnerships and Community ProgramsVerushka Spirito……........................…………………………………………...Associate Director for Performances Caitlin Evans Jones…………..........................………………………………….…Director of In-School Programs Jeff Griglak......………......................……………….………………………………..……..Director of Arts Training Natasha Dyer…….….........................Administrative Assistant/Office Manager for VP & AVP of Arts EducationLaura Ingoglia…………........................………………………....…………....Editor of Teacher’s Resource Guides

Writer: Nefretete Rasheed, Ph.D. Laura Ingoglia

Editor: Laura Ingoglia

Design: Pierre Sardain, 66 Creative, Inc. 66Creative.com

NJPAC Guest Reader: Verushka Spirito

NJPAC Teacher’s Resource Guide Review Committee: Judith Israel Mary Lou Johnston Amy Tenzer

Copyright © 2011 New Jersey Performing Arts Center All Rights Reserved

One Center Street Newark, New Jersey 07102Administration: 973-642-8989Arts Education Hotline: 973-353-8009artseducation@njpac.org

NJPAC wishes to thank Deeply Rooted Dance Theater for its assistance with this guide.

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Delving Deeper Acknowledgmentsas of 12/1/10

Passport to Culture • Deeply Rooted Dance Theater

For even more arts integration resources, please go to Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation’s signature digital learning platform, designed to improve educational and literacy achievement.

Websites

deeplyrootedproductions.org - website of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater.

pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/index. html - Great Performances/Dance in America: Free to Dance - A three-part documentary that chronicles the crucial role that African-American choreographers and dancers have played in the development of modern dance as an American art form.

DVD

Dancing in the Light - Six Dance Compositions of African-American Choreographers—Asadata Dafora, Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Talley Beatty, Donald McKayle, Bill T. Jones. Kultur Video, 2007.

Books for Students and Teachers

Drewal, M.T. Sources of African and African-Related Dance. American Dance Guild, 1974.

Haskins, James. Black Dance in America. Harper Trophy, 1992.

Hazzard-Gordon, Katrina. Jookin: The Rise of Social Dance Formations in African-American Culture. Temple University Press, 1992

Additional resources can be found online at njpac.org. Click on Education, then on Performances, then on Curriculum Materials. Scroll down to “Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format” and select desired guide.

NJPAC Arts Education programs are made possible by the generosity of: Bank of America, The Arts Education Endowment Fund in Honor of Raymond G. Chambers, Leon & Toby Cooperman, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Amy C. Liss, McCrane Foundation, Merck Company Foundation, Albert & Katharine Merck, The Prudential Foundation, The PSEG Foundation, David & Marian Rocker, The Sagner Family Foundation, The Star-Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Verizon, Victoria Foundation, Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company and The Women’s Association of NJPAC.

Additional support is provided by: C.R. Bard Foundation, Becton, Dickinson & Company, The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, Allen & Joan Bildner & The Bildner Family Foundation, Bloomberg, Chase, Veronica Goldberg Foundation, Meg & Howard Jacobs, Johnson & Johnson, Marianthi Foundation, The MCJ Amelior Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The George A. Ohl, Jr. Foundation, Panasonic Corporation of North America, Pechter Foundation, PNC Foundation on behalf of the PNC Grow Up Great program, The Provident Bank Foundation, E. Franklin Robbins Charitable Trust, Roche, TD Charitable Foundation, Target, The Turrell Fund, Lucy and Eleanor S. Upton Charitable Foundation, Walmart Foundation and The Blanche M. & George L. Watts Mountainside Community Foundation.