Description

Invite Pedro Menéndez, Bernardo de Gálvez, or José Martí into your classroom, performance space, or community center!

Menéndez, Gálvez, and Martí are three Hispanic figures intimately tied to Florida's history: Menéndez at its founding, Gálvez at its restitution (which led to statehood), and Martí when Florida began to develop its international importance and influence. With all three historical figures, we see what happens to all who choose to live in Florida – we quickly shed the land of our birth to become Floridians. If ever there were a state that truly reflects our national motto, E Pluribus Unum, it is Florida.

Each of the following performances runs under one hour:

• In Menéndez: Claiming La Florida for King & Cross, you are invited into the comfort of the Menendez home in Aviles in 1567, where he speaks of his adventures and accomplishments and his yearning to return to "la Florida." This work was commissioned with a grant from the Florida Humanities Council (FHC).

• Yo Solo brings Bernardo de Gálvez, a key ally of Washington's, who wrested what we now call the Gulf States from the British during the Revolutionary War; this paved the way for final victory in Yorktown. Yo Solo was commissioned with a grant from the University of West Florida, Division of Anthropology and Archaeology, with further underwriting from the City of Pensacola. Yo Solo will be taped at the PBS affiliate, WSRE in Pensacola, in the spring of 2012 and intended for national distribution.

• With Charla, A Chat with José Martí, this Cuban hero speaks directly to his audience, rehearsing a speech he is to deliver to Cuban exiles the following evening in Tampa in 1891. The political becomes personal as we learn something of the man, his poetry, and his love for his countrymen who are living in the most successful town in the reconstructed South at the time – Tampa! This work was commissioned with a grant from the Florida Humanities Council (FHC).

Please Note: After each performance, Mr. Mena will remain in character to answer questions and offer additional information on Florida history. These programs are eligible for the same State Touring Program presenter grants as others on this roster.

Chaz Mena was raised in Miami and has an extensive performance background in theatre, television, and film. He is a graduate of Barry University (BA – English Literature) and earned an MFA in Drama from Carnegie-Mellon University. He has studied at the Moscow Art School and lived and worked in New York. Fascinated by his initial research into Menendez, he has become an amateur historian on the governor, Spanish Florida, and other notable early Floridians. Chaz Mena is a Florida Humanities Council Research Scholar.

For more details on Chaz and what he can offer your institution, please visit his website at www.chazmena.com.

Description

Ballet Brika presents traditional folk tales from the African kingdom of Lesotho. Storytelling, live percussion, dance, song, authentic African stage props and colorful costuming are used to educate the audience about how traditions are handed down. Questions are answered, history is conveyed, and lifelong lessons are taught as a way to help audiences learn more about African cultures and lifestyles.

Residency activities include the subject areas of dance, interdisciplinary, music, language arts, social studies, theater, and world cultures.

Photo Credit: Lucrecia Diaz

Description

Brazz Dance presents the vibrant performance of Afro-Brazilian and contemporary dance. The dances are culturally rooted and universally accessible.

Brazz Dance offers master classes in Afro-Fusion or Afro-Brazilian dance technique. K-12 activities help students with dance techniques, Brazilian culture and history, and beginning choreography. Lecture/demonstrations are also available and can be adapted to the audience age group.

Description

Flamenco is the ultimate Hispanic musical form and Flamenco Puro excels in quality, artistic excellence, and audience excitement. The company is directed by Clarita Filgueiras, who has a rich background of dance and theatre through years of experience "on the floor" as lead dancer with the New York/Madrid dance company Carlota Santana - Flamenco Vivo, work with the renowned Gypsy Kings, and numerous other companies from Spain.

A full-length performance entails a varied range of dances and musical pieces within the flamenco genre; the dances are solos, duets, and group numbers interspersed with guitar or singing solos. The focus of the lecture/ demonstrations and workshops can be on dance and technique such as footwork, hand movements, castanets, the manipulation of shawl or fan, styles, and rhythm as well as the history and culture of Andalusia, Spain. Students will have the opportunity to learn and perform short dances. All choreography and instruction are tailored to the specific audience age group.

Photo credit: David Johnston

Description

Featuring an international roster of award-winning dancers, Dance Alive National Ballet truly lives up to its name - elegant and exciting, vitality is at the heart of everything it does. Through the vision of Artistic Director Kim Tuttle and Choreographer-in-Residence Judy Skinner, the company has developed into one of the most original and creative ballet companies in the nation. The company tours the Continental United States extensively and has been selected for the Florida Arts on Tour roster for over three decades.

Dance Alive National Ballet presents a variety of full-length programs ranging from 90 minutes to 2 hours long (including intermission) that are tailored to suit the presenters' needs and requests. DANB strives to make the presenters' experience fluid and pleasant in all areas. The company's innovative educational programming provides residencies, dance curriculum development, and outreach programs for educational institutions including elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges, and universities. Curriculum is available for school systems and is keyed to Sunshine State Standards. School show performances average 45-55 minutes.

Photo credit: Jenny Abreu

Description

Dance Now! Miami in residence at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, was founded in 2000 by Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten through a chance encounter at PAN, a South Florida dance collective. The two quickly became dance partners and creative collaborators; their work bridges their diverse backgrounds in ballet, modern dance, and jazz, creating poetic narrative and theatrical artistry filled with fierce athleticism. Salterini hails from an illustrious career as television and theatre star in Italy, Baumgarten received her BFA from the Juilliard School of Music and danced professionally throughout the US.

Dance Now!'s collaborative international style has received critical and popular acclaim both at the local and the national level. The company's work has been presented in 10 states and three continents by among others, Ballet Estable del Teatro Colon, Michael Uthoff Dance Theatre, Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and the Dance Gallery Festival of New York. The directors have created 12 full-length evenings of dance and over 50 shorter works, working both individually and collaboratively as well as presenting the work of guest choreographers Michael Uthoff, Tandy Beal, Tauna Hunter, Josée Garant and Colleen Farnum. The company founded the EKPHRASIS PROJECT, creating site-specific work in museums and galleries, collaborating with many prominent visual artists including Mette Tommerup, Federico Uribe, DZINE, A.A. Rucci and others, and has pioneered cultural initiatives such as the Miami Dance Festival and Open Stage.

At the Little Haiti Cultural Center, the company rehearses, performs, and teaches classes for children and adults. Their "Dance In Public Schools" educational outreach program reaches over 5,000 children annually with master classes, workshops and performances as well as an apprenticeship program nurturing tomorrow's talent.

Description

Miami Momentum is an extraordinary contemporary dance company that excels in presenting both historic modern dance pieces and new works. It offers extensive educational programs and residencies and creates one new children's program annually. This is an extremely flexible dance company that offers a range of performances and activities. Study guides are available for all children's programs.

Site-specific works are available year round and are tailor-made to serve the presenter's target audience and site. Momentum has created such pieces for public art installations and sculptures, public transportation stations, museums and galleries, settings in nature, and architectural and historic sites.

Description

Since 1997, Moving Current dance collective, under the artistic direction of Shelley Bourgeois, Erin Cardinal and Cynthia Hennessy, offers the highest level of modern dance and arts education to Florida communities. With a group of athletically elegant dancers, Moving Current has established itself as one of the Southeastern region’s top modern dance companies and featured artists at the prestigious Florida Dance Festival. The company offers an evening program of eclectic modern, aerial and dance theater works by the artistic directors and renowned choreographers from across the US in a blend of music, lighting, and costumes to create living, breathing art. Each concert is followed by a question and answer session.

The company offers a variety of residency activities that include technique classes in modern, modern jazz, and partnering for modern dance. Classes are also offered in improvisation, Skinner Releasing Technique, and choreography. Community projects and multi-generation classes provide a wide range of activities for all types of communities. Unique, interactive performances for non-traditional spaces for all ages, workshops for teachers, in-classroom "Dancing at Your Desk" activities are also available.

Photo credit: Steven Schreiber

Description

Neta and the Neta Dance Company often draw inspiration from unexpected sources. With her new production 2280 Pints!, Pulvermacher harkens back to the vaudevillian feat of making something out of nothing. Dancers toss, roll, bang, build, hang, and throw simple household buckets and invite audiences to experience joy, wonder, mischief, and delight!

The Neta Dance Company Community Engagement Project is a fun, innovative approach to outreach, realized through happenings and workshops developed specifically for schools, community centers, museum, and gallery spaces. The project offers the site-specific pieces Fold and 2280 Pints! which are part installation and part performance. Also offered are lecture demonstrations, master classes, teachers’ development workshops, and interactive dance and art family workshops.

Description

Roger Beebe is a renowned experimental filmmaker whose films have shown around the globe from Sundance to the Museum of Modern Art and from McMurdo Station in Antarctica to the CBS Jumbotron in Times Square. In these films, Roger explores the possibilities of using multiple projectors for the creation of discrete works of “expanded cinema.” These projections are performed live. Roger is a professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida.

The primary workshop offered is in cameraless filmmaking. This teaches a range of techniques for making images directly on film without a camera, including direct animation, photograms/rayographs, hand processing, and contact printing. Workshops are designed for all ages.

Description

This lively ensemble enthralls audiences with traditional Calypso, contemporary classics, and original compositions for the steel pan and world music. Grounded in classical and jazz traditions combined with years of cultural research of Caribbean rhythms, the ensemble offers students and adults the opportunity to cross cultural barriers and discover the amazing influences from around the world that came together to create the steel pan.

Description

Cello, piano, and percussion make up this trio of highly skilled musicians who have traveled nationally to every region in this country and internationally to venues in Australia, Russia, Ukraine, the Caribbean, and England. The award-winning ensemble has produced many theatre works and has toured for eleven years. With the addition of an actor, the CORE Ensemble now performs unique works of chamber music theatre that are distinctly original, educational, and entertaining. Their touring pieces incorporate theatre with both traditional and original music appropriate to the story.

The CORE Ensemble’s programs are suitable for adults and college and high school students, with residencies for middle school students.

Description

The Palm Beach Post called Davis and Dow “a South Florida version of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass.” This dynamic duo tackles jazz and pop standards with a daring sense of abandon. Their style is deeply rooted in the classic jazz tradition but with a playfulness that keeps the music fresh and fun. “Brazen Excellence! Dow’s guitar is positively orchestral in support. Davis’s scatting suggests she probably learned in her bassinet,” according to Cadence Magazine.  

Davis and Dow also offer an educational program including a workbook for schools called Cooking with Jazz which combines jazz styles, scat singing, jazz history, and lots of interactive participation. The program is 45-minutes long and suitable for K-8.

Photo credit: Photo by laird

Description

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra offers a wide variety of programming “to present classical and other orchestral performances of artistic excellence.” The orchestra is a full-time professional organization with a 37-week season. JSO’s reputation for excellence has allowed it to host some of the most renowned artists of the past century including Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Arthur Fiedler, Ray Charles, Luciano Pavarotti, Kathleen Battle, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Midori.

JSO programming can be offered in a variety of venues from in-door settings such as auditoriums to informal outdoor settings such as parks. Program length can vary from 1.5 hours (primary school settings) to a possible 3 hours (classical music with multiple intermissions).

Educational and residency activities are available.

Description

Chris is a solo musician and songwriter who presents musical performances in a folk style that highlights Florida’s history through songs and storytelling, and is suitable for all ages. The hour-long A Musical Journey Through Florida takes the audience on a journey through the state, featuring songs that cover a wealth of history, characters, and folklore. A Power Point slideshow supports the program.

Presentations are also available for K-12 audiences including residencies. Subjects covered include the playing of guitar, harmonica, and mandolin, the process of songwriting; and careers in music. The residency program can be expanded into an interactive, cross-curricular learning experience. Sunshine State Standards and sample lesson plans are included in the material provided.

Description

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is ready to visit your community! Featuring the best of full-orchestra classical and pops programming, as well as chamber orchestra concerts and chamber ensembles, the Orlando Philharmonic has the perfect ensemble for any venue. From beloved classical composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, to big band classics, thrilling blockbuster movie music, fully staged concert musicals, and more, the Orlando Philharmonic’s programming has something for everyone!

The Philharmonic’s educational programs will surprise and delight audiences from ages 3 to 93. Exciting Young People’s Concerts are catered to students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades and correspond to Sunshine State Standards. Tiny Tots is a program that introduces classical music to the tiniest ears (pre-school). The orchestra’s newest educational program, Notes in Your Neighborhood, gets elementary students out of their seats and discovering the instruments of the orchestra through hands-on activities. Instrument Petting Zoos give everyone a chance to play an instrument, while master classes and sectionals for more seasoned music students are available with the Philharmonic’s outstanding principal musicians.

For adults, pre-concert conversations provide an in-depth look at Philharmonic performances through interactive interviews between the music director, musicians, and the audience. Finally, Music 101 Courses for Adults will inform and entertain your audiences in a classroom setting, covering a range of topics, including our popular “Everything You Wanted to Know About Music but Were Afraid to Ask.”

Description

Stephen Robinson performs an eclectic and educational solo guitar program created to develop and cultivate audiences of all ages. With his unique ability to communicate with all ages and a diverse multicultural program, Robinson’s performances are a vibrant part of today’s world mirroring Florida’s wide range of inhabitants. His recitals include folkloric works by the Mexican composer Julio Cesar Oliva and Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, works exhibiting rock/jazz influences by American guitarist/composer Frederic Hand, the Brazilian music of Marco Pereira, the Japanese piece Sakura, Italian composer Carlo Domeniconi’s Koyunbaba with its Turkish regional folk flavor, and pieces by the French Canadian Pierre Tremblay. Works for guitar and orchestra will include Spaniard Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, Concierto Antillano for guitar and orchestra by Puerto Rican composer Ernesto Cordero, Concierto del Sur by Manuel Ponce, and Concerto in D Major by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

Stephen Robinson began his guitar studies in 1976 and worked closely with Andres Segovia who called him “one of the most brilliant guitarists of our times.” In 1987, Florida State University awarded him its first Doctor of Music in Guitar Performance. Robinson performs recitals and conducts master classes at leading musical institutions and festivals worldwide.

Residency activities include lecture demonstrations and master classes for college and university students as well as informal mini-performances for community organizations, elementary through high school students, and retirement and assisted-living communities.

Description

Since 1992, Tammerlin, Lee Hunter and Arvid Smith, has been placing their own stamp on folk/roots music. They present exceptional guitar work accompanying well-crafted original songs and traditional tunes pulled from the heart of American music - a little bit pop, country, old time, British Isles, and blues - with some world music flavorings. Tammerlin’s diverse style reflects each member’s background and interest in all kinds of music with the central theme of the stories that connect us all. Innovative guitarist Arvid Smith provides the fretwork, creating the sonic backdrop for Lee Hunter’s clear voice. The sound is often filled out with additional players on mandolin, fiddle, bass, and drums. Together, they create something magical that is both grounded in the past and looking firmly toward the future. Tammerlin has a successful recording history and has released five CDs.

Workshops are available for K-12, college groups, community groups, and senior centers. In addition to the workshop that accompanies Old Roads, New Turns, also offered is Finding Your Own Music – A Creativity Workshop, Incorporating Music into Academics – An Arts Infusion Workshop, Instrumental Color – Music as Sound, Slide Guitar – You Don’t Have to Fret, and The World is a Drum – A Percussion Workshop. Tammerlin’s presentations are suitable for small settings or for large gatherings, and can address specific areas of the curriculum as needed.

Description

Kirk Whipple & Marilyn Morales are a concert duo that performs music for two pianos, one piano/four hands, and solo piano. Known for their positive joyous attitudes and the accessibility of their performances, programs include works from Renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, French impressionists, 20th and 21st century contemporary, Broadway, jazz, and rock plus original works and arrangements. Venue and format are flexible and the duo offers formal concerts, recitals, master classes and lectures, and informal “club-style” events. Performances are suitable for audiences of all ages.

Residency and educational activities include master classes, ensemble classes, lectures, private lessons, and teacher workshops. Extensive online support is available for these activities.

Description

Flutist/storyteller Donna Wissinger performs family-friendly concert programs and residencies that dazzle and educate audiences of all ages. Communities throughout the US are thrilled by her award-winning K-12 educational programs that conclude with entire families coming together for evenings featuring her virtuosic playing and storytelling in recital or in concert with their symphony orchestra or high school ensembles. Donna “makes every audience feel a part of the performance. Students and teachers are still talking about and learning from the programs; this was by far the best and most exciting residency we have ever had.”

Donna’s educational activities provide programming for preK-12 students: The Pied Piper and Other Fantastic Tales; Myths, Legends, and Fables; The World Turned Upside Down: Music and Stories of the American Revolution, and Beowulf: A tale of Courage and Honor. Each program includes several strands of the Sunshine State Standards.

Description

Born and raised in Japan, Ayako Yonetani offers classical music through violin performance. Ayako has appeared extensively both in the U.S. and internationally and strongly believes in the value of live performance. Her repertoire includes Baroque to contemporary western music and contemporary Japanese music. Her 90-minute full violin recital can be performed with a pianist, or computer accompaniment when no piano is available.

Lecture and residency offerings give her the opportunity to discuss traditional Japanese music and current music education, conduct master classes with violin students, coach chamber music groups, and perform orchestra sectional work. Now a music professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Ayako holds academic degrees, including a doctorate, from the Julliard School where she studied with Hyo Kang and the late Dorothy DeLay.

Description

Not your typical children’s theatre, but rather a dynamic duo of theatre artists whose shows encourage students and their families to think about themselves and the world around them. Don Gruel and Noel Holland creatively adapt their scripts from literature, history, and legend and also offer original pieces; their performances are enthusiastic, entertaining, and thought- provoking.

Classroom theatre workshops are available on Tools of the Actor, Auditioning, Musical Theatre, Playwriting, Stage Movement, and Stage Combat. A Conflict Resolution workshop is also available and Don and Noel will also custom design a workshop for specific classes and topics. Workshops last 45 minutes.

Description

Bits ‘N Pieces is a nationally recognized touring children’s theatre known for their nine-foot tall puppets! Aesop’s Dinosaur Fable explains why we should prepare today for tomorrow and Thumbelina teaches that success comes with faith in your own abilities. Original performances are fully staged in the American Musical Theatre style. Classic and familiar fairytales are presented with original music by Bits ‘N Pieces founder Jerry Bickel with puppet and costume design by Holli Rubin.

In addition to the musical productions, the company offers arts-in-education puppet making and performance workshops for children, teachers, and youth leaders. The Got No Strings puppet exhibition (giant puppets, costumes, and stage settings) is also available. Educational programs are based on Sunshine State Standards. Workshops and residencies are tailored to the presenter and can be a single classroom visit or a week long residency.

Description

Octavio Campos is a Miami-born Cuban-American dance theater artist and the founder of Camposition, an iconoclastic arts organization that pushes the boundaries of contemporary performance and activism. “Transdisciplinary” theater mixes song, dance, and monologue for the piece No Music in This House, part of Camposition’s Please Don’t Hate Me campaign (http://www.pleasedonthateme.org). The duet follows the trajectory of an abusive relationship between a performer and his pianist while exploring the uncharted subject of same sex domestic violence. This duet production is ideal for LGBTQ audiences 18 years of age and older.

Residency activities include interactive workshops featuring performance exercises such as role playing, improvisations, skits, feedback, and question and answer sessions. Educational activities involve discussions on domestic violence and actions that can be taken by those who find themselves in an abusive home.

Description

Pablo Cano and Jim Hammond are master artists who offer unique shadow puppet plays. Pablo’s marionette creations have been described as “complete sculpture” that take on a life force. Jim is the managing director of Puppet Network, and is a theatre designer and producer who has worked as one of the puppet masters in the National Broadway Tour of The Lion King. Together they have written, directed, and designed Dog which uses a miniature style of overhead projector shadow puppetry. Dog brings together art education and entertainment suitable for ages 10 and up.

Educational activities include a variety of workshops with hands-on for teachers and students, lectures, artist Q and A, Puppet Manipulation Workshop, and Puppet Production and Design Workshop. Study guides with Sunshine State Standards are available.

Description

The professional theatre company of Ruth Eckerd Hall, ETC is a young dynamic troupe who creates works that affirm the value of the individual and the beauty of the human spirit. Their goal is to ignite creativity in young people and to inspire audiences of all ages to a greater understanding of the human condition. The company’s objective is to personally impact each participant and instill respect for the theatrical profession and an appreciation of the unique communication between actor and audience.

Post-performance workshops, talk-backs, and residencies are all available and meet Sunshine State Standards. Theatre games are often introduced to familiarize students with movement and expression through performance. In workshops, students receive hands-on training in creative problem-solving and team-building while improving communication skills.

Description

Fantasy Theatre Factory is a touring children’s theatre company. Since 1985, their tours have reached over 1,000,000 teachers, families, and students! Educational outreach is of primary importance to Fantasy Theatre Factory and it uses comedy, theatre, and fun to reach children.

All FTF’s Florida Arts on Tour programs feature shows and workshops designed especially for children and can provide in-service training for teachers. Fantasy Theatre works with educators, writers, directors, choreographers,musicians, and a core group of actors to create exciting programs that address children’s literature, ecology, and more. FTF tours multiple shows yearly, so presenters can always find a show at the right time and with the right theme.

Fantasy Theatre will work with presenters on their fee support grant application to the Division, provide educational guidelines, help with promotional material, and be available by phone or email as needed. The company is known for its ability to work well with presenters’ needs.

Take a look at the description for each show at the website www.ftfshows.com.

Description

One of the finest resident theatres in the state, Florida Studio Theatre has an amazing outreach program that encourages and guides students to write plays, Write-A-Play. It is an arts-in-education initiative that provides thousands of children with the skills and motivation to write plays. For elementary school students, FST’s high-energy, interactive performances promote literacy, language skills, and dexterity in self-expression. These Write-A-Play performances use both scripted material and improvisational techniques to teach students the basics of playwriting including setting, character, action, and dialogue. Using these elements as a starting point, the FST team of four actors/teaching artists lead students in the creation of an original play. For middle and high school students, FST’s Secondary Tour motivates students to exercise their writing skills, develop a creative voice, and express themselves through words and actions onstage. Since 1991, this program has reached over 1,000,000 school children! At the end of every Playmaker’s Tour, students are encouraged to complete and submit their plays to Florida Studio Theatre’s annual Young Playwrights Festival.

Description

Kuniko presents a dramatic Japanese storytelling performance of myths and fables. The combination of Japanese music, handcrafted masks, highly-stylized movement, origami paper folding, and a touch of magic makes this appealing to all grade levels. Kuniko uses folktales and folksongs that describe Japanese traditions. Her origami presentations feature mythological character masks and puppets, flowers, and a bamboo sushi mat.

Reflecting the Sunshine State Standards, Kuniko’s program complements the Multi-Culture Study, Visual Arts, Language Arts, Theatre, and Social Studies components. 45 – 90 minute workshop topics include Math Lessons with Origami, Origami Connection to Visual Arts and Social Studies, Origami for Teachers, and Theater Workshop. Puppetry, story-making, dance, mask-making, and movement are all subject areas that can be covered.