Teacher's Guide

Artist: Spilling Ink Project

The Spilling Ink Project weaves memorable tales from Indian folklore and mythology that unfold through traditional South Indian classical dance forms. An intricate language of hand gestures combined with dramatic facial expressions takes audiences on a colorful journey to India. Melodic music including rhythmic percussion, colorful costuming along with narration in English embellishes the program. Katha: Tales from India is an engaging and interactive way for participants to learn about India and its culture. Vijay Palaparty and Nalini Prakash are renowned artists from the U.S. and India, whose performances and outreach programs tour widely. Like their namesakes, the Spilling Ink Project dances express fresh and creative aspects of Indian hertiage.

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Artist: Rhythmic Cultures

Rhythmic Cultures sparks the imaginations of children and teachers with participatory music and dance activities that have influenced the American music we know today. The cultural traditions of Appalachia, Africa (Zulu) and Louisiana (Cajun) are explored through a variety of instruments and dances. Students are invited on stage throughout the program to accompany the artists on an array of instruments including limberjack clog dancing puppets! Bob Dunlap is a dancer and musician who has been performing for years and currently teaches swing dance classes in Pittsburgh. Mark Tamsula, a versatile musician, performs throughout the region with Cajun Fever.

"Generated tremendous interest and enthusiasm; a foot stompin' good time!"
– Robert E. Kirkpatrick, Head of School, Fox Chapel Country Day School

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Artists: Barbara Russell and Janice Coppola

In Bubbe Tells a Tale, Grandma Bubbe (Barbara Russell) and klezmer musician Janice Coppola share the Yiddish folktale "It Could Be Worse." As the house fills with animals, students join in by making animal sounds, clapping, dancing and learning some Yiddish words. Students will:

• Identify a clarinet
• Imitate sounds
• Participate in directed movement
• Put in sequence the events of the story
• Compare characters' attitudes at the beginning and end of the story

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Artist: Tracie Yorke

Your students will flex their critical thinking muscles as they try to outsmart Anansi the Spider, the world's greates trickster, in Storytime with Anansi. Using movement and music, twelve year dance veteran Tracie Yorke will share timeless folk wisdom wrapped up in the clever antics of Anansi, whose curiosity always gets her in -and -out of trouble.

Artist: Tap Team II

In this energetic program, students learn the history of American tap dance through the street and social dances performed today. Addition, subtraction and multiplication are explored and students have the opportunity to join the artists on stage to learn the basic steps of this American art form. Tap Team II was founded in Philadelphia and uses Street Tap, better known as Hoofing, as the basis of their choreography. Focused on school and community outreach, they have toured schools throughout the country since 1998.

"Many of our students come from very urban areas where dance is a way of expressing oneself. It was great for them to see and hear about where this type of expression originated . . . The middle school students entered grumbling and left dancing."
– Ann Douglas, Principal, Pittsburgh Urban Christian School

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