Copyright © 2018 Joanna Pang Atkins - all rights reserved
Residency and Assembly
History, geography, social studies, music and math are all incorporated into my Multi-Cultural Folk Dance Celebration. I propose coming as an artist-in-residence for a two or three week period, during which time I teach a selected number of classes. Each class learns a different folk dance representing a country or culture, while also learning about history, geography, music and traditional attire. In addition, all classes learn one common dance. The residency culminates with an assembly program for the school, parents and community, where each class performs its own dance, in full costume, and has the opportunity to see the accomplishments of all the other classes. The students introduce each dance segment with a description of the country of origin and history of the dance. The children, in this way, experience both the process of learning by participation and the thrill of performance.
Dances include: Chinese Ribbon Dance, Lion Dance of Kenya, Russian Trepak, Highland Fling, Japanese Fan Dance, Japanese Taiko Drumming, Italian Folk Dance, Australian Aboriginal Dance, Mexican Clap Dance, French Minuet, Indian Kathak-style Dance, Mongolian Dance, Dominican Republic’s Merengue, Highlife of Ghana, Colonial dances and others. All residencies can be adapted to the needs of each school.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards: 1.1,1.2,1.3,1.4, 2.5, 6.2, 7.1
