inside CUBA VIBRA! THE NEW VICTORY THEATER / NEWVICTORY.ORG/SCHOOLTOOL INSIDE BEFORE EN ROUTE AFTER

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1 A behind-the-curtain look at the artists, the company and the art form of this production. COMMON CORE STANDARDS Speaking and Listening: 1; 3 Language: 1, 4; 6 NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS The Arts: 4 ELA: 1; 4 Social Studies: 2; 5 BLUEPRINT FOR THE ARTS Dance: Developing Dance Literacy; Making Connections This section is part of a full New Victory School Tool TM Resource Guide. For the complete guide, including information about the New Victory Education Department check out: NEWVICTORY.ORG/SCHOOLTOOLS 4

2 X [ ] CUBA VIBRA! Irrestible Dance Fusion + Ballet + Live Afro-Cuban beats = WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CUBA VIBRA! FROM? NORTH AMERICA X ATLANTIC OCEAN It's a hot Havana night when Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba brings the heat in an irresistible fusion of ballet, flamenco, cha-cha-cha, rumba, conga, bolero and salsa. With superior synchronicity, 18 dancers fill the stage with flavorful finesse as they seamlessly dance in lockstep to the Afro-Cuban beats and vocal virtuosity of an on-stage big band. Celebrating Cuban music and dance from the '50s to today, boisterous Latin rhythms electrify the air in CUBA VIBRA! PACIFIC OCEAN SOUTH AMERICA CLOSER LOOK AT CUBA VIBRA! HAVANA Since its founding, Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba stands out amongst dance companies for fusing a multitude of dance styles into their performances. When you see CUBA VIBRA!, you ll see a mixture of ballet, flamenco, cha-cha-cha, rumba, conga, bolero and salsa! DID YOU KNOW: Traditionally, female flamenco dancers wear black, red, navy blue or white ruffled dresses, with heeled dance shoes. Men wear black or red tuxedo shirts with dark colored pants. Today, flamenco costumes can include a variety of colors! HAVANA, CUBA CUBA Havana s nickname is Ciudad de las Columnas, or City of Columns. In the old city, columns were incorporated into almost all buildings and house porches. They are the most distinctive architectural feature of the city! Ballet and baseball are Cuba s two national passions and pastimes. Both baseball and ballet are affordable pastimes that are appreciated by the entire Cuban community! 5

3 INSIDE THE ART FORM WHAT DO YOUR STUDENTS KNOW NOW? Prior to exploring CUBA VIBRA! with your students, find out how much they already know about Flamenco, Ballet and Afro-Cuban Jazz. In addition, allow them to explore the themes of fusion and teamwork. Have you ever danced to live music before? How is it different from dancing to recorded music? FLAMENCO Originally from the south of Spain, flamenco dance is thought to have Latin American and Cuban influences, as well. In contrast to ballet, traditional flamenco dancers rarely receive any professional training; this social dancing has been passed down through family and friends in communities. Flamenco can be upbeat and energetic, as well as slow and romantic, but all flamenco is considered to be extremely emotional. While dancing, flamenco dancers often use small handheld percussion instruments called "castanets" to keep the sharp tempo! BALLET Ballet originated in Italy, in the 15th century, with noblemen and noblewomen who attended lavish events. Dancing combined with music created an elaborate spectacle, where ballet was often paired with opera performances. Eventually, ballet began to stand on its own as an art form and became centered around a narrative. Today, this storytelling narrative is called ballet d action. In Cuba, ballet dancers are highly respected and admired and are considered to be some of the world s best dancers. In CUBA VIBRA!, the elegant style of ballet shines through the electric and rhythmic dances! AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ Afro-Cuban jazz is the musical fusion of jazz improvisation and rhythms from Cuba and Africa. The birth of Afro-Cuban jazz can be traced to the 1940s, when trumpeters and percussionists began teaming up to create innovative music with multiple influences. Afro-Cuban jazz is a true blend of North, South and Central American music with specific emphasis on rhythm. To keep the rhythm for the band and the dancers, CUBA VIBRA s musicians play a wide assortment of drums: the congas, a quinto, a timbal, a tumbadora and a tom tom! Have you ever seen a dance performance before? What kind of dance was being showcased? Have you ever seen two different styles of dance fused together at the same time (ex. ballet and salsa)? What do you know about the dance styles of ballet and flamenco? What do you think the two would look like fused together? Have you ever heard jazz music before? What do you think classifies music as jazz? How is watching dance on stage different from watching theater? Does your family like to dance? What s their favorite dance style? Have you ever taken a dance class? When dancing with a group, what skills do you need? How is it different from dancing alone? 6

4 CREATIVITY PAGE CUBAN DANCE AND MUSIC! Cuban dance and music are some of the world s most lively art forms which pull together aspects of history, community, passion, and connection. Share this page with your students to review the music and dance forms of this innovative country! DANCE BOLERO A slow and intimate dance. The bolero is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of Cuban dance! CHA-CHA-CHA Cuba s most well-known dance style! In the cha-cha-cha, dancers start moving on the second beat, as opposed to the first or fourth. FLAMENCO A Spanish art form made up of 3 parts: guitar, song and dance. It is known for its emotive style and clapping by the dancers. MAMBO Typically danced to jazz music, the mambo requires fast and complicated footwork. MERINGUE A reasonably easy Cuban dance to learn, the meringue is danced at most social parties! MUSIC SON One of Cuba s oldest and most foundational music genres. This music is known for the defining bass pulse that comes before the downbeat, called the anticipated bass. CHANGUÍ A form of Son, characterized by its especially fast and percussive tempo! GUAJIRA Led by a 12-string guitar called a tres, this genre showcases earthy, rural, acoustic sounds.

5 UNIT PLAN BRAINSTORM Check out these ideas for how to incorporate CUBA VIBRA! into a unit plan! Then, use specific recommended activities from this guide for each topic. CUBAN EMBARGO (SOCIAL STUDIES) Use the experience of watching CUBA VIBRA! as a chance to explore the history of US and Cuban relations and the history of the embargo. To support this conversation, have your students do the Creativity Pages from the Before and After Sections: Image Inspiration and Explore Cuban Art. POETIC STORYTELLING (ELA) The dancers in CUBA VIBRA! tell poetic stories through dance. Use the show to inspire or support a unit on poetry and how it can be translated into dance and movement. To support this unit, use the Before Creativity Page, Image Inspiration and After Activity, Signature Move. CULTURAL DIVERSITY (SOCIAL STUDIES) The Cuban culture is rich and full of interesting history and art. Use CUBA VIBRA! as part of a larger cultural unit in which the students research, present and celebrate various cultures (including their own heritage) throughout the world. To support this unit, have your students do the Creativity Pages from the Before and After Sections: Image Inspiration, and Explore Cuban Art, as well as the Performance Reflection activities. 8