Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Village Dance
Sankofa Dance Theater
Sankofa Dance Theater is a national non-profit arts organization devoted to presenting world-class, authentic African art
in the form of dance, music, and folkways.
The word “Sankofa” means to learn from the past in an effort to build for the future. Sankofa reaches back into the rich
legacy of African culture and history to move forward into greater awareness for the community-at-large.
In addition to annual concerts, master classes, workshops, residencies, and youth arts programs; Sankofa has performed
throughout the United States and internationally – from Japan to West Africa!
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218
Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Please pass along the attached teacher program guide to all participating classrooms.
Setup Requirements
• A stage.
• 2-socket outlet with plenty of voltage (old stages sometimes don’t have enough juice in outlets).
Artist Arrival Time
30 minutes prior to performance
Suggested Introduction
“Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls please give a warm welcome to Sankofa Dance Theatre presenting…Village
Dance!”
Inclement Weather
DON’T WORRY! Artists will follow school closings/delays, and will work with you to reschedule the
performance if necessary.
Young Audiences Contact Number
410-837-7577
After Hours / Emergency Number
Call 410-837-7577 and follow the prompts to be connected with a staff member on call.
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218
Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Artist Bio
Inside this guide:
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Artist Bio
Performance
Description
Maryland State
Curriculum
Connectors
Vocabulary
Pre- and PostPerformance
Activities
Sankofa Dance Theater is a national
non-profit arts organization devoted to
presenting world-class, authentic African
art in the form of dance, music, and
folkways. The word “Sankofa” means to
learn from the past in an effort to build for
the future. Sankofa reaches back into the
rich legacy of African culture and history
to move forward into greater awareness
for the community-at-large.
In addition to annual concerts, master
classes, workshops, residencies, and youth
arts programs; Sankofa has performed
throughout the United States and
internationally – from Japan to West
Africa!
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218
Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Program Description
Traditionally, African art forms are woven into the fabric of day-to-day life. Dance is a big part of the history of life in an
African village. The theme for this presentation is “the reasons why we dance.” It paints a picture of the West African
culture against a colorful backdrop of traditional African music, song, and dance. Students are asked to join in audience
participation.
Maryland State Curriculum Connectors
Fine Arts Content Standards in Dance
Standard 1.0 Perceiving, Performing, and Responding: Aesthetic Education
Students will demonstrate the ability to perceive, perform, and respond to dance.
Indicator (Grade 6)
1. Demonstrate knowledge of how elements of dance are used to communicate meaning.
Fine Arts Content Standards in Music
Standard 2.0 Historical, Cultural, and Social Context
Students will demonstrate an understanding of music as an essential aspect of history and human experience.
Indicator (Grade 4)
Develop the ability to recognize music as a form of individual and cultural expression through
experiencing music as both personal and societal expression.
1.
Curriculum Standard in Social Studies
Standard 2.0 Peoples of the Nation and World
Students will understand how people in Maryland, the United States and around the world are alike and different.
Indicator (Grade 2)
1. Analyze elements of two different cultures and how each meets their human needs and
contributes to the community.
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218
Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Why Sankofa Dance Theater Supports Multicultural Educational Programs
Discovering diversity takes creativity, extra effort, and diligence. School is the perfect place to offer an enthusiastic,
positive, and fun interactive exposure for student difference. Sankofa Dance Theater understands that this process begins
with cultural sensitivity and presents educational performance programming to be used as a tool that will enhance a fully
balanced educational experience.
A multicultural classroom thrives on differences and uses them as a foundation for growth and development. Differences
are a part of day-to-day existence that should not be taken for granted. Student differences make the world a richer,
better place, but differences often command work, resolution, openness, and understanding. Teachers who address these
differences and add them to the curriculum will succeed in creating a multicultural classroom that will advance the
educational goals of all students.
Vocabulary
Sankofa: A word from Ghana, West Africa that means learn from past to understand the future
Alafia: A Yoruba word from Nigeria, West Africa meaning “hello”
Drum: The first instrument known to mankind
Danca: A series of movements that match the speed a rhythm of music
Funga: A dance of welcome from Liberia, West Africa
Llamba: A West African dance of praise and celebration
Sunu: A dance from Senegal, West Africa done surrounding the wedding event
Harvest: The process or period of gathering crops
Djembe: A drum from the Mali Empire that is played with the hands
Orchestra: A group of instrument played together to make a unified musical sound
Break: A signal played by the lead drummer in a djembe orchestra to start, change, or stop
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218
Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Pre- and Post-Performance Activities
Goal for all activities
These activities will provide students with a basic overview of the vast and diverse continent of Africa; however, the
primary focus of this project is on the dance, music, and folklore of West Africa. Both activities are based on lesson plans
from PBS, found at www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/tools/index.html.
Learning Activity One: “Amazing Africa Scavenger Hunt”
In this activity students will briefly research some introductory facts about Africa and learn about the interesting culture
and history that exists in different regions.
1. Allow students to explore the following website to get a brief overview of Africa: http://www.pbs.org/africa
2. Divide the class into small research groups and have them go to the Yahooligans World Factbook website at
http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/world-factbook to conduct an internet search on specific countries in
3. Africa. Ask each group of students to collect five interesting facts about Africa and it’s countries. (You may
choose to assign each group a specific African country.)
4. Create a class chart entitled “Amazing Africa Scavenger Hunt” using these facts. Update the list as students
learn new information about Africa throughout the course of the “Amazing Africa Scavenger Hunt” project.
(You may choose to make your class chart a map of Africa.)
Learning Activity Two: “A Musical Travel Journal”
In this activity, students will briefly research some introductory facts about Africa and learn about the varied music that
exists in different regions.
1. Students will create “A Musical Travel Journals” in which they will record what they have learned about the
music of varied regions of Africa and its music. Each student should create a cover for his or her journal.
2. Visit www.pbs.org/africa/explore. Divide the class into five groups and have each collect five facts about the
music from the different regions (North, South, Central, East and West).
Continued on the next page
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218
Teacher Program Guide
Assembly Date: __________________________________________
Assembly Time: __________________________________________
For Students in: __________________________________________
Pre- and Post-Performance Activities (continued)
3. Listen to a selection of music from each of the regions by scrolling through each of the following pages and
choosing one title.
North
Visit www.pbs.org/africa/explore/sahara/sahara_music_lo.html which highlights the music of
the
Tuareg people of the Sahara and includes music clips.
South
www.music.org.za/ is a modern site for South African musicians, many of whom base their music
on
traditional sound. You may also visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/southern/
southern_music_lo.html
East
www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/swahili/swahili_music_lo.html provides information and
sample clips of music from the East coast of Africa.
West:
www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahel/sahel_music_lo.html provides music information and
clips from the Dogon people of the western Sahel.
Central:
www.samite.com/ is the web site of a Ugandan musician and composer, it includes clips and
quotes from the musician. You may also visit www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/greatlakes/
greatlakes_music_lo.html
4. Use the facts to create entries in “A Musical Travel Journal.”
5. Divide the class into small groups and have them share their journal entries.
6. Have each student choose a favorite piece of the music they have heard and write a brief paragraph describing
why they like it. Divide the class into pairs to share their responses.
Contact Young Audiences for more information on this and other programs at 410-837-7577 or yamd.org
Young Audiences/Arts for Learning | 2601 N. Howard St., Suite 320 | Baltimore, MD 21218