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S C H O O L T I M E P E R F O R M A N C E S E R I E S • S C H O O L Y E A R 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0Teacher’s Resource Guide

The Year of the Tiger

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

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2 Passport to culture • The Year of the Tiger

Arts Education and You The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Arts Education Department presents the 13th season of the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series.

With Passport to Culture, Verizon and NJPAC open up a world of culture to you and your students, offering the best in live performance from a wide diversity of traditions and disciplines. At NJPAC’s state-of-the-art facility in Newark, with support from Verizon, the SchoolTime Performance Series enriches the lives of New Jersey’s students and teachers by inviting them to see, feel, and hear the joy of artistic expression. The exciting roster of productions features outstanding New Jersey companies as well as performers of national and international renown. Meet-the-artist sessions and NJPAC tours are available to expand the arts adventure.

The Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series is one of many current arts education offerings at NJPAC. Others include: • Professional Development Workshops that support the use of the arts to enhance classroom curriculum • Arts Academy school residency programs in dance, theater and literature, and Early Learning Through the Arts – the NJ Wolf Trap Program • After-school residencies with United Way agencies

In association with statewide arts organizations, educational institutions, and generous funders, the Arts Education Department sponsors the following arts training programs: • Wachovia Jazz for Teens • The All-State Concerts • The Star-Ledger Scholarship for the Performing Arts • The Jeffery Carollo Music Scholarship • Summer Youth Performance Workshop • Young Artist Institute • NJPAC/New Jersey Youth Theater Summer Musical Program

Students have the opportunity to audition for admission to NJPAC’s arts training programs during NJPAC’s annual Young Artist Talent Search. Detailed information on these programs is available online at njpac.org. Click on Education. The Teacher’s Resource Guide and additional activities and resources for each production in the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Series are also online. Click on Education, then on Performances. Scroll down to “Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format” and select desired guide.

Permission is granted to copy this Teacher’s Resource Guide for classes attending the 2009-2010 Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. All other rights reserved.

To Teachers and Parents The resource guide accompanying each performance is designed • to maximize students’ enjoyment and appreciation of the performing arts; • to extend the impact of the performance by providing discussion ideas, activities, and further reading that promote learning across the curriculum; • to promote arts literacy by expanding students’ knowledge of music, dance, and theater; • to illustrate that the arts are a legacy reflecting the traditional values, customs, beliefs, expressions, and reflections of a culture; • to use the arts to teach about the cultures of other people and to celebrate students’ own heritage through self-expression; • to reinforce the New Jersey Department of Education’s Core Curriculum Content Standards in the arts.

CONTENTSOn Stage 3

In the Spotlight 4

Dance Talk 5

Traditions and Legends of the Chinese New Year Celebration

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Before and After Activities 7

Teaching Science Through Dance

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Delving Deeper 8

FoundationKid Power!Through energy efficiency and conservation, kids can help preserve our planet’s rich natural resources and promote a healthy environment.

Tip of the DayWhether in China or the western world, making resolutions is an aspect of celebrating the New Year. Now is a good time to make a resolution that you will help preserve one of our limited natural resources − water. Did you know that taking a shower uses much less water than filling up a bathtub? A shower only uses 10 to 25 gallons, while a bath takes up to 70 gallons! To save even more water, keep your shower under five minutes long. Try timing yourself with a clock next time you hop in! Made possible through the generosity of the PSEG Foundation.

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Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company’s Year of the Tiger celebrates Chinese New Year with a festive, visually delightful explosion of contemporary and traditional Chinese culture.

The Chinese New Year, celebrated on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar, is the most important festival of the year for the Chinese community. Each of the years in a 12-year cycle is named after one of the 12 animals that represent a division of the Chinese zodiac. This year, the Year of the Tiger, begins on February 14, 2010 in the western or solar calendar. For the Chinese, it is the year 4708.

The performance celebrating the Year of the Tiger begins with the “Hubei Coin Stick Dance.” The dance, believed to have originated with the dominant Han people of central China’s Hubei Province, appears in many variations throughout China. During the dance, each performer holds a bamboo stick in each hand. The sticks, with loose change inserted in their hollow centers, are aptly called “coin sticks.” When shaken, the sticks make an interesting metallic sound and are used by the dancers percussively to create intricate, rhythmic sound effects.

The premiere of “The Hunter,” a solo for a male dancer, follows. Nai-Ni Chen drew the movements for this dance from the Qiang people, an

ethnic group which originally resided in western China and lived by herding sheep and hunting. The Qiang people are believed to be an old, once strong and populous people whose history can be traced back 2000 years. Today, however, the Qiang people reside mainly in the northwestern part of the Sichuan Province and comprise only a small segment of the Chinese population. “Peach Flower Dance” is an excerpt from the the idyllic dance-drama Peach Flower Landscape. The legend of the Peach Flower Village, recorded by the poet/philosopher Tau Yuan Ming in the fourth century, tells the tale of a utopian community hidden away from the rest of the world where the people lived in perfect harmony with the land. Over the centuries, the Peach Flower Village has become a symbol of hope for the Chinese people.

Four female and three male dancers perform an excerpt from the breath-taking “Mirage.” In creating this piece, Ms. Chen was inspired by the unique rhythms and dance movements of the Uyghur people of Xinjiang. The tranquility and passion of her choreography evoke images of this desert area and the people who lived in its oasis towns.

“Double Lions Welcoming the Spring,” one of the most popular dances performed during the Chinese New Year celebration, is said to have originated in the Tang Dynasty 3,000 years ago. There are many styles of the Lion Dance in China. In this variation from Northern China, the dance is performed by two dancers portraying young children and four dancers costumed as two powerful lions. The lion dancers move about the stage performing acrobatic movements and turning the animals’ enormous heads while the mischievous children tease and trick the beasts. Because the children and lions are playing together, the Lion Dance is seen as a vision of harmony among all living creatures and as a prayer of peace.

The five dances performed in Year of the Tiger illustrate the genius of Nai-Ni Chen’s choreography in which she artfully melds the liberating movement of modern dance with the stylized grace and grandeur of Chinese art. Presented together, these dances transport audiences to a sumptuous and dynamic Chinese New Year celebration.

Passport to culture • The Year of the Tiger

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In the Spotlight

Passport to culture • The Year of the Tiger

The dances of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company take the audience on an extraordinary artistic journey to places beyond cultural boundaries where tradition meets innovation and freedom arises from discipline.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has been presented at other prestigious international festivals as well, including festivals in Poland, Korea and China. In addition to NJPAC, the company has appeared at other concert halls throughout the U.S., such as Lincoln Center, City Center and the Joyce Theater in New York, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in California, the Raymond F. Kravis Center in Florida, and the Ordway Center in Minnesota. The troupe also has appeared on a number of nationally-broadcast television specials.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has the honor of receiving more than 12 awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and has been awarded Citations of Excellence numerous times by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. As participants in the First China International Dance Festival in Kunming, Yunan, the company received the Golden Lotus Award from the China Dance Association. This is the highest honor given to dance companies not based in China. Since 1997, the troupe has been a resident company at the Harlem School of the Arts. In addition to its nearly 40-week touring and performing season, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a cultural ambassador for children and families. Its outreach school assembly program, “The Art of Chinese Dance,” has been presented to more than 40,000 young people each year since 1995.

Choreographer/Dancer Nai-Ni Chen, a native of Taiwan, is an artist whose work defies categorization. Since forming her company in 1988, Ms. Chen has created a repertory of dances that includes some that originated thousands of years ago as well as highly innovative, original pieces. Her choreography has gained increasing recognition by American and international presenters and festivals. In 2006, the Company was honored by a grant award from the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities and the U.S. State Department to represent the U.S. in a seven-city tour arranged by the Tamaulipas International Arts Festival in Mexico. It was the first Asian-American dance troupe to receive this honor.

Nai-Ni Chen

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Dance Talkcostume designer - the person who creates the clothing worn by the dancers on stage during a performance.

props (properties) - items (except costumes, scenery and furniture) used to create a mood, a setting or a sense of place; items held or used by the dancers to add to the movement of their bodies.

repertory (repertoire) - the dances performed by a company.

score - the musical or sound accompaniment to a dance.

Chinese Classical Dance - The Chinese classical dance training system emphasizes the mastery of 10 areas or elements of movement – five outer or technical aspects of discipline and five inner elements having to do with mastering mental and spiritual focus. The five outer elements include a) articulation of hand and wrist movements, b) eye and head movements, c) torso and waist, d) leg and footstep and e) the coordination of all of these together. The five inner elements, which relate to the inner self, include (jin) concentration, (shen) spirit, (chi) flow of energy, (li) strength, and (gung) discipline. It is said that the dancer must be skilled in the five outer elements to become an accomplished performer but then must gain mastery of the five inner elements to become a true artist. The spirit and artistry of the dance will only transcend the physical when these five inner elements are combined through the body of the dancer.

All dance has three basic building blocks:

space - the whole design and use of the place in which a dance unfolds.

time - a measurable period during which movement or dance occurs. Time is indicated in dance in many ways that may range from complex rhythmic patterns to periods of long, unbroken stillness.

energy - the intensity, amount or force of the movement; also sometimes referred to as the quality, color or texture of the movement. Adjectives such as restless, restrained, unrestrained, calm, smooth, free, concentrated, furtive, tense, explosive, fiery, etc., may be used to describe this aspect of dance.

Other relevant terms that will enhance understanding and appreciation of a dance performance are:

artistic director - the creative leader of a dance company who may or may not be a choreographer (the person who composes or creates the steps and movements for a dance). The artistic director makes decisions about hiring company members, casting and selecting repertory.

choreography - the arrangement of movement in time and space.

composer - a person who writes music.

Passport to culture • The Year of the TigerLion Dance

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Did You Know?Traditions and Legends of the Chinese New Year CelebrationIn 1912, China adopted the western Gregorian calendar. However, the Chinese on the mainland and throughout the world continue to regard the date given in the old Chinese lunar calendar as the beginning of the New Year. According to the lunar calendar, the year has 354 days and 12 months. So that the months correspond with the movements of the Earth around the Sun, a 13th month is inserted every two or three years. The New Year begins on the new moon and may occur at any time from January 1 to February 19, inclusive. Each year is named for an animal of the Chinese zodiac. The 12-year calendar cycle begins with the Year of the Rat. Then, other animal years follow – ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

This is the Year of the Tiger. In China, the tiger is considered a sign of courage. A fearless and fiery fighter, the tiger is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. According to Chinese tradition, the animal ruling year in which you were born exercises a profound influence on your life. It is said that, “This is the animal that hides in your heart.” People born in the Year of the Tiger are said to be courageous, active, self-assured, and optimistic. Independent, rebellious, dynamic, and unpredictable, Tiger people are considered born leaders.

The Chinese New Year is a family affair filled with warmth and friendliness. It is a time of reunion and thanksgiving and a time for reconciliation. The New Year’s celebrations may last from a week to a month. Chinese Americans in the U.S. consider New Year’s an important holiday and orchestrate celebrations, especially in major metropolitan areas where there are large Asian populations.

These extensive celebrations may include revelers dressed as huge-headed silken lions, dragon dancers, firecrackers, and shouts of gung hayfat choy and gun hosun tree, which translate roughly as “happy new year” and “may you prosper.” Long processions of costumed characters, who tease the lions, carry banners or play music, wend their way through the crowded streets. The groups stop briefly at each shop expecting the owner to have the customary coin-filled red envelope (hong bao) as a good luck token. Then, a bundle of firecrackers is ignited on the spot.

Intriguing tales surround the genesis of the Chinese New Year. The following myth is one of the most popular.

Nian, which is the modern Chinese word for “year,” was the name of a monster that attacked people the night before the New Year. Nian was a massive beast with a huge mouth that could swallow many people in just one gulp, so the people stayed in their homes for fear that Nian would eat them.

One day, an aged man offered to tame Nian. The wise elder strode up to Nian and said, “I hear that you are very capable. If so, can you swallow other beasts of prey on Earth instead of people – who are by no means your worthy opponents?” Nian rose to the challenge and swallowed many of the other people-hating beasts of prey on Earth. After that the old man disappeared, riding the beast Nian. The man, you see, was not a man at all but an immortal god. Nian was gone and the other beasts of prey that were not eaten by Nian were scared into the forests. People began to enjoy a peaceful life. Before the old man left, he told the people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year’s end to scare away Nian in case the monster returned. For red, you see, was the color the beast feared most.

Today, the customs of putting up red paper and exploding firecrackers to scare Nian away are still practiced.

The Chinese New Year occurs at the beginning of spring on the Chinese calendar. That is why many scholars believe that in reality, the festivities probably evolved from a desire to celebrate the end of winter and the fertility and rebirth that come with the new season. In fact, today, the Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival.

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7Passport to culture • The Year of the Tiger

In the ClassroomTeaching Science Through Dance (K-8)

By Sharon J. Sherman, Ed.D. Science is a systematic way to produce useful models of reality. Scientists use observation and experimentation to explain natural phenomena. The arts contribute to human understanding by fostering creativity and providing opportunities for expression beyond the limits of language. Through dance, we experiment with body, time, space, and energy. When science and dance come together, we enable children to express their understanding of scientific occurrences through movement which can lead to unforeseen and unpredictable outcomes.

In elementary science classrooms, children study weather and climate. Young children observe and describe different kinds of weather over time. Have them draw observations of cloud shapes and represent breezy or windy weather by waving scarves outdoors. You also can have your students use dance to show what they know. Begin by having each child use hand movements to produce the cloud shapes they observe. Next, assign partners. Together, the partners connect one cloud shape to another. Have them describe the experience using words.

In the older grades, children learn about air movement, clouds and precipitation. They study ways in which weather conditions affect our daily lives. Have them use the eight locomotor movements of walking, running, hopping, jumping, leaping, galloping, sliding, and skipping to create a dance that depicts air movement, clouds and precipitation. Then, have them select a weather event and perform a planned dance sequence that communicates the consequences of the event.

In physical science, children learn that we can change the motion of objects by pushing or pulling on them. The size of the change is related to the size of the force (push or pull) and the weight (mass) of the object on which the force is exerted. When an object does not move in response to a push or a pull, it is because another push or pull (friction) is being applied. You can have your students improvise dance sequences to illustrate this concept using curved and straight pathways and different levels in space.

Many science concepts can be illustrated using dance. Young children should use movements that include bending, twisting, stretching, and swinging using various levels in space. Older children should develop dance technique that incorporates strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination.

Sharon J. Sherman, Ed.D. is Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Teacher Education at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ.

The Teaching Science Through the Arts content of this guide is made possible through the generous support of Roche.

Before the Performance1. As part of their introduction to the performance, students should be made aware of good theater behavior: • Watching and listening to the performance without speaking. • Remaining seated during the entire performance. • Applauding at appropriate times during and after the performance.Discuss what is expected of a polite audience member and list the students’ responses and suggestions. Make connections with occasions where students have had to conduct themselves in a similar manner. (1.2)*

2. “Why Dance?” is an arts integrated resource of Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org. In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from ARTSEDGE, students identify reasons why people dance. Centers are set up to research various kinds of dance. After exploring three centers, students create a dance, poem, report, or collage to explain why people dance. Artsedge.kennedy-enter.org/content/2319 (1.2)

After the Performance

Additional Before and After activities can be found online at njpac.org. Click on Education, then SchoolTime Performances. Scroll down and click on MORE: Teacher Guides and Curriculum Materials. Select the guide and resource pages desired in PDF format.

1. Ask students to compare and contrast their expectations of the performance with theiractual experience. Then, ask them to write a review of the performance by answering the following questions: What parts of the performance did they especially like? Why? What parts did they dislike? Why? Were there any story elements to the dances? What did the dancers and drummers communicate to the audience? What did they communicate to each other? How did the costumes, lights and sets contribute to the performance? (1.3, 1.4)

2. Ask students to review the many components of the performance: dance, music, story, costumes, and history. Divide the class into groups. Assign each group one of the components to represent in a creative way. Bring the groups back together to make theirown performance. (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)

* Number(s) indicate the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard(s) supported by the activity.

Arthur Ryan ……………..........................…………………………………………………………………….Chairman Lawrence P. Goldman ………..................…………………………………..President & Chief Executive Officer Sandra Bowie………………….....................……………………………………..Vice President for Arts Education Sanaz Hojreh ……………..................….……………………………..Assistant Vice President for Arts Education Donna Bost-White……......................….……………………………….Director for Arts Education/Special Projects Jeffrey Griglak………......................……………….………………………………..……..Director for Arts Training Verushka Spirito……......................…………………………………………...Associate Director for Performances Ambrose Liu………………........................……………………………………....Associate Director for Residencies Caitlin Evans Jones………….......................………………………………….…Associate Director for Residencies Faye Competello……………........................…………………………………....Associate Director for Arts Training Mary Whithed………....................………..………………………………….....Program Coordinator for ResidenciesJoanna Gibson.......................................................................................Manager of Wachovia Jazz for Teens Laura Ingoglia…………..............................................…................………......Editor of Teacher’s Resource Guide

Writers: Holly Fairbank Mary Lou Johnston Laura Ingoglia

Editor: Laura Ingoglia

Design: Pierre Sardain, 66 Creative, Inc. 66Creative.com

NJPAC Guest Reader: Mary Whithed

Curriculum Review Committee: Judith Israel Mary Lou Johnston Amy Tenzer

Copyright © 2010 New Jersey Performing Arts Center All Rights Reserved

One Center Street Newark, New Jersey 07102Administration: 973 642-8989Arts Education Hotline: 973 353-8009artseducation@njpac.org

NJPAC wishes to thank the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company for assistance in preparing this guide.

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Delving Deeper Acknowledgmentsas of 11/06/09

Passport to culture • The Year of the Tiger

For even more arts integration resources, please go to Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation’s signature digital learning platform, designed to improve educational and literacy achievement.

Books for Students and Teachers

Bledsloe, Karen E. Chinese New Year Crafts (Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do!). Enslow Elementary, 2005.

Brown, Tricia, and Fran Ortiz. Chinese New Year. Henry Holt, 1997.

Chin, Oliver. Year of the Rat: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac. Immedium, 2008.

Demi. Happy Happy Chinese New Year. Crown Books for Children, 2003.

Lin, Grace. In the Year of the Rat. Little, Brown Young Readers, 2008.

Resources for Teachers

China Institute in America, 125 E. 65th Street, New York, NY 10021; (212) 744-8181; info@chinainstitute.org - A nonprofit educational and cultural institution that promotes the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of traditional and contemporary Chinese civilization, culture and heritage and provides the cultural and historical context for understanding contemporary China.

Taipei Gallery, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10020, (212) 373-1854 - Exhibits of both ancient Chinese arts and contemporary arts from Taiwan. Most exhibitions come from major museums and private collections in Taiwan. In addition to introducing Taiwan’s modern art, the gallery is a venue for artists from around the world whose works relate to Chinese culture and society.

Additional resources can be found online at njpac.org. Click on Education, then SchoolTime Performances. Scroll down and click on MORE: Teacher Guides and Curriculum Materials. Select the guide and resource pages desired in PDF format.

NJPAC Arts Education programs are made possible by the generosity of: Bank of America, Allen & Joan Bildner & The Bildner Family Foundation, The Arts Education Endowment Fund in Honor of Raymond G. Chambers, Leon & Toby Cooperman, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Amy C. Liss, McCrane Foundation, Merck Company Foundation, Albert & Katharine Merck, The Prudential Foundation, The PSEG Foundation, David & Marian Rocker, The Sagner Family Foundation, The Star-Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Surdna Foundation, The Turrell Fund, Verizon, Victoria Foundation, Wachovia, The Wal-Mart Foundation and The Women’s Association of NJPAC.

Additional support is provided by: Advance Realty Foundation, C.R. Bard Foundation, Becton, Dickinson & Company, The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, Bloomberg, Chase, The Citi Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Veronica Goldberg Foundation, Meg & Howard Jacobs, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Marianthi Foundation, The MCJ Amelior Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The George A. Ohl, Jr., Foundation, Pechter Foundation, PNC Foundation on behalf of the PNC Grow Up Great program, The Provident Bank Foundation, E. Franklin Robbins Charitable Trust, Roche, TD Charitable Foundation, Target, The United Way of Essex & West Hudson, Lucy and Eleanor S. Upton Charitable Foundation, The Edward W. & Stella C. Van Houten Memorial Fund, and The Blanche M. & George L. Watts Mountainside Community Foundation.