Havana Hop! - Edmonds Center for the Arts

Edmonds Center for the Arts presents:
“Havana Hop!”
October 16, 2015 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
Teacher Ties
ECA Teacher Ties for Havana Hop! make connections to the following
Washington State EALRs and Common Core State Standards:
Theatre 1.4, 2.3
Dance 2.3
Geography 3.1
World Languages 2, 4
Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts (CCSS ELA)
Contents
ECA Education & Outreach
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Making Connections
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Before the Show
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Havana, Cuba
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Spanish Vocabulary
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Discussion: Cuban Music
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Discussion: Hip-Hop History
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Activity: Rhythm and Math
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Make It: Tres Leches Cake!
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Bringing It Together: Our Roots Cookbook
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Terminology
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Additional Resources
Education & Outreach at ECA
Education Matinees
Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) is committed
to expanding the reach and impact of its
performances by actively engaging students,
teachers, families and community members in
Education & Outreach programs throughout
the year. Each season on our Main Stage, we
present Education Matinees for students ranging
from Pre-K to 12th grade. These performances
connect to Washington State EALRs and Common
Core State Standards, and provide students the
invaluable opportunity to experience the arts live.
Havana Hop!
Best for PreK-4th grade
Friday, October 16 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
Doktor Kaboom! LIVE WIRE
Best for 2nd-6th grades
Thursday, October 22 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
Meena’s Dream
Best for 4th grade & up
Tuesday, November 17 | 10:00 am
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
All Ages
Thursday, January 21 | 12:30 pm
Big Bad Wolf
Best for K-3rd grade
Friday, March 18 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
Celestial Being
Best for 1st-7th grades
Tuesday, April 12 | 10:00 am & 12:30 pm
A student participates in an onstage demonstration at Doktor
Kaboom! It’s Just Rocket Science, March 4, 2014.
Arts for Everyone
Arts for Everyone offers schools discounted
tickets to Education Matinee performances.
With the objective of increasing accessibility to
the performing arts for young people, ECA has
committed to provide a minimum of 30% of seats
at each Education Matinee at a reduced rate
to schools, based on their overall percentage
of students on Free and Reduced-Price Meal
programs. For these schools, tickets are $2 per
student, vs. the regular $8 student ticket price.
To participate, teachers may apply for discounted
tickets on a by-performance basis. Priority will be
given to schools with an overall percentage of
30% or higher of students on Free and ReducedPrice Meal programs.
To make a reservation to attend ECA Education
Matinees or for more information about Arts for
Everyone, please contact Gillian Jones, Education
& Outreach Manager, at gillian@ec4arts.org or
425.275.9483.
Making Connections
Havana Hop! makes curricular ties to the following Washington State EALRs and
Common Core State Standards:
Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts (CCSS ELA)
Theatre EALR 1, Component 1.4
Students understand and apply audience conventions in a variety of arts settings
and performances.
Theatre EALR 2, Component 2.3
Students apply a responding process to an arts performance and/or presentation
of theatre.
Dance EALR 2, Component 2.3
Students apply a responding process to an arts performance and/or presentation
of dance.
Geography EALR 3, Component 3.1
Students understand the physical characteristics, cultural characteristics, and
location of places, regions, and spatial patterns on the Earth’s surface.
World Languages EALR 2 – Cultures, Standard 2.2
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products
and perspectives of the culture studied.
World Languages EALR 4 – Comparisons, Standard 4.1
Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through
comparisons of the language studied and their own.
World Languages EALR 4 – Comparisons, Standard 4.2
Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through
comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
Before the Show
About Havana Hop!
In Havana Hop!, a young hip-hop dancer named
Yeila travels to Havana, Cuba on a twofold
mission: to bring back her grandmother’s fading
memory, and to discover her own heritage.
When the play begins, we see Yeila dreaming of
becoming a hip-hop star. She wakes up to a radio
announcing auditions for the White House Spring
Concert, and decides to try out for a slot in the
show. The judge awards her a slot but says Yeila’s
performance is missing “oomph” and advises
her to find her roots. In the days before the show,
Yeila and her mother visit Havana to help her
grandmother, who suffers from dementia. They all
find common ground through salsa dance, which
also provides the perfect inspiration for a brandnew dance routine, sure to wow the President.
Havana Hop! is 50-minutes long, and will be
followed by a 10-minute Q&A with the artist.
About the Artist
Paige Hernandez combines drama, dance, poetry
and hip-hop elements in her art and teaching.
Her acting and choreography have appeared
on stages all over the world. An innovator in
education, Ms. Hernandez has developed
workshops to help teachers integrate hip-hop
culture into the classroom. She founded the
company B-fly Entertainment and is currently
touring Havana Hop! and her solo show Paige in
Full: A B-girl’s Visual Mixtape all over the United
States.
Paige Hernandez in Havana Hop!
Pre-Show Discussion
To help your students connect with the themes of
Havana Hop!, ask the class about some different
meanings of the word “roots.” What are roots, and
what do they do?
After listening to student responses, you may
want to discuss qualities of a tree’s roots (they are
hidden, they nourish the tree, they help it stand
up in the wind, etc.) Explain that people also have
roots: the memories, places, or people that make
them unique. The play’s main character, Yeila,
needs to find her roots, but she doesn’t know
what that means. At Havana Hop!, your class will
travel with Yeila to learn about her roots — the
memories that ultimately will give her confidence.
Show students a preview of Havana Hop!
by clicking the image above (or visit www.
youtube.com/watch?v=ukFbV2gSqOg) to watch
a video excerpt. After the video, ask students
to write down three questions they have about
the performance. If these are not addressed
during the show, encourage students to ask their
questions during the Q&A with Ms. Hernandez
afterward.
Havana, Cuba
Fast Facts: Cuba
Official Name: Republic of Cuba
Form of Government: Socialist republic
Capital: Havana (in Spanish, La Habana)
Population: 11,238,317
Area: 42,802 square miles
Official Language: Spanish
Money: There are two official currencies in Cuba:
the national peso (CUP) and the convertible
peso (CUC), which is more widely used around
imported goods or items/services that will be
consumed by foreigners.
Claim to fame: Cuba is the largest, most populous
island in the Caribbean.
Culture: a mix of native, African, and European
influences
Famous Cubans and Cuban-Americans:
Celia Cruz, the “Queen of Salsa”
Desi Arnaz, co-star of I Love Lucy
Jose Canseco, baseball star
Gloria Estefan, singer
La Habana Vieja, a UNESCO heritage site in Havana
Havana, Cuba
The capital of Cuba was established in 1514 but
was moved to its current location in 1519. Havana
was a major port city in the Spanish Empire. This
huge city is made up of 15 different municipalities,
each one with its own unique features. One of
these municipalities, Old Habana, is a UNESCO
world heritage site. Walking through this part of
the city feels like going back in time.
Map of Cuba (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Kids)
Source: kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/
countries/cuba/#cuba-matanzas.jpg.
Cuba’s national flag
Pre-Show Learning:
Spanish Vocabulary
Photocopy
this page
Yeila, her mother, and her abuela [grandmother] all use some Spanish words. Are there any
Spanish-speakers in your class? If so, this activity can provide a great opportunity for those
students to teach others who are new to the language.
Below are some Spanish words and phrases used in Havana Hop! Learn them together
as a class, then listen for them during the show. For help with pronunciation, visit www.
spanishdict.com/translate and listen to audio recordings of each word.
¡Diviértanse! Have fun!
abuela/abuelo
amigos
bien, gracias
buena suerte
café
casa
¿cómo estás?
feliz
hija/hijo
hola
leche
lo siento
manzana
nieta/nieto
patata
plátano
recuerdos
vida
grandmother/grandfather
friends
I’m fine, thanks
good luck
coffee
house
how are you?
happy
daughter/son
hello
milk
I’m sorry
apple
granddaughter/grandson
potato
banana
memories
life
Discussion: Cuban Music
Celia Cruz: Queen of Salsa
Listen Together: Quimbara
Before leaving for Havana, Yeila recalls good
memories with her abuela [grandmother].
She remembers how her abuela would sing
“Quimbara quimbara cumba quimbamba!”
Growing up in Havana, Yeila’s abuela would have
heard Celia Cruz singing this song on the radio.
As a class, listen to Celia Cruz sing “Quimbara”
by clicking the photo to the left (or go to www.
youtube.com/watch?v=TxRWQHCSmUg).
After listening to the song, ask students the
following questions:
Photo credit: Ricardo Betancour
To engage your students in the music Yeila may
have experienced in Havana, introduce the
class to Celia Cruz, nicknamed the “Queen of
Salsa”!
Born in Havana in 1925, Cruz began singing at
caberets as a teenager. Like Yeila, she entered
many talent contests (where she won cakes as
1st place prizes), and became a popular voice on
the local radio. When Fidel Castro took control of
Cuba in 1959, everything in Cuba changed, and
Cruz refused to go back. She and her husband became U.S. citizens, and she continued her career
internationally.
In 1990, Cruz won a Grammy award for Best
Tropical Latin Performance. She continued to
perform and record albums until shortly before
her death in 2003. Some of her most famous
songs are renditions of “Guantanamera,” “La Vida
es un Carnaval,” “Oye Como Va,” and many more
you may recognize.
1. Music can tell us a lot about people, places,
and certain moments in history. When you hear
“Quimbara,” what do you imagine Cuba is like?
Think about how the island might sound, look,
smell, and taste.
2. How does the song make you feel? Happy or
sad? Calm or excited?
3. Can you guess what the song is about?
Explain to your class that “Quimbara” is a happy
song about music and dancing. The chorus has
no translatable meaning; the word “quimbara” is
sung for its sound and rhythm.
Additional Resources
Vintage video clip of Celia Cruz performing “Guantanamera”: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Js0rKmv-0Iw.
Live recording of Cruz performing “La Vida es
un Carnaval” (“Life is a Carnival”) toward the end
of her life: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk5j_
DCAP70.
Discussion: Hip-Hop
The Roots of Hip-Hop
Hip-hop originated during the 1970s with AfricanAmerican youth living in the Bronx, New York
City. Early hip-hop artists spray-painted pieces of
cardboard to use as platforms for dancing, held
dance parties, and developed new forms of music
and spoken-word expression. For many of these
young people, hip-hop culture became a creative
outlet and a positive alternative to gang violence.
Explain to your students that early hip-hop
artists blended their roots (the beats of African
music) with their city environment to create
something new — their own hip-hop culture.
For example, DJing (disk-jockeying) is an
important part of hip-hop culture. In the early
1970s, DJs began mixing the beats of the records
they were playing to create a whole new sound.
People loved to dance to the new rhythms of hiphop, which were borrowed and mixed from old
records.
For Older Students:
Video Clip
DJ Kool Herc is known as the “Father of Hip-Hop”
because he was one of the first DJs to start mixing
and manipulating beats from old records.
If your students show interest in the history of
DJing, watch a short video clip of DJ Kool
Herc, explaining how he decided to mix beats
from different songs: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=7qwml-F7zKQ.
DJ Kool Herc (Photo credit: The Guardian)
Discussion: Rhythm
In Havana Hop!, Yeila explains: “I don’t just like
hip-hop. I am hip-hop.” Like the early hip-hop
pioneers, Yeila uses creativity to face difficult
realities in her life.
When Yeila walks through the city, she hears
rhythm everywhere. She dances to the sounds of
the city around her. To launch a class discussion
around the subject of rhythm, ask your
students the following questions. If time allows,
continue on to Activity: Rhythm and Fractions on
the following pages.
1. What is rhythm? What can you hear around you
every day that has rhythm? (Examples: clock, siren,
lawn mower, school bell)
2. How can you make your own rhythms? Can
you use your mouth? Your hands? Your feet?
Something in the classroom?
Activity:
Rhythm and Fractions
Making Rhythms
After discussing hip-hop and rhythm on the
previous page, invite younger students to
learn about fractions — as they make their own
rhythms in 4/4 time!
1. Photocopy and distribute the worksheet on the
following page. Tell students that each set of lines
on the page represents a measure of music, and
each measure has four beats. Have everyone clap
four times and count the beats.
2. Explain that if a student draws a note in one of
these spaces, he or she must make a funny sound
on that beat (a quack, a nonsense word, a footstomp, or any creative sound that lasts for only
one beat). Practice together, brainstorming singlebeat sounds that are different from a clap.
3. Now, ask students to draw a note somewhere
on their first line — but only in one out of four (or
1/4) of the spaces. Students may use the first,
second, third or fourth space on their lines.
4. Are there any volunteers who would like
to share their measure? Using one student’s
worksheet as an example, as a class, clap1-23-4 repeatedly, making a funny sound on the
beat which the student has colored. Repeat this
exercise, using the worksheet of a student who
has colored in a different note.
5. Ask students to move to the next line on their
page and create a measure with 2/4th’s of the
spaces colored. Does anyone know another
way to say the fraction 2/4th’s? That’s right: 1/2!
Again, select a student and clap along with their
measure.
6. Finish the activity by repeating steps #3-4
for the last two lines of the worksheet, creating
measures for 3/4th’s and 4/4th’s, respectively.
For Older Students:
Son Clave
Note: For this activity, students will need a general
understanding of musical symbols, specifically
quarter notes, eighth notes and rests. A great resource is the musical symbol chart through OnMusic Dictionary, located at dictionary.onmusic.
org/music_symbols.
The son clave is an important rhythm for salsa
music. Draw the rhythm notation (shown in the
image at the top of this page) on the board or a
large piece of poster paper, then try clapping the
rhythm together.
For extra help, visit www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Sv3jZjeHhgg to listen to a 2-3 Son Clave
being played with wooden rhythm sticks at 90
beats per minute. Clap along to the video, then
turn it off and try clapping the rhythm as a class.
Worksheet:
Rhythm and Fractions
Photocopy
this page
Draw a note in 1/4 of the spaces.
Draw a note in 1/2 of the spaces. (If there are four spaces, how many notes should you draw?)
Draw a note in 3/4 of the spaces.
Draw a note in 4/4 of the spaces. (This will take up your whole bar.)
Make It: Tres Leches Cake!
Recipe (serves 10)
You’ll need:
-2 large mixing bowls
-Can opener
-Wire whisk
-Electric mixer
-Cup measure and tablespoon
-Knife or cake server
-Plates and forks for students
-1 large sponge cake in a cake pan
Tres leches cake. Photo credit: Stephanie Bourgeois, James
Beard Foundation blog.
Tres Leches Cake
Yeila’s abuela makes tres leches cake for her family. This cake is popular in many Latin American
and Caribbean countries, from Mexico to Cuba
to El Salvador. “Tres leches” means “three milks,”
and this sponge cake is soaked in a syrup of three
forms of milk: condensed milk, evaporated milk
and heavy cream.
1. Ask students whether they’ve tried tres leches
cake before, and what it was like. Explain that the
cake may be quite different depending on the
country, restaurant or house where it’s made.
2. To try this treat as a class, buy or make a plain,
unfrosted sponge cake, preferably in a sheet pan.
Students can watch (or help) you prepare the
three “milk” toppings (see recipe on the right),
then share the finished cake.
Note: For homeschoolers or those with access to
a full kitchen, visit www.justapinch.com/recipes/
dessert/cake/tres-leches-three-milks-cake-cubanstyle.html for a full, from-scratch recipe with a
meringue top!
For the syrup:
-14-oz can evaporated milk
-14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
-1 cup heavy cream
For the topping:
-2 cups heavy cream
-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
(If you don’t have access to an electric mixer, you
can use store-bought pre-whipped cream)
For the optional decoration:
-Maraschino cherries or sliced strawberries
Procedure:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together condensed milk,
evaporated milk and 1 cup cream until very well
combined and slightly frothy.
2. Pour the tres leches syrup over the entire cake.
Let it soak in thoroughly, preferably for several
hours in the fridge.
3. With an electric mixer, whip 2 cups cream with
sugar until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped
cream over the cake.
4. Serve and allow students to decorate their
slices of cake with fruit.
Safety Note:
Supervise children fully when making any recipe
involving ovens, knives, electric mixers or other
potentially dangerous equipment.
Bringing it Together:
Our Roots Cookbook
When Yeila arrives in Havana, the delicious smell
of Cuban food makes her feel at home. Like
music, food can tell you a lot about a culture. In
this final activity, ask students to reflect on
foods from their cultural or family traditions,
and invite them to share a personal recipe with
the class. These recipes can be collected in an
“Our Roots Cookbook” that represents the foods
and meals that are connected to special memories
for your class!
instructions
Paige Hernandez in Havana Hop!
1. In the pre-show discussion on Page 5, your
students were asked about roots. If you haven’t
yet talked about roots, launch this activity with that
conversation as a class.
materials & tools
2. Invite students to bring in a recipe that
expresses something about their roots. This
can be a family recipe, a recipe for something
the student has learned to make, or a recipe for
whatever food the student identifies as being
connected with a happy memory.
3. Ask students to volunteer to share by
describing their recipe and why they brought it.
4. Collect your class’s recipes in a 3-ring binder
labeled “Our Roots Cookbook.” As a cover, you
may want to use a class photo.
Optional:
Make copies of the collection for each student in
your class. Invite students to design a cover for
the cookbook using heavy paper. Laminate the
covers, if possible. Punch holes along the left side
of each paper, and allow students to tie ribbon
through the holes. This classroom cookbook
could be a piece that is shared with the rest of the
school, and the community!
- Paper and pens for each student
- 3-ring binder
- Large print of a class photo for the cover
- Optional: copier, laminator, ribbon for binding
Be the Critic:
We Want Your Student Reviews!
An important part of being an audience member
is being critical and responding to what we see.
ECA invites all students (and teachers!) to write
and submit reviews of the performances they
attend.
1. After the show, give students the opportunity
to read theatre reviews online or in a newspaper
or magazine. Students may also be interested in
seeing reviews written by young people. There’s
a great selection on ECA partner TeenTix’s blog
at www.teentix.org.
2. After exploring some examples, ask students
to think about what they saw at Havana Hop!
What did they think about the characters, the
staging (for example, props, backgrounds, and
sounds), the story, and their experience at the
theatre? What did they like most? What did they
think could be improved?
3. After responding to these questions as a class,
ask students individually to write a review of the
show. There are no “right” or “wrong” reviews –
this is all about students and their opinions of the
performance.
4. Please share your reviews with ECA – we’d
love to know what you think! Mail all reviews
to Gillian Jones, Education & Outreach Manager,
Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave N,
Edmonds, WA 98020. Select reviews may be
shared in our monthly Education & Outreach
newsletter!
Students ask Seattle Shakespeare Company actors questions
about their performance of Romeo & Juliet, April 22, 2014.
“I like that the play has Spanish dialogue and I
love the costumes. I also like that Roca uses her
imagination. You should go see this play!”
- Spruce Elementary student review,
La Maleta (The Suitcase).
Terminology
Alzheimer’s Disease: A disease of the brain that causes people to slowly lose
their memory and mental abilities as they grow old.
Culture: The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or
time.
Hip-hop: A subculture especially of inner-city youths who are typically devotees
of rap music.
Measure: A grouping of a specified number of musical beats located between
two consecutive vertical lines on a staff.
Rhythm: A regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movements.
Roots: The source of something; the ancestors of a person or group of people; a
special relationship (with a culture or community).
Salsa: A type of popular Latin-American music; dancing that is done to salsa
music.
The 4 Elements of Hip-Hop:
Disk Jockey (DJ): A person who plays popular recorded music on the radio or at
a party or nightclub (now expanded to include the art of cutting, scratching and
mixing records to produce new music).
Graffiti: Pictures or words painted or drawn on a wall, building, etc.
Rap (formerly called MCing, short for Master of Ceremonies): A rhythmic chanting
often in unison of usually rhymed couplets to a musical accompaniment.
Breakdancing: A type of dancing in which a dancer performs very athletic
movements that involve touching the ground with various parts of the body (such
as the head or back).
Additional Resources
web resources
A Hip-Hop History learning source for teachers:
www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/about_hiphop.htm.
Hip-Hop lesson plans for older students:
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/what-is-hip-hop.shtml.
“From Music to Math: Teaching Fractions through Rhythm to Fourth
Graders”. www.slideshare.net/bethcampbell980/from-music-to-mathteaching-fractions-through-rhythm-to-fourth-graders.
books
Ada, Alma Flor. Island Treasures: Growing Up in Cuba. Illustrated by
Edel Rodriguez and Antonio Martorell. Atheneum Books for Young
Readers, 2015.
Chamber, Veronica. Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa. Illustrated by Julie
Maren. Puffin Books, 2007.
Da Coll, Ivar. Azucar! Lectorum Publications, 2005.
Hill, Laban Carrick. When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the
Creation of Hip Hop. Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III. Roaring Brook
Press, 2013.
Sciurba, Katie. Oye, Celia!: A Song for Celia Cruz. Illustrated by Edel
Rodriguez. Henry Holt and Co., 2007.
multimedia
Salsa Around the World (Audio CD). Putumayo World Music, 2003.