PIQUE

 The flirtatious movements  of this French influenced dance with a strong African influence was used in a recent choreography. The dancers wore Spanish influenced costumes.

The dance piece was presented at a Costume Designing presentation at Croydon College.  The dancers used the movements to compare the romantic relationship between male and female and that of a bullfighter and the bull.

                           Dramatisation of the Crimean war in the Story of  Mary Seacole.

 Storytelling with Early years as they use  voice and the body to recreate the Story of   "TheGiant Turnip".

The  African's  in the Caribbean were not allowed to practice their culture in the time of slavery, however being people of a rhythmical nature with excellent creative and adaptive skills they used bamboo's and other every day objects present at that time to replace the  traditional African drum. 

As time went by the slaves found ways of introducing the African drums into their new space. They also  created a  small drum called the 'Tambrin' which had the shape of a  tambourine . It was heated up every time it was needed for playing. When heated it plays quick rhythms as that of the Reel but as it cools it  plays slower rhythms as that of the Jig.  There were other instruments such as  the cuatro, mandalin, maracas or shac shac,box base, mouth organ or harmonica. All these  instruments were used to accompany dances and  songs which originally took place  in secluded areas away from the eyes of the plantation owners.

The  songs were of different genre from spiritual or gospel which gave hope of returning to their home land, to ballards (such as calypsoes, folk songs) which told stories.

Evolution of Caribbean  indigenous instruments has seen to the creation of the Steel pan in Trinidad and Tobago by Winston Spree. He set in motion the  journey of the oil drum, changing its simple usage of storing crude oil  to create a musical work of art.  It became the  instrument  played at carnival only by  'Bad Johns' or bad boys to a now universally recognised instrument seen not only at Carnivals but also at classical music concerts.

We  Do Performances and Workshops in:

Indigenous Traditional Caribbean drumming

Tamboo Bamboo 

 Traditional Calypso

Parang / parang -soca (songs  of Spanish and French creole influence sang around Christmas time)

Traditional Gospel / spiritual songs

Traditional rhymes and jingles

Traditional folk songs  

Performances and workshops  are structrured for all age groups and ability including

Family groups

Early years hands on sessions / sing along groups

Special needs groups

Elderly groups 

    Drummers with Djembe and traditional wear adapted from our ancestors African culture

                                     Children using instruments  in  literacy activity.

 CARNIVAL BANNER

Carnival is one of the most eminent artistic mediums employed to cuturally showcase the Caribbean's colourful and creative visual arts skills and talents. This showcase has been  seen in the streets since in the time of the abolition of the slave trade and has grown in strength. Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago is now known to be the two Caribbean islands with the largest carnivals.

 The magnificent art and craft  skills and talents of the Caribbean can also be seen at other festivals such as the Tobago Heritage Festival, religious gatherings, school fiestas, community functions and other events. 

The visual creative skills play a role in the mundane everyday lifestyles of the people as a part of their cultural identity. It is present in their private and public space in  many forms as they use a diverse selection of materials including natural objects like coconut shells, sea shells, bamboos and cane to create items  such as  furnishings, carvings for decorations, fashion designs ( hairstyles, jewelry, clothes).

We offer  the opportunity to integrate stories, curriculum topics, themes and ideas with  arts and craft techniques of a Caribbean flavour  thus stimulating creativity and embracing individual experiences to create unique art / craft pieces.

We do:

Carnival Costumes

Quilting,

Fabric Designing

Weaving

Sculpting

Jewellery

Simple puppet creations

Art / craft activities which fosters creativity of individuals and utilizes everyday materials

Paintings

Other art / craft activities connected to Caribbean culture

Workshops are structured for all age group.

 Eastbury School Carnival Event . The culmination of a long Term residency with artists using Caribbean culture as a catalyst  to integrate  the arts with curriculum topics.

                                            Fishes  from the deep.

  This Carnival  costume was designed and made by children from Year 1 at Eastbury  School, focusing on literature text from the book 'Rumble in the Jungle'.

   Working with clay and papier  mache to create a mask.

Personalising an Easter egg  using a collage design .

    Hand puppet workshop linked to Storytelling session at Discover, Strratford.

Beautiful Matador costume designed and made by our Costume Designer

Awlma Mc David.

  Elegant Spansh  female  costume designed and  made by our costume designer

  Awlma Mc David..

Incomplete elephant head piece at a school 's workshop  for Black History Month.

African Mask  using  African fabric to create cylindrical mask. This was part of  a family craft workshop at the  British Museum  to celebrate the abolition of the Slave Trade.

 Every child is educable and can develop the appropriate skills if given the opportunity to do so. This opportunity  can be made possible by enabling them to use all the senses instead of the isolated usual reading and learning from a text book.  Working with an artist makes this possible as it facilitates the  opportunity to experience learning in an intimate form  not otherwise seen in their normal space.  Given the opportunity to work with an artist hereby fosters the development of  new skills and positive behavioural and academic patterns.

It has been noted Creative Partnerships  can play an emminent role in creating suitable environments to nurture and  foster the creation of these positive behaviours, the growth of academic achievements and skills.

The partnerships between teachers and artist can facilitate the opportunity for children, teachers and artist to work in harmony thus enhancing  teaching and learning styles, development of creativity  in all, creation of holistic beings as well as a transformation of the school's ethos.

 It should be noted  involvement in creative partnerships is manageable and rewarding in any educational or non-educational environment. Success is attainable if all involve recognise  the various factors which enables the partnership to be a successful one.

Some of  these factors are: 

• Recognising and accepting creative partnerships are risk taking.
• Teachers willingness to  continuously facilitate the opportunity to enable each individual in the classroom to share their cultural experiences thus building their confidence and the respect of others.
• Implementation of  inclusive as well as creative approaches to teaching  and learning which would  develop a need to want to know from children of all learning abilities as well as   the opportunity to unlock  their hidden  talents.
• Development of a link between teaching and learning and the real world thus making the comprehension of knowledge attained more indepth than superficial.
• The creation of a mothering or fathering figure from both artist and teachers, which will create a comfort zone for all children.

We have the experience of working with students of various age groups and abilities and have recognised the arts are  indeed significant tools in fostering the positive transformation of students.

We do inset training sessions and residencies using Caribbean arts as a catalyst  to link the arts with the national curriculum. We work with children of all age groups and abilities. 

Most of our residencies culminates  with a sharing which may be a performance, an  art display or a carnival which involves parents and others.

 We also trade spaces  with teachers during 'PPA' sessions giving children the opportunity to work with an artist.

        Inset session for KS1  teachers and assistant teachers  using storytelling as a    stimulus to integrate different artforms with  the curriculum.

                           Movement

                                                        Music

                                     Art

 Residency with Yr1 children using their imagination to  transform their space into a sea world to combine science,  lliteracy , movement and art.

Hermit crab

Electric eel

Star Fish

 Using story, movement and  freeze frames to  explore "cat and mouse experiences".

                  Exploring Jungle and animal stories

Children  using instruments of their choice to represent animals in the jungle .

 Imaginative play as they transform their garden into a jungle. Using binoculars they search for jungle animals. A slide becomes an elephant and other objects they see are given  names of  jungle creatures. 

Using leaf printing technique they create patterns to make a jungle  sit -up-on.

Children build a plane using boxes. They pretend they are going on a trip to an African jungle.

Through discussions and reflection on activities introduced the teachers created a jungle area for  children to further use their imagination and explore other themes such as habitats and the young of animals.

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