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What's in a story?

 

"The duty of the storyteller is to make plain the tale,
to show us things we have not seen before and to invite us to remember lessons and ideas that we feel we have always known."

 

 

 

 

Celebrate the African story
with "Jali Adisa"

 

The pageantry of costume and dress, which appear on stage during the “QUEENS” program is a startling exploration into the depth and beauty which emerges from Africa throughout the centuries. The presentation of these eight African Queens covers three thousand years and over five thousand miles of the continent’s history. The detail of the clothing and the outright beauty of the men, women and children chosen to portray the queens and their entourages, immerses one in the depths of African tradition like the very river’s rising of the Nile itself.

 
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Student Reflection 1

 I was fascinated by how he took the audience on a journey with the Queens and Kings.  I also was amazed how he could go down low in his voice like a cat prowling in the grass and then suddenly yell so high you would just about jump out of your hair. That kept me on my toes and ready for anything to happen.

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Student Reflection 2

"Most of all, you loved Africa. Even I who aren’t an African American, and is Cambodian, could feel that feeling that is so hard to explain. You were the sun and feelings radiated off of you as rays touching everything and everyone around it. To me that is real love."

 

...through the "EYES" of the needle,
by the warp and the weft, 

 

Wardrobe Designer / Curator

Queen Sakkara is a gifted fashion historian whose over 1000 piece collection of vintage wardrobes will introduce students to Africa's vast variety of Fauna (i.e. big cats, fish and fowl), its many precious stones and metals, the ancient African's knowledge and understanding of the workings of the universe.

 
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...with the SOLES of our feet.

 

 

 

Sole Power!

 Dance continues to stand as the highlight within our storytelling repertoire. The power and athleticism of urban area dance students from local area arts academies performing to Stevie Wonder's enchanting classical music score will enthrall any audience, whether seen through Pas De Deux of Queen Nefertiti's & Pharaoh Ankenaton, or "Lamba", the traditional Queens Mother welcome dance of Queen Yaa Asantewa.

 
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Student Reflection 1

"It all really made me feel like I was in Africa. While I was watching the queens, in the background I saw a desert full of people staring at the gorgeous queens...with some queens I saw a spectacular fortress with gold and jewels covering the room they were in."  

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Student Reflection 2

"I know I liked it ever since the epic summoning of the ancestors where all the characters streamed into the scene and started to dance in an African ballet."  

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Student Reflection 3

"When the queens were dancing with someone, like a king, they would always be perfect, also even throw in a split.  Overall, the dancers were phenomenal. I really wish that I could go to Africa and dance with them. I couldn’t take my eyes off the queens." 

…revealing the lives of eight of Africa’s most renowned Queens (leaders)

 

African Americans have a rich storytelling tradition that can be traced to their ancestral  homeland - Africa, and the JALI, the master storyteller.  His stories about the great Queens and Kings of Africa (leaders) impart key values, morals and traditions while maintaining a historical record of a people for future generations. They help a child develop a positive self-identity, good character, motivation to achieve and respect for one another.