The Grigri Tree is a dilemma tale, a story in which the audience provides the ending. Baba Manning Mpinduzi-Mott tells the tale of 3 brothers who encounter a magical hunter and learn that a grigri can be many things, good and bad. Brother Jawad and his gourd banjo create a magical land and give voice to the Grigri man. Together, these two griots take you on a journey through long ago African jungles where magic is the norm and only those who listen to the story can say what happens next. This 45 minute performance includes audiences participation.

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Join Dante, a “Teller of Tales,” on an exciting and interactive voyage to the Land of Stories, where the Storybird lives. With his magic flute, Dante recounts stirring tales from various lands, exposing the students to the traditions of several cultures. Each story includes a lesson about understanding differences and finding the good in all. Students participate in the tales with movement and voice, and, by the end of the stroll, feel like they have become storytellers themselves!

Dante brings stories that entertain, amuse, and challenge students to think about how to make important decisions. Students battle with the pressure to fit in and the temptation to be different. It can be difficult to follow your truth when other influences present conflicting messages. Dante’s characters will make you laugh, cry and think. Each tale will have excitement, intrigue, and surprises, as students experience the world of wonder, comparing it with the challenges of their own lives.

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This is an interactive poetry, performance, and storytelling experience/one-woman show, where students will listen to and engage with a selection of poems and personal stories by Dominican-American poet and award-winning author Jasminne Mendez. Each performance is unique in that the work performed and read is determined by the audience based on a selection of themes the audience gets to choose from. (Identity, love, family, culture, music etc) The bilingual work engages themes around Latinidad, Blackness, migration, identity, culture, family, music and more. By the end of the performance students will feel empowered to write, share and act out their own stories around identity, family and culture knowing that their stories matter and their voices and experiences deserve to be heard.

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Not Available Summer 2022

A dramatic reading and performance of Jasminne’s bilingual children’s picture book Josefina’s Habichuelas/Las habichuelas de Josefina about a young Dominican girl’s love of sweets and how she learns to honor her cultural traditions and cherish time with her family because sometimes the sweetest things in life aren’t sweets. Award winning author and engaging performer, Jasminne will teach your students about an important Dominican cultural tradition while also teaching them to respect and find joy in their own and other’s individual cultures and familial traditions. This lively and energetic interactive performance will leave your students hungry for more! (This program can be done in English or Spanish or both).

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Not Available Summer 2022

Actress/storyteller Jean Donatto takes a balanced look at the turbulent civil rights era in the late 1950s Montgomery, Alabama. As Rosa Parks, Jean will describe the “incident” that aroused people of all races to begin the struggle for fair and equal treatment and inform your students about the social climate preceding, during, and following it.

Acclaimed actress Jean Donatto portrays Miss Bessie Smith "holding court" with students. Miss Smith presents living conditions in the cities where she traveled and performed during her rise to stardom. The focus of this presentation is the 1923-1925 period, considered to be the beginning and apex of Smith's career as a recording artist. Politics and the mood of Post-WW1 America form the foundation of the discussions as Miss Smith sings, chats, and answers questions about how it felt to be a notable African-American woman in the 1920s.

Embark on a story-filled journey with actress/storyteller Jean Donatto. Known for her interpretations of poetry and other literature, the acclaimed actress turns her talents to storytelling. This Train has meandered all over the universe picking up more and more stories as it rolls. Go and visit the Rascals; Kwaku Anansi in Africa as he tricks Brer’ Lion; or Pedro Urdemales in Mexico as he figures out a way to keep his tummy full. And don’t forget the lesson of Mr. Gudebrand on the Hill as he shows, in a tale from Sweden, that being kind and generous can actually make one very wealthy. This Train takes audience members on a highly participatory journey through an itinerary filled with tricksters, humor, high drama, and lessons in life. Stories will be grouped age appropriately for K-2 or 3-6

Actress/storyteller Jean Donatto takes audiences on a journey through the classic fables that have proven through the years to engage and inform. Jean puts her own creative spin on such stories as The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Ant and the Grasshopper. Jean's fables are a gentle way to remind us all to examine our choices and make sure we know that a good choice is always available.

This presentation includes a brief introduction to the living conditions of the first three centuries of the first millennium and continues with a review of the complete armor, weapons and equipment of a legendary soldier. A more comprehensive presentation could also include a Roman auxiliary soldier. This program is particularly appropriate for sixth grade world history classes. 

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Learn the roots of our society through one of the great European civilizations of 2,500 years ago. Travel to ancient Greece to meet its citizens and experience their daily challenges. Trace the origins of much of our vocabulary to Greece, and discover the armor and equipment of the Greek citizen soldier.

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A defining moment in the history of the United States, the American Civil War was also the first modern war. This presentation begins with a display of the full uniform and equipment of the typical Union soldier and concludes with a presentation of the dress of the common Confederate soldier. These examples offer a study in contrast between the higher quality of the Union soldier’s equipment and the “make do” characteristics of the Confederacy.

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Three soldiers in one presentation! Today’s Americans find it hard to comprehend the difficulties the patriots of the American Revolution had to endure. This program begins with a fully equipped British soldier. Each item of uniform and equipment is explained. This standard is then contrasted with the typical American Continental soldier and rifleman. The program is suitable for primary and upper level grades.

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The epic of Texas' struggle for independence from Mexico is brought to life through the motley clothing and equipment of typical Texan settlers and Texan Army volunteers. The Texan diversity of clothing is then contrasted with the elaborate European-style uniform of a Mexican foot soldier.

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This presentation begins with an introduction concerning the conditions facing the first Europeans settlers in the New World. It goes on with examples of typical clothing and other domestic items and continues with a look at the crude firearms and shooting equipment used by the Europeans for hunting and defense. The program concludes with the demonstration of a complete suit of armor as used by soldiers on foot, which was recommended for new settlers to bring with them. This program is appropriate for elementary school and middle school age students, and is particularly appropriate before the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

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The Griot Speaks is a collection of ancient African tales presented in the interactive fashion of long ago African griots. Drumming and audience participation turn lessons on history and culture into fun excursions where audience members get caught up in the tale. Griot Manning Mpinduzi-Mott tells the tales, leaps, dances, and turns into all kinds of magical creatures. Together they transform auditoriums, classrooms, and libraries into magical spaces where anything is possible. There is always plenty of fun and lessons that are easy to learn when the griots speak.

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