Arts Education Programs

ACSF's Cultural Arts Touring Program (CATP) brings performances, residency classes, and workshops to thousands of youth each year with a 15-member artist staff. Last year our CATP's served a diverse community of over 14,000 youth from 35 different Bay Area schools and 20 public venues. Our CATP's target low-income communities. ACSF offers a number of different arts education programs through the CATP.

Assembly Performances introduce students to the dynamic Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira, and the folk stick dance, maculelê. Each program begins with a performance of maculelê, and continues with the varied styles of capoeira played to live music. The ensemble will discuss the history of these cultural art forms and demonstrate the physical skills and techniques involved in their mastery.

The students will learn about the struggles of slavery that led to the creation of capoeira and about the perseverance and strength of this art. Students will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at capoeira's unique instruments, learn a traditional song, and clap rhythms during the presentation.

Following the demonstration, some audience members are invited to join the performers on stage and participate in an improvisational game of capoeira with an artist. Assembly programs end with an interactive question and answer discussion in which everyone is encouraged to participate.

Residency programs consist of a series of classroom sessions of capoeira and/or maculelê. Residency programs offer students an active, in-depth cultural arts experience and give teachers and community centers an opportunity to incorporate cultural arts into their curriculum. Residencies are a minimum of 6 sessions and can be extended and offered year round.

Workshops offer an intensive introduction to capoeira or maculelê or a given aspect of either art form, such as music or acrobatics.

In a capoeira workshop or residency, students explore basic capoeira techniques, stretches, and acrobatic movements. They will use these movements to play spontaneous, improvised, self-created games of capoeira with the other children. They learn to sing songs in Portuguese and play the capoeira instruments. Students work in partners and as a group. Participants learn Afro-Brazilian rhythms and hear stories about the creation of capoeira. Emphasis is on cooperation, concentration, and the use of movement, rhythm, and song as methods of self-expression.

In a maculelê workshop or residency, students will learn basic dance movements, songs, and rhythms of maculelê, and are encouraged to create their own movements to the music. Students work in partners and as a group. Maculelê emphasizes tradition, self-expression, improvisation, celebration, and rhythm.