The Carver Community Cultural Center‘s Youth Matinee Series engages children, teachers and families through the performing arts by igniting imaginations and introducing students to the diverse cultures of our global community, these performances open doors to greater knowledge and understanding of our world and fosters a love for the arts and learning.
All performances are free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. All matinees begin at 11:00 am and last approximately an hour. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Carver Box Office at 210-207-2234.
Dates and times are subject to change.
Surapsari, an accomplished performing artist and educator, will introduce the audience to traditional mask dance and drama from Bali. Cultural values and beliefs of Balinese people are expressed through the masks and storyline of the dance drama. This program provides a rare opportunity to experience the exquisite art from a faraway land and learn fascinating facts about Bali, all while trying dance masks, participating in a dance-drama or learning a Balinese song in a fun atmosphere.
Internationally renowned storyteller and educator, Charlotte Blake Alston, breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from African and African American oral and cultural traditions. For hundreds of years throughout the African continent, people gathered and told stories. The tradition may be the strongest in the West African countries of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Mali where history was preserved and is still passed down orally through the words and music of the griots or jalis. Stories were the way the beliefs, mythology, cultural identity, history, and shared community values of a people were taught and preserved. The tradition continued when Africans were brought to America. In this engaging performance, Charlotte selects from her wide repertoire of stories and songs from the African and African American oral traditions.
Dallas-based Aztec dance company, Mitotiliztli Yaoyollohtli, is a family of danzantes who will perform an interactive presentation of tribal dancing, drumming and provide a brief look at the Mexica-Nahuati philosophy. With authentic and stunning regalia, they dance with ceremonial dedication to this traditional art form, and deliver a stunning and energetic performance that will educate the audience with a history of the traditional dance regalia and musical instruments.
Brought to Brazil by African slaves, capoeira is a unique art form that combines elements of martial arts, dance and acrobatics performed to the background of Brazilian music and traditional instruments. Audience members will not only be thrilled by the agility, athleticism and precision of the dancers and their movements, but will also enjoy exploring the rich historical significance of the centuries old art form.
A folktale is a story originating in the oral tradition, and many can be traced back to African sources, ranging from supernatural creation legends, ghost stories, or folk sermons to secular morality tales, trickster tales, and jokes. Teatro Anansi will make its Carver debut with a dramatization of several delightful tales from African and African American folklore, including “Anansi the Spider,” “The Signifying Monkey,” and “Why People Have to Work.” These stories offer positive and negative examples of human behavior that help us better understand our world.
Houston-based The Ensemble Theatre presents I, Barbara Jordan, a biographical play celebrating the remarkable life and career of the eminent Texas orator, legislator, educator and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Barbara Jordan’s journey, as told by award-winning playwright Celeste Bedford-Walker, is traced from her childhood in Houston’s Fifth Ward neighborhood through to her election as the first African-American in the Texas Senate and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives.
Eugene Bullard’s story would be unbelievable if it were not all true. He was a professional boxer and a World War I flying ace. He was a jazz musician. He was a spy. Who was this remarkable African-American? Born in Columbus, Georgia, Bullard travelled the world. He joined the French Foreign Legion after being denied a meaningful place in the United States Army. He rose through the ranks and flew against the famous “Red Baron” as a part of the Lafayette Escadrille. But when the Escadrille was incorporated into the new U.S. Army Air Corps in 1917, the color of Bullard’s skin prevented him from taking his place alongside the other American heroes of his day. But that didn’t stop him. He went on to fame as a bandleader in Paris during the 1920’s and was a spy against the Nazis. This original play by Mad River Theatre Works shows how Bullard’s determination and perseverance helped him to overcome discrimination throughout his life. It is an uplifting tale of vision and hope.
