Scottsdale Insurance/Nationwide Foundation Performances for Students Series
Making the arts accessible to students.
For only $3, students and teachers can experience the world of art and culture, through one-hour performances throughout the school year. Teachers will receive a complimentary guide filled with interactive lesson plans.
Bus Scholarships
ASU Gammage is excited to continue its successful bus scholarship program to help fund school field trips to Performances for Students at ASU Gammmage. Scholarships will be awarded to Title 1 schools and are available on a first come, first served basis. The bus scholarships are made possible through the generosity of Scottsdale Insurance/Nationwide Foundation. Contact the ASU Gammage Cultural Participation Department for more information at cpinfo@asugammage.com or 480.965.5062.
Pacifico Dance Company (Mexican Folklorico Dance)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
ASU Gammage
Pacifico Dance Company is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the performance and preservation of Mexican traditional dance. The company incorporates Mexican folklore, religion, and current themes that can be presented through dance fusion to further the appreciation and understanding of present day Mexico. A leading international company, Pacifico Dance Company strives to enlighten all audiences while providing Latinos with powerful insights into their own heritage. They are also committed to youth outreach to help instill pride of heritage and promote cultural understanding.
Charles Lewis – “Langston Speaks” (Jazz Pianist/Quintet & Spoken Word)*
Thursday, November 15, 2012
*Performance at the ASU Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale
LANGSTON SPEAKS is a compelling and refreshing musical adaptation of the writings of poet Langston Hughes, inspired by and written to express the poets' deep and honest identification with the struggle for civil rights. Join composer and jazz pianist Charles Lewis for this journey into the disappointments, frustrations, fears, loneliness and triumphs of the human spirit.
Cedric Watson (Cajun & Creole Music)
Thursday, January 24, 2013
ASU Gammage
Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter. With an apparently bottomless repertoire of songs at his fingertips, Cedric plays everything from forgotten Creole melodies and obscure Dennis McGee reels to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs, even occasionally throwing in a bluegrass fiddle tune or an old string band number. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he is also a prolific songwriter, writing almost all of his songs on his double row Hohner accordion. Cedric’s songs channel his diverse ancestry (African, French, Native American and Spanish) to create his own brand of sounds.
Gary Stroutsos*
Friday, February 8, 2013
*Performance at the ASU Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale
Inspired by travel and the friendship of many masters, Gary has fashioned a unique career by combining improvisational flute music and story telling. Particularly important was his early journey with his friend, Rolando Lozano, master flute player in the Afro Cuban tradition. For the first time he began to understand that the music and the stories behind the music were one and the same, that only by understanding the context could he truly play the music. Later, this conjunction of narrative and music reached maturity with the help of the Navajo flute maker Paul Thompson. Together, they brought to life traditional love stories learned from Native Americans and recorded live inside Canyon de Chelly, the spiritual ancestral home of the Navajo.
Danu (Traditional Irish music)
Thursday, February 28, 2013
ASU Gammage
Hailing from historic County Waterford, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today. Their standing room only concerts throughout Ireland are true events featuring high-energy performances and a glorious mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire. For over a decade, Danú’s virtuosi players on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki, and vocals (Irish and English), have performed around the globe and recorded seven critically acclaimed albums. Winners of numerous awards from the BBC and Irish Music Magazine, Danú has toured throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North America with stops at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Symphony Space in New York City, and major concert engagements in the United Kingdom, India, Israel, and across Europe. Danú takes its audiences on a musical journey to their native Ireland, offering a moving and memorable concert experience. Danú’s popular recordings are available on the Shanachie label and live performances are often broadcast on NPR, the CBC, and the BBC.
