- Student Matinees
- In-School Performances
- Community Events
Online SAILS guides/SOL connections are brought to you by 
VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL TATTOO
Apr 17-18, 2008 | 10:30am-12:30pm
Scope Arena, Norfolk
$10/Student | Grades 1-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS
Pageantry and patriotism, spirit and spectacle, talent and
teamwork. Over 850 performers join forces to fill Scope
Arena with music, majesty and might. Join us for a new
Tattoo memory to cherish for a lifetime.
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SPIRIT OF UGANDA
Apr 21, 2008 |
10:00am-11:00am | 11:30am-12:30pm
Ferguson Center For The Arts,
Newport News
$10/Student | Grades 2-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS
Under the direction of Peter Kasule, twenty-two of Empower African Children's most talented and professionally trained young dancers and musicians share the histories, legends and beliefs of East Africa. Melodic tones of standing drums with dramatic choreography; bright, layered rhythms; and gorgeous call-and-response vocals will fill the air as this vibrant cast of performers brings to life the sounds and movements of their homeland.
"Eloquent storytelling..." — The New York Times
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BLACK GRACEApril 22, 2008 | 10:30am-11:30am
TCC Roper Theatre, Norfolk
$10/Student | Grades 6-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS
Black Grace boasts New Zealand's finest and most respected male contemporary dancers. Primarily of Pacific Island and Maori heritage, these skilled performers are renowned for their unique ability to combine traditional and contemporary dance forms.
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LOST IN THE STARS
By Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
Apr 25, 2008 | 10:00am-12:30pm w/intermission
Attucks Theatre,
Norfolk
$10/Student | Grades 9-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS
Weill's final Broadway score is a passionate voice to this powerful, uncompromising social indictment of apartheid South Africa. Based on Alan Paton's novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, the stirring story is of two aging men – a black, country parson and a white, British planter – drawn into friendship by shared grief.
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ALVIN AILEY® AMERICAN DANCE THEATERMay 2, 2008 | 10:30am-11:30am
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk
$10/Student | Grades 3-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS
One of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, the Alvin Ailey® Dance Theater carries forward its founder's long-standing idea that "dance is for everybody." AAADT's graceful and energetic performances promote the uniqueness of African- American culture through modern dance. A must-see experience!
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THE PEKING ACROBATS®May 9, 2008 | 10:30am-11:30am
Sandler Center For Performing Arts, Virginia Beach
$10/Student | Grades 3-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS
Blending state-of-the-art technology with ancient artistry, these extraordinary performers perform astonishing feats amid a swirl of color and sound. A wonderful way to introduce concepts of geometry, physics, and math as well as explorations of ancient culture.
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| CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS $10/Student | Grades 9-12 Music Students Lovers of chamber music are in for a special treat as festival favorite and acclaimed pianist André-Michel Schub returns to direct our world-class chamber series. The daytime concerts are ideal interludes for students, staged in intimate acoustically perfect venues. Schub personally selects the programs and artists.
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MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANYMay 23, 2008 | 10:30am-11:30am
Phi Beta Kappa Hall, Williamsburg
$10/Student
Grades 3-12
SOL
CONNECTIONS"One of seven wonders of the artistic universe," said the Washington Post, this is the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance company in America. Founded in 1926 by dancer/choreographer Martha Graham, who danced until the late 1960’s, Graham called her dance 'contemporary’ as it existed in relation to a contemporary world. This tradition continues
today with the company being a repository of 181 works choreographed by Graham, as well as new works commissioned from Twyla Tharp and Robert Wilson.
"One of the great companies of the world." —The New York Times
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Virginia International Tattoo Performers Black Grace Miami String Quartet Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater The Peking Acrobats®
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 Click images below:       
Moet Piano Trio Cantus Martha Graham Dance Company |
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So begins Alan Paton's 1948 masterpiece of world fiction, renowned for Paton's political prescience (he condemned the apartheid system even before it became South African law in 1949); renowned as a seminal work supporting universal human rights; and especially renowned for Paton's lovely, lyrical writing. It is no wonder that Maxwell Anderson and German composer Kurt Weill -famous for his collaborations with political playwright Bertolt Brecht-hurried to adapt Paton's musical prose into a musical drama that could likewise address racial injustice in pre-civil rights America.
But how does Paton's paean to the power of forgiveness hold up as a classic in post-apartheid, post-Mandela South Africa? Have Paton's implicit attacks on American racism lost their sting in the era of Barack Obama?
You are invited to a day-long educators' symposium to examine these questions and celebrate the historic 50th anniversary production of 'Lost in Stars' coming to the Attucks Theater April 25-27 - itself a landmark site in the history of African Americans. As a prelude to this exciting theatrical/musical event, Norfolk State University and the Virginia Arts Festival will present a program of professional development geared to schoolteachers in music education, language arts, history, and social studies, as well as college-level faculty in theater, music, humanities, English, history and political science. Speakers will address the importance of Paton's work in today's South Africa, and how best to teach this global classic, plus its stage and film adaptations, in a contemporary American classroom.
Join us on Saturday, April 12, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Call at 282-2816 or email apitzen@vafest.org at the Virginia Arts Festival education office to reserve your spot today. Registration and materials are free; lunch will be $10. Don't miss this historic educational opportunity.
Lost in the Stars
Join us for an afternoon of music and insight into one of the most exciting and rarely produced musicals to come to Hampton Roads. Kurt Weill's final Broadway score lends a passionate voice to this powerful, uncompromising social indictment of apartheid in South Africa. Based on Alan Paton's novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, the stirring story is of two aging men - a Zulu, country parson and a white, British planter - drawn into friendship by shared grief. Don't miss this opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look into this powerful production. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Co-presented with Norfolk State University.
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