THE TERESA LOZANO LONG INSTITUTE OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES & THE ARTESAMÉRICAS PROGRAM AT TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AWARDED THE FULBRIGHT-HAYS GROUP PROJECTS ABROAD PROGRAM GRANT TO FUND

ARTS & EMPOWERMENT IN BRAZIL: SEMINAR AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR EDUCATORS

The Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) and Texas Performing Arts’ ArtesAméricas program have been awarded $88,843 from the US Department of Education’s Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program to help fund Arts & Empowerment in Brazil: Seminar and Curriculum Development Project for Educators; a unique opportunity for fourteen secondary school teachers from across the country to spend a month (June 26 – July 26, 2010) in Brazil, learning about the role of the performing arts in educational and social projects in the country. The total cost of the program is $131,319; GPA funds cover 68% of program’s total cost, with the remaining 32% ($42,476) funded by non-governmental sources.

“In Brazil, many of the country’s most celebrated performing artists have personally taken a leading role in programs that provide educational opportunities for young people through the arts,” says ArtesAméricas Director Joe Randel. “These programs share an unwillingness to compromise the quality or scope of artistic instruction, regardless of a child’s socio-economic background. The commitment of these artists to expose young people to the best of the performing arts, in both popular and classical manifestations, is grounded in the belief that all young people have the right to experience the arts and deserve a life enriched by the arts.”

Arts & Empowerment in Brazil will focus on projects in four cities: Salvador (Didá Educational and Cultural Association, music); Belo Horizonte (Grupo Corpo’s Corpo Cidadão, dance); Rio de Janeiro (Nós do Morro, theatre); and São Paulo (Projecto Guri, music). The four-week seminar will include Portuguese language classes; lectures addressing Brazil’s history, politics, and culture; visits to sites of historical and cultural significance; in-depth conversations with artists and students; and visits to classes, rehearsals, and performances.

Randel adds, “When you see a performance by Corpo Cidadão or Nós do Morro, you are struck first by the quality work on stage. The fact that some or all of the performers are poor is neither evident nor relevant. Not all of these kids will become professional dancers or actors, but all stand a far better chance of being successful citizens as a result of their education through the arts. We think that educators in the U.S. can learn a lot from this model.”

Upon their return, educators will have a broad understanding of the important role played by these innovative arts programs and will create standards-aligned curriculum units that explore Brazil’s history, culture, and language. They will then present their projects to peers in their schools, districts, and professional educator meetings.

“The immediate beneficiaries of the project are teachers in middle and high school who are interested in teaching about Brazilian culture. Participants will develop interesting curriculum units that are readily usable in a variety of classes and we will create a multi-media Web site for wide dissemination of the new curriculum. These resources will provide a deeply engaging approach to support the teaching of contemporary Brazil in classrooms across the nation. In this way, arts projects in Brazil can help teach students in the United States about Brazilian culture and the transformative power of the arts,” comments Natalie Arsenault, LLILAS Outreach Director.

This is the second such grant that LLILAS and Texas Performing Arts have received together. In 2007, the two units were awarded a GPA grant to fund Exploring Mexico: Performing Arts and Culture, a program in which 15 teachers traveled to Mexico and experienced classical music concerts, cutting-edge theatre, modern dance performances, and tours of archeological and artistic sites.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew
512.471.0632
gbartholomew@TexasPerformingArts.org

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