Student Matinees

School day performances of world-class artists bring young people and educators (Pre-K-12th grades) together from across Nebraska to share an unforgettable experiences. Presenting music, theater, and dance, the Lied’s student matinee performances enhance classroom learning, expand cultural awareness, and inspire creativity in all. 

STUDENT MATINEES

Step Afrika!’s Drum Folk

Dates:  Thursday, September 16, 10:30am, Lied Center Mainstage

Grade Levels: grades 3-12

Curriculum Connections: Dance, Social Studies/History, Music, Reading/Writing, Speaking/Listening, Social Justice, Language and Culture 

Website: https://www.stepafrika.org/

Curriculum Guide:

Video/Resources:

Step Afrika!, the first professional company dedicated to the art form of stepping, ranks as one of the top-ten African American dance ensembles in the U.S. Step Afrika!’s Drumfolk is filled with intricate rhythms and sounds that are made through a combination of stomping, claps, body percussion and spoken word. Stepping is used to describe the African experience in America, starting with the Stono Rebellion of 1739 and the subsequent passing of the Negro Act of 1740, forbidding slaves from learning to read and write, to assemble in groups, raise crops and use drums. Stepping was born out of the desire to communicate, when all these other tools of communication were effectively removed. Experience Drumfolk first-hand, and see how new percussive forms took root, influencing some of our country’s most distinct performance traditions – like ring shout, tap and stepping! 

The length of the Drumfolk matinee is 60 minutes.

Ajijaak on Turtle Island

Dates: February 23 – 25, 2022, Lied Center mainstage

Wednesday, Feb. 23 – 10:30am and 1:00pm

Thursday, Feb. 24 – 10:30am and 1:00pm

Friday, Feb. 25 – 10:30am

Grade Levels: 2 - 12

Curriculum Connections: Science, Social Studies/History, Visual Arts, Puppetry, Music, Theater, Indigenous Knowledge

Website: https://www.ibexpuppetry.com/

Curriculum Guide: TBD

Video/Resources: TBD 

Ajijaak on Turtle Island is a story about Ajijaak, a young whooping crane. Separated from her family in a Tar Sands fire caused by the monstrous creature, Mishibizhiw, Ajijaak must make her first migration from Wood Buffalo, Canada down to the Gulf Coast. As Ajijaak travels, she encounters many animals as well as communities of people from Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Lakota, and Cherokee Nations, living in balance with their environments. Eventually Ajijaak finds her own voice and a family, through many interconnections with peoples and creatures along the way. Heather Henson and Ty Defoe collaborated with regional storytellers, choreographers, poets, indigenous tradition bearers, and ecologists to weave an insightful story that enhances our connection to the earth and sky through puppetry.      

The length of the Ajijaak matinee is 60 minutes. 
 

The Puppets, Song and Story of Ajijaak on Turtle Island by IBEX Puppetry/Heather Henson

Dates: September 1 2021 –  May 30, 2022

Format: Virtual Video Format – register to be emailed the link/access to the performance

Grade Levels: 2 - 12

Curriculum Connections: Science, Social Studies/History, Indigenous Knowledge, Puppetry, Music, Theater

Website: https://www.ibexpuppetry.com/

Video/Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1DZ3REWx1E

Ajijaak on Turtle Island is a story about Ajijaak, a young whooping crane. Separated from her family in a Tar Sands fire caused by the monstrous creature, Mishibizhiw, Ajijaak must make her first migration from Wood Buffalo, Canada down to the Gulf Coast. As Ajijaak travels, she encounters many animals as well as communities of people from Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Lakota, and Cherokee Nations, living in balance with their environments. Eventually Ajijaak finds her own voice and a family, through many interconnections with peoples and creatures along the way. Heather Henson and Ty Defoe collaborated with regional storytellers, choreographers, poets, indigenous tradition bearers, and ecologists to weave an insightful story that enhances our connection to the earth and sky through puppetry. This presentation includes an interview with puppeteer Heather Henson and others, as well as a short 20-25 minute video segment of the Ajijaak featuring Cranes and other puppets. 

The length of the Ajijaak film is 45 minutes.
 

Chief Standing Bear’s Journey to Statuary Hall by Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs

Dates: September 1, 2021 – May 30 2022, includes post-show discussion

Format: Virtual Video Format – register to be emailed the link/access to the performance

Grade Levels: K - 12

Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Nebraska History, Visual Arts, Sculpture

Website: Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs  https://indianaffairs.state.ne.us/

Curriculum Guide:  TBD

Video/Resources:

The documentary Chief Standing Bear: A Journey to Statuary Hall recounts the story of Ponca Chief Standing Bear and the 1879 trailblazing human rights court case that lead to his designation as a Nebraska hero. This led to his statue being dedicated and installed in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall in 2019. This film features many interviews with people involved in the remarkable story behind the placement of the statue. The film debuted as part of the Lied’s Mosaic Film Festival; a panel discussion follows the film, involving those who helped to secure Chief Standing Bear’s place in history. 

Chief Standing Bear is known and admired for his struggle to gain equality and justice for Native Americans. In 1877 Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe were forced to leave their homeland in Nebraska for Indian Territory (in what is now Oklahoma). This forced removal led to many members of the tribe perishing, including Chief Standing Bear’s son. Determined to honor his son’s wish to be buried in his homeland, Chief Standing Bear and 30 Poncas walked over 500 miles back to Nebraska. This then created Standing Bear v. Crook, in which Standing Bear sued for and won freedom from U.S. Army custody, for himself and his companions. This incident became not only the first time in which an indigenous person spoke before a U.S. federal court, but it also established that Native Americans are people with civil rights.

The length of the Standing Bear film is 45 minutes.

For more information about the student matinees and performance guides, please contact Nancy Engen-Wedin at 402-472-4707 or nengenwedin2@unl.edu. 
 

Program Support:

Kiewit Foundation (LOGO)

Woods Charitable Fund (LOGO)

Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, NE (LOGO)

The Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program (LOGO

Dr. Phillip Engen

Niobrara Public Schools, Niobrara, NE

Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation School, Macy, NE