Art of Black Music & Dance, Inc. De Ama Battle, Director 32 Cameron Avenue Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 666-1859 E Mail: deamabattle@yahoo.com Website: www.abdm.net ABDM's 35 year history continues to support its mission to preserve African-rooted heritage through instruction and performance, and to bring to the classroom the diverse cultures of the African Diaspora. The dynamic ensemble of professional educators and performing artists deliver works from a rich repertoire to audiences of all ages. ABDM's success is its artistic and educational flexibility, its high powered performances and its unique audience participation. ABDM's Founder/Director De Ama Battle has studied, taught and/or performed throughout West Africa, New England, Jamaica, and Brazil. Program Titles: Our African Heritage Fee: $600 - $900 Special Requirements: 30 minute set-up required Social Studies: Countries and Regions (Africa, Caribbean), Geography

Brian Gillie In Massachusetts: Gail LaRocca, The LaRocca Agency 7 Mt. Pleasant Street,Winchester, MA 01890 (781)729-1537 E-mail: GailALaRocca@cs.com In Connecticut: Young Audiences of Connecticut 3074 Whitney Avenue, Bldg 2, 2nd floor Hamden, CT 06518 (203) 230-8101 Email: lbrown@yaconn.org Brian Gillie's Website: www.BrianGillie.com Brian Gillie, 1999 YAC Artist of the Year and CCT Master Teaching Artist, is a rare artist who does it all: singer, dancer, pianist, historian and educator. His interactive performances and workshops showcase the histories, stylings and novelty of America’s social dances and popular songs from 1776 to today, and they empower students with critical thinking skills, encouraging them to believe in their creative genius and improvisational possibilities. Brian is a Master Teaching Artist with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and travels New England with the Commission’s Touring Artists program. He has toured the northeast states with the Reel Nutmeg Colonial Dance Company, The Elm City Vintage Dancers and the Mountain Laurel Cloggers. Brian was principal choreographer with the Connecticut Swing Dancers for five years and currently has two nationally available swing dance instructional videos. Brian has been an annual lecturer/performer at Yale and Wesleyan Universities and was recently an adjunct professor of dance at Naugatuck Valley Community College. He has been a teacher-training leader at the National Dance Association’s annual conference in Boston, and is a dance and music historian and consultant to song and dance educators. Brian believes that early movement and dance experiences improve overall academic success and well-being. Brian currently offers five all-school assembly programs and five residency/workshop choices for both student and teacher in-service training. Assembly Programs: Salute to Song in America: An amazing multi-media mix of live and pre-recorded music, biographies and history capture the essence of songs, singers and composers from patriots, Civil War, ragtime, Broadway, swing, rock and everything in-between. History of Social Dance in America: Seen your students dance lately? History, humor and period music accompany dances from Charleston to Cha Cha, Ragtime to Rumba, and Lindy Hop to Hip Hop. Students participate throughout the presentation of over 35 dances. Song, Dance and the Possibilities: Try Brian’s “anyone can write a song and anyone can invent a dance” experience. Learn the predictable ingredients of song and dance, then dare to break the rules to create the extraordinary. Sing a ragtime classic in doo-wop style; add rap rhythms to a rap tune; create a hip-hop version of the Charleston. Students learn to trust their own imaginations. Song Dance and the Possibilities – the Holiday Version: Based on Song, Dance and the Possibilities, Brian and audience explore elements of song and dance, then invent a hip holiday dance to a funky seasonal tune, and all in the house mastermind an original holiday song full of local color and personalities and perhaps some flying reindeer and dancing snowmen. Ho Ho Ho! The History of Early Rock & Roll: History, humor, costumes, props, original sound bites, stand-up piano playing, radio commercials and impersonations serve to reveal rock’s evolution from blues to doo-wop, Motown to Beatles and more. Sh-BOOM! It’s a Grand Night for Singing: (for family night, festivals, celebrations) Brian’s original songs and dances require audience participation to help complete cool lyrics and funky moves. Creative, up-lifting fun! Workshops, Residencies and Teacher Training Songwriting Workshop: Students are introduced to the elements of song: rhythm, lyrics, melody, theme, harmony and style. Using these elements students build a song from scratch. Students also learn how technology, business and “pop”culture, and the rules of grammar, poetry and music determine a song’s effectiveness, clout and popularity. Never Too Small to Dance and Boogie (grades K – 2): Research shows that movement exploration and simple dance choreography work to open up the cognitive pathways of our youngest students. These benefits last a lifetime and cross over in to all areas of physical and mental behavior. Brian and students explore the basics and do ‘em large, loose, low, in reverse, in slow motion and “your way.” Folk Dances: 1700 – 1900 (grades 3 and up): a regular addition for those students studying America’s 18th and 19th centuries. Selections include square, line and circle dances as well as marches, waltzes, polkas and early couple dances, particularly of the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. Ballroom Dances of the Twentieth Century (grades 3 and up): Starting with ragtime and animal dances at the turn of the century, students participate in the progression of dance from blues to roaring twenties, Latin, swing, country, novelty, rock and additional possibilities for the next generation. Swing Dance Intensive (grades 4 and up): Swing dance is “in,” so invite Brian for a workshop or residency to learn the hops, spins, jumps, kicks, spins and twirls that made swing dancing famous. Learn some hip combinations or a full swing routine. Fee: $400/one performance; $700.00/two performances; $450.00/evening and special events; Workshops: $600.00/day. Libraries and camps; $250/one performance Social Studies: American History, Holidays Language Arts: Creative Writing

Abigail 'Ifatola' Jefferson P.O. Box 176 Peacedale, RI 02883 (401) 932-6565 or (401) 783-4982 EMail: abijef@cox.net Website: www.abigailjefferson.com Abigail "Ifatola" Jefferson, storyteller, dancer and arts educator, performs and conducts woprkshops nationally. Through a unique blend of story, dance, song, and rhythm, Abigail brings to life traditional stories from around the globe. Her performance presentations are highly interactive, educational and fun-filled. Audiences of all ages have described her performances and workshops as inspiring, informative, and energizing. Abigail has conducted workshops and performed in schools, churches, prisons, shelters, theatres, festivals and libraries. She is a graduate of Howard University with a B.F.A. in theatre, and holds a M.Ed. from Lesley University. Currently, Abigail is an adjunct professor for Lesley University's Creative Arts and Learning Program, and the co-director of Celebration of Culture, a program designed to increase students' and educators' appreciation of diversity. She has traveled to Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, and Cuba to study cultural traditions. Program Title: Dance, Drum, Story or Celebration of Culture Audience Limit: 200 Fee: $500 plus travel Funding Source: New England Foundation for the Arts, Rhode Island State Council for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, local councils. Language Arts: Folk Tales (General, African) Social Studies: Holidays (Kwanzaa), Countries and Regions of the World (General, Africa), Black History