Providing K-12 educators and students with quality distance
learning opportunities.
The Performing Arts Series
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in cooperation with the Prince William Network, offers arts-based educational programming free to teachers and students across the country through the Performing Arts Series. Programs feature artists and companies who perform at the Kennedy Center and explore the areas of music, dance, theater, and literature.| The Performing Arts Series: | Register to receive: |
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Register Now For Upcoming Programs and Access to Archived Programs
2010-2011 Performing Arts Series
The Suzanne Farrell Ballet: Deconstructing Divertimento
Fri, October 1, 2010 * Rebroadcast from past season |
 Renowned ballerina and Balanchine collaborator Suzanne Farrell, along with her acclaimed ballet company, presents a performance and demonstration titled Deconstructing Divertimento. This program is designed to give students a unique vantage point as the company breaks down the choreographic theme and variations that define the classic 1956 Balanchine tutu ballet, Divertimento No. 15. and the pas de deux from the neoclassic ballet, Agon. |
Telling Stories: Richard Peck
Fri, October 15, 2010
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 Creative writing students Justin Allen and Brianna Cole from Woodbridge Senior High School in Prince William County, Virginia, join moderator Maria Salvadore as they explore with
Richard Peck several of his recent books, influences on his work, and the craft of writing, as well as solicit Peck’s advice for aspiring writers.
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Ella!
Fri, November 5, 2010 * Rebroadcast from past season |
 Celebrating the life and work of legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, Grammy® winner Dee Dee Bridgewater and Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer pay tribute to the “First Lady of Song” in a program that includes some of the songstress’s best-loved jazz hits. Supported by an ensemble from the Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Band, Ms. Bridgewater and Ms. Siegel show how Ella Fitzgerald has influenced singers of today, share film clips of this remarkable vocalist, and perform well-known favorites from Ella Fitzgerald’s repertoire. |
Tambuco Percussion Ensemble
Fri, November 19, 2010
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 One of the finest percussion quartets of today, Tambuco Percussion performs a wide assortment of music styles, ranging from structured percussion music to ethnic drum music and avant-garde sound interpretation. Using percussion instruments from bongos to vibraphones, this talented ensemble demonstrates the unique sounds of their instruments, discusses the culture and traditions of Mexico as expressed through music, and performs original compositions inspired by the popular and folk music idioms of Mexico. |
Telling Stories: Linda Sue Park
Fri, December 3, 2010
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 Linda Sue Park discusses her recent books and provides a look at what inspired them. Ms. Park also talks about her diverse interests that include perfecting her craft, a desire to explore her heritage, and her passion for baseball. Ms. Park also reads from her recent novels as well as her collection of sijo and discusses this little-known Korean form of poetry. |
Poets and Presidents
Fri, January 21, 2011
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 President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy believed strongly in the power of words and the value of poetry for their children. In The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children, Caroline Kennedy has gathered together poems about nature, heroism, adventure, and imagination by celebrated poets Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Nikki Grimes, and Carl Sandburg; poems her parents loved and read to her during her childhood. As part of the Kennedy Center's The Presidency of John F. Kennedy: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, several well-known poets of today read and discuss their poems and show how these important themes are continued in their work today. |
From Page to Stage: Locomotion
Fri, February 4, 2011
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 Have you ever wondered how all the elements of a theater production come together to form the final product? Join award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson as she talks with moderator Maria Salvadore about the creation and adaptation of her book, Locomotion, for the stage. This new production, a Kennedy Center co-commission with Orlando Repertory Theater, is an inspiring story of the journey of an eleven-year-old African American boy as he moves from tragedy to hope, losing one family and gaining another. Additionally, through specially created Webisodes available online only, the actors and technical artists discuss their role in the creative process providing insight into the creative process from start to finish. |
Musical Theater: Stephen Schwartz
Fri, March 4, 2011
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 In this never-before-seen interview, Academy Award®, Grammy® and Tony® winner Stephen Schwartz talks with Michael Kerker, director of Musical Theater at ASCAP, about his Tony Award®–winning Broadway musical, Wicked, "the most complete—and completely satisfying—new musical in a long time" (USA Today). Stephen Schwartz also discusses his other musicals, including Godspell, Pippin, and the Baker’s Wife and students hear a few of his well-known songs performed live. |
Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray
Fri, April 1, 2011
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 The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company presents the most ambitious project in the company's 25-year history with Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray, which investigates pivotal moments in Abraham Lincoln's life. Combining imagery, narration, and song with movement, this dance theater work examines a handful of key moments from Lincoln’s remarkable life while challenging and celebrating the lasting contributions of this great president. |
maximum INDIA
Fri, April 15, 2011
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 The music and dance of India provide students with a window to the vibrant culture and traditions of one of the world's largest countries. As part of the Kennedy Center's maximum INDIA festival, Ragamala Dance introduces students to Bharatanatyam, a traditional dance form from south India. Combining virtuosity and aesthetic beauty, the dancers, accompanied by live music, demonstrate how basic body positions, rhythms, gestures, and facial expressions are woven into each piece. Acclaimed sitar and cello duo, Shubhendra Rao and Saskia Rao-de Haas, perform their own compositions blending European and Indian styles and also perform along with Ragamala Dance. Rao-de Haas will show how she adapted the western instrument to create the 'Indian cello'—the only such instrument in existence. |
Jazz: Eldar
Fri, May 20, 2011
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 A 2008 Grammy®-nominated jazz artist at age 21, Eldar is described as “one of the finest jazz pianists of his generation” (CMJ Magazine). Having already produced five albums and performed in Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and some of the most notable jazz venues around the world, Eldar is known for his extraordinary technique, musicality, and virtuosity. With his trio, Eldar guides students in how to listen to jazz and performs some of his original compositions. |