HIF 2012 EDUCATION INITIATIVES
Although the festival is many things to many people - great music and dance, great food, arts and crafts markets, children's activities - we take our educational mission seriously, both at the festival itself and with our community outreach programs. The festival's cultural and educational initiatives are two sides of the same coin, both serving our mission of promoting multicultural understanding and good will while reflecting Houston's status as one of the world's great international cities.
For 25 years, the festival has produced a Teacher's Curriculum Guide on the theme of that year's festival, distributed free of charge to approximately 1500 Houston area public and private schools. Some of the historical and cultural material in the Guide is then brought to life in the festival's Living Museum, sponsored by Chevron, and on our cultural stage, sponsored by H-E-B. This year's Teacher's Curriculum Guide spotlighted Argentina, and so the Chevron Living Museum was centered around a Buenos Aires street scene, and the H-E-B Cultural Stage exclusively featured Argentinean music, dance, story-telling and cooking demonstrations.
In 2012, thanks to the support of a grant from the Brown Foundation, the Houston Festival Foundation was able to expand its annual Artists in the Schools visits. In the weeks preceding the festival, HFF's "Tango in the Schools" program visited eight elementary, middle and high schools, most consisting primarily of at-risk students.
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HISD SCHOOL VISITS
HIF presents Tango in Schools
Jefferson Davis High School
Marshall Middle School
Milby High School
Yates High School
Mauro Marcone and Elizabeth Wingfield, Houston's top tango couple and resident dance instructors for the Argentine Tango Club, held intensive workshops for the Magnet Program dance students at Jefferson Davis High School (March 19), Marshall Middle School (March 21), Milby High School (April 10) and Yates High School (April 12). At Marshall, the workshop for the dance students was followed by a performance for the entire Magnet Arts program in the school's auditorium. At Yates, the workshop was augmented by an overflow audience consisting of the school's after-school program attendees.
Luna Argentina
Yes PREP Northside Academy
Travis Elementary
Sherman/Crawford Elementary
Luna Argentina, a new dance company led by Argentine native Susana Collins, performed both tango and Argentine folk dances for younger students at assemblies held at Yes PREP Northside Academy (March 27), Travis Elementary (March 30), Sherman/Crawford Elementary (April 4) and Clemente Martinez Elementary (April 5). At the end of the performances, which included live drumming and rope tricks as well as dance, students were invited to come onstage for a lesson. The smiles on the students' faces and laughter as they watched their fellow students, boys and girls, attempt to follow the example of the dancers were appreciated by their teachers and the performers alike.
Jefferson Davis High School, Marshall Middle School, Sherman/Crawford Elementary and Clemente Martinez Elementary are participants in Project Grad Houston, a program aimed at keeping disadvantaged students in school through instruction in the arts.
For more info on how you can either volunteer to support our programs or add a particular school to our outreach program, please email: rick@ifest.org.
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WORLD CULTURES SUMMIT FEATURING ARGENTINA AND SOUTH AMERICA
In April 2012, the Houston International Festival again partnered with the World Affairs Council to participate in the WAC's World Cultures Summit. This exciting and interactive annual event brings world cultures alive for hundreds of middle school students.
Highlights of the World Cultures Summit included colorful international exhibits, a fact-finding scavenger hunt that took students "Around the World in 60 Minutes," and a musical performance. Students finished their journey with a special visit to the Chevron Argentina Living Museum on site at the Houston International Festival grounds.
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Treat Yourself to More Tango at MKT BAR
Want to continue the tango vibe after this year's Houston International Festival? You can every Tuesday from 6:00-9:00PM at MKTBAR. Enjoy an Argentine evening with an intro to tango class at 6:30, followed by a professional performance and dancing paired with a YUMMY! $12 steak dinner.
Be sure to join us for a special Tasty Tango Tuesday on June 5th. The fun-loving ladies from Heights Beatniks will be on hand with a dazzling selection of uber-pretty tango shoes, available for purchase. Once you slip on these colorful and comfy beauties, you'll discover their appeal and wear them way beyond the dance floor. This one-night-only Beatniks pop-up shop will also include hand-selected vintage jewelry and accessories to complete a look that's simply stunning!
Complimentary parking is available in the One Park Place garage on a first-come, first-served basis. Enter garage on McKinney.
MKT BAR at Phoenicia Specialty Foods Downtown
1001 Austin Street (across the street from Discovery Green)
Houston 77010
832.360.2222
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SAVE THE DATES!
The Houston Holiday Parade will be on November 22nd (Thanksgiving Day).
Next year's Houston International Festival will be April 20, 21, 27, and 28, 2013.
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The Houston Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1971. At the heart of the Houston Festival Foundation is an educational mission. We reach more than 900,000 students at 1,471 campuses in seven Texas counties through our annual Teacher's Curriculum Guide and educational outreach programs.
| | We produce the Houston International Festival to help celebrate international diversity and learning about different cultures. We also produce Houston's Holiday Parade, a beloved annual tradition that provides an exciting start to the holiday season for 400,000 spectators on the streets of downtown Houston. |
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