Story Tapestries: Arianna Ross and the ST Ensemble

Magic of the Sea (Arianna Ross or Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg): Travel around the world with only your imagination, voice, and body. Discover the many magical mysteries of water and the culture of Indonesians who live off of the water. An exploration of life above and under sea level told through song, story, and dance, students will listen and participate in folk tales and true stories from Indonesia. Leave the program knowing a bit of Marine Biology and World Culture.

Giggling Wiggling BookWorm (Arianna Ross or Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg): Dance through the streets of Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, India, or the United States. This multilingual program is an entertaining, international, dynamic program that weaves the power of dance, theatre, music, and storytelling together. Students will leave the program with the knowledge of what a folk tale is and the ability to say “hello” in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Hindi.

The Fastest Plane (Arianna Ross or Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg): An Imaginary Journey Around the World and Beyond. Use your imagination to explore stories, fairy tales, myths, and fantastical adventures. Sit back and get ready to Dance, Laugh, and Play through the streets and jungles of Brazil, America, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, or India. After experiencing this multi-lingual storytelling program, leave the program ready to hop on a plane and see the universe, dancing to the tunes of the world and wanting to tell your own stories and those of cultures all over the world.

Dream Weavers (Arianna Ross): Build an imaginary world full of mythical creatures and fantastical settings. Use your imagination to take a trip back in time and into the future. Sit back and get ready to imagine a world with dragons, Cyclops, flying clouds, and sea horses. Dance, Laugh, and Play with these creatures as you, the audience member, participate in the storytelling adding in your ideas and changing the end of the tale. After experiencing this dynamic storytelling program that incorporates music, dance and story, leave the program ready use your imagination and create your own stories, myths, and fairy tales.

Immigrant Quilt (Arianna Ross): Hear historical stories of immigration to the United States from the 1600s to present day told through Dance, Music, and Story. Discover how each community adds another square to the quilt of America with their different stories, culture, and traditions. Students are encouraged to learn more about their family history and the stories of those in their community.

Rise and Rock: The Story of a Poet and Teller (Arianna Ross and Regie Cabico): In The Story of a Poet and Teller, Arianna and Regie will take us on a journey back in time and across the world. Dream images with them as they weave story, poetry, music, and movement together in this interactive show. Hear how you too have the talent to rise up and become anything you want. Discover how two distinct nationally renowned artists found their path and rocked their career as a professional storyteller and world-renowned poet.

My Hoprah (Regie Cabico): How does a young Filipino American boy, growing up in Southern Maryland escape the silver queen cornfields and hold his Catholic immigrant mother. After seeing the movie Fame, Regie is determined to get to New York City. With sharp character dialogue and comedic timing, the NPR Storyteller and spoken word artist blends slam poetry into the coming of age story My Hoprah.

When I Stepped on a Lego, a Mermaid Discovered a Chicken Sandwich (Regie Cabico): A poetic monologue of surreal dreams unfolds as Mr. Regie discovers a magical lego block of poetry and a kaleidoscopic array of poetic devices and magical creatures emerge. This solo plays dazzles young audiences with Cabico’s quicksilver delivery and comedic character work. Inspired by bedtime stories told to his nephew, Kieran, the play connects generations of Filipino warriors and wordsmiths to the art of creative language and rhythm.

A Squared (Ashlee McKinnon)
Her duo uses choreography, freestyle, and student interaction to bring the elements of hip-hop dance to life that tells a story and move to music.

A Sample of the Residencies we can offer: These residencies can be student-centered or containing a Professional Development component.

A Customized Arts-Integrated Residency: Learn the Standards through dance, spoken word, writing, and drama (ALL curriculum)

Arts-Integrated Storytelling: Learn the Standards through dance, spoken word, writing, and drama (ALL curriculum)

Math + Arts Integration = Empowered Math Understanding

Wonderfully Ridiculous Letter Stories: Using Creative Writing and Storytelling to Motivate and Improve Literacy

Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Creating Visual Storytelling with a Combination of Visual art and Creative Writing

Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Using Creative Writing and Storytelling to Motivate Students to Become Authors

STEM plus Arts=Learning Full STEAM Ahead: Using Story, Movement, and Visual Images to explain the Principles of Science

His-story, Her-Story, Our-Story: Explaining history through writing, drama, and dance

Stories-in-Motion = Fiction and Non-fiction plus Dance and Story

Theatre plus Dance plus Writing = Explaining Science Through Story

When I Say Poetry You Say Rocks: Spoken Word Performance to build Literacy and improve Literacy

High Wattage: Elements of the Slam Poetry and Hip Hop performance workshop

Language of Dance: Dance and language arts connected to support literacy and creative writing.

Building Shapes: Dance and geometry combined to support student's learning and understanding of how mathematical skills are used to create structure, become aware of space, and how to move as a unit.

Custom Designed Theatre Devising Workshop: Create a devised short play with student-generated writing. (Multiple Sessions needed)

Building Powerful Voices: Explore techniques such as Alexander, Laban, and Viewpoints, to name a few.

Grow Your Craft - Acting Technique: Walk away with stronger acting and audition techniques through monologue and scene work.

Puppetry Power: Make, move, and voice puppets

Capturing your Visual Story: Grab your cell phone or your tablet and learn how to take amazing pictures that capture YOUR story.

Break Dancing Skills: In 3 short videos or lessons, students will get a brief history of breakdancing and learn some basic movements that can be connected together in a short dance.

Poetic Movement: Using poetry and other short forms of writing, participants will take part in stretching and movement exercises that are grounded in the messaging behind the words.

Amplify US! Story Circles: Strong communities come from the ancient practice of sitting around the communal fires and relating our adventures. Story Circles provide the opportunity for individuals to highlight and discuss the particular needs of their communities.

Amplify US! Diversity and Inclusion Workshops: This multi-generational workplace workshop imparts how to embrace the differences and learn to leverage listening, expression, and experiential stories to foster better workplace and community understanding.

Wipe Out the Cobwebs of Burnout Through Creativity: Reconnect with inspiration and give their creativity a jump-start through a variety of reflective and expressive activities.

A Customized Arts-Integrated Residency: Learn the Standards through dance, spoken word, writing and drama
(All Grades, All Curricula, All Artists)
Design your own residency. Match your curriculum with the artists’ strengths as an artist and teacher. Begin by selecting the common core standards you want to integrate with arts strategies. Create a residency that is the right balance for your classroom of storytelling, multimedia, writing, drama, and movement. Allow the creative process to guide your students’ ability to synthesize and evaluate their understanding of new areas of learning. Through a series of arts-integrated exercises, students understand how to solve a math problem, understand a scientific process, film a weather report, create a commercial, perform a modernized folktale, write a personal story, historical tale, piece of fiction, or nonfiction. The end result of the residency is a piece of writing and/or a performance-ready to be shared with their community.

Math+Arts Integration=Empowered Math Understanding
(Grades K-8)
Many students need support when the time comes for them to synthesize their math learning and respond accurately to a question. In our 21st century classrooms, we are also dealing with a diverse community who enter school with a variety of skills and abilities in both math and language arts. We use all forms of storytelling to teach math including Dance, Creative Writing, Drama, and Visual Arts. Movement-based storytelling and visual arts can both enhance and motivate children’s understanding of specific math concepts such as sequencing for our new learners and integers for our older students. Automatically we will increase their higher-order thinking, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect, level the learning, and create positive group dynamics. They will learn a series of specially designed techniques to explore a variety of math concepts in line with the Common Core Standards. Join us in a residency that will leave the students with an increased love of math and the ability to perform their understanding effectively.

Wonderfully Ridiculous Letter Stories: Using Creative Writing and Storytelling to Motivate and Improve Literacy
(Grades K-2)
Adventures, comic characters, and mishaps—silly letter stories are a perfect genre for encouraging students’ language development. This residency helps students recognize and hear the different phonetic sounds and the Dolch while discovering how to write a short story. Depending on the literacy level of the students, teachers will decide what sounds the children need to explore. Together, we write and dramatize, move and draw a story using a word containing the target sound in every sentence. The result: A comic adventure ready to be shared with another class about perhaps a Green Giant named Gita who grabs big bagels …. Join us as we guide the students to write, draw and perform their own creative stories.

Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Creating Visual Storytelling with a Combination of Visual art and Creative Writing
(Grades 3-12)
From the beginning of time, writing and visual art have had the ability to empower, anger, hurt, encourage, or excite someone. Through a series of visual art and writing exercises, students discover the power of their words to tell a story or persuade someone to feel a particular emotion. The students will create a visual journal that uses a combination of drawing techniques, collage, and word webs to brainstorm and tell different types of stories. This residency creates an atmosphere where students will use arts integration strategies to redefine and/or polish their written voice. The end result of the residency is a piece of writing surrounded by non-traditional illustrations ready to be displayed at the school or read to a live audience. Story Tapestries will coordinate a special writers’ event where the students have the opportunity to share the process they went through and the stories they wrote with their peers and community members. Join us as we guide the students into becoming authors.

STEM plus Arts=Learning Full STEAM Ahead: Using Story, Movement, and Visual Images to explain the Principles of Science
(Grades K-2)
When you listen to a storm or walk through the forest, you can hear nature's special symphony, an old story that has been told over and over again. In ancient times, people explained a scientific phenomenon with a story or a song. Through drama, storytelling and music, the students discover the how's, why's, and what’s of basic science. The class could explore either a scientific phenomenon like a storm in the Amazonian rain forest or answer an overarching question such as "Why are the Asian Tigers becoming extinct?" At the start of the residency, the students will explore their topic or question through a series of specifically designed arts-integrated games. As a culminating event, the students will perform and/or display their artwork from their residency to illustrate what they discovered during their scientific exploration. Join us in this kinesthetic, highly engaging residency that can be adapted to any basic scientific problem.

His-story, Her-Story, Our-Story: Explaining history through writing, drama, and dance
(Grades 3-9)
Storytelling, Drama, and Dance provide the perfect bridge from rote memorization of historical facts to deeper learning that develops comprehension and empathy for events and people. In this residency, classes are divided into small group “families” that personify the diverse perspectives that exist during a significant historical conflict, (For example the British, the Tories, the Patriots, and the Continental Congress during the American Revolution). Students develop a narrated group story complete with choreographed movement and lines of dialogue based on their exploration of points of view through creative drama, storytelling, dance, and character journaling. By the end of the residency, as a culminating event, students will perform a selection of the historical fiction they’ve created for their peers in another classroom. Join internationally acclaimed storyteller and arts educator Arianna Ross, in this kinesthetic, highly engaging residency that can be adapted to any period of history.

Stories-in-Motion= Fiction and Non-fiction plus Dance and Story, which brings to the end goal of Comprehension
(Grades K-12)
Many students need support in developing their ability to read literature confidently and with comprehension. Embodied Storytelling, which combines elements of Dance, and Storytelling will motivate the students who normally shun reading and challenge the students who love to read. The strategies taught during this workshop enhance and motivate student understanding of new vocabulary words, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect, create positive group dynamics, build inference and prediction skills, and foster appreciation of the written word. Discover new strategies that the students and teachers can use to tell a story, demonstrate a scientific concept, or give a speech. Learn how to integrate reading and writing strategies with storytelling, dance, and drama into one cohesive experience. Students end the residency by performing their own “Story in Motion” as a reflection of their understanding of the subjects.

When I Say Poetry You Say Rocks:
(1st-5th Grade)
In these spoken word performance workshops, participants will use “imagery” to create poems that incorporate pop culture & autobiography to celebrate "who we are” by exploring our dreams and our most fanciful urges. We will combine outrageous lies into hyperbole and use sense memory and experimental wordplay to invigorate our language. Students will enrich their vocabulary and support their ability to write with figurative language. They will discover the art of “Show not Tell” We will unlock the basic elements of poetry slam performance: vocal, physical gesture & eye contact—demystifying the page from the stage. This residency can be adapted for each group’s special needs. Each session will include a 5-7 minute performance from the poet, theatre/movement activities, writing exercises, and several students coached on performance technique.

High Wattage: Elements of the Slam Poem
(Grades 6-12)
In these Hip Hop and spoken word performance workshops, participants will use “imagery” to create poems that incorporate pop culture & autobiography to celebrate "who we are” by exploring our dreams and our most fanciful urges. We will combine outrageous lies into hyperbole and use sense memory and experimental wordplay to invigorate our language. We will look at the poem as one explosive haiku and use the things that drive us crazy” to propel us into performance. We will unlock the basic elements of poetry slam performance: vocal, physical gesture & eye contact—demystifying the page from the stage. This workshop can be adapted for each group’s special needs. Each session will include a 5-7 minute performance from the poet, two writing exercises, and several students coached on performance technique.

Rise and Rock: The Residency
(All Ages)
The building of Storytellers and Slam Poet, Arianna and Regie will take us on a journey to being performing artists, confident to write, create, and perform stories and/or poetry. Spoken Word, poetry, storytelling, movement, and creative writing can enhance and motivate children’s understanding of the vocabulary words, increase their ability to use figurative language, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect and create positive group dynamics. The artists will use elements of poetry, movement, and storytelling to teach students valuable creative skills. As a result of the residency, the students will dream in images and ideas as they weave story, poetry, and movement together in this interactive residency that creates writing results. They will discover how they too have the talent to rise up and become a writer, a poet, and a storyteller.

Folktales and Myths for Cultural Understanding
This residency demonstrates how to utilize folktales from a variety of countries and cultures to encourage students to empathize and appreciate diversity while also improving their literacy skills. This workshop takes educators through a sample lesson using 3 Folk Tales from, for example, three different countries. The lesson leads participants through the basics of story structure and gives them tools to dramatize the stories. They’ll learn to use tableau to bring word stories to life and will draw a 4-panel book to tell their story. Students will gain an understanding of the sequence of a story and how to use power words to enrich their vocabulary and create imagery for their audience to engage more deeply with their story. Utilizing drama and embodied storytelling has been proven to help students comprehend the material and the ability to relate to the experiences of the characters in stories. Teachers will experience the power of using literature and drama to enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of the diversity of their own school community.

Language of Dance
(Grades 2-5)
Dance and language arts are connected in this residency to support literacy and creative writing skills in children. Creative movement is used to explore and make English language skills come alive for the student. Students will explore making sentences using prepositions properly, creating alphabet letters and punctuation marks with their bodies, creating transitions between sentences to create short stories, rhythmic patterns, and more.

Building Shapes
(Grades 6-9)
Dance and geometric shapes are connected in this residency. This residency will support student's learning and understanding of how mathematical skills are used to create structure, become aware of space, and how to move as a unit. Students will explore geometric shapes, the element of space, mathematical skills such as finding area and perimeter, and how to create structures of function with their body.

Custom Designed Theatre Devising Workshop
(All Grades, Adults and Seniors, Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg) Create a devised short play with teacher-supported curriculum and student-generated writing. Especially any EAP schools; help create a digital performance. (Multiple Sessions needed)

Building Powerful Voices
(Grades 3- 12, Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg) Read to become a powerhouse vocally? Learn various vocal techniques to improve voice production, projection, and articulation, as well as movement and physical conditioning for the stage. Explore techniques such as Alexander, Laban, and Viewpoints, to name a few.

Grow Your Craft: Acting Technique
(Grades 3- 12, Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg) Spend an hour growing your craft, discovering the actor within you. Walk away with stronger acting and audition techniques through monologue and scene work.

Puppetry Power
(All Grades and Seniors, Steven Barker). Gather paper, scissors, markers, and more to create a plethora of puppets and learn the basic exercises to begin mastering the art of puppetry. Make puppets, move puppets, and voice puppets with designer and Master Teaching Artist Steve Barker.

Capturing your Visual Story
(Grades 6 -12 and seniors, Arianna Ross) Grab your cell phone or your tablet and learn how to take amazing pictures that capture YOUR story. Learn photography basics that will enhance your ability to shine with photographer and Master Teaching Artist Arianna Ross.

Break Dancing Skills
(Grades 4-6, Ashlee McKinnon) In 3 short videos or lessons, students will get a brief history of break dancing and learn some basic movements that can be connected into a short dance. The movement will focus on balance, weight shifting, and shapes.

Building Shapes
(Grades 6-9, Ashlee Mckinnon) Dance and geometric shapes are connected in this residency. This residency will support student's learning and understanding of how mathematical skills are used to create structure, become aware of space, and how to move as a unit. Students will explore geometric shapes, the element of space, mathematical skills such as finding area and perimeter, and how to create structures of function with their body.

Poetic Movement
(Grades 7-12 and Senior Centers, Ashlee McKinnon) Using poetry and other short forms of writing, participants will take part in stretch and movement exercises that are grounded in the messaging behind the words. This session will give participants a focus during the session, and allow the body to become more aware of its connection to audio cues and the environment around it.

Amplify US! Story Circles
(Grades 6 and up, Adults, and Seniors, All ST Ensemble Artists)
Strong communities come from the ancient practice of sitting around the communal fires and relating our adventures. Story Circles provide the opportunity for employees to highlight and discuss the particular needs of their communities. Led by a trained facilitator and an artist the meetings will include story circles that will encourage discussions of attendees’ journeys, hopes, and fears, resulting in new action initiatives and personal connections. The story circles will provide participants a comfortable environment in which a diverse mixture of community members feel safe to share their stories, address sensitive subjects such as racial and religious discrimination, and resolve conflicts. Sharing our personal stories in this safe and open environment will help individuals understand and relate to others seemingly different from themselves.

Amplify US! Diversity and Inclusion Workshops
(Grades 6 and up, Adults, and Seniors, All ST Ensemble Artists)
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” - Maya Angelou
The great poet knew the truth. Despite our differences of race, gender, ability, and age/generation, at the core, we are all humans with wisdom to share. This multi-generational workplace workshop imparts how to embrace the differences and learn to leverage listening, expression, and experiential stories to foster better workplace and community understanding. In each workshop, a teaching artist and trained facilitator guide participants to find their voices and develop techniques to communicate clearly and powerfully. The facilitators model the language and mindset of inclusivity helping participants navigate through practice the challenging subjects that often emerge when exploring personal stories through multiple mediums. All workshops include both spoken word and visual art components (no prior experience required). Workshop participants leave equipped to amplify their voices and advocate for themselves and their communities within both the personal and work environment.

A Customized Arts-Integrated Residency: Learn the Standards through dance, spoken word, writing, and drama (ALL curriculum)
Arts-Integrated Storytelling: Learn the Standards through dance, spoken word, writing, and drama (ALL curriculum)
Math + Arts Integration = Empowered Math Understanding
Wonderfully Ridiculous Letter Stories: Using Creative Writing and Storytelling to Motivate and Improve Literacy
Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Creating Visual Storytelling with a Combination of Visual art and Creative Writing
Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Using Creative Writing and Storytelling to Motivate Students to Become Authors
STEM plus Arts=Learning Full STEAM Ahead: Using Story, Movement, and Visual Images to explain the Principles of Science
His-story, Her-Story, Our-Story: Explaining history through writing, drama, and dance
Stories-in-Motion = Fiction and Non-fiction plus Dance and Story
Theatre plus Dance plus Writing = Explaining Science Through Story
When I Say Poetry You Say Rocks: Spoken Word Performance to build Literacy and improve Literacy
High Wattage: Elements of the Slam Poetry and Hip Hop performance workshop
Language of Dance: Dance and language arts connected to support literacy and creative writing.
Building Shapes: Dance and geometry combined to support student's learning and understanding of how mathematical skills are used to create structure, become aware of space, and how to move as a unit.
Custom Designed Theatre Devising Workshop: Create a devised short play with student-generated writing. (Multiple Sessions needed)
Building Powerful Voices: Explore techniques such as Alexander, Laban, and Viewpoints, to name a few.
Grow Your Craft - Acting Technique: Walk away with stronger acting and audition techniques through monologue and scene work.
Puppetry Power: Make, move, and voice puppets
Capturing your Visual Story: Grab your cell phone or your tablet and learn how to take amazing pictures that capture YOUR story.

Break Dancing Skills: In 3 short videos or lessons, students will get a brief history of breakdancing and learn some basic movements that can be connected together in a short dance.
Poetic Movement: Using poetry and other short forms of writing, participants will take part in stretching and movement exercises that are grounded in the messaging behind the words.
Amplify US! Story Circles: Strong communities come from the ancient practice of sitting around the communal fires and relating our adventures. Story Circles provide the opportunity for individuals to highlight and discuss the particular needs of their communities.

Amplify US! Diversity and Inclusion Workshops: This multi-generational workplace workshop imparts how to embrace the differences and learn to leverage listening, expression, and experiential stories to foster better workplace and community understanding.

Wipe Out the Cobwebs of Burnout Through Creativity: Reconnect with inspiration and give their creativity a jump-start through a variety of reflective and expressive activities.

A Customized Arts-Integrated Residency: Learn the Standards through dance, spoken word, writing and drama
(All Grades, All Curricula, All Artists)
Design your own residency. Match your curriculum with the artists’ strengths as an artist and teacher. Begin by selecting the common core standards you want to integrate with arts strategies. Create a residency that is the right balance for your classroom of storytelling, multimedia, writing, drama, and movement. Allow the creative process to guide your students’ ability to synthesize and evaluate their understanding of new areas of learning. Through a series of arts-integrated exercises, students understand how to solve a math problem, understand a scientific process, film a weather report, create a commercial, perform a modernized folktale, write a personal story, historical tale, piece of fiction, or nonfiction. The end result of the residency is a piece of writing and/or a performance-ready to be shared with their community.

Math+Arts Integration=Empowered Math Understanding
(Grades K-8)
Many students need support when the time comes for them to synthesize their math learning and respond accurately to a question. In our 21st century classrooms, we are also dealing with a diverse community who enter school with a variety of skills and abilities in both math and language arts. We use all forms of storytelling to teach math including Dance, Creative Writing, Drama, and Visual Arts. Movement-based storytelling and visual arts can both enhance and motivate children’s understanding of specific math concepts such as sequencing for our new learners and integers for our older students. Automatically we will increase their higher-order thinking, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect, level the learning, and create positive group dynamics. They will learn a series of specially designed techniques to explore a variety of math concepts in line with the Common Core Standards. Join us in a residency that will leave the students with an increased love of math and the ability to perform their understanding effectively.

Wonderfully Ridiculous Letter Stories: Using Creative Writing and Storytelling to Motivate and Improve Literacy
(Grades K-2)
Adventures, comic characters, and mishaps—silly letter stories are a perfect genre for encouraging students’ language development. This residency helps students recognize and hear the different phonetic sounds and the Dolch while discovering how to write a short story. Depending on the literacy level of the students, teachers will decide what sounds the children need to explore. Together, we write and dramatize, move and draw a story using a word containing the target sound in every sentence. The result: A comic adventure ready to be shared with another class about perhaps a Green Giant named Gita who grabs big bagels …. Join us as we guide the students to write, draw and perform their own creative stories.

Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Creating Visual Storytelling with a Combination of Visual art and Creative Writing
(Grades 3-12)
From the beginning of time, writing and visual art have had the ability to empower, anger, hurt, encourage, or excite someone. Through a series of visual art and writing exercises, students discover the power of their words to tell a story or persuade someone to feel a particular emotion. The students will create a visual journal that uses a combination of drawing techniques, collage, and word webs to brainstorm and tell different types of stories. This residency creates an atmosphere where students will use arts integration strategies to redefine and/or polish their written voice. The end result of the residency is a piece of writing surrounded by non-traditional illustrations ready to be displayed at the school or read to a live audience. Story Tapestries will coordinate a special writers’ event where the students have the opportunity to share the process they went through and the stories they wrote with their peers and community members. Join us as we guide the students into becoming authors.

STEM plus Arts=Learning Full STEAM Ahead: Using Story, Movement, and Visual Images to explain the Principles of Science
(Grades K-2)
When you listen to a storm or walk through the forest, you can hear nature's special symphony, an old story that has been told over and over again. In ancient times, people explained a scientific phenomenon with a story or a song. Through drama, storytelling and music, the students discover the how's, why's, and what’s of basic science. The class could explore either a scientific phenomenon like a storm in the Amazonian rain forest or answer an overarching question such as "Why are the Asian Tigers becoming extinct?" At the start of the residency, the students will explore their topic or question through a series of specifically designed arts-integrated games. As a culminating event, the students will perform and/or display their artwork from their residency to illustrate what they discovered during their scientific exploration. Join us in this kinesthetic, highly engaging residency that can be adapted to any basic scientific problem.

His-story, Her-Story, Our-Story: Explaining history through writing, drama, and dance
(Grades 3-9)
Storytelling, Drama, and Dance provide the perfect bridge from rote memorization of historical facts to deeper learning that develops comprehension and empathy for events and people. In this residency, classes are divided into small group “families” that personify the diverse perspectives that exist during a significant historical conflict, (For example the British, the Tories, the Patriots, and the Continental Congress during the American Revolution). Students develop a narrated group story complete with choreographed movement and lines of dialogue based on their exploration of points of view through creative drama, storytelling, dance, and character journaling. By the end of the residency, as a culminating event, students will perform a selection of the historical fiction they’ve created for their peers in another classroom. Join internationally acclaimed storyteller and arts educator Arianna Ross, in this kinesthetic, highly engaging residency that can be adapted to any period of history.

Stories-in-Motion= Fiction and Non-fiction plus Dance and Story, which brings to the end goal of Comprehension
(Grades K-12)
Many students need support in developing their ability to read literature confidently and with comprehension. Embodied Storytelling, which combines elements of Dance, and Storytelling will motivate the students who normally shun reading and challenge the students who love to read. The strategies taught during this workshop enhance and motivate student understanding of new vocabulary words, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect, create positive group dynamics, build inference and prediction skills, and foster appreciation of the written word. Discover new strategies that the students and teachers can use to tell a story, demonstrate a scientific concept, or give a speech. Learn how to integrate reading and writing strategies with storytelling, dance, and drama into one cohesive experience. Students end the residency by performing their own “Story in Motion” as a reflection of their understanding of the subjects.

When I Say Poetry You Say Rocks:
(1st-5th Grade)
In these spoken word performance workshops, participants will use “imagery” to create poems that incorporate pop culture & autobiography to celebrate "who we are” by exploring our dreams and our most fanciful urges. We will combine outrageous lies into hyperbole and use sense memory and experimental wordplay to invigorate our language. Students will enrich their vocabulary and support their ability to write with figurative language. They will discover the art of “Show not Tell” We will unlock the basic elements of poetry slam performance: vocal, physical gesture & eye contact—demystifying the page from the stage. This residency can be adapted for each group’s special needs. Each session will include a 5-7 minute performance from the poet, theatre/movement activities, writing exercises, and several students coached on performance technique.

High Wattage: Elements of the Slam Poem
(Grades 6-12)
In these Hip Hop and spoken word performance workshops, participants will use “imagery” to create poems that incorporate pop culture & autobiography to celebrate "who we are” by exploring our dreams and our most fanciful urges. We will combine outrageous lies into hyperbole and use sense memory and experimental wordplay to invigorate our language. We will look at the poem as one explosive haiku and use the things that drive us crazy” to propel us into performance. We will unlock the basic elements of poetry slam performance: vocal, physical gesture & eye contact—demystifying the page from the stage. This workshop can be adapted for each group’s special needs. Each session will include a 5-7 minute performance from the poet, two writing exercises, and several students coached on performance technique.

Rise and Rock: The Residency
(All Ages)
The building of Storytellers and Slam Poet, Arianna and Regie will take us on a journey to being performing artists, confident to write, create, and perform stories and/or poetry. Spoken Word, poetry, storytelling, movement, and creative writing can enhance and motivate children’s understanding of the vocabulary words, increase their ability to use figurative language, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect and create positive group dynamics. The artists will use elements of poetry, movement, and storytelling to teach students valuable creative skills. As a result of the residency, the students will dream in images and ideas as they weave story, poetry, and movement together in this interactive residency that creates writing results. They will discover how they too have the talent to rise up and become a writer, a poet, and a storyteller.

Folktales and Myths for Cultural Understanding
This residency demonstrates how to utilize folktales from a variety of countries and cultures to encourage students to empathize and appreciate diversity while also improving their literacy skills. This workshop takes educators through a sample lesson using 3 Folk Tales from, for example, three different countries. The lesson leads participants through the basics of story structure and gives them tools to dramatize the stories. They’ll learn to use tableau to bring word stories to life and will draw a 4-panel book to tell their story. Students will gain an understanding of the sequence of a story and how to use power words to enrich their vocabulary and create imagery for their audience to engage more deeply with their story. Utilizing drama and embodied storytelling has been proven to help students comprehend the material and the ability to relate to the experiences of the characters in stories. Teachers will experience the power of using literature and drama to enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of the diversity of their own school community.

Language of Dance
(Grades 2-5)
Dance and language arts are connected in this residency to support literacy and creative writing skills in children. Creative movement is used to explore and make English language skills come alive for the student. Students will explore making sentences using prepositions properly, creating alphabet letters and punctuation marks with their bodies, creating transitions between sentences to create short stories, rhythmic patterns, and more.

Building Shapes
(Grades 6-9)
Dance and geometric shapes are connected in this residency. This residency will support student's learning and understanding of how mathematical skills are used to create structure, become aware of space, and how to move as a unit. Students will explore geometric shapes, the element of space, mathematical skills such as finding area and perimeter, and how to create structures of function with their body.

Custom Designed Theatre Devising Workshop
(All Grades, Adults and Seniors, Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg) Create a devised short play with teacher-supported curriculum and student-generated writing. Especially any EAP schools; help create a digital performance. (Multiple Sessions needed)

Building Powerful Voices
(Grades 3- 12, Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg) Read to become a powerhouse vocally? Learn various vocal techniques to improve voice production, projection, and articulation, as well as movement and physical conditioning for the stage. Explore techniques such as Alexander, Laban, and Viewpoints, to name a few.

Grow Your Craft: Acting Technique
(Grades 3- 12, Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg) Spend an hour growing your craft, discovering the actor within you. Walk away with stronger acting and audition techniques through monologue and scene work.

Puppetry Power
(All Grades and Seniors, Steven Barker). Gather paper, scissors, markers, and more to create a plethora of puppets and learn the basic exercises to begin mastering the art of puppetry. Make puppets, move puppets, and voice puppets with designer and Master Teaching Artist Steve Barker.

Capturing your Visual Story
(Grades 6 -12 and seniors, Arianna Ross) Grab your cell phone or your tablet and learn how to take amazing pictures that capture YOUR story. Learn photography basics that will enhance your ability to shine with photographer and Master Teaching Artist Arianna Ross.

Break Dancing Skills
(Grades 4-6, Ashlee McKinnon) In 3 short videos or lessons, students will get a brief history of break dancing and learn some basic movements that can be connected into a short dance. The movement will focus on balance, weight shifting, and shapes.

Building Shapes
(Grades 6-9, Ashlee Mckinnon) Dance and geometric shapes are connected in this residency. This residency will support student's learning and understanding of how mathematical skills are used to create structure, become aware of space, and how to move as a unit. Students will explore geometric shapes, the element of space, mathematical skills such as finding area and perimeter, and how to create structures of function with their body.

Poetic Movement
(Grades 7-12 and Senior Centers, Ashlee McKinnon) Using poetry and other short forms of writing, participants will take part in stretch and movement exercises that are grounded in the messaging behind the words. This session will give participants a focus during the session, and allow the body to become more aware of its connection to audio cues and the environment around it.

Amplify US! Story Circles
(Grades 6 and up, Adults, and Seniors, All ST Ensemble Artists)
Strong communities come from the ancient practice of sitting around the communal fires and relating our adventures. Story Circles provide the opportunity for employees to highlight and discuss the particular needs of their communities. Led by a trained facilitator and an artist the meetings will include story circles that will encourage discussions of attendees’ journeys, hopes, and fears, resulting in new action initiatives and personal connections. The story circles will provide participants a comfortable environment in which a diverse mixture of community members feel safe to share their stories, address sensitive subjects such as racial and religious discrimination, and resolve conflicts. Sharing our personal stories in this safe and open environment will help individuals understand and relate to others seemingly different from themselves.

Amplify US! Diversity and Inclusion Workshops
(Grades 6 and up, Adults, and Seniors, All ST Ensemble Artists)
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” - Maya Angelou
The great poet knew the truth. Despite our differences of race, gender, ability, and age/generation, at the core, we are all humans with wisdom to share. This multi-generational workplace workshop imparts how to embrace the differences and learn to leverage listening, expression, and experiential stories to foster better workplace and community understanding. In each workshop, a teaching artist and trained facilitator guide participants to find their voices and develop techniques to communicate clearly and powerfully. The facilitators model the language and mindset of inclusivity helping participants navigate through practice the challenging subjects that often emerge when exploring personal stories through multiple mediums. All workshops include both spoken word and visual art components (no prior experience required). Workshop participants leave equipped to amplify their voices and advocate for themselves and their communities within both the personal and work environment.

Magic of the Sea (Arianna Ross or Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg): Travel around the world with only your imagination, voice, and body. Discover the many magical mysteries of water and the culture of Indonesians who live off of the water. An exploration of life above and under sea level told through song, story, and dance, students will listen and participate in folk tales and true stories from Indonesia. Leave the program knowing a bit of Marine Biology and World Culture.

Giggling Wiggling BookWorm (Arianna Ross or Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg): Dance through the streets of Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, India, or the United States. This multilingual program is an entertaining, international, dynamic program that weaves the power of dance, theatre, music, and storytelling together. Students will leave the program with the knowledge of what a folk tale is and the ability to say “hello” in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Hindi.

The Fastest Plane (Arianna Ross or Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg): An Imaginary Journey Around the World and Beyond. Use your imagination to explore stories, fairy tales, myths, and fantastical adventures. Sit back and get ready to Dance, Laugh, and Play through the streets and jungles of Brazil, America, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, or India. After experiencing this multi-lingual storytelling program, leave the program ready to hop on a plane and see the universe, dancing to the tunes of the world and wanting to tell your own stories and those of cultures all over the world.

Dream Weavers (Arianna Ross): Build an imaginary world full of mythical creatures and fantastical settings. Use your imagination to take a trip back in time and into the future. Sit back and get ready to imagine a world with dragons, Cyclops, flying clouds, and sea horses. Dance, Laugh, and Play with these creatures as you, the audience member, participate in the storytelling adding in your ideas and changing the end of the tale. After experiencing this dynamic storytelling program that incorporates music, dance and story, leave the program ready use your imagination and create your own stories, myths, and fairy tales.

Immigrant Quilt (Arianna Ross): Hear historical stories of immigration to the United States from the 1600s to present day told through Dance, Music, and Story. Discover how each community adds another square to the quilt of America with their different stories, culture, and traditions. Students are encouraged to learn more about their family history and the stories of those in their community.

Rise and Rock: The Story of a Poet and Teller (Arianna Ross and Regie Cabico): In The Story of a Poet and Teller, Arianna and Regie will take us on a journey back in time and across the world. Dream images with them as they weave story, poetry, music, and movement together in this interactive show. Hear how you too have the talent to rise up and become anything you want. Discover how two distinct nationally renowned artists found their path and rocked their career as a professional storyteller and world-renowned poet.

My Hoprah (Regie Cabico): How does a young Filipino American boy, growing up in Southern Maryland escape the silver queen cornfields and hold his Catholic immigrant mother. After seeing the movie Fame, Regie is determined to get to New York City. With sharp character dialogue and comedic timing, the NPR Storyteller and spoken word artist blends slam poetry into the coming of age story My Hoprah.

When I Stepped on a Lego, a Mermaid Discovered a Chicken Sandwich (Regie Cabico): A poetic monologue of surreal dreams unfolds as Mr. Regie discovers a magical lego block of poetry and a kaleidoscopic array of poetic devices and magical creatures emerge. This solo play dazzles young audiences with Cabico’s quicksilver delivery and comedic character work. Inspired by bedtime stories told to his nephew, Kieran, the play connects generations of Filipino warriors and wordsmiths to the art of creative language and rhythm.

A Squared (Ashlee McKinnon)
Her duo uses choreography, freestyle, and student interaction to bring the elements of hip-hop dance to life that tells a story and move to the music.

Sample Professional Development Workshops (Both Virtual and In-Person) and
Embedded Residency Experiences that we currently offer:

A Professional Development Workshop: 1-6 hours in length depending on the need of the school

An Accompanying Embedded Residency: 3-5 sessions in length. Each session is 45 minutes to 1 hour. The purpose of an Embedded Residency is to provide an opportunity for the teacher to experience the strategies with youth. We follow the “I do it, We do it, and You do it” model so that by the end of the residency the teacher is comfortable teaching their curricula with an arts integration focus.

Our team of collaborators and artists weave storytelling, dance, visual art, music, rap, hip-hop, writing, visual arts, and/or theatre to demonstrate best practices and meet the curricula and social-emotional goals of the teachers. Furthermore, all of the workshops and residencies are inclusive of the students’ developmental, physical, and cultural needs. We specifically work with the team above as they have the ability to adapt their lessons to the needs of the students.

Harnessing the Power of Arts Integration: Custom Design a Professional Development Program to Meet your Needs

Design your own professional development and embedded residency. Match your curriculum with the artists’ strengths as an artist and teacher. Begin by selecting the common core standards and character education goals you want to integrate with art standards and strategies. Create a professional development workshop that is the right balance for your school’s needs of storytelling, music, multimedia, visual art, writing, drama, and movement. Allow the creative process to guide your students’ ability to synthesis and evaluate their understanding of new areas of learning. Through a series of arts-integrated exercises, students understand how to solve a math problem, understand a scientific process, film a weather report, create a commercial, perform a modernized folktale, write a personal story, historical tale, piece of fiction, or nonfiction.

Math + the Arts = Empowered Math Understanding

Discover how an educator can teach word problems and math processes in an engaging, accessible, and creative manner. Many students need support when to synthesize math with reading comprehension and respond accurately to a question. Movement-based storytelling can both enhance and motivate children’s understanding of the common core standards connected to word problems, increase their higher-order thinking, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect, and create positive group dynamics. Leave the workshop having explored, demonstrated, and created a series of specially designed arts-integrated strategies the math common core standards. Explore how easily you can incorporate the arts into your math classroom.

Discovering the Power of the Written Word: Using the Power of the Arts to motivate students to love to read and write

From the beginning of time writing has had the ability to empower, teach, anger, hurt, encourage, or excite someone. During this workshop, teachers will explore how a combination of old and new strategies infused with the power arts build a classroom of writers and engaged readers. Depending on the goals selected by the school, the team will craft a workshop that incorporates the correct writing techniques for the right results. Furthermore, by integrating the arts into their language arts lessons, the teachers re-discover the excitement of being reading detectives with their students and transforming random words into a written story. As a result of the use of dance, storytelling, theatre, visual arts, and spoken word, students see the power of their own words to tell a story, change someone’s opinion, explain their ideas, or create an imaginary place. Finish the workshop with strategies to implement, stories to tell, and ideas to share with fellow teachers and staff.

High Wattage: Elements of the Slam Poem

In these Hip Hop and spoken word performance workshops, participants will use “imagery” to create poems that incorporate pop culture & autobiography to celebrate "who we are” by exploring our dreams and our most fanciful urges. We will combine outrageous lies into hyperbole and use sense memory and experimental wordplay to invigorate our language. We will look at the poem as one explosive haiku and use the things that “drive us crazy” to propel us into performance. We will unlock the basic elements of poetry slam performance: vocal, physical gesture & eye contact—demystifying the page from the stage. This workshop can be adapted to each group’s special needs. Each session will include a 5-7 minute performance from the poet, multiple writing exercises, and several teachers/students coached on performance techniques.

Student Empowerment and Inclusive Design

Many students need support in developing their ability to read and write while simultaneously building a love of learning. Embodied Storytelling, dance plus theatre plus storytelling plus elements of visual art, provide a foundation for and motivates the students who normally shun reading and writing. The workshop is led by a teaching artist plus our inclusion specialist, Suzanne Richard. The teachers attending this workshop find that they are able to scaffold the techniques to meet the abilities of all students. The strategies taught during this workshop enhance and motivate students' understanding of new vocabulary words, build self-confidence, strengthen literacy skills, develop self-respect, create positive group dynamics, and foster appreciation of the written word.

Improvised Journeys: Exploring the Affirmative Power of the Creative Process

Utilizing improvised movement to create poetry on the stage and visual artworks, this workshop focuses on the power of YES! Teachers will find new strategies to engage students to speak with confidence and listen with empathy. Participants will build community through creative risk-taking in a safe and nurturing space, explore the visual power of color and shape in collaborative and individual artworks paired with the feelings of words that are evoked through ice breakers and shared wishes. Experience the freedom to explore words, images, shapes, and color as we integrate our written, spoken and visual creations to develop empowered voices. Be prepared to share "snaps" open mic style as well as praise the power of sensory detail and heart of the visual and theatrical artist.

Diving in the Rainbow and Swimming in the Caves: Art plus Spoken Word plus Museum Studies

We will use improvisation to connect our words to a painting, mirroring movements, exploring shapes with our bodies, voices & a brush of colors. We will share our memories in “story-haiku.” empowering our fiercest selves through the spoken word in a safe and nurturing environment. Using an art museum's exhibition and your curriculum we will answer the questions: “How can I use art to stimulate writing?”; “What can art teach us about history and culture?”; “What are the relationships between artistic thinking and mathematical thinking?” Be prepared to move and write. Light dinner will be provided.

Wipe Out the Cobwebs of Burnout Through Creativity

Burnout and mental health issues are a threat to all educators. Participants in this workshop will reconnect with inspiration and give their creativity a jump-start through a variety of reflective and expressive activities. Theatre, dance, spoken word, writing, rap, visual art, as well as simply being creative and laughing can become tools that can help heal and prevent the sluggishness that comes from burnout. Take away a set of exercises you can do for yourself and with your students every day to reinvigorate your joy of teaching.

Arts Integration for Cultural Responsiveness

Story Tapestries offers custom-designed professional development experiences focused on incorporating art integration strategies in lessons to develop students’ understanding and awareness of diversity and equity. This PD is taught by an ST teaching artist as well as a Racial Equity facilitator. During our 1-hour to multi-day events, teachers experience how using art-based techniques breaks down barriers and creates safe spaces for students to express their emotions and perspectives in ways that other strategies do not. Our team of artists weaves storytelling, dance, visual art, music, rap, hip-hop, writing, media arts, visual arts, and/or theatre into core curriculum lessons to demonstrate how schools and teachers can successfully and appropriately address social justice and cultural responsiveness to support the needs of today’s students while reaching their academic objectives. Story Tapestries’ teaching artists have participated in dialogue circle and restorative justice training led by the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County as well as racial equity workshops led by the Racial Equity Institute.

Turn The Jungle Around - A Workshop on Classroom Management:

Everyone has a different bag o' tricks to create a calm classroom environment. Using the performance in your classroom has proven to be a great classroom management tool. Jump-start your creative mind and body. Dance down the hallway and around the room. Freeze in the tableau of a perfect class. Use a few small musical tricks to grab their attention. Walk away with several techniques that you can do to help manage your energy-filled, creative students.

Explaining Science Through Story:

The educators will discover through drama and storytelling how to teach their students about the animal kingdom and various scientific concepts for children 3-6 in a visual, audio, and kinesthetic process. Storytelling, drama, dance, and creative movement can both enhance and motivate children’s understanding of vocabulary words, build self-confidence, strengthen critical thinking skills, develop self-respect and create positive group dynamics. Furthermore, we will play a series of specially designed games for either small or large group settings that could enhance their science curricula.

Amplify US! Story Circles:

Strong communities come from the ancient practice of sitting around the communal fires and relating our adventures. Story Circles provide the opportunity for employees to highlight and discuss the particular needs of their communities. Led by a trained facilitator and an artist the meetings will include story circles that will encourage discussions of attendees’ journeys, hopes, and fears, resulting in new action initiatives and personal connections. The story circles will provide participants a comfortable environment in which a diverse mixture of community members feel safe to share their stories, address sensitive subjects such as racial and religious discrimination, and resolve conflicts. Sharing our personal stories in this safe and open environment will help individuals understand and relate to others seemingly different from themselves.