For Teachers and Community Leaders

NJPAC is the only regional provider in the state of NJ for two national arts education programs!

Early Learning Through the Arts©: New Jersey Wolf Trap Program

Transform your Pre-K to K grade classroom with performing arts experiences that inspire new ways of thinking and learning. NJPAC teaching artists work directly with teachers and students to weave music, movement and drama into daily language arts, math, and/or science lessons, with a custom approach tailored to each classroom's needs. The NJ Wolf Trap Residency Program accomplishes these goals by conducting professional development for early childhood educators in their own classrooms in conjunction with engaging and artful activities for children.

Grades PreK-K
Class Size: Up to 20 students
For 7 weeks: $2,400
For 1 week: $1,025
Curriculum Areas: Language Arts/Literacy, STEM, Social and Emotional Development, Visual and Performing Arts

Dancing Classrooms™

In Dancing Classrooms™ students in grades 5 and 8 learn essential life skills -- including teamwork, elegance, and respect -- through the practice of ballroom dancing. This residency will take them on a whirlwind tour of ballroom and social dances from around the world, including the tango, waltz, swing, and more.

Grades 5 and 8
Class Size: Up to 20 students
For 10 weeks: $2,950
Curriculum Areas: Dance, Health and Physical Education, English Language Arts, Social Studies

Colors of the Rainbow Team Match

Fifth-grade students who take part in the Dancing Classrooms™ program have the option of participating in the Colors of the Rainbow Team Match. Six ladies and six gentlemen from residency classrooms are selected to represent their school in pursuit of the Grand Finale Trophy at NJPAC's Victoria Theater in late spring. Space is limited.

Grades 5
$200 entrance fee

Mercer Musical Theater Program

Students create their own Musical by learning the history of the genre and how to bring their original piece alive through performance. Middle school students from schools in the Greater Newark area will be chosen to participate. The 10-week program is led by seasoned teaching artists who bring a wealth of knowledge and performance experience into the classroom. The program ends with a culminating performance of all participating students at NJPAC.

Grades 6-8
Class Size: Up to 20 students
There is no fee to participate in the program. Application Deadline: TBD
Curriculum Areas: English Language Arts, Performing Arts (Theater, Dance, Music)

Disney Musicals in Schools

Disney Musicals in Schools helps to keep the arts in schools and utilizes the unique world of musical theater to build positive relationships among students, faculty, staff, parents and the community. Five schools in the 2018-2019 school year will participate in a 17-week after-school musical theater residency guided by NJPAC teaching artists who are trained by NJPAC and Disney Theatrical Group. The program ends with a Student Share Celebration at NJPAC in the spring of 2019.

Grades 3-5
Class Size: Up to 20 students
There is no fee to participate in the program. Application Deadline: TBD
Curriculum Areas: English Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts

Program Packages
15 to 19 one-hour sessions plus a culminating performance at the school

Accompanist during sessions

Fulfillment of NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards

Movement Matters
Students experiment with rhythm, tempo, shapes, levels and more while developing locomotive skills and creative expression. They will explore concepts such as space, time and energy through creative movement in this residency geared toward grades 1–5.

Grades 1-5
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: $2,400, 8-week; $2,950, 10-week
Curriculum Areas: Dance, Music, Health and Physical Education, Science, Math

Tap Dance
You'll have a classroom full of happy feet with this high-energy residency that focuses on rhythm tap and strengthens musicality, improvisation, and timing. Professional teaching artists and students will dance their way through the history of this iconic American art form as they explore the syncopation skills of tap legends from Fred Astaire to Savion Glover.

Grades 3–12
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: : $3,500, 8-week; $4,050 10-week
Curriculum Areas: Dance, Music, Health and Physical Education, Math

 

 

Hip-Hop Dance
Through our Hip Hop Dance residency, students experience and engage in this dynamic and popular art form. The program explores the impact of this East Coast-led movement and their contributions to youth culture. Students will come away from this program with an understanding of Hip Hop dance technique and history, as well as contribute to and perform in a dance number.

Grades 6–12
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: : $2,400, 8-week; $2,950, 10-week
Curriculum Areas: Dance, Music, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education

Hip-Hop Institute
Students in grades 6-12 explore the roots of an American art form that has inspired generations of young people and transformed the landscape of numerous global cultures. By focusing on the five elements of hip hop -- (1) DJing; (2) Graffiti; (3) Emceeing; (4) Break Dancing; and (5) Knowledge of Self -- students will gain an understanding of how young people just like themselves created a movement that changed the world.

Grades 6–12
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: : $3,500, 8-week; $4,050, 10-week
Curriculum Areas: Theater, Dance, Music, Social Studies, English Language Arts

Instrumental Jazz 
Get your classroom swinging with a residency that immerses students in the technique, history, and language of jazz. Professional musicians collaborate with music educators to present fun, interactive lessons that strengthen students' performance and improvisation skills while deepening their knowledge of this uniquely American art form.
Fee per residency: $2,400, 8-week; $2,950, 10-week; $825, 1-week

Vocal Music 
Whether your student's dream of being on The Voice or of singing at the Met, this residency is for you. A professional teaching artist will help young vocalists explore the potential of their voices and develop skills including proper breathing and air support, posture, range extension and tone quality.
Fee per residency: $2,400, 8-week; $2,950, 10-week; $825, 1-week

Program Packages
15 to 19 one-hour sessions plus a culminating performance at the school

Fulfillment of NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards

Explore-A-Story
Literary classics and historical events come to life in Explore-A-Story, a residency in which students learn through creative storytelling. Geared toward grades 1–5, this program helps young storytellers deepen their understanding of story structure and character development as they work together to write and perform their own tales.
Grades 1–5
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: $2,400, 8-week; $2,950, 10-week; $825, 1-week
Curriculum Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies, Theater

Devised Theater
Students in grades 6-12 hone their acting, playwriting and cooperation skills as they create an original theater piece. In devised theater, the script originates from a collaborative, improvisational process, which students are led through by a professional teaching artist.
Grades 6–12
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: $2,400, 8-week; $2,950, 10-week; $825, 1-week
Curriculum Areas: English Language Arts, Theater

Poetic Justice
This residency encourages young people to find their voice by writing poetry about issues that are important to them and their communities. In addition to developing writing skills, students will learn to present their poetry with confidence and style.
Grades 6–12
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: $2,400, 8-week; $2,950 10-week; $825, 1-week
Curriculum Areas: Theater, Language Arts, Social Studies

Musical Theater
Students get triple-threat training (voice, dance and acting) in a residency that immerses them in Broadway's greatest hits -- from the Golden Age of musical theater to the popular shows of today. Young performers work with professional teaching artists and accompanists to develop creative expression and build the collaborative skills needed to work as an ensemble.
Grades 3–12
Class Size: Up to 30 students
Fee per residency: $3,500, 8-week; $4,050 10-week
Curriculum Areas: Dance, Music, Theater, English Language Arts, Social Studies

Hidden Figures

• Monday, September 25, 2017, 10:00am
• Prudential Hall at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular $5
• Follow the story of a team of African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. A guest panel discussion will follow after the screening.
   

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Petra and the Wolf

• Thursday, November 2, 2017, 10am & 12:30pm
• Friday, November 3, 2017, 10am & 12:30pm
• Victoria Theater
• Tickets: Regular price $8
• Curriculum: M, L, T 
• This new rock musical introduces the mischievous but fearless Petra. When a wolf threatens her home and animal friends, her adventures become a showcase of bravery and compassion. Produced by Lionheart Youth Theatre with Glass HalfFull Theatre and Mother Falcon.

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Regina Carter: Simply Ella

• Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10am & 12:30pm
• Wednesday, November, 15, 2017, at 10am & 12:30pm
• Victoria Theater
• Tickets: Regular price $8 
• Curriculum: M, S
• Award-winning violinist Regina Carter celebrates the music and spirit of her musical idol, Ella Fitzgerald, on the year of the beloved singer’s 100th birthday.

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The Hip Hop Nutcracker

• Friday, December 15, 2017, 12:30pm
• Prudential Hall at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular $15, Partnership price $8
• Curriculum: D, S
• A dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist and digital scenery bring the traditional Nutcracker story to new life with a contemporary urban twist.

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Do You Speak Djembe Tour Cancelled – new performance TBA

• Thursday, January 18, 2018, at 10am & 12:30pm 
• Friday, January 19, 2018, at 10am & 12:30pm
• Victoria Theater at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular price $8
• Curriculum: M, T, L 
• Led by a line-up of world-class Western and African musicians, the audience plays their favorite tunes on their own djembes.

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Year of the Dog Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

• Thursday, February 8, 2018, at 10am & 12:30pm 
• Friday, February 9, 2018 at 10am & 12:30pm
• Victoria Theater at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular $8
• Curriculum: C, D, W 
• Nai-Ni Chen and her amazing dancers, musicians and acrobats present their annual, fantastic celebration of the Lunar New Year, which in 2018 celebrates the Year of the Brown Earth Dog, a symbol of the wish to succeed.

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Freedom Riders

• Wednesday, February, 14, 2018, at 10am & 12:30pm
• Thursday, February, 15, 2018, at 10am & 12:30pm
• Friday, February, 16, 2018, at 10am &12:30pm
• Victoria Theater at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular price $8
• Curriculum: S, T, M, L 
• The latest in the Mad River Theater Works collection of plays about American history, “Freedom Riders,” set in 1961, follows activists of the civil rights era, both black and white, who traveled together on buses across state lines in defiance of segregation practices that were still rampant across much of the country.

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Darius & Twig

• Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 10am & 12:30pm
• Friday, March 9, 2018 at 10am &12:30pm
• Prudential Hall at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular price $8
• Curriculum: L, T
• Based on the beloved novel by Walter Dean Myers, “Darius & Twig” tells the story of two Harlem teens – one a writer, one a runner, both on the verge of great success, and both hobbled by pressure from family, friends – and enemies. A Kennedy Center World Premiere Commission

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The Ugly Duckling

• Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 10am & 12:30pm  
• Friday, April 20, 2018, 10am & 12:30pm
• Victoria Theater at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular price $8 
• Curriculum: T, M, L
• This musical from the Virginia Repertory Theatre unites the classic ugly duckling with the Burmese mole that hates dirt and the Inuit bald eagle with a full head of hair. These three “misfit” heroes work together to earn their home on the King’s estate.

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

• Friday, May 11, 2018, at 12:30pm
• Prudential Hall
• Tickets: Regular $15
• Curriculum: D 
• Elegant, electrifying and marvelously athletic, this always dazzling company returns for NJPAC’s annual presentation. America’s premier modern dance company is known for its vibrant fusion of modern dance, ballet and more.

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Havana Hop!

• Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 10am & 12:30pm
• Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 10am & 12:30pm
• Friday, June 1, 2018 at 10am &12:30pm
• Prudential Hall at NJPAC
• Tickets: Regular price $8
• Curriculum: L, C, T
• This one-woman show depicts three generations of a Cuban-American family to help youngest member Yelia get ready to perform a dance number for the President.

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Ronald K Brown/Evidance

• Thursday, January 11, 2017, at 10 am & 12:30 PM
• Friday, January 12, 2017, at 10 am & 12:30 PM
• Victoria Theater
• Tickets: Regular price $8
• Curriculum: D, S
• EVIDENCE focuses on the integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. It provides a unique view of human struggles, tragedies and triumphs.

Carolyn Dorfman Dance in Dance Stories

• Grades: 3-8 
• Curriculum: D, L, H
• Single Performance: $2,500
• Back-to-Back Performance: $3,200
• Folk tales from around the world are reinterpreted through song, speech and movement in Carolyn Dorfman Dance’s signature work for children, Dance Stories.

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All the World's a Song: Shakespeare on Jazz

• Grades: 8-12
• Curriculum: L, M, H
• Single Performance: $2,500
• Award-winning composer and pianist Daniel Kelly trans- forms poetry from Shakespeare’ most beloved plays into original jazz songs. A treat for Shakespeare aficionados and beginners alike, this show will have students leaving the theater singing lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth.

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Character Rocks!

• Grades: PreK-2 
• Curriculum: L,H 
• Single Preformance: $2,000
• Back-to-Back Performances: $2,700
• Travel with Carly on a visit to the rock garden that reveals that it’s always cool to do the right thing – because Char- acter Rocks! This highly-interactive assembly teaches the components of good character, including respect, integrity, compassion and citizenship.

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Dance Therapy

• Grades: 6-12
• Curriculum: D, C, H 
• Single Performance: $1,800
• Back-to-Back Performance: $2,500
• Choreographed by Newark native Maurice Chestnut — a protégé of Savion Glover — Dance Therapy fuses the worlds of tap and modern dance to explore the impact of gun vio- lence on families and communities. The show was inspired by the story of Chestnut’s niece, killed in a drive-by shooting in Paterson.

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Hip Hop Aesop

• Grades: K-4 
• Curriculum: L, C, M, T
• Single Performance: $750 
• Back-to-Back Performance: $1,000 
• Storyteller and beatboxer D-Cross adds a beat and a modern sensibility to Aesop’s classic fables, including The Lion and The Mouse, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

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Women and the Word: A Poetic Herstory

• Grades: 5-12
• Curriculum: T, SW
• Single Performance: $1,500
• Back-to-Back Performance: 2,200
• Newark’s own Sheikia Norris — aka rapper Purple Haze — explores the mix of messages society sends girls about what it means to be a woman, and how they can silence that cacophony so they can hear their own inner voices. In this piece, the audience meets three young women locked in a school amphitheater, who challenge each other through spoken word duels celebrating womanhood and self-ex- pression.

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From Jazz to Hip Hop: Featuring the Mark Gross Quartet and DJ MIke

• Grades: 5-12
• Curriculum: H, M, C
• Single Performance: $1,800 
• Back-to-Back Performance: $2,500 
• Learn the language, rhythms and cultural significance of two of America’s greatest musical exports — jazz and hip-hop — through a musical journey that goes from swing and bebop to rap.

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Curriculum Areas:
D Dance
L Language Arts
C Multicultural
M Music
T Theater
S Social Studies
W World Languages
P Puppetry

Events are held in the Victoria Theater unless otherwise noted.

 

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