Performance Guide - Walton Arts Center

MS+
Middle School & Up | Performance Guide
SPIN
Photo Credit: Jeremy Mimnagh
SPIN, part indie music concert, part performance poetry, part history
lesson, celebrates the bicycle as muse, musical instrument and
agent of social change. Inspired by the incredible true tale of Annie
Londonderry – the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle
in 1894 – artist Evalyn Parry spins a web of stories which travel from
19th century women’s emancipation to the present with its emphasis
on consumer culture. Parry’s co-star is a vintage bicycle suspended on
a mechanic’s stand, outfitted with electronic pick-ups and played on
stage by percussionist Brad Hart. Hart’s textured sonic environment
accompanies Parry’s songs and monologues.
Ideas for Curriculum Connections
CCSS: SL.5.1, 2, 3, 4 and 5; L.5.3b, 4a, 5a and 5b.
Fine Arts Standards in Theatre: CR.2.5-8.2; R.7.58.1; R.8.5-8.1; CN.10.5-8.1; CN.11.5-8.3.
Photo Credit: SPIN
The Story
“I believe the bicycle has done more to emancipate women than
anything else in the world” – Susan B. Anthony, 1896
This quote by one of the most famous 19th century Civil Rights
activists led Evalyn Parry to create SPIN. This show takes the audience
back to the 1890’s, the decade known as ‘The Golden Age of the Bicycle’.
The automobile had yet to be invented and women’s access to horses was
limited because they were dangerous, difficult to control and women
were expected to ride sidesaddle. Bicycles, by comparison, were affordable
and easy to manipulate. There was no reason a woman couldn’t get on a
bike and pedal as far as she wished.
With the bicycle craze came a relaxation of social traditions. Women
were now allowed to socialize outside of the confines of their homes and
away from the prying eyes of chaperones. It also led to the adoption of
more comfortable dress. Because the corsets and heavy petticoats were
impractical and could become entangled in the bicycle’s chain, women
needed to wear shorter skirts and even a new garment, bloomers! And
along with all of this new mobility came the first massive involvement of
women in physical fitness.
The Performance
Through a series of songs played live on a vintage bicycle and electric
guitar, Evalyn Parry takes her audience on an innovative musical and
SPIN/ Performance Guide
theatrical journey about women, cycling and liberation. She begins with
the story of her first bicycle ride before rewinding to 1894 and the true
story of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world
on a bicycle. From here, Parry’s songs and stories travel from the 19th
century women’s emancipation to 21st century consumer culture.
The Artists
Creator Evalyn Parry is a multi-award-winning Canadian theatre artist,
songwriter and spoken word poet. Her genre-blurring work is inspired
by intersections of history, autobiography and contemporary social
activism. Over the last decade she has created seven original performance
works, released four CD’s and has performed her unique combination of
music and spoken word at festivals, theatres, schools and campuses
internationally. Education is also a vital part of her artistic practice and
she is skilled workshop leader who uses performance, creative writing,
music and theatre to empower students of all ages.
In SPIN, Parry is accompanied by a two person band. Percussionist Brad
Hart plays a bicycle as a musical instrument. He uses drum sticks,
brushes and bows to play on different parts of a rusty 1972 CCM
suspended on a stand. On the opposite side of the stage, sound artist
Anna Friz plays a variety of instruments ranging from the more
traditional accordion and harmonica to the unusual such as an amplified
bike light.
Learning Activities
Before the performance
Listen to the story
Show the story: Tableau
In 1881, American bicycle racer Elsa von
The bicycle craze in the 1890s also led to a
“From bloomers to bikes
Bluemen said “success in life depends as
movement for so-called rational dress, which
to women gaining their rights.”
much upon a vigorous and healthy body
helped liberate women from corsets, ankle-
-Evalyn Parry in Amelia Bloomer Sings for Fashion Reform
as upon a clear and active mind.” This was
length skirts and other restrictive garments,
The rational dress movement did more than
quite a statement considering the Victorian
substituting the then-shocking bloomers.
allow women greater freedom of movement
lady rarely exercised or engaged in physical
Amelia Bloomer, the first woman to own and
for physical activity. Eventually, bloomers
activity. It was fashionable to be helpless
publish a newspaper in the USA and a leader
became associated with the women’s rights
and frail and one contributing factor to the
in the rational dress movement, is credited
movement. Once women were free of their
frailty of the Victorian lady was clothing.
with popularizing these long, loose pants.
heavy, restrictive clothing, they were able to
Research the clothing style of time period
Listen to Evalyn Parry’s song
from 1880-1895 and compare the styles to
Amelia
2015. What are the most important changes
Fashion Reform.
do as much as their male counterparts and
in clothing styles over time?
Bloomer
Sings
to show just why they deserved equal rights.
for
Ask students to work in groups to create
tableaus, or moving pictures. In the first
tableau, In one minute, think, share and plan
a tableau showing women’s activities prior
to the rational clothing movement. In the
next tableau, show a new activity for women
made possible by social reform, including
changes in dress.
Write and Speak About It
“Would you want to be a girl in 1895!
Would you want to be a girl, would you want to be a lady!
Well keep in mind your rights and freedoms, baby!”
-Evalyn Parry in Would You Want to be a Girl
In SPIN, Evalyn Parry created spoken word poetry and set it to music.
Spoken word involves one or more people performing a poem, using voice,
gesture, rhythm and pacing to enhance its meaning. There are no formal
rules or structures to writing spoken word poetry; informal language and
free verse can be used for deliberate effect. While it can be about any topic,
it lends itself well to social justice issues, such as those in SPIN.
Like Evalyn Parry and Annie Londonderry, we all have issues that are
important to us. Invite students to create their own spoken word poem. Keep
a rhyming dictionary, thesarus and computer near by.
1.Start by writing without editing for 10 minutes. Write fast or slow, but
don’t prejudge your ideas. Don’t stop until time is up.
2.Next, rewrite. Edit and re-edit your work playing with the flow and beat
of the lines. Choose precise words and bold phrases to make your meaning
clear.
3.Read the poem out loud to know how the words feel in your mouth
and sound in your ears. After you are comfortable with it, read it to a
partner. Work on pitch (high or low sound tone), intonation (the melody
established by varying patterns of pitch) and pace (the speed of speech).
Use body language, gesture and facial expression to enhance the words.
4.Finally, perform! Be aware of your audience and speak to them.
Photo Credit: SPIN
[email protected] / www.waltonartscenter.org
Volume 13 Number 16
Colgate Classroom Series performances
help students meet Common Core
Standards.
Reflect and Assess
Photo credit: SPIN
Home
Photo credit: Old Spokes
Ask the following questions. Record the group’s answers on the board and discuss.
Learn more at:
www.waltonartscenter.org
• What did you notice about the music of SPIN?
• Describe the characters. Who were they? What were they doing? Why?
• How did the music help tell the story?
Walton Arts Center
• How did the performance make you feel?
Learning & Engagement
• Would you have performed the story differently? How?
Laura Goodwin, Vice President
• How did the bicycle open up new opportunities for women?
Dr. Patricia Relph, Arts Learning Specialist
• What do you think were some arguments against women getting the right to vote?
Sallie Zazal, Schools Coordinator
• What do you think would have happened if women had given up on their goals when
Mallory Barker, Schools Concierge
met with negativity?
Learn More Online
Fayetteville is a bicycle friendly community. Find a National Bike Month schedule
and bike routes here: http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/1495/Bicycling
Find us on Facebook!
Walton Arts Center Learning & Engagement
Most of the information about Annie in SPIN comes from Peter Zheutlin’s book
Around the World on Two Wheels: http://www.annielondonderry.com
Evalyn Parry is an award-winning theatre creator, songwriter and spoken-word
poet based in Toronto, Canada: http://evalynparry.com/
Walton Arts Center 2015-16 Learning
programming is generously supported by
these funders, sponsors and benefactors:
Education Sponsors:
CDI Contractors, Inc.
Colgate-Palmolive
Crayola
J.B. Hunt Transport
Murphy Consulting, Inc.
Octagon
Prairie Grove Telephone Co.
Shipley Motor Company
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Unilever
Education Grantors:
Arkansas Arts Council
Arkansas Community
Foundation
Bank of America
SPIN/ Performance Guide
Mary Lynn Reese
Education Benefactors:
Susan & Tom Schallhorn
Patty & Serrhel Adams
Jeff & Eileen Schomburger
Bob & Becky Alexander
Baum Charitable Foundation
Carl & Tammy Shipley
Ted & Leslie Belden
The John F. Kennedy Center
Mark & Diane Simmons
James & Rachel Blankenship
for the Performing Arts
Mechelle & Jack Sinclair
Wade Burnside & Janet Baker
Murphy Foundation
Barbara Taylor
Chip & Susan Chambers
Roy & Christine Sturgis
Kirk Thompson
Marybeth Cornwell & Rick Hays
Charitable Trust
Jerry & Brenda Walton
Nick & Carolyn Cole
Walmart Foundation
Jim & Lynne Walton
Jon & Joanie Dyer
The Walton Family
Dr. & Mrs. John B. Weiss
Fred & Barbara Frye
Foundation
Buddy & Linda Wray
Phoebe Goodwin
Murray & Judy Harris
Education Partners:
Rick & Marybeth Hayes
Crystal Bridges Museum of
Arkansas Arts Council is an
Malcolm & Ellen Hayward
American Art
agency of the Department of
Rich & Kristin Kley
Northwest Arkansas Education
Arkansas Heritage and the
Greg & Hannah Lee
Service Cooperative
National Endowment for the Arts
Peter K. Leer & Family
Center for Children & Youth
Neal & Gina Pendergraft