Seeds of Toil -Educational Booklet

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MychildhoodwasfilledwiththeworryofhowAsian AmericanshadbeenwronglytreatedandI wonderedhowthesehistoricaleventswere whitewashedfromthecanonofAmericanhistory Myfamilyhistoryandchildhoodrealizationsshaped myunderstandingoftheAsianAmericanexperience andformedadeepdedicationtosharing,through dance,thediversestoriesofresiliencefromour communities.

MyfamilyimmigratedtoHawaiiin1903onthe steamshipGaelic.Theywereamongthefirst102 KoreanstoarrivetotheplantationsofHawaiiwhere theybecameindenturedagriculturalworkersonthe sugarandpineappleplantationsoftheDelMonte corporation Forthreegenerationstheyworkedthe fields WhenIwasachildIaskedmymotherabout thescarsonherhandsandsheansweredsimply,“I pickedpineapplesasachildandcarried50pound bagsoutofthefield”

IfirstlearnedabouttheimprisonmentofJapanese AmericanslivingontheWestCoastwhenIwastold thatmychildhoodneighborhoodinSantaFe,NM, wasbuiltoveraleveledJapaneseAmerican InternmentCamp.ExecutiveOrder9066(EO9066) imprisonedover120,000JapaneseAmericansand thosewithJapaneseheritageduringWWII.Many werefarmersonthewestcoastwhohadhelped buildAmerica'sthrivingagriculturalindustry Dueto EO9066theylosttheirlandandweresentto desolateprisoncampsspreadthroughoutsomeof theharshestenvironmentsofAmericaforthe durationofWWII Tounderstandthisimpact,priorto WWII,approximately90percentofagriculturalistsin CaliforniawereAsianAmerican,todaylessthan1 percentareAsianAmerican

Changeoccursthroughopenconversationand alliancesbetweencommunities Thehistoric collaborationbetweenFilipinoandMexican agriculturalworkersinthe1960’sledtotheDelano grapestrike,amajorlaborstrikeorganizedagainst tablegrapegrowerswhowereexploitingworkers. Thestrikelasted5years.ItbeganinSeptember1965 andinAugust1966,theAWOC,apredominantly FilipinolabororganizationandtheNFWA,a predominantlyMexicanlabororganizationmerged tocreatetheUnitedFarmWorkers(UFW) OrganizingCommittee InJuly1970,over10,000farm workersweregrantedvictoryfromthestrike, affordingthemsaferworkingconditions

Thiscooperationofculturalcommunities,positively changedthelandscapeofAmericanagriculture workingconditionsforever

Inthisproduction,you’ll:

ExperienceaperformancebyDanaTaiSoonBurgess DanceCompanythatexplorestheAsianAmerican experiencethroughadanceinthreesections,each ofwhichfocusonanAsianAmericanhistoricalevent

Explorethemesandconceptsfromtheshow,such astolerance,communication,activism,and collaboration

WhattoExpect: Performance

Thisdanceperformanceis approximately45-minutes longandfeaturesDanaTai SoonBurgessDance Company

Thestoriesaretoldthrough dance

Performers

Dancersusemovementand facialexpressionsto communicatethestoriesand emotions

Sound

Themusicthroughoutthe performanceislivepiano

TechnicalElements

Differentlightingeffects,video projection,andcostumesalso helptellthestory.

WhattoLookandListenfor:

SeedsofToil:Threestoriesof AsianAmericanResistance andResilienceisadancepiece thattellsthreedistinctstories thatreferenceimportantAsian Americanhistoricalmarkers andcelebratesthepresenceof AsianAmericansinthecanon ofAmericanhistory The movementsincludemodern dance,martialarts,anddance elementsthatevoketraditional dancesfromPhilippines, Mexico,andSpain.

Whilewatchingthedancers perform,lookfor:

Repeatedmovementsand patterns

Shiftsinmovementbasedon thetempoofthemusic Expressionsofjoy,sadness, andotheremotionsconveyed throughthemovement

ThePineapplePlantation

In1903KoreansarrivedtotheplantationsofHawaiiaboardtheshiptheGaelic;thefirst waveofKoreanstoimmigratetoAmerica.Theydreamedofanewlifefreefrom politicalandreligiouspersecution.ManyoftheseKoreansworkedasagricultural workerspickingsugarcaneandpineapples TheyendeduplivingontheHawaiian plantationsandworkingtirelesslyunderharshconditions.

Questionstoconsider:

Aretheremovementsthatsignifythatthedancersshareacommonbond?

Arethedancershappyorsad?

Whatarethepropsthatthedancerscarry?

ThePrisoner

ExecutiveOrder9066(EO9066)wasaUnitedStatespresidentialexecutiveordersigned byFranklinDelanorRooseveltonFebruary19,1942.EO9066createdapathforwrongful imprisonmentandlossofcivilrightsforover120,000JapaneseAmericansand individualsofJapanesedescentlivingpredominantlyonthewestcoastoftheUnited States.TheywereimprisonedindesolatelocationsinAmericaforthedurationofWWII. Theseindividualslosttheirhomesandtheirland.Manywereagriculturalistswhohad builttheCaliforniaagriculturalindustry.Thelastoftheseprisoncampswereclosedin March,1946.

Questionstoconsider:

Whodoesthefamilyrepresent?

Doesthemother,father,anddaughterseemscared?

Whyarethemaincharacters'costumesdifferentfromthechorus?

Doestheyoungwomantrytoreachoutforherfreedom?

Howwouldyoudescribethedaughter’ssolomovement?

Inthe1960’sgrapepickersinCaliforniaworkedinunsafe,underpaidconditions.Amajor coalitionbetweentheFilipinoandMexicanworkersoccurredthroughthecollaborative leadershipofLarryItliongandCesarChavez Together,theyorganizedastrikethus pressuringfarmownerstoraisetheirwagesandaddressunfairworkingconditions. TheDelanograpestrikewasamajorlaborstrikeorganizedagainsttablegrapegrowers whowereexploitingworkers.Thestrikelasted5years.ItbeganinSeptember1965and inAugust1966,theAWOCapredominantlyFilipinolabororganizationandtheNFWA,a predominantlyMexicanlabororganizationmergedtocreatetheUnitedFarmWorkers (UFW)OrganizingCommittee.InJuly1970,over10,000farmworkersweregranted victoryfromthestrike,affordingthemsaferworkingconditionsandbetterpay.

Questionstoconsider:

Whyisitimportantforcollaborationsbetweenculturalcommunitiestooccur?

DoesthemovementreflectbothFilipinoandMexicancultures?

Howwouldyoudescribethemusic?

Coalición

EducationStandardsAlignment:

NationalCoreArtsStandards

DA:Re7:Perceiveandanalyzeartisticwork

DA:Cn11:Relateartisticideasandworkswithsocietal,cultural,andhistorical contexttodeepenunderstanding.

CommonCoreStandards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2:Integrateandevaluateinformationpresentedin diversemediaandformats,includingvisually,quantitatively,andorally.

CASELCompetencies(SocialandEmotionalLearning)

SocialAwareness:Theabilitytounderstandtheperspectivesofandempathize withothers,includingthosefromdiversebackgrounds,cultures,andcontexts

RelationshipSkills:Theabilitytoestablishandmaintainhealthyandsupportive relationshipsandtoeffectivelynavigatesettingswithdiverseindividualsand groups.

ResponsibleDecision-Making:Theabilitytomakecaringandconstructivechoices aboutpersonalbehaviorandsocialinteractionsacrossdiversesituations.

Furtherreadinglist:

Strike!TheFarmWorkers’FightforTheirRightsbyLarryDaneBrimner ChinoandtheDanceoftheButterfly:AMemoirbyDanaTaiSoonBurgess SmithsonianAsianPacificAmericanHistory,Art,andCulturein101Objectsby TheodoreS Gonzalves StrangersfromaDifferentShore:AHistoryofAsianAmericansbyRonald Takaki

TheyCalledUsEnemybyGeorgeTakei

FurtherinformationaboutDanaTaiSoonBurgessDanceCompany: www.dtsbdc.org

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