The Immigrant

Program description

The Immigrant-
How following my dream of becoming a mime, landed me with a higher education in the USA.

I am a performer of stories with over 30 years’ experience in premier venues in the US and around the world. I am also a Latino immigrant with Afro and European descent with an American Citizenship since four days after 9/11. Now, that is a story all in itself.

My performance goes

...

The Immigrant-
How following my dream of becoming a mime, landed me with a higher education in the USA.

I am a performer of stories with over 30 years’ experience in premier venues in the US and around the world. I am also a Latino immigrant with Afro and European descent with an American Citizenship since four days after 9/11. Now, that is a story all in itself.

My performance goes deep on what the pursuit of happiness really means to someone’s life and the kind (double meaning here) world we can create for ourselves. My presentation for Middle and High schools is a well crafted motivational speech using the power of stories, both fiction and non-fiction to inspire kids to live their full potential. The reason why they are here on Earth.

I grasp students’ attention right at the start, as I lure them in with extremely precise mime moves that I have been doing for 35 years. Then I tell them of my childhood dream of becoming a mime back in Brazil in the early 1980s, and my parents’ reaction to it which was: “We don’t care what you become as long as you are happy and kind to others”. The whole show is based on that opening line.

By the time the show is over, the kids walk away with tools on how to better manage their anxiety about life and their pursuit of happiness while carving a kind life for themselves and the ones who surround them.

My immigration story also touches on healthy living through following ones dream while being kind. If you do what you don’t love you become unhappy and unkind, thus creating great amounts of anxiety and depression, and, a life of looking forward to a Friday, complaining of a short weekend, and dreading Monday mornings. What if you could live a life where there was no difference between weekdays and weekends all the while having a fulfilling career. The secret for a successful adult living is not only what you are going to do, but rather on how you will feel while doing it. As Confucius once said: “ Do what you love and you don’t have to work a day in your life”. So, when asking what you want to be when you grow up, the answer should be simply: Happy!

Kids in MS are anxious about how in HS will be. Kids in HS are anxious about what life after HS will be. The fear of the unknown is the source of many mental disorders. No, forget about the unknown and start being happy now. Focus on what brings you join. Yes, we have to do a lot of things that are not joyful: taxes, study for finals, papers, take out the trash….the list is long. But, if you see those tasks as a “ticket” for a good and happy living, they do not become so problematic. If you do what you love, paying taxes is not such a big problem, because you are not so connected to the money, but rather with what you do. Studying for a final, becomes less problematic if you see a connection of the subject to be studied with the simple fact that it is a ticket for your graduation.

The above statements have a lot to do with a Healthy Behavior. How you see life has a direct correlation with how healthy your behavior is. Life can be dreadful if we focus on the unknowns of tomorrow or a tremendous and beautiful adventure if we would focus more on the presents of today. After all, that is why today it is called a “Present”.

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Booking / scheduling contact

Antonio Rocha

207 329 0849

antoniorochastoryteller@gmail.com

Program Detail

Program type: Assembly/Performance

Artistic Discipline: Storytelling

Cultural Origin: Latino

Subject: Theatre Arts

Population served: Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9

Bilingual: Yes

Available dates:

Fall and Spring depending on how many schools can be schedule in consecutive dates.
I live in Maine and all the fees published include all travel and lodging expenses. However in order for it to work I must book schools in consecutive dates with a minimum of three days.

Available times:

Morning and Afternoon.

Max number of students: 300

Length of program: 45 to 50 minute

Space / technical requirements:

Empty space with a sound system so that I can plug in my Microphone.

Location(s):

Gyms or auditoriums. Preferably on stage.

Fees / Ticketing:

Fees: $800 for a single show , $1,200 for a back to back in the same school and $1,400 for three programs.

EDUCATION STANDARDS

NC Standard Course of Study:

RL.8.9 Compare themes, patterns of events, and characters across two or more stories or dramas. My presentation is perfect for such activities. The stories are not only entertaining but very educational and insightful.

RL.5.9 Compare stories with similar topics or themes. My program offers varied stories that fall under the same theme and are perfect for a post show activity in comparison.

P.C.1.2 Apply vocal elements of volume, pitch, rate, tone, articulation, and vocal expression to develop characters. This is what storytelling is all about.

9.PCH.1.7 Differentiate between the lifelong effects of positive and negative health behaviors.

NC Essential Standards:

2.L.1 Understand animal life cycles.

2.L.1.1 Summarize the life cycle of animals including: • Birth • Developing into an adult • Reproducing • Aging and death When I perform the pantomime of the life cycle of a caterpillar, the kids learn how to do it and it integrates science straight to their gesture and muscle memory. It is a visual and hands on experience.

3.G.1 Understand the earth’s patterns by using the 5 themes of geography: (location, place, human environment interaction, movement and regions). In my CrossRoads program I tell stories from around the world and teach several facts on why things are built and people get dressed depending on what the geography of the environment has to offer. Such as having to have basements in Maine and tornados shelter in Texas. Why Igloos in the Arctic and huts in the jungles. I am a geo enthusiast having visited 40 countries on 6 continents including hiking to the summit of Kilimanjaro and to Machu Picchu.

1.C.1 Understand the diversity of people in the local community. As an immigrant from South America and a storyteller, I always bring to kids attention the importance of respect to diversity and how that is what makes the world beautiful.

Supporting Materials

Teacher's Guide

Teachers-guide-Middle-School-1.pdf

Qualifications

Conducts educational programming for 2 or more years: Yes

Performs criminal background checks on staff with youth contact: Yes

Maintains general liability insurance (Individuals and organizations listed in this Directory can provide proof of insurance upon request. ASC does not hold copies of current documentation for providers): Yes

Three letters of recommendation / references available: Yes

Provides study guides for teachers and or students: Yes

Connects to State and or Common Core Curriculum Standards: Yes

Provides scholarship and reduced fees: Yes

Conducts ongoing assessments of program quality: Yes

PHOTOS

In Performance.

References

…….”Antonio’s performances [….] are
absolutely captivating and magical. When he brings these skills and talents into a
school, the children respond with excitement and an openness and curiosity to
the performing arts. I have collaborated with Antonio […]
and every time his lessons have surpassed my expectations and have inspired a new generation of artists. His love of storytelling and his 30 plus years of dedication to his craft make him a highly sought after storyteller nationally and internationally and we are fortunate to have him here in Maine.

Kelley Nogar
Title I Educator
Ocean Avenue Elementary School
nogark@portlandschools.org
(207) 318-1709

____________________________________________________________

“Antonio Rocha is a warm, compassionate channeler of important stories who can touch any audience. His stories are meaningful and resonant. He is tender and fierce. He uses every tool at his disposal — his face, his voice, his body — in service of the tale to be told. Most importantly, to me, is his acute awareness of the audience with whom he is working. His stories shift and change to meet them halfway, whoever they are, whatever age they are, whatever mood they bring in the door. He is a master.”

Mark Lutwak – Former Director of Education
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

_____________________________________________________________

……”As the storyteller master that Mr. Rocha is, he safely guides the audience through laughter, sadness, anger, and joy. The audience increases their emotional and mental agility, developing compassion for characters and settings that are historically unfamiliar and unknown.

His artistic expression has become a phenomenal addition to the art of storytelling. His performances add cultural diversity, international folktales, and builds community…….. ”

Mayra J. Diaz
Assistant Director Public Services & Festival Director

972-292-5614 | mdiaz@friscotexas.gov

Cancellation Policy

If the show is cancelled after the contract has been signed, the artist requires 50% of the fee.
The artist will travel from Maine to your area and has to incur travel expenses which are already included in the publish fees. The artist fee is at block booking discount and in order for it to keep at this cost, the artist must organize the schools on consecutive days with a minimum of three days.