Wise Monkey, Foolish Crocodile
Grades: K-6
Audience Maximum: 300

Wise Monkey, Foolish Crocodile – Available as Day-Long School Residency or Performance only

This spectacular performance brings young audiences the music, the movement and the colourful, compelling storytelling of East Indian folk and classical dance. Menaka Thakkar and her company of Canada's finest dancers offer a program that illustrates the diversity and richness of India's ancient cultures while guiding young audiences to see its power as a contemporary art form.
Wise Monkey, Foolish Crocodile is a timeless story from the classic Panchatantra tales. It is a children's dance drama based upon creative dance movements that illustrate several dance styles.

The lively tale is of a husband and wife crocodile and their relationship with their friend the monkey. The husband crocodile is put in a situation where he is forced to be loyal to his wife or loyal to the monkey. However, the wife's loyalty is based on greed and the monkey's loyalty is based on genuine friendship. The husband crocodile makes the wrong decision, and chooses greed over friendship. The wife crocodile tries to tempt the monkey. The monkey exclaims he is not like the floppy eared donkey. The forest animals do not know the tale of the floppy eared donkey. A tale within a tale takes place. In the end, the crocodile loses his friend the monkey and upsets his wife.

Curriculum Focus & Expectations

Themes

• Loyalty and friendship
• Making the right choice
• Cultural diversity in dance, and
• Storytelling

Expectations

• Learn about storytelling, non-verbal communication, folktales and fables from different cultures
• Describe aspects of dance from a variety of cultures (e.g. style, costume, music, forms, steps, positions)
• Identify themes and subjects found in drama and drama works, and make links between these and their own experiences
• Explain the use of symbolism in dance works (e.g. gestures, eye and head movement in Classical Indian dance)

Tour Availability

• September 28-October 30, 2009: Ontario-School Programs.
• November 2-November 13, 2009: Ontario-School Programs.
• March 1-March 13, 2010 : Ontario-School Programs.
• March 22-April 9, 2010: Ontario-School Programs.
• April 19-May 28, 2010: Ontario-School Programs.

For Ontario-School bookings contact
Prologue for the Performing Arts, (416) 591-9092 or 1-888-591-9092

For performances in theatre venues, cultural places, museums, festivals or
to book any performance outside of Ontario
contact Leslie Bertin, Touring Coordinator, (905) 763-6083, ext. 22

Technical Requirements:

• Clean wooden or tile floor (25' x 30')
• Minimum room temperature 25°C
• Request for gymnasium to be heated night before performance and made available all day.
 

View a Video Describing This Programme
[Length of Video: about 42 minutes]