As the Pacific Ocean rises, low-lying island nations risklosing everything. Now, the performers from some ofthe smallest countries in the world, Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu, share their traditional music and dance as they stand on the front lines of climate change.

Here are some post-performance resources that you and your familymight want to explore:

Learn More About Climate ChangeThe Water is Rising website (www.waterisrising.com) providesbackground information on climate change, a list of documentariesabout the crisis of the Pacific Islanders, and basic notes on activistorganizations that work to protect the environment.

Who Else?Think about what rising water could do in the U.S.A. How much wouldthe water have to rise in order for your hometown to see a difference?What parts of the country are as low as these three island nations?(These islands are between 10 and 16 feet above sea level, onaverage.) Go online to www.waterisrising.com to find answers tosome of these questions.

Your Own Grass SkirtWhat native plants and natural resources could you use to makeyour own performance clothing? As you’ve seen, the Pacific Islanderscreate headpieces, skirts, and necklaces from leaves, shells, andflowers. See what you can create from the materials you find in yourown backyard or local park. (Without destroying anyone’s flowergarden or breaking local or federal laws, of course!)

And remember…Being a good audience member is important—just stay seated andquiet, don’t eat or drink during the performance, and watch, listen, and clap.

CuesheetP

ER

FO

RM

AN

CE

GU

IDE

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by

Performed by Pacific Artists from Kiribati, Tokelau, and TuvaluJudy Mitoma, Project Director and Curator

David M. Rubenstein

Chairman

Michael M. Kaiser

President

Darrell M. Ayers

Vice President, Education

Additional support for

Performances for YoungAudiences is provided by the

President’s Advisory Committee

on the Arts, Capital One Bank, the

Carter and Melissa Cafritz

Charitable Trust, The Clark

Charitable Foundation, Fight for

Children, Inc., Mr. James V. Kimsey,

The Kirstein Family Foundation, Inc.,

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus

Foundation, Inc., Linda and Tobia

Mercuro, The Morris and

Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation,

Park Foundation, Inc., Mrs. Irene

Pollin, Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr.

Jan A. J. Stolwijk, The Theodore H.

Barth Foundation, Inc., the U.S.

Department of Education, and the

Verizon Foundation.

Major support for the Kennedy

Center’s educational programs is

provided by David and Alice

Rubenstein through the RubensteinArts Access Program.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Cuesheets are produced by

ARTSEDGE, an education program

of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE

is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a

consortium of free educational

Web sites for K-12 teaching and

learning.

Learn more about Education at the

Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-

center.org/education

The contents of this Cuesheet do not

necessarily represent the policy of the U.S.

Department of Education, and you should

not assume endorsement by the Federal

Government.

© 2011 The John F. Kennedy Center for the

Performing Arts

Please recycle this Cuesheet by

sharing it with friends!

Water is RisingTe Waa Mai, a

60-member Kiribati dance group, was founded in

2009 and has already been invited to perform in the

U.S.A., Taiwan, and Peru.

23604_WaterIsRising:23604_WaterIsRising 10/10/11 11:45 AM Page 4

Water, Water, EverywhereIn Water is Rising, you’ll see 36 Pacific Islanders performtraditional songs and dances thatrepresent their connection withnature and their ancestors. Theshow displays photographs andpoetic texts from three islandnations, Kiribati (pronouncedKEER-a-bass), Tokelau (TOKE-allow), and Tuvalu (too-VAH-loo),and aims to alert Americans to thedangers that face these nationsas global water levels rise.

Why Is the Water Rising? Climate is what the weather looks like in a certainregion over years. When weather patterns show bigshifts, we say there’s “climate change.”

Over the past two hundred years, human pollution,including coal, cars, landfills, and fertilizers, amongother things, have contributed to a higher globaltemperature. Today, when scientists discuss climatechange, they’re usually talking about this warming trend.

As Earth’s temperature increases, our water expands—and rises. Glaciers melt, adding to the water. That’snot great if you like to lie on the beach. But imaginewhat it means when your entire country is low-lying.Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu are all between 10 and 16feet above sea level. In other words, as our climatechanges, they have a lot to to lose.

Tuvalu performers make

their costumes from various tree leaves, shells,

and flowers.

What You’ll See and HearAt the Performance…

Watch for:

O Projected images representing themost important elements of islanders’ lives. These include scenes of village life, family, church, the ocean, and the lagoon.

O Supertitles (words that appear nearthe stage) that translate the poetictexts sung by the performers.

O Native costumes made by the performers from finely woven leaves, palm tree branches, shells,and flowers.

Listen for:

O Voices singing with multi-part harmonies.

O Men drumming with open hands on a large wooden box.

AUSTRALIA

HAWAI I

NEWZEA

LAN

D

E Q U A T O R

Kiribati’s inhabitants are known as the I-Kiribati.

Their country is made up of 33 separate islands, with I-Kiribati

living on 21 of them. (The other 12 islands are

uninhabited.)

Tokelau can only be reached by ship from

Samoa, a trip that takes 30 to 35 hours!

Tuvalu is the fourth-smallest

country in the world. Do you know which countries are smaller?

For instance, Washington D.C. is six times the size of

Tuvalu. (See the lower corner of this page for the answer.)

On the Other Side of the World Tens of thousands of islands dot the Pacific Ocean.Among them are Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu. Allthree are made up of atolls (AT-awls), which are coralislands that surround lagoons.

ATOLLL A G O O N

SAMOA

In order of increasing size, the smallest countries in the world are Vatican City (.2 square miles), Monaco (.7 square miles), and the Pacific island of Nauru (8.5 square miles).

23604_WaterIsRising:23604_WaterIsRising 10/10/11 11:46 AM Page 2

Water, Water, EverywhereIn Water is Rising, you’ll see 36 Pacific Islanders performtraditional songs and dances thatrepresent their connection withnature and their ancestors. Theshow displays photographs andpoetic texts from three islandnations, Kiribati (pronouncedKEER-a-bass), Tokelau (TOKE-allow), and Tuvalu (too-VAH-loo),and aims to alert Americans to thedangers that face these nationsas global water levels rise.

Why Is the Water Rising? Climate is what the weather looks like in a certainregion over years. When weather patterns show bigshifts, we say there’s “climate change.”

Over the past two hundred years, human pollution,including coal, cars, landfills, and fertilizers, amongother things, have contributed to a higher globaltemperature. Today, when scientists discuss climatechange, they’re usually talking about this warming trend.

As Earth’s temperature increases, our water expands—and rises. Glaciers melt, adding to the water. That’snot great if you like to lie on the beach. But imaginewhat it means when your entire country is low-lying.Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu are all between 10 and 16feet above sea level. In other words, as our climatechanges, they have a lot to to lose.

Tuvalu performers make

their costumes from various tree leaves, shells,

and flowers.

What You’ll See and HearAt the Performance…

Watch for:

O Projected images representing themost important elements of islanders’ lives. These include scenes of village life, family, church, the ocean, and the lagoon.

O Supertitles (words that appear nearthe stage) that translate the poetictexts sung by the performers.

O Native costumes made by the performers from finely woven leaves, palm tree branches, shells,and flowers.

Listen for:

O Voices singing with multi-part harmonies.

O Men drumming with open hands on a large wooden box.

AUSTRALIA

HAWAI I

NEWZEA

LAN

D

E Q U A T O R

Kiribati’s inhabitants are known as the I-Kiribati.

Their country is made up of 33 separate islands, with I-Kiribati

living on 21 of them. (The other 12 islands are

uninhabited.)

Tokelau can only be reached by ship from

Samoa, a trip that takes 30 to 35 hours!

Tuvalu is the fourth-smallest

country in the world. Do you know which countries are smaller?

For instance, Washington D.C. is six times the size of

Tuvalu. (See the lower corner of this page for the answer.)

On the Other Side of the World Tens of thousands of islands dot the Pacific Ocean.Among them are Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu. Allthree are made up of atolls (AT-awls), which are coralislands that surround lagoons.

ATOLLL A G O O N

SAMOA

In order of increasing size, the smallest countries in the world are Vatican City (.2 square miles), Monaco (.7 square miles), and the Pacific island of Nauru (8.5 square miles).

23604_WaterIsRising:23604_WaterIsRising 10/10/11 11:46 AM Page 2

As the Pacific Ocean rises, low-lying island nations risklosing everything. Now, the performers from some ofthe smallest countries in the world, Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu, share their traditional music and dance as they stand on the front lines of climate change.

Here are some post-performance resources that you and your familymight want to explore:

Learn More About Climate ChangeThe Water is Rising website (www.waterisrising.com) providesbackground information on climate change, a list of documentariesabout the crisis of the Pacific Islanders, and basic notes on activistorganizations that work to protect the environment.

Who Else?Think about what rising water could do in the U.S.A. How much wouldthe water have to rise in order for your hometown to see a difference?What parts of the country are as low as these three island nations?(These islands are between 10 and 16 feet above sea level, onaverage.) Go online to www.waterisrising.com to find answers tosome of these questions.

Your Own Grass SkirtWhat native plants and natural resources could you use to makeyour own performance clothing? As you’ve seen, the Pacific Islanderscreate headpieces, skirts, and necklaces from leaves, shells, andflowers. See what you can create from the materials you find in yourown backyard or local park. (Without destroying anyone’s flowergarden or breaking local or federal laws, of course!)

And remember…Being a good audience member is important—just stay seated andquiet, don’t eat or drink during the performance, and watch, listen, and clap.

CuesheetP

ER

FO

RM

AN

CE

GU

IDE

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by

Performed by Pacific Artists from Kiribati, Tokelau, and TuvaluJudy Mitoma, Project Director and Curator

David M. Rubenstein

Chairman

Michael M. Kaiser

President

Darrell M. Ayers

Vice President, Education

Additional support for

Performances for YoungAudiences is provided by the

President’s Advisory Committee

on the Arts, Capital One Bank, the

Carter and Melissa Cafritz

Charitable Trust, The Clark

Charitable Foundation, Fight for

Children, Inc., Mr. James V. Kimsey,

The Kirstein Family Foundation, Inc.,

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus

Foundation, Inc., Linda and Tobia

Mercuro, The Morris and

Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation,

Park Foundation, Inc., Mrs. Irene

Pollin, Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr.

Jan A. J. Stolwijk, The Theodore H.

Barth Foundation, Inc., the U.S.

Department of Education, and the

Verizon Foundation.

Major support for the Kennedy

Center’s educational programs is

provided by David and Alice

Rubenstein through the RubensteinArts Access Program.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Cuesheets are produced by

ARTSEDGE, an education program

of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE

is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a

consortium of free educational

Web sites for K-12 teaching and

learning.

Learn more about Education at the

Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-

center.org/education

The contents of this Cuesheet do not

necessarily represent the policy of the U.S.

Department of Education, and you should

not assume endorsement by the Federal

Government.

© 2011 The John F. Kennedy Center for the

Performing Arts

Please recycle this Cuesheet by

sharing it with friends!

Water is RisingTe Waa Mai, a

60-member Kiribati dance group, was founded in

2009 and has already been invited to perform in the

U.S.A., Taiwan, and Peru.

23604_WaterIsRising:23604_WaterIsRising 10/10/11 11:45 AM Page 4