BMUFSD: ZUZU Acrobats Perform At Todd Elementary School

Press release from the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District:

2024-06-03

The gymnasium at Todd Elementary School was recently transformed into a makeshift circus ring, when ZUZU acrobats performed at a school-wide assembly, showcasing their incredible acrobatic skills.

The performance, which was part of the Multicultural Day celebration at the school, included human pyramids, body contortions, juggling acts and African dancing, all set to traditional African music.

The group, which hails from Tanzania, performed on the bare floor, eschewing safety measures, such as ropes or mats during the acts.

“I have seen acrobats before, but not like this,” said fourth grader Robbie Dubitsky. “This group didn’t use safety equipment at all, and I like daring acts like that. I also loved the music; it helped make the acts cooler because of the African beats.”

Prior to the performance, students learned information about the country of Tanzania, doing various projects.

Students in kindergarten and first grade colored the Tanzanian flag or made a collage of Tanzanian animals, landmarks or symbols inside an outline of the country.

Older students wrote facts and drew decorations inside the outline.

“I made a poster about Tanzania and learned about the food and animals in that country,” Robbie said. “I love that the school always brings different types of performances. It makes you learn more about real life and the amazing stuff that’s out there.”

“We are always trying to bring different cultures to Multicultural Day, and we typically look for something related to music or dancing,” said Todd ENL teacher LeeLee Wong, who is one of the Multicultural Committee liaisons. “This was a good opportunity to expose the students to Tanzania and to show that Africa is not uniform, but rather made up of various cultures and languages. It was great for the students to see an acrobatic performance of this magnitude, blended with the African music.”

According to Ms. Wong, one of the goals of the Multicultural Committee is for students to make connections to their own lives and see that, although we have different cultures, we also have similarities.

“We also want to show students that there is a world out there and that, even if we won’t get to visit those countries specifically, we can always learn about other places and see similarities,” she said. “Our own country is blended and we can see different cultures all around us and treasure that.”

Robbie, who is managing editor of the school’s newspaper, “The Todd Times,” hopes ZUZU Acrobats will perform again next year.

“If they come again, I will definitely write about them for the newspaper,” he said.

The Todd Multicultural Day Fair will take place on Saturday, June 8 from 1pm-3pm at the school gymnasium. The event will feature a DJ, as well as games, crafts and treats from around the world.

This press release was produced by the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.