Welcome to Global Arts: Performances for Schools
Global Arts features the best in national and international performing arts events for school audiences. Global Arts performances give students the opportunity to experience the world through music, dance, theater, and circus arts. These performances introduce new cultures and perspectives while helping students build curiosity, think critically, and better understand the world around them. At a time when connection and understanding matter more than ever, the arts provide a powerful way for students to engage with ideas beyond their own experience.
Each Global Arts performance is designed to engage students through sound, movement, and storytelling. These elements bring ideas to life in ways that are immediate and memorable. Live performance offers a shared experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom setting.
All Global Arts performances begin at 10 a.m. and run approximately fifty minutes, allowing students to return to campus within the school day.
Tickets are just $10 for students, teachers, and chaperones.
For information about potential sources of funding to help your school group attend a Global Arts performance, visit our resources page.
Registration for 2026-2027 Global Arts performances opens on Monday, August 17.
If you have questions about Global Arts performance, please contact Elizabeth Gittens, director of education and engagement, egittens@umass.edu.
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Monday, November 9
Sugar Skull: A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure
Sugar Skull: A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure
Bowker Auditorium
Recommended for elementary and middle school
In this bilingual/bicultural musical, traditional regional music and dance from Mexico help tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos.
Thursday, February 11
Yamato: The Drummers of Japan
Yamato: The Drummers of Japan
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall
Recommended for all grade levels
Taiko drumming, a modern art form with ancient roots, incorporates expert musicianship with athleticism, intricate choreography, and irresistible energy. From their home base in Asuka-mura Nara Prefecture, Yamato have spread out across the world, bringing taiko to audiences in fifty-four countries through more than 4,700 performances.
Thursday, March 11
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Bowker Auditorium
Recommended for upper elementary, middle school, and high school
Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been performing its distinctive brand of South African a cappella music for more than sixty years. The group's style is rooted in isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-Ya), a singing style developed in mines where black workers were taken to work far away from their homes and their families. Ladysmith's music carries the traditional themes of community, resilience, and shared identity into the modern world.
Monday, April 5
The Peking Acrobats
The Peking Acrobats
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall
Recommended for all grade levels
The Peking Acrobats have defined Chinese acrobatics for more than three decades. Through breathtaking physical skill and theatrical staging, the troupe's performers bring centuries‑old Chinese acrobatic traditions to life. Combining traditional music with high-tech special effects and awe-inspiring acrobatic feats, the company creates an exuberant event with the festive pageantry of a Chinese carnival.