The Passport Project Global Dance & Music Collective: An ethnically diverse group of professional artists who perform and teach music and dance from around the world, the group inspires celebration of various cultures by bridging perceived gaps of difference.

The Global Dance & Music Collective (GDMC) has its home base at the Passport Project Global Community Arts Center where the members, with additional artists, offer classes in music, dance, visual art and technology with a multicultural focus. The Collective performs in free community events which Passport Project hosts, including our annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., furthering the mission of Passport Project by putting a diverse face on the celebration of culture. While usually W. African dance or Irish Dance or Asian Indian Music is presented by a homogeneous group of people of the particular culture, the GDMC presents culture as a celebration that is inclusive of all. We perform music and dance from the following cultures/countries: Peru, Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Spain, India, the Middle East, USA, France, Jamaica, Brazil, Cuba, Choctaw Indian and Puerto Rico, and we add to our repertory regularly.

In both teaching and performance situations, we speak of the rhythm that connects us all—and from which all music and dance springs—the heartbeat. The members of the group are experienced educators, and when possible, we teach classes of dance, music, poetry and visual art in conjunction with our performances. Passport Project has numerous instruments that we share with students in all settings.

The GDMC has taught and performed in numerous school districts in the region—extensively in Cleveland, S. Euclid/ Lyndhurst and Shaker Heights, and as far away as South Carolina where the group taught children of Gullah descent -- and at community events such as Tri-C JazzFest (2003, 2004, 2006), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum’s World and Latin American Festivals; the Children’s International Games (3 performances); at Cleveland City Hall for kick-off events for Cleveland’s Multicultural and Latin American celebrations; and for benefits and corporate events.

The GDMC designs new programs for various events, such “Dancing Through Time in the Big Easy,” an interactive performance of the music and dance of the cultures that shaped the land that is now New Orleans. The piece was performed for 2300 children during the April 2006 Tri-C JazzFest.