ARTISTS DELIGHT, AMAZE PUPILS.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

For 10-year-old Michael Montoya, Monday's field trip to the Civic Arts Plaza meant more than just missing class.

``I've never seen anything like this. This is my first time in the theater,'' said Michael, a fourth-grader at Flory School in Moorpark.

More than 1,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students sat in the auditorium of the Charles E. Probst Center, watching wide-eyed as the Makoche troupe of American Indian artists and dancers shared traditional songs, costumes and stories.

The morning performance kicked off the Ventura County Children's Festival, an annual series of cultural and artistic performances that has drawn students, teachers and parents from Ventura and Los Angeles counties since it began seven years ago.

Sponsored by the Ventura County superintendent of schools, the series helps teachers bring literature and history lessons to life through performance, said Brian Bemel, performing arts specialist with the superintendent's office and producer of the annual lineup.

``We try to find performances that relate to what the kids are studying in the classroom,'' Bemel said. ``Our biggest goal is to really bring arts education back into the schools, and performances like these are one piece of that.''

Upcoming performances include those based on popular works of literature, including ``Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing'' and ``Jack and the Beanstalk,'' as well as performances that illuminate cultures such as the Black Umfalosi from Zimbabwe.

For Pat Bachamp, fifth-grade teacher at Flory Elementary, the Makoche performance was an opportunity to start a new chapter in social studies with a memorable lesson.

``I'm using this as a starting point to initiate my class into Native American studies,'' she said. ``This gives the students a taste of the dancing and the spiritual life of Native American cultures. These kinds of performances inspire a lot of kids. They remember what they saw here when they're back in the classroom.''

Wendy McAdam, a social studies teacher at the Phoenix Ranch private school in Simi Valley, said the performance supplements textbook lessons.

``This gives them a way to connect. They're not just reading about it in the books but also seeing it for themselves,'' McAdam said.

The one-hour performance featured traditional women's and men's dances to the drum and song of Melvin Young Bear, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe from Eagle Butte, S.D.

It culminated in a hoop dance by Kevin Locke, a traditional Sioux flute player and hoop dancer from North Dakota. Locke explained that the 28 colorful hoops he dances with represent the many different ethnicities in the world.

The performance also featured traditional songs performed by Ulali, a trio of a cappella singers who blend traditional and contemporary music of the American Indians.

``Education is part of what we do,'' said Soni Moreno, a member of the trio.

``Children often don't get the information about culture from their schools. They get more from seeing the dances and hearing the songs themselves,'' Moreno said.

For more information or a schedule of performances, call [phone].

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--color) A member of the Makoche troupe dances Monday in full costume in the auditorium of the Charles E. Probst Center.

(2) Dancer Kevin Locke performs the American Indian hoop dance.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News