Teacher Guide 115 Auditorium Circle [email protected] San Antonio, TX 78205 www.balletsanantonio.org p. (210) 404-9641 Table of Contents About Ballet San Antonio ........................................................................................................... 3 Mission Statement Vision What is Ballet? ........................................................................................................ 3-4 Ballet Eras ................................................................................................................... 4 Ballet Terms ................................................................................................................ 7 Theatre Etiquette Classroom Exercise ......................................................................... 8 Theatre Etiquette ........................................................................................................ 9 Ballet History Tested ................................................................................................. 10 The Nutcracker Word Search .................................................................................... 11 About The Nutcracker ............................................................................................... 12 The Nutcracker Synopsis (Youth Performances are only Act I) .......................................................................................................................... 13 The Nutcracker’s Main Characters ............................................................................ 14 Choreographers .................................................................................................. 15-17 Music Composer ....................................................................................................... 17 Discussion Topics ...................................................................................................... 19 Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................... 20 Submit your Questions ............................................................................................ 201 NOVEMBER 2018 1 About Ballet San Antonio Ballet San Antonio is the premier professional ballet company in the Alamo City, also a non-profit organization. MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Ballet San Antonio, a professional ballet company, is to share the splendor of dance through diverse artistic performances and outreach programs that reflect, promote, and enrich the cultural heritage of othe South Texas community. It holds an uncompromising commitment to continually attract and nurture exceptional professional dancers, create distinctive performances, and make dance accessible to the widest possible audiences through partnerships with local organizations. VISION Its vision is to become a nationally recognized ballet company that reflects and promotes the evolving San Antonio community. Photo by Still Life Photography by Alexander Devora NOVEMBER 2018 2 What is Ballet? Ballet is a form of dance performed by a trained dancer through precise and graceful sets of movements and gestures. ADAGIO: In ballet, Adagio refers to slow movement, typically performed with the greatest amount of grace and fluidity than other movements of dance. ALLÉGRO: In ballet, Allégro is a term applied to bright, fast or brisk steps and movement. NOVEMBER 2018 3 What is Ballet? Ballet is a language which communicates a story through dance. PANTOMIME: Hand movements to portray moods, ideas, or a story. LET’S TRY IT! Love No Beautiful Bring both hands to Create a circular motion Turn your head or your heart. around your face. gesture with your arms Dancers left to right: Heather Nichols and Sally Turkel Anger: Shake your fists in the air. Prince or Princess: Tap your forehead twice with your right Ask or Beg: Clap hands together in front. hand. Crazy: Create a circle with your finger around your ear. Promise, Truth, or Swear: Hold two fingers high and look up Dance: Raise your arms over your head and begin circling. to your fingers. Die or Death: Clench your fists and cross your arms in front of Protect: With your body directed toward danger, extend your body. both arms back while holding your head high. Enter: Make a sweeping gesture across your body with See: Place one hand by your eye, pointing to it. both arms. Sleep: Place one hand on top of the other creating an Fear: Hold your hand in front (palms out); lean your imaginary pillow and laying your head on top of hands. body away. Stop: Hold up your hand with the plan facing out toward the Hear or Heard: Hold your hand behind your ear as if trying other person. to hear. Think or remember: Touch your temple with your index I or me: Point to yourself. finger. Kiss: Touch your lips with your finger. Weeping or Crying: Track tears down your face with your Knock: Tap your fist in your hand three times. index finger. Marriage: Point your right index finger to your left ring finger. Yes: Nod your head up and down. Order or Command: Point to the floor with a strong motion. You, He, or She: Gesture toward the other person with your palm up. NOVEMBER 2018 4 Ballet Eras Renaissance Period (15th Century) Ballet began during the Italian Renaissance. In the 1500’s, “Ballo” (ballet) was brought to France from Italy when Catherine Medici married the King of France and introduced ballet to the French. It began as a form of entertainment and was only performed by the aristocrats from the royal courts of Europe. The first official ballet was called Le Ballet Comique de la Reine (The Comic Ballet of the Queen) performed for Catherine de Medici on October 15, 1581. This ballet was created as a form of celebration for the marriage of Marguerite of Lorraine and Duc de Joyeuse. It lasted a total of 5 hours including the participation of the king and queen. To say the least, it was very expensive. Did you know? During this era, only men were allowed to dance? Later in 1681, women were given access to dance but were required to wear floor length gowns. Costumes were long and heavy with many layers. The shoes were not the pointe shoes we are accustomed to seeing today. They were small heeled shoes as you would wear for formal settings. The most noteworthy contribution made during this era, was establishing the five basic ballet foot positions that are considered the fundamental positions of ballet and are still used today. Baroque Period (16th & early 17th Century) The Baroque Period, also known as the Opera Ballet, evolved to include opera and music. When merged together, it would create a story. Dancers sang and recited poems during performances. Opera in ballet lasted until 1789. Over the next 100 years, courts became larger, productions more extravagant, and stages came into play. As demand was growing, a tilted stage was built for larger audiences to experience the displays and dancing. Since women were not permitted to perform during this time, men would take on the roles of women. Marie Camargo became the first woman to dance on stage and in return became the world’s first ballerina. She evolved the long heavy dress to a shorter skirt. This allowed her to perform higher and longer jumps. In the early 1700’s, Peter the Great traveled to introduce ballet to the Russians. Classical Period (17th Century) Ballet was mostly reliant upon costumes, props, and scenery. During this era, dancers formalized the positions, expressions, and body movement. They became reliant on their bodies and expressions engaged with their characters. NOVEMBER 2018 5 The Pre-Romantic Period (18th century) In the 1800’s, the Classical Period was emerging to the Romantic Era. During the transition, Marie Taglioni, became known as the first ballerina to dance en pointe. The en pointe, or “on toe” dancing we are familiar with today did not gain popularity until the early nineteenth century. The Romantic Period (Late 18th Century) Since the transition of female dancers en pointe, this caused the women to lead the Romantic Period. Male dancers were no longer the focal point during performances or roles. The female dancers mastered the art and skill of dancing on your toes while maintaining the posture and grace of their body and facial expressions. During this time, the tutu was born. The long, flowy, and elegant tutu created a willowy look. It was named the romantic tutu. The Russian Classics (Late 18th Century & early 19th Century) During the Russian Classics, Marius Petipa introduced and created full-length classical ballets to include a pas de deux (dance for two), solos, and a coda (short quick finale) to complete the layout of the productions. The tutus played a very important role, therefore, creating the style and character of the ballet. The classic tutu (stiff skirt) was created and distinctly recognizable. During this time, the creation of notable ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake took the stage and have presented ever since. The Ballets Russes (19th Century) The Russians took great pride in having ballet as part of their arts. A Russian impresario (a producer of ballets, operas, and concerts), Sergei Diaghilev founded the Ballet Russes. They toured throughout Europe presenting innovative and creative choreography, new elaborate costumes, and extravagant scenery, all designed by master artists. Russia essentially saved and introduced ballet to European countries creating awareness that ballet was still alive. Ballet in Europe The Ballet Russes created inspiration and