Teaching Guides Align with the National Standards and the New Mexico State Standards
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DPOPEJOYR SCHOOLTIMEEAM SERIESC TEACHINGAT GUIDECH GRADESER PREKS - 12 A VERY ELECTRIC CHRISTMAS Dreamcatchers Teaching Guides align with the National Standards and the New Mexico State Standards. Standards Addressed By Attending the Performance NMCAS TH:Re9.1 CCSS ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.2 Curriculum Connections Performing & Visual Arts/ Puppetry, Music, Dance; Science; Mathematics In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” - AARON ROSE ‘‘Introduction A Very Electric Christmas brightens up the holidays for audiences of all ages. Lightwire Theater combines its unique technologically stunning visual effects with a heart- warming story that puts a new spin on “coming home for the holidays.” The show is performed in complete darkness as the actors and dancers are dressed in all black beneath their extraordinary costumes that use special electroluminescent wire to create spectacular imagery. The storyline follows the adventures of a young bird named Max as he loses his family on their way south for the winter and has to find his way home on his own. The show’s musical score combines timeless holiday classics of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with more modern songs by Mariah Carey, Louis Armstrong, and Nat King Cole, among others. The show’s captivating choreography features dancing flowers and worms as well as electrifying action scenes with matrix-like fighting moves. This delightful holiday production will make children wide-eyed with delight and warm even the coldest of hearts. 2 A Very Electric Christmas TUE | DEC 10 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS Synopsis At the opening of the show, Santa’s helpers are putting the final touches on presents as Max and his family are heading south for the winter. A couple of mischievous rats snoop around the gifts and steal a few, but there is even more tragic news: young Max has been blown off course and lost his family! Max’s parents are distraught at the disappearance of their fledgling, but the rats are intrigued. They hatch an evil plan to get to Max before he is rescued. Ignorant of all of this commotion, Max needs to find his way home. His spirits are raised and his adventures truly begin when he encounters a friendly trio of caroling worms. Several other characters join the action before Max is reunited with his family, including dancing poinsettias, nutcracker soldiers, and the sinister Rat King. The show’s finale neatly ties all of the plot lines together and features an epic battle scene that takes full advantage of Lightwire Theater’s famous array of dazzling light effects. Vocabulary Battery: a device that stores energy and makes it available as electricity Charge: the amount of electricity an object contains Circuit: an electric device that provides a path for electric current to flow Conductor: a substance that allows electric current to pass through it Current: the flow of electricity in an electric circuit Electricity: a form of energy produced by the flow of electrons Fuse: a protective device designed to melt or break when the current flowing through it becomes too strong Gesture: a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, expressing an idea, emotion, or meaning Insulator: a material that does not allow the flow of electricity to pass through it Manipulate: to handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner Puppet: a doll whose actions are a current on or off in an electric circuit Volt: a unit of measurement for electricity; indicates how much pressure controlled by an outside person (i.e. Transformer: an electric device that is there is on an electric current puppeteer) used to raise or lower the voltage of Switch: a mechanical device used to turn electricity 3 A Very Electric Christmas TUE | DEC 10 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS What is Electroluminescent Wire? Electroluminescent wire (EL wire) is a thin copper wire coated in phosphor, which glows when an electric current is applied to it. Used in safety and emergency lightning, toys, clothing, and structure decoration, EL wire is unique from other stringed lights in that it produces a continuous stream of unbroken visible light. The wire’s extreme thinness allows for great flexibility – fantastic for use in designing puppets. Interesting Facts for Students All glow-in-the-dark products contain phosphors. Phosphor is a substance that radiates visible light after being energized. The two places where we most commonly see phosphors are in a TV screen or computer monitor and in fluorescent lights. Temperature has a direct effect on glow chemical products. Cooling or freezing a chemical reaction causes Creating the Characters the effects to slow, while heating it speeds up the reaction. The process of building Lightwire Theater’s By placing an activated glow stick in the freezer, you are electroluminescent characters starts with the creators and slowing the chemical reaction. By completely freezing the cast. The designers make many artistic choices when a glow stick, you are effectively shutting “off” the glow they make the characters that determine the kinds of roles effect so that it can be used again. Never defrost it by they play in the story. Some examples are choices of color, using a microwave. size, and shape. The ancient Greek god Phosphorus was known as the They build everything themselves from the ground up, with bringer of light. He was often evoked in reference to Venus when the planet was visible before dawn. The Latin name each sculpture taking nearly 200 hours of intensive labor. for this same god was “Lucifer.” The foundation begins with a base that includes triggers and armatures. They utilize recyclable materials including EL WIRE: aluminum rods, election signs, skateboard wheels, dryer has a decorative safety function used on stairs, walkways, ducting, plumbing supplies, PVC pipes, fishing poles, duct and bike helmets. It is widely used to illuminate and decorate clothing (think glowing suits), bicycle spokes and tape, zip ties, and backpacks to help define peaks and turntables. angles. These common household items help create durable can break if exposed to moisture (water). and pliable sculptures that can withstand the movement of the dancers and multiple performances. Black fabric is powered by alternating current (AC), not direct current is added to the sculpture for dimension and then lined (DC). with electroluminescent wire known as “EL wire,” which is is one of the most efficient forms of lighting on the soldered everywhere the wire is connected. Unlike black market. It burns very little energy, glows cool to the touch lights, “EL wire” can be powered by batteries, requires no and costs relatively little. theatrical lighting, and provides 360-degrees of glowing is durable. Unlike neon or fluorescent light, EL wire has no light. Once the character is “turned on,” it can use up to 16 filament that can break. AA or rechargeable batteries per performance. is popular because it’s fairly easy to create interesting The actors must remain invisible during the performance; effects such as pulsing light, circles, or specific patterns that match a tempo. In order to produce such therefore, they will only be seen where the EL wire is effects, you’ll need to use a sequencer. Sequencers are backlighting their bodies. Considering this is a show without programmable, letting you control your lighting pattern words, the characters are brought to life by the actors and the speed at which it moves through movement and dance set to music. 4 A Very Electric Christmas TUE | DEC 10 | 2019 TEACHING GUIDE DREAMCATCHERS strings to controls that included the puppet move. as many as eight strings. Shortly History of Hand Puppetry—puppets are thereafter, puppetry was divided from controlled by the puppeteer’s hand, Puppet Theater actor theaters and began to compete which is placed directly inside of the with vaudeville and music hall theater. While the precise origin of puppets puppet. is unknown, puppetry dates back In the 20th century, a resurgence of over 3,000 years. Puppets are popular puppetry was seen with the Two-man Puppetry—larger puppets mentioned in Egyptian writings as introduction of The Muppets, created are controlled by two puppeteers, early as 422 B.C.E. Following Egypt, by Jim Hensen, and the musical The typically one operating the head while puppetry became part of popular Lion King, based on the Disney classic the other operates the body. culture in India, Indonesia, Japan, tale. Puppets continue to appeal to Carnival (Body Puppetry)—these and Europe. India included the use of children and families on television, puppets are seen in Lightwire stick puppets depicting Indian epics movies, and stage and are seen as a Theater’s shows, street spectacles, such as Mahabharata and Balakanda. way to relate moral messages about sporting games, or the Lion King. Indonesian puppets were (and still childhood concepts. Puppets are worn as a full-body suit. are) considered sacred and part of Bunraku Puppetry—based in Japan, a ritual ceremonies. In Japan, puppets life-size wooden puppet is illuminated took on more entertainment with Types of by focused light; however, puppeteers ornate designs as well as on a larger can be seen by the audience. scale in street theater. In Europe, Puppets puppets acted out morality tales in Marionette (String Puppetry)— Shadow Puppetry—a paper cutout on plays, behaving in ways that would puppets are suspended by strings a stick is illuminated onto a piece of have been unacceptable for humans from a horizontal bar held in the white fabric, producing shadows that to portray. By the 19th century, string puppeteer’s hand. By manipulating are viewed by the audience and allow puppets had upgraded from two the tilt of the bar, puppeteers make puppeteers to be hidden.