sign in sign up
<<
Home , American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet company, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, Dance on television

ROMEO & JULIET Educational Cinema Screenings Welcome to the Educational Screening of Romeo & Juliet Study Guide: 2017

We are delighted to share the joy of and the beauty of with your students. SF Ballet performances are a wonderful way to expose students to the transformative power of creativity through the performing arts. SF Ballet is pleased to offer a pilot series of screenings of Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet, as filmed for at the Movies: Great American Dance, free of charge to high school groups in the Bay Area.

Filmed at the War Memorial House before a live audience, Ballet’s production of Romeo & Juliet tells the classic tale of star-cross’d lovers in the universal language of dance. With by Helgi Tomasson performed by the professional dancers of SF Ballet to Prokofiev’s score played live by the SF Ballet Orchestra, complete with stunning costumes, scenery, and lighting, the ballet offers students a new and rich experience of Shakespeare’s tragic play.

The educational cinema screenings of Romeo & Juliet introduce opportunities for in-class discussion, reflection, and exploration of the play as a text and of the art of dance. This Study Guide provides educators with comprehensive materials that explore dance as an art form and introduce key elements of ballet. We encourage educators to use the Study Guide before and after viewing the film to help students explore movement and dance, learn about ballet, and discover what happens behind the scenes of a ballet production. This Study Guide includes pre- and post-screening activities and materials for guided discussions that challenge students to think deeply and critically about the ballet Romeo & Juliet, how it compares to the play, and about the artistic process.

Symbols are used throughout this Study Guide to direct educators to key concepts that ask students to think critically and creatively about the arts.

indicates a student activity or discussion question

indicates a key concept about dance or the artistic process

indicates a key concept about music for ballet

indicates a look behind the scenes

SF Ballet’s Educational Screenings and Study Guides are designed to support learning through the arts in the classroom. Teachers are encouraged to adapt the activities to specific grade levels and integrate the arts with the core curriculum. We hope this Study Guide, combined with the film, sparks conversation and reflection, inspires creative expression, and fosters an appreciation and understanding of dance as an art form.

Thank you for sharing the joy of dance with your students. We look forward to seeing you at the cinema!

Sincerely,

Andrea Yannone Director of Education and Training

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 2 Table of Contents

4 SECTION 01 | Exploring Ballet Exploring Movement, Dance, and Ballet Music for Ballet Behind the Scenes

12 SECTION 02 | Glossary of Dance & Ballet Terms

17 SECTION 03 | About the Production: Romeo & Juliet The Story of Romeo & Juliet About the Ballet Meet the Characters Meet the Creative Team

30 SECTION 04 | Pre- & Post-Screening Activities

53 SECTION 05 | About

57 SECTION 06 | Education Standards & Resources California State Board of Education Visual & Performing Arts: Dance Content Standards National Core Arts Standards in Dance Additional Resources for Educators

All editorial material © San Francisco Ballet 2017 Chris Hellman Center for Dance 455 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 www.sfballet.org 415 861 5600

San Francisco Ballet School www.sfballet.org/school 415 865 6700 [email protected]

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 3 SECTION 01 EXPLORING BALLET

EXPLORING MOVEMENT, DANCE, AND BALLET

MOVEMENT

How can movement alone tell a story? Think about this: you can often tell a lot about how people are feeling just by looking at them. Their emotions, and sometimes their thoughts, show on their faces and in how they move. There are many ways people can communicate without words.

Movement is one way to communicate and express yourself. Try communicating without words. Use facial expressions and body movement to communicate that you are feeling excited, nervous, or surprised. Did you change the expression on your face for each emotion? How did you use your hands to show your emotions and thoughts? Did you move your shoulders and arms? Did you stand very still, or did you jump or skip? Dance is a way to express yourself! In ballet, dancers don’t use their voices to tell the story to the audience. Instead, ballet dancers move their bodies to show how a character is feeling or to communicate a story or idea to the audience.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 4 DANCE language of ballet. To this day, all of the steps in ballet still have French names, so you can take a ballet class Dance is a special way of moving, usually to music. As anywhere in the world and know exactly what to do. far as historians know, dance is as old as humans are; it has always been a way for communities and groups of people to tell stories and pass values and ideals from one generation to another. Today we see dance in traditions like coming-of-age ceremonies (such as a Look carefully at the illustration of King Louis XIV bar mitzvah or quinceañera), celebrations (weddings of . He is wearing a costume for the role of and parties), and festivals (such as Carnival and Lunar the “Sun King” in the 1650s. How does the costume New Year). There are many different kinds of dance communicate to the audience that he’s portraying the from all over the world. Some are performed on character of the Sun King? (See the Pre- and Post- a stage for an audience while others are forms of social Screening Activities section for a full-size image.) dances (line dancing or ). Often dances have set steps that everyone in a culture or community knows, In ballet there are five basic positions of the feet but sometimes dance can be an individual form of self- (and accompanying arm positions). These positions expression. originated from fencing positions, and require the dancer to “turn out,” or rotate the entire leg, from the top of the thigh to the toes, away from the center line. If you look at a dancer standing in any of the

five positions, you’ll see that her toes point in Can you name three different genres or styles of opposite directions. dance? Maybe a style of dance that you have seen on a stage, in a movie, or at a community festival? Think about the dance steps, costumes, and music. Is this a that requires a group of people, or can it be performed as a solo or duet? What makes these genres similar or different? A few examples of different dance styles to think about are: ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, and modern. There are also many different styles of folk dances and cultural dances from around the world.

BALLET’S BEGINNINGS

Ballet is a form of dance that began hundreds of years ago in the royal courts of and France. Formal group dances from the royal courts developed into the art form we know now after King Louis XIV (the “Sun King”) of France established the first ballet school, the Académie Royale de Danse, in Paris in 1662. Because this happened in France, French became the “official”

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 5 BALLET decisions—which steps, how to do them, and how to put them together—are up to the choreographer. While The dancers you will see perform in Romeo & Juliet are dancers perform the steps the choreographer creates, professional ballet dancers with San Francisco Ballet. each person brings his or her own way of moving and thinking about the steps to a performance. All of this together—the ideas and feelings, the steps, the way the dancers do them, and the music—create a visual and emotional experience for both dancers and What does it mean to be a professional ? audiences. This is what makes dance an art. How many years do you think it takes to become a professional ballet dancer? Just as professional Many (like Nutcracker or ) tell a athletes must train for years before they can join a story—which means that sometimes the characters professional sports team, most ballet dancers train for need to communicate with one another. How can they at least 10 years before they are ready to join a ballet do that when no one speaks in a ballet? They use what company. Sometimes you will see kids your age in a we call mime (or pantomime), which is a collection ballet, like Clara in Nutcracker. These young dancers of gestures that have special meaning. The gestures are still students learning ballet San Francisco can involve the hands, the head, or the entire body. Ballet School. For example, to say no (and really mean it!), a dancer raises her hands in front of her body, then opens them sharply on a downward diagonal, so they end up in front of her and out to her sides. While doing this, she shakes her head. And if a dancer wants to say he loves A choreographer is a person who puts together dance someone, he cups his left hand with his right and holds steps to tell a story or communicate an idea to the both hands over his heart. At other times, ordinary audience. He or she creates phrases of dance steps gestures are all that’s needed. Picture this: a ballet to communicate an idea, express an emotion, or tell dancer bows to you and sweeps an arm toward the a story. The choreographer decides the order of the other side of the stage. You would know what to do, dance steps, how many people will perform each wouldn’t you, even if you’d never taken a single ballet section of the ballet, and when the dancers enter and class? You’d accept his invitation to cross the stage. exit the stage. The choreographer is like the coach of a sports team. The dancers create the team and every person has a different role, but ultimately, everyone is working together for the same goal. Want to see how dancers use mime (or pantomime) What is choreography? In ballet, the dancers perform to tell a story? Watch a video of steps that a choreographer creates to communicate a Anita Paciotti discuss the art of mime in the story ballet story or idea to the audience. Sometimes the steps go , choreographed by Helgi Tomasson. along with the music, at the same rhythm and speed, youtu.be/3SCWC6DWO60 or tempo. Steps in ballet can be done in many different ways (soft or sharp, fast or slow, sudden or sustained) and they can be traditional, drawn from the hundreds of years of ballet history, or newly invented. And they can be combined in countless ways. All of these

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 6 MUSIC FOR BALLET Music is a big part of a dance experience; in fact, Leading the Orchestra is Principal Conductor and some music lovers come to SF Ballet partly because Music Director Martin West. of the wide range of music they’ll hear played by the acclaimed SF Ballet Orchestra. A composer is a writer of music. The music used for ballet includes the whole spectrum of classical music by famous composers (think Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and ) and The conductor, the leader of the orchestra, decides brand-new music created specifically for a new ballet. how to play each piece of music to best re-create Music is an important part of a dance, not only because what the composer wanted. To do that, he refers to it sets a rhythm and speed and mood. In a ballet, the the composer’s notations in the written score, but he dancers respond to the music and how it makes them has many decisions to make. For example, how fast, feel, and so does the audience. exactly, should a fast portion of the music be played? And when the score says to gradually increase the SF Ballet Orchestra has about 50 regular musicians, volume (a crescendo), how quickly should the sound with extra players hired for performances of music get louder, and how loud should it get? The conductor that calls for more instruments. A few of the musicians makes sure the musicians play together and, during a joined the Orchestra when it began in 1975—they’ve show, must make decisions on the spot, responding to been playing for SF Ballet for more than 40 years! what is happening onstage.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 7 The instruments that make up a ballet orchestra fall into four categories: When you are watching a ballet, listen carefully to • Strings, the largest group, include the violin, the orchestra and notice how the dance steps match viola, cello, double bass (also called the the music. What instruments do you hear? Is the tempo contrabass), and harp. All of these instruments fast or slow? How does the music make you feel? Does produce sound when the strings are played with the music make you want to jump, hop, or turn? How a bow (or, in the case of the harp, a hand) or do the music and the choreography work together plucked with fingers. to tell the story? Think about these questions during the screening or when you are watching a dance • Woodwinds are instruments whose sound is performance. Try this in the classroom with a short produced by the breath. These instruments video of excerpts from Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & are flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, , Juliet with music by . www.youtube. bassoon, and contra-bassoon. The mouthpieces com/watch?v=0yBY0MD0ZWE. of the oboe, clarinet, and bassoon are made of reeds (made from the plants called reeds and shaped by the musicians to be just right).

• Brass instruments are played with the breath, Themes and motifs are melodies that occur more and the tension of the player’s lips is very than once in a piece of music, and they serve several important in making the sound. Brass purposes. One is to help to give the music a structure instruments include trumpet, cornet (like a that audiences can hear. Here’s an example of a trumpet but smaller, with a softer sound), musical structure: think of a song that has a refrain French horn, trombone, and tuba. (a repeated section of music)—first you sing a verse, which is followed by the refrain; then you sing a • Percussion instruments are those that different verse, again followed by the refrain. Another are struck by the hand, a stick, or another important purpose of themes and motifs in ballet is to mechanism (like the hammers inside a piano identify certain characters; often, in full-length ballets, that hit the steel wire strings, when a key is some of the main characters have their own theme. pressed). A piano and harp are not considered part of a percussion section, even though they are percussion instruments. Orchestra percussion instruments include all kinds of drums (timpani, snare, bass), the xylophone, cymbals, and tambourine.

When you go to the Opera House to watch a ballet, look carefully at the people in the orchestra pit. Can you find the conductor? What instruments do you see?

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 8 BEHIND THE SCENES

Think about all the things you see onstage: sets, Ballet costumes range from simple or pants costumes, makeup, hair and wigs, lighting, and and T-shirts to elaborate, colorful tutus. A ballet like projections. Together, all of the elements designed for Nutcracker or Cinderella, with a very large cast of each individual ballet help tell the story, convey a mood dancers, has hundreds of costumes, and all of them or feeling, or suggest the setting and time. have to be made with dancing in mind. That means that even a fitted jacket must be made of material that Sets might be nothing more than a backdrop (plain, can stretch so a dancer can raise his arms overhead. with color added through lighting, or painted with a Costumes can be classical—tutus for the women, scene) and side curtains (called legs) that prevent and jackets or vests over for the men—or the audience from seeing into the backstage area contemporary, like dresses and pants and shorts and (the wings). Or sets can fill the stage with walls and tunics. Costumes are very important. Like sets, they platforms and curtains that have been painted to look help us to understand something about the characters like a room, or forest, or town square, to name a few. or dancers who wear them. They can also help us see A ballet like Nutcracker or Cinderella has many large the dancing. Those short, flat tutus you see in classical sets. Other ballets, like Haffner Symphony and Prodigal ballets reveal the dancer’s legs, letting us see clearly Son, have one or two backdrops that set the scene the steps and artistry. Even when the costumes for a for the whole ballet. All of these design decisions help ballet look alike, often various colors will be used—one communicate to the audience the story or what the for the principal dancers, another for the soloists, and choreographer wants to say with his or her ballet. another for the . In a ballet that doesn’t have a story, the colors of the costumes help the audience identify the main characters. Romeo & Juliet . and wigs help tell the story in Romeo Sets, props, costumes, makeup,

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 9 The designer makes all of these choices, working patterns placed in front of a lighting instrument to with the choreographer. Together, they decide what’s cast shadows that help it look like the dancers are important to show to the audience. in a forest, for example, or standing at a window. Some ballets use projections to enhance the scenery Shoes are an important part of ballet costumes. Ballet and lighting. The projected images might be very dancers wear special ballet shoes when they take a noticeable or quite minimal. Some are still images and ballet class, rehearse for a performance, or perform some of them move. SF Ballet uses projections in onstage. Men, women, and children wear ballet Nutcracker and Cinderella©. slippers made out of canvas or leather. When girls are old enough and strong enough to dance on the tips of their toes, known as dancing en pointe, female ballet dancers start wearing pointe shoes. Pointe shoes are hardened around the toes and have a flat surface on When we go to a ballet, we know we’ll see exciting the tips, allowing dancers to turn and stand en pointe. things onstage. But it’s fun to know that there’s Ribbons and elastics tied around the ankles keep the a lot more that we don’t see, an entire world that pointe shoes firmly secured to a dancer’s feet. Dancing exists behind the scenes. The activity that happens en pointe is very difficult and requires years of practice backstage can be equal to the activity onstage during a and a lot of strength in the muscles. performance, and there’s a lot that goes on before and after a show and during intermissions. The stage must Makeup, hair, and wigs go hand-in-hand with be washed or swept; sets and props must be placed or costumes, completing the look the designer and repositioned; the gels on the lights must be replaced or choreographer want for each character or dancer. changed; costumes need to be set in the wings, ready Sometimes a dancer might need to wear a special for quick changes; sound equipment and headsets cap to make him look bald, or wear a special wig for stage crew communications must be tested and to portray an older person. Makeup can add wrinkles, maintained. This is only a small part of what happens or simply help someone’s normal features stand out. behind the scenes: it takes a large team backstage to Makeup can help the dancers look their best even make the ballet magic happen onstage. Let’s look at when it’s not changing their appearance in a the key players. drastic way. The production director oversees all of the elements Lighting is an important part of a ballet’s design, even of production: sets, lighting, projections, costumes, and though much of the time we don’t notice it. Lighting sound. He communicates with all department heads can tell us what to look at (imagine a dark stage with and is responsible for all events that happen one dancer in a spotlight) and what to feel (bright, clear on the stage. lighting seems happy; darker scenes convey drama or sadness). Like sets and costumes, lighting helps set The lighting director works with the lighting designer the scene and tell the story. Some lighting instruments and the crew to make sure all lights are positioned focus on one part of the stage, while others move— properly and all lighting effects work as intended. follow spots literally follow a dancer, and remote- Sometimes the lighting director designs the lights for controlled instruments can create special effects. new productions; for ballets already in the repertory, he Colored sheets of material called gels, which come in re-creates the existing lighting design. hundreds of colors, are placed on the front of a lighting instrument to color the light. Gobos are

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 10 The stage manager is the master organizer backstage. The stagehands install and set up scenery and roll, She calls all the production cues (lighting, sound effects, carry, or “fly” set pieces and drops. Flown scenery, scenery movement), and runs the curtain calls. She talks controlled by the flymen, is attached to a long pipe that to crew members through a headset and must be able reaches across the stage. The pipes are hung from a to handle anything unexpected that might happen. support system (the grid) very high above the stage and are lowered when needed, bringing the scenery The property master is in charge of all props—objects into place and flying it out again. Stagehands wear that are handled or carried by the dancers, like swords black so the audience is less likely to see them if they and baskets. He makes sure they are in good repair and need to go onstage for a scene change. are where they need to be at particular times; on big shows he oversees a crew. The audio engineer is responsible for all the sound that isn’t produced by the Orchestra, such as The master electrician works with the lighting designer’s announcements, recorded sound effects, and plans to place and maintain all the lighting equipment microphone use. and focus the lights to make sure they light the correct portion of the stage. He is in charge of the lighting The wardrobe managers oversee everything to do with control computer and he helps the lighting supervisor costumes, including placement in dressing rooms or oversee a crew of electricians. backstage, cleaning, repairs, and problem solving.

The head carpenter is in charge of the scenery, The dressers work in the wings, assisting dancers with stage, and curtains, making sure everything is correct fast costume changes or problems that arise during the and in good repair; he also might oversee a crew performance. of stagehands.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 11 SECTION 02 GLOSSARY OF DANCE & BALLET TERMS THE LANGUAGE OF BALLET

This section includes:

• Ballet Terms and Vocabulary • Department of Education Dance Glossary

When you take a ballet class, the ballet teacher will use words in French to describe the steps and movements. Ballet schools and dance companies all over the world use the same words in French to describe ballet steps because the first ballet school was established more than 350 years ago in France by King Louis the XIV.

Dance steps are similar to words in a sentence. It takes a lot of words to tell a story. It also takes a lot of dance steps or to create a ballet. When you are watching a dance performance, try to recognize some of the dance steps, positions, and vocabulary terms included in this section.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 12 THE LANGUAGE OF BALLET

Plié [plee-AY]: to bend

Demi-plié: half-bending of the knees, heels stay on the floor.

Grand plié: full bending of the knees (knees should bend until the thighs are horizontal)

Port de bras [pawr deh brah]: movement of the arms

Tendu [tahn-DEW]: to point or stretch the foot to the front, side, or back

Relevé [rehl-eh-VAY]: to rise to the balls of the feet (or tips of the toes in pointe shoes)

Jeté [zhuh-TAY]: to leap (in a grand jeté, both legs are fully extended, one to the front, one to the back.) Plié

Arabesque [a-ra-BESK]: a position of the body supported on one leg with the other leg extended behind, forming a right angle (or higher), with the arms held in various harmonious positions creating a long line from fingertips to toes

Pirouette [peer-WET]: to whirl or turn; a rotation of the body on one foot

Fouetté [fweh-TAY]: a short whipped movement of the raised foot as it passes rapidly in front of or behind the supporting foot, or the sharp whipping around of the Grand Jeté body from one direction to another. There are many varieties of fouettés.

Chaînés [sheh-NAY]: a series of rapid turns on the pointes or demi-pointes done in a straight line or in a circle.

Chassé [sha-SAY]: a step in which one foot literally chases the other foot out of its position; done in a Arabesque series.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 13 Pas de chat [pah duh shah]: a step in which both legs tuck up under the body, one after the other, quickly, so that both feet are in the air momentarily.

Fish dive: a partnering move in which the ballerina is held low to the ground with her back arched and her legs in fifth position or crossed, so that it looks like she’s diving toward the floor.

Pas de deux [pah duh DUH]: a dance for two people, traditionally a ballerina and a premier danseur. A de deux has four parts:

PART 1 | Adage [a-DAHZH]: the opening section in which the ballerina, assisted by her male partner, is lifted, supported, or carried. Includes various types of partnering skills; for example, turns and lifts.

Fish Dive PART 2 | Male variation: male solo

PART 3 | Female variation: female solo

PART 4 | Coda: the finale in which the two dancers appear separately doing short, fast, virtuosic solos, then dance together again. Includes difficult partnering lifts and technically challenging sequences of jumps and turns performed separately by the male and female.

Corps de ballet [core duh ba-LAY]: a group of dancers who work together as an ensemble; they form a background for the ballerina and her partner in a and are the backbone of any .

Corps de ballet

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 14 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT Social Dance: Dance done in a social setting. It is traditionally referred to as but includes OF EDUCATION all popular social dances performed with DANCE GLOSSARY or without partners.

Below are selected terms from the dance glossary : A type of dance that concentrates on in the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards footwork and rhythm. This type of dance grew for California Public Schools adopted by the California out of American popular dancing, with significant roots State Board of Education. For the complete VAPA in African-American, Irish, and English Dance Glossary, visit www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/ clogging traditions. documents/vpastandards.pdf TERMS RELATED TO CHOREOGRAPHY AND Dance: Movement selected and organized for aesthetic ELEMENTS OF DANCE purposes or as a medium of expression rather than for Choreography (“dance writing”): The creation and its function as work or play. composition of dances by arranging or inventing steps, movements, and patterns of movements. DANCE GENRES Genre: A particular kind or style of dance, such as Technique: The physical skills of a dancer that enable ballet, jazz, modern, folk, tap, social, cultural, folk, and him or her to execute the steps and movements traditional dances required in different dances. Different styles or genres of dance often have specific techniques. Ballet: A classical Western dance form that originated in the Renaissance courts of . By the time Force/energy: An element of dance characterized of Louis XIV (mid-1600s), steps and body positions by the release of potential energy into kinetic energy. underwent codification. It utilizes body weight, reveals the effects of gravity on the body, is projected into space, and affects Folk/Traditional Dance: Dance associated with a emotional and spatial relationships and intentions. The nationalistic purpose, usually performed today as a most recognized qualities of movement are sustained, surviving portion of a traditional celebration and done percussive, suspended, swinging, for social gatherings or as recreation. and collapsing.

Jazz Dance: Dance marked by movement isolations Space: An element of dance that refers to the and complex, propulsive polyrhythms. It is an immediate spherical space surrounding the body in outgrowth of African-American , jazz, spirituals, all directions. Use of space includes shape, direction, blues, work songs, and so forth and is considered an path, range, and level of movement. Space is also the American dance style. location of a performed dance.

Modern Dance: A type of dance that began as a Dance Phrase: A partial dance idea composed of rebellion against steps and positions, and values a series of connecting movements and similar to a expressive and original or authentic movement. It is a sentence in the written form. twentieth-century idiom. Dance Sequence: The order in which a series of movements and shapes occurs.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 15 Dance Structures: The way in which a dance is Motif: A distinctive and recurring gesture used to constructed or organized; a supporting framework or provide a theme or unifying idea. the essential parts of a dance. Pathways: A line along which a person or a part of Movement Pattern: A repeated sequence of movement the person, such as an arm or head, moves (e.g., her ideas, a rhythmic movement sequence, a spatial design arm took a circular path, or he traveled along a zigzag on the floor or in the air, or a specific relationship or pathway). grouping of people. Phrasing: The way in which the parts of a dance are Axial Movement: Movement anchored to one spot by organized. a body part. Only the available space in any direction is used while the initial body contact is being maintained. Repetition: The duplication of movements or Movement is organized around the axis of the body movement phrases within choreography. and is not designed for travel from one location to another. Also known as nonlocomotor movement. Shape: The positioning of the body in space: curved, Examples include stretching, bending, turning in place, straight, angular, twisted, symmetrical, and gesturing. Opposite: locomotor movement. or asymmetrical.

Locomotor Movement: Movement progressing through Unison: Dance movement that takes place at the same space from one spot to another. Basic locomotor time in a group. movements include walking, running, galloping, jumping, hopping, skipping, sliding, and leaping. TERMS RELATED TO MUSIC AND DANCE Opposite: axial movement : Attention and sensitivity to the musical elements of dance while creating or performing. Accent: A strong movement or gesture. Beat: Unit of measure of rhythmic time Canon: A passage, movement sequence, or piece of music in which the parts are done in succession, Tempo: The speed of music or a dance. overlapping one another. Rhythm: A structure of movement patterns in time; a Dynamics: The energy of movement expressed in movement with a regular succession of strong and varying intensity, accent, and quality. weak elements; the pattern produced by emphasis and duration of notes in music. Gesture: The movement of a body part or combination of parts, with emphasis on the expressive aspects of Time: An element of dance involving rhythm, phrasing, the move. It includes all movements of the body not tempo, accent, and duration. Time can be metered, as supporting weight. in music, or based on body rhythms, such as breath, emotions, and heartbeat. Isolation: Movement done with one body part or a small part of the body. Examples are rolling the head, shrugging the shoulders, and rotating the pelvis.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 16 SECTION 03 ABOUT THE PRODUCTION: ROMEO & JULIET

ABOUT THE BALLET ROMEO & JULIET

San Francisco Ballet’s production of Romeo & Juliet is choreographed by Helgi Tomasson to music composed by Sergei Prokofiev. It was filmed in 2015 before a live audience at the in San Francisco for Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.

In this section, you will learn about the production, including the story, characters, and creative team of Romeo & Juliet.

• The Story of Romeo & Juliet • About the Ballet • Meet the Characters • Meet the Creative Team

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 17 THE STORY OF ROMEO & JULIET Note for teachers: the acts and scenes in the ballet are different from those in the play. Quotes from the play are fromThe Riverside Shakespeare. ACT 1 | SCENE 1 ACT 1 | SCENES 2–5 A PUBLIC SQUARE THE HOUSE OF CAPULET “Two households, both alike in dignity, "What say you? can you love the gentleman? In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, This night you shall behold him at our feast; From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” And find delight writ there with beauty's pen[.]" —Chorus, Prologue, lines 1–4 —Lady Capulet to Juliet, Act 1, Scene 3, lines 79–82

The curtain rises on the main square in the town of Juliet and her Nurse are in Juliet’s chambers, talking Verona, Italy. The time is the Renaissance (in Italy, and laughing. Juliet is in a playful mood, teasing the a period that lasted from roughly the late 1300s to Nurse as she attempts to brush Juliet’s hair. They have 1600), and Verona is divided by two warring families, just collapsed on the floor, laughing, when Lord and the Capulets and the Montagues. They will use any Lady Capulet, Juliet’s parents, arrive with a young man, excuse to start a fight, and that’s what happens on this Paris. The Capulets have marriage in mind, and Juliet particular morning, when the town square is filled with will be expected to dance with Paris at a ball that night people. Among them are Juliet, part of the Capulet —and consider him for her husband. family, and Romeo, one of the Montagues. But they are barely aware of each other—in fact, Romeo has his That evening, Romeo, , and Benvolio, all eye on another beauty, Rosaline, who disregards his wearing masks, gather outside the Capulets’ house. obvious admiration. Mercutio, of the three friends the only one who is not a Montague, received an invitation to the ball, but Soon tensions rise between Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, and Romeo and Benvolio did not. They plan to crash the Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio. Swords party anyway. After an exuberant dance that illustrates are drawn and the peaceful square is filled with hatred their friendship, the three men sneak into the Capulet until the Prince of Verona intervenes, commanding the house, where the ball is in full . fighters to put their swords away. An uneasy peace is restored—for the moment.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 18 As usual, Romeo has his eye on Rosaline. Meanwhile, Juliet, constantly nudged in Paris’ direction, takes only ACT 1 | SCENE 6 mild interest in him. Then, during a dance with Paris, THE BALCONY “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? she comes face to face with Romeo. Their mutual It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” attraction is instantaneous, and so powerful that they —Romeo, Act 2, Scene 2, lines 2–3 might as well be the only people in the room. Juliet dances an emotional solo, then whispers in her Nurse’s That night after the ball, a restless Juliet wanders onto ear, telling her about her newfound love. Juliet and her her balcony. Gazing into the night shadows, the love- friends run off, and Romeo follows them while Paris struck girl sees Romeo, and she’s overjoyed. They and Tybalt watch with suspicion. Mercutio and Benvolio dance a romantic pas de deux (dance for two), ending distract Tybalt by mocking him, and then everyone it with a kiss. They are so happy that it’s impossible leaves the ballroom to have some refreshments. for them to deny their love, even though they know their families would forbid it. Their love must remain a Juliet returns to the ballroom, where Romeo soon secret, at least for now. Romeo runs off, leaving Juliet joins her. She unmasks him and they dance together, alone on her balcony, overwhelmed with love and joy. expressing their love. The Nurse interrupts them, trying to avoid the conflict that is sure to come, but it’s too late. Tybalt reappears and though Romeo quickly puts ACT 2 SCENE 1 his mask back on, Tybalt yanks it off, confirming his | A PUBLIC SQUARE suspicions that a hated Montague is in the Capulet “The clock strook nine when I did send the nurse; house. He commands Romeo to leave and attacks In half an hour she promised to return.” him when he resists. Lord Capulet intervenes, saying —Juliet, Act 2, Scene 5, lines 1–2 he wants no violence in their house; Romeo can stay. The guests resume their dancing and Romeo joins in, Mercutio and Benvolio join the townspeople in the repeatedly trying to steal Juliet away from her dance piazza, where they dance and flirt with a couple of partners, while Lord Capulet and Tybalt keep trying to harlots. Then a traveling troupe of acrobats arrives make her dance with Paris. When the guests disperse, and puts on a show. Tensions are beginning to rise Romeo and his friends taunt Tybalt in a mocking dance. between the Capulets and the Montagues when the Tybalt is enraged, his temper barely under control. Nurse arrives, carrying a letter from Juliet to Romeo.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 19 Mercutio and Benvolio tease her, pretending to be ACT 2 | SCENE 3 Romeo and trying to grab the letter, and while she’s A PUBLIC SQUARE fending them off Romeo arrives. She gives him the “And if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl, letter and he kisses her on the cheek, then does For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.” —Benvolio to Mercutio, Act 3, Scene 1, lines 3–4 a joyful dance. Juliet loves him, and they are to be married. The townspeople are dancing, the acrobats are

back, and once again Mercutio and Benvolio are

flirting with the harlots. Then Tybalt arrives, spoiling ACT 2 | SCENE 2 for a fight. He provokes Mercutio, and moments later FRIAR LAURENCE'S CHAPEL their swords are drawn. Romeo arrives and tries to “So smile the heavens upon this holy act, That after-hours with sorrow chide us not!” stop the fight, but the men don’t listen. Mercutio —Friar Laurence to Romeo, Act 2, Scene 6, lines 1–2 makes fun of Tybalt, enraging him further, and the fight escalates. Tybalt runs Mercutio through with his sword. The curtain rises on Friar Laurence in his church. The injured man tries to hide his mortal wound at first, Romeo dashes in and embraces the priest, impatient pretending it’s only a scratch. But soon he weakens for Juliet to arrive. Moments later she runs in, followed and dies, and Romeo goes after Tybalt and kills him. by the Nurse, and she is so excited that she throws Juliet, hearing the clamor, runs onto the bridge and herself at Romeo without greeting the Friar. Quickly, sees her cousin lying on the ground below, dead by she corrects her error and runs back to Romeo. The her husband’s hand. While Lady Capulet mourns her Friar performs the wedding ceremony, and afterward nephew, the Prince of Verona banishes Romeo from the young newlyweds do a slow, joyful dance. They the town, forever. kiss, but the Nurse pulls Juliet away. They must leave the church without Romeo so that the wedding will remain a secret.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 20 ACT 3 | SCENE 1 ACT 3 | SCENE 2 JULIET'S BEDROOM FRIAR LAURENCE'S CHAPEL “More light and light—more dark and dark our woes!” “Come weep with me—past hope, past cure, past help!” —Romeo to Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5, line 36 —Juliet to Friar Laurence, Act 4, Scene 1, line 45

As dawn breaks, Romeo leaves the marital bed where Juliet tells the Friar that her parents insist that she Juliet is still sleeping. He knows he has to leave marry Paris, and he consoles her. He has an idea—she Verona, and quickly. Juliet wakes and begs him not to should consent to marry Paris, then drink a potion that go, and they dance lovingly but sadly, in despair over will put her into a deep sleep. Her family will think she their enforced separation. Finally Romeo goes, leaving is dead and place her in the Capulet crypt. The Friar Juliet in tears, and moments later the Nurse arrives will send word to Romeo to go to the crypt, and once to help her dress. She must hurry—Lord and Lady she wakes he’ll be free to take her away from Verona, Capulet are coming, with Paris; the marriage plans to a place where they can live together in peace. Juliet are going forward. Distraught, Juliet refuses—she’s agrees and runs home with the Friar’s potion. married already; she can’t marry Paris! But she can’t reveal her secret. Juliet begs her father not to make her marry Paris, but he will not take no for an answer. ACT 3 SCENE 3 He dismisses Paris, then throws Juliet to the ground | JULIET'S BEDROOM in rage. Then he and Lady Capulet leave, their minds “What if this mixture do not work at all? made up. Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?” —Juliet, Act 4, Scene 3, lines 21–22 Juliet dances in grief and distress, desperate for a solution to her plight. Then she goes to the only person Juliet tells her parents she will marry Paris. Then, alone she thinks might be able to help her—Friar Laurence. in her room, filled with fear and worry about what might become of her, she drinks the potion and falls into a sleep so deep it looks like death.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 21 The next morning Juliet’s friends arrive to help her ACT 3 | SCENE 5 prepare for the wedding. Juliet is in her bed, apparently THE CAPULET CRYPT “For never was a story of more woe asleep, and no one suspects anything is wrong until Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” the Nurse tries to wake her. When she sees how limp —Prince of Verona to the Capulets and Montagues, Act 5, Scene 3, and unresponsive Juliet is, she becomes frantic. She lines 309–310 calls for Lord and Lady Capulet, who embrace Juliet, distraught with grief. Romeo goes to the crypt and finds Paris there, also grieving. Paris becomes furious when he sees Romeo, because he blames him for Juliet’s death. He pulls out ACT 3 SCENE 4 his dagger and he and Romeo fight. Romeo kills Paris, | then drinks the poison he brought with him. Collapsing OUTSIDE VERONA “How doth my Juliet? That I ask again; from grief and pain, he falls to the ground beside her For nothing can be ill, if she be well.” bier and dies. Moments later Juliet wakes, terrified to —Romeo to his servant, Balthasar, Act 5, Scene 1, lines 15–16 find herself in the crypt. She doesn’t see Romeo on the ground below. Rising, she finds Paris’ body and weeps, On the streets, in Verona and beyond, everyone has horrified by his death. Then she sees Romeo, dead heard the terrible news. Friar Laurence’s messenger, because of her, dead because he thought she was sent to search for Romeo, fails to find him in time. dead, and she is overwhelmed with grief and guilt. The Romeo hears the news of Juliet’s death and decides to thought of living without Romeo is unbearable, so she go to her. His banishment no longer matters; he would decides to join him in death. She stabs herself with his rather die with his beloved than live without her. dagger, and in her final moments, drags herself to his body to die in his arms.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 22 ABOUT THE BALLET THE HISTORY and solos, and relationships of all kinds produce scenes filled with tension and peace, hatred and tenderness, anger and joy. Romeo and his friends join Shakespeare’s tragic story of ill-fated lovers has been forces against Tybalt and his clan, and the Prince tries dramatized many times in the hundreds of years since to control his townspeople, just like Juliet’s parents the play was written—and in many ways, in theater, try to control their daughter. The Nurse and Friar try to film, opera, music, and dance. The story gained a new, help, but good intentions aren’t enough to stop tragedy young following when Franco Zeffirelli made a popular from unfolding. No one in Verona during the time of film starring Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. this tale remains unchanged, and it’s those changes in the characters that make for rich storytelling. Ballet versions of Romeo & Juliet first appeared in the late 1700s in Italy. Next, in the early 1800s, the ballet Storytelling in ballet happens through choreography, was done in and . Over the decades, of course, and in this ballet, the movement is as many other productions have been done in other rich as the words in the play. No matter where you countries, including , Monaco, , and look onstage, something is happening, and in the the US, and the best known ones have been set to movements of the dancers’ bodies, we see whatever Sergei Prokofiev’s score, which premiered in 1938. their characters think and feel. When Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio dance together before going to the Romeo & Juliet first came to SF Ballet when Willam Capulet ball, we can see proof of their friendship in Christensen, then the Company’s artistic director, the kinds of steps they do. The three men do many of created his version of the ballet in 1938. The current the same steps, sometimes together and sometimes production, created by Artistic Director and Principal individually, and that uniformity suggests their close Choreographer Helgi Tomasson in 1994, was a labor of bond, and how alike in thought and attitude they are. love. Every dancer has a dream role that he never got They also seem, in doing those same steps, to be to dance, and for Helgi it was Romeo. He poured his trying to outdo one another—a friendly competition heart into this ballet, determined to draw the characters that also shows their bond. And pay close attention to in detail. As important as the characters of when she meets Romeo—how she stops, then Juliet are, “it’s the people around them that make the spends the rest of the dance sneaking looks at him, her story happen,” he says. “Tybalt has to be a hothead; he body visibly yearning for him. At the end of the balcony has to be a bully in many ways, to everybody outside scene, the rise of her hand to her throat, her head back his clan. There were things that had to come through to look at the night sky, the arch of her body—all these so that the [story] makes sense. It’s not an abstract, movements tell us how much she loves Romeo. make-believe story or fairy tale; it’s a human story. This could be today, anywhere.” There’s plenty of contrast, too, in the quality of the movement itself. Mercutio, always a joker, dances with light, quick, athletic movements—even during his death STORYTELLING THROUGH scene, he’s trying to put on a show. But eventually MOVEMENT pain and weakness overcome him and his movements become heavy and twisted. Notice how formal and If any story seems made for ballet, it’s Romeo and rigid the movements of Lord and Lady Capulet are, Juliet. The love story creates moments of intimacy, until grief overpowers them and they forget about rank expressed in emotional pas de deux (dances for two) and power and become merely people facing tragedy.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 23 We can see that same formality in Paris and the in moments of both joy and anguish. In the balcony Courtiers at the ball—in contrast, watch the men in scene, the dancers rush toward each other as if it the swordfighting scenes, who look eager to draw would be impossible to stay away. When Romeo lifts blood. Helgi Tomasson didn’t want the fight scenes to Juliet high in the air, then sets her down gently and look fake, with men waving swords around as if they kisses her, it’s a perfect blend of classical ballet and had no idea what they were doing. So he hired an human emotion. This happens throughout the ballet. experienced fight director, Martino Pistone, to stage Romeo and his energetic friends do big jumps and the swordfighting scenes. The men fight with rapiers turns, all of them classical ballet steps but done in a (straight swords with narrow, double-edged blades), way that expresses friendship, or anger, or playfulness. daggers, bucklers (small, round shields), and capes, Even characters like the Nurse and Friar, who do no and the scenes are carefully choreographed so that no dancing, show us who they are through how they one should get hurt. But the men are using real blades move. The Nurse totters and scurries; the Friar stands (which, though dull, can cut), so it was essential for with head bowed in contemplation or raises a hand in them to learn proper fencing technique. blessing. These true-to-character movements are done with the intelligence of dance behind them—with all Luckily, ballet and fencing have a lot in common. Both their years of training and performing, the dancers are were introduced in Italy and developed in France. able to use their bodies to convey meaning in ways Like ballet, the official language of fencing is French that non-dancers can’t. and the sport has set moves (in this case, of the blade) that everyone must learn, just as ballet dancers learn set positions of the feet, legs, and arms. In both ballet and fencing, footwork is essential, and training involves repetitive exercises that develop strength and SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGN quickness and refine the required movements. So the Company’s dancers became believable swordfighters, When Helgi decided to choreograph a full-length and during a performance, those scenes get intense! Romeo & Juliet, he knew who should design it—Jens- Jacob Worsaae. According to Helgi, Jens-Jacob loved Italy, and Romeo & Juliet was the ballet he wanted to design above all others. The two men had worked together on several ballets and found that they thought alike in terms of sets and costumes. For Romeo & Juliet they spent time in Verona and other parts of northern Italy, finding inspiration in the textures and colors of city walls, buildings, squares, and streets—many shades of rust, rose, and cream—and talking about how to bring what they saw in Italy to the ballet stage.

In all of this movement, traditional ballet steps The sets for Romeo & Juliet are simple yet powerful. combine with normal human gestures to make a rich Jens-Jacob said they were not realistic, but they dance vocabulary that speaks as loudly, clearly, and were “realistic in feeling” in depicting scenes typical expressively as words do. Juliet rises on pointe, light of the Italian Renaissance. One key set piece is a and joyful, in her encounters with Romeo, and she bridge, which is used in different ways throughout extends one leg straight behind her (an arabesque) the ballet and allows the action to take place on two

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 24 levels. In the Public Square scenes, the bridge spans Vittore Carpaccio, who lived and worked in Venice. If the steps leading to a church and adds drama to the you look at his paintings, you’ll see the same vibrant swordfights—the men run back and forth across the colors and detailed ornamentation that characterize bridge, always in danger of being thrown to the ground the Romeo & Juliet costumes. Full skirts and sleeves, below in the heat of battle. The same bridge, hidden high waists, headpieces, velvets and patterned fabrics, behind a wall, lets Juliet daydream at a high window and detailed beading add beauty and authenticity. while her Nurse, below in Juliet’s chambers, calls to What’s unusual in a full-length ballet is how few women her. The bridge isn’t visible in the ballroom set, but wear pointe shoes. Only Juliet, Juliet’s Friends, and the the steps from the Public Square scene are—rising female acrobat dance on pointe; all the other women, from a floor painted to look like multicolored marble, from Lady Capulet to the commoners and low-ranking they lead to an upper room where the guests gather harlots, wear low-heeled T-strap shoes. Though for refreshments. The steps appear again in the crypt, they’re not authentic to the period, these shoes fit the leading down from a massive iron gate at street level Renaissance look better than pointe shoes would, and into a forbidding chamber where stone coffins and for the kind of dancing these characters do, pointe biers lie, white and cold. shoes aren’t essential.

The rest of the sets are fragments, yet they convey a Jens-Jacob’s palette is vast, and he used color to help strong sense of place. An altar surrounded by black the audience know who is who. He chose warm tones curtains, with light shining as if through a church of rust, brown, and orange for the Capulets—soft pink window, sets the scene in Friar Laurence’s chapel. In and salmon dresses, a rich chestnut dressing gown, the balcony scene, we see the balcony, of course, and and a velvety orange cape for Juliet—and black and the stairs Juliet descends to join Romeo, but there’s silver for the Montagues. The townspeople wear muted no house, no city. In Juliet’s bedroom there’s a bed grays, browns, and blues, depicting their lower status, on one side of the stage, while on the other side, tall and the harlots wear red. The acrobats wear bold drapes suggest the world outside Verona, the place of stripes and checks that look like something characters Romeo’s banishment. might wear in commedia dell’arte—a theatrical form that began in the 1500s, with stock characters like For inspiration for the Renaissance-era costumes, Jens- Arlecchino (Harlequin) and his servant. Jacob turned to the paintings of Renaissance artist

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 25 In the balcony scene, Romeo wears all white, perhaps instead, the composer signed a contract with ’s as a symbol of the purity of his love for Juliet. Juliet’s . But he changed the tragic ending to pale dress has a salmon bodice that fades to white in a happy one, arguing that dead people can’t dance, the skirt (what’s called an ombre effect). The salmon and the Bolshoi directors made him rewrite the ending color helps viewers differentiate the two dancers’ to stay faithful to Shakespeare’s play. After all that, bodies as they dance together, and perhaps suggests they decided the music was undanceable! So when Juliet’s youth. Her white skirt, again, likely symbolizes Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet finally premiered, in 1938, purity and innocence. it was in Brno, Czechoslovakia, not in Russia. And nearly 80 years later, it would be hard to find anyone, Jens-Jacob uses red throughout the ballet to single out since the ballet’s premiere, who wouldn’t think the the main characters in dramatic moments. For example, music was glorious for dancing. Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, Paris, and Tybalt wear jackets in brilliant shades of scarlet in the ballroom Music scholars do consider this music to be Prokofiev’s scene, a color that pops against the primarily black and most “Tchaikovskian” due to its rich harmonies and salmon shades worn by the Capulets and their guests. sweet melodies, often played by flutes or violins. Though much of the score uses traditional dance forms like the , gavotte, minuet, galop, and , Prokofiev ties them together with musical motifs (recurring themes) that we hear throughout MUSICAL SCORE the ballet. The many short pieces of music unite into larger segments that tell a dramatic story. If you listen Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Romeo for them, you may hear musical themes that convey and Juliet during a time of transition in his life and yearning, innocence, and love, as well as the conflict music career, when he returned to his homeland. He between the Capulet and Montague men. Some of had left Russia just before the Revolution, living abroad the characters have their own themes as well—listen in the U.S. and Paris; by the early 1930s, with few for melodies that identify Romeo, Juliet, the Nurse, commissions coming in and little interest in his work as Mercutio, and Friar Laurence. Most important, you a concert pianist and conductor, he decided to return can hear changes in Juliet’s themes that show her home to what was then the U.S.S.R. He wrote Romeo transition from a playful, innocent girl (in the scene with and Juliet in 1935, starting it in Leningrad and taking it the Nurse, before meeting Paris) to a young woman on the road with him, finishing it in Moscow. He saw the in love (at the Capulet ball, when she meets Romeo) ballet as a work in the Russian tradition of Peter Ilyich and defiant daughter (refusing to marry Paris) to a Tchaikovsky (who, among many other famous works, grief-stricken wife (the crypt scene). Romeo and Juliet wrote three ballets: The Sleeping Beauty, , can be appreciated simply for its beauty, but it also and ). Prokofiev was a musical dramatist expresses the story of these doomed lovers with great at heart, and so of course the passions and theatricality emotion and compassion. of Romeo and Juliet appealed to him.

Romeo and Juliet’s path to the stage wasn’t an easy one. First, the directors of the Kirov Ballet (now called the Mariinsky) in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), where the ballet was to premiere, questioned whether Shakespeare’s story could be told without words. So

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 26 MEET THE CHARACTERS

Romeo & Juliet has characters of all kinds. The or gossiping, watching the swordfights and acrobats, biggest, and most important, roles are of course while the Prince of Verona moves with regal power. the title characters, typically performed by principal Lord and Lady Capulet sweep across the stage, their dancers. Other major roles are Tybalt, Mercutio, and carriage elegant and reserved. Hotheaded Tybalt Benvolio; the important roles of the Nurse and Friar shows rage through his body tension and clenched Laurence are acting roles, usually given to principal fists, while Mercutio dances lightly and playfully, often character dancers (retired dancers who are wonderful smiling. Romeo and Juliet, fittingly, seem the most performers). Other characters are key to the story but rounded and human of all the characters. We recognize spend less time onstage; these include Lord and Lady these young lovers as universal, and their placement Capulet, the Prince of Verona, and Paris. onstage in their scenes with other characters helps us see them for what they are—the focal point of this Even though Romeo and Juliet carry the story, all ballet. the other characters give it life. Imagine this story without the swordfighting men of the two feuding In any story ballet that has a dramatic arc like Romeo & families or the many townspeople (the corps de ballet Juliet’s, the dancers must act as much—and as well—as and soloists, along with children from San Francisco they dance. No matter how well the sets and costumes Ballet School). They are essential parts of Verona who transport us to Renaissance Verona, we wouldn’t witness and reflect the events that unfold. Even the believe any of it if the dancers weren’t convincing. touring acrobats add realism—many small performance Whether they are fighting, flirting, or witnessing a troupes used to tour the towns—as well as a murder, they show us who they are, and in the process, lighthearted interlude that offers a break from help to tell the story. the drama.

Often, characters in a story ballet are distinguished from one another by what they wear, and that’s true Watch a video of Ballet Master and Principal Character in Romeo & Juliet. Along with the colors mentioned Dancer Anita Paciotti talk about rehearsing and previously, the fabrics for the ordinary citizens of performing the ballet: youtu.be/NeOO7brJ6zY Verona are plainer than the bejeweled velvets worn by the higher-ranked Capulet and Montague families. Listen to Yuan Yuan Tan talk about But the characters’ movement style and actions are the challenges and excitement of dancing the role of perhaps more important in showing who they are. Juliet: youtu.be/ST9opq4extM Much of the time, the townspeople move like the ordinary people they are, standing around and talking

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 27 MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM OF ROMEO & JULIET

CHOREOGRAPHER: first worked with SF Ballet in 1987, when he designed HELGI TOMASSON the decor and costumes for Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson’s Intimate Voices. He designed five more of Helgi’s ballets: sets Under the leadership of Helgi Tomasson, now in his and costumes for three full-length ballets—Swan Lake 32nd year as artistic director, SF Ballet has become (1988), The Sleeping Beauty (1990), and Romeo & a world-class company, praised for its diversity and Juliet (1994)—and costumes for Con Brio (1990) and broad repertory. After dancing with The Quartette (1994). and Harkness Ballet, Helgi became a principal dancer at Ballet, where he danced for 16 years and emerged as one of the finest classical dancers of LIGHTING DESIGNER: his era. Helgi began choreographing in 1982 and has created more than 40 ballets, including new versions THOMAS R. SKELTON of many full-length story ballets: Giselle, Romeo & Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and (with Yuri Thomas R. Skelton (1927–1994) was a prolific lighting Possokhov) . designer in theater and dance whose credits include , Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet, Ballet, Paul Taylor COMPOSER: SERGEI PROKOFIEV Dance Company, Nureyev and Friends, Ohio Ballet’s complete repertory, and many Broadway shows. At

SF Ballet, he designed Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) was Juliet, “Haffner” Symphony, and Meistens Mozart, and one of the major musical artists of the 20th century. ’s Tryst. Some of his other prominent A pianist, he began composing at age 5 and later dance works include Robbins’ , performed throughout Russia (later the U.S.S.R.) and MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Tudor’s The Tiller in the Western Europe. His works include symphonies, Fields, Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane, Joffrey’sAstarte , concertos, , and dance scores. One of his most Graham’s Rite of Spring, and Jooss’ The Green Table. beloved works is the symphony , a narrated children’s story written in 1936 that is widely performed. He wrote several pieces specifically for ballet, including Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella©, and FIGHT DIRECTOR: , and many of his other compositions have MARTINO PISTONE been used for dance. Actor Martino Pistone received an MFA from American Conservatory Theater (ACT) and trained in boxing, wrestling, competitive fencing, tae kwon do, and aikido. He has taught at ACT, California Institute of the Arts, SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGNER: The , New York University, and The Lee JENS-JACOB WORSAAE Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. His choreography credits include regional theaters across the country, Danish designer Jens-Jacob Worsaae (1946–1994) , The Public Theatre in New received his training in Prague and and York, and many television shows and feature films. He designed more than 100 productions, primarily at the choreographed the fight scenes for the 1994 world Royal Theatre and other theaters in Copenhagen. He premiere of Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet and

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 28 returns to train the dancers in swordfighting for every production of this ballet.

FILM DIRECTOR: THOMAS GRIMM

Thomas Grimm, director of Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance’s film of San Francisco Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet, has directed more than two dozen TV movies, including many about dance. In addition, he has produced nine TV movies, some of which he also directed, including Dance Theatre of : Fall River Legend and Errand Into the Maze. He has worked in the film industry since the early 1960s.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 29 SECTION 04 PRE- & POST- PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

In this section you will find activities that will encourage your students to think critically and creatively about dance. Use the pre- and post-performance worksheets to help students process, analyze, respond, and make connections to the language of dance. After the screening of Romeo & Juliet, use the writing activities and suggested discussion questions to guide students through the artistic process of creating, performing, responding, and connecting to the dance experience. Activities include:

• Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) with SF Ballet • Pre-Performance Worksheets • Post-Performance Worksheets • Post-Performance Writing Activity Write a critique of a dance performance • Suggested Post-Performance Discussion Questions

Use the full-page image flashcards to facilitate discussions among students about ballet before or after watching SF Ballet's Romeo & Juliet using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). VTS is a research-based teaching method that improves critical thinking and language skills through discussion of images. The VTS method supports student growth through teacher-facilitated discussions that use existing visual and cognitive skills to develop confidence and language literacy. For more information about the VTS method, visit www.vtshome.org.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 30 VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES WITH SF BALLET

For each of the following images, ask your students to look at the image silently.

Then ask your students three open-ended questions: • What’s going on in this picture? • What do you see that makes you say that? • What more can we find? 1 Additional discussion questions: • What do you see that makes you say this is ballet? • What’s happening in this picture? What part of the ballet is this scene from? • Use your imagination: what type of music are they dancing to? • What more can we learn about the characters, setting, or plot from the scenic design, lighting 2 design, and costume design? • What can we learn about how the characters might be feeling or thinking? • Are there other possible interpretations?

Image 1: King Louis XIV of France portraying the character of the sun or , the Greek God of the sun.

Image 2: SF Ballet in Helgi Tomasson's Haffner Symphony.

Image 3: The Snow Queen and Snow King in Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker. 3 Image 4: San Francisco Ballet in 's Cinderella©. Cinderella and the prince meet in the ballroom.

4

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 31 Image 5: SF Ballet in Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet. Romeo and Juliet.

Image 6: SF Ballet in Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet. Lady Capulet with Juliet while the Nurse looks on.

Image 7: SF Ballet in Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet. Tybalt and Mercutio.

Image 8: SF Ballet in Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet. Juliet in her balcony.

Image 9: SF Ballet in Helgi Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet. Friar Laurence in the chapel.

7

5

8

6 9

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 32 Image 10: SF War Memorial Opera House. View from the stage.

Image 11: SF War Memorial Opera House. View from Van Ness Avenue.

Image 12: SF War Memorial Opera House. View of the stage and orchestra pit from the audience.

Image 13: SF War Memorial Opera House. View of the stage and backstage area. The ballerina is waiting for her entrance. 10 She is standing behind the lighting equipment and wings.

• Romeo & Juliet was filmed before a live audience in the War Memorial Opera House. Similar to how the Golden State Warriors play at Oracle Arena and the SF Giants play at AT&T Park, the Opera House is like the Ballet Company’s home court. • Fun Facts o The Opera House has been the home of SF Ballet 11 since 1932–1933. o The Opera House can fit more than 3,000 people in the audience. o The Opera House was designed by Arthur Brown, Jr., the American architect who also designed San Francisco City Hall. o In 2015, some scenes from the movie Steve Jobs, starring Seth Rogen and Kate Winslet, were filmed in the Opera House. • Take a virtual tour of the Opera House! https://tour.lcp360.com/nocache/sfwm3/OH/index.html

12

13

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 33 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 34 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 35 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 36 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 37 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 38 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 39 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 40 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 41 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 42 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 43 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 44 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 45 SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 46 SF BALLET'S ROMEO & JULIET NAME

PRE-SCREENING WORKSHEET (page 1 of 2) DATE Ballet | Romeo & Juliet Choreographer | Helgi Tomasson Composer | Sergei Prokofiev

What’s going on in the pictures below?

What do you see that makes you think that?

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 47 SF BALLET'S ROMEO & JULIET PRE-SCREENING WORKSHEET (page 2 of 2)

What kind of music do you think is playing?

Think about the dancers, musicians, costumes, and sets needed for this performance. What did you visualize? Write or draw about it.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 48 SF BALLET'S ROMEO & JULIET NAME

POST-SCREENING WORKSHEET (page 1 of 2) DATE Ballet | Romeo & Juliet Choreographer | Helgi Tomasson Composer | Sergei Prokofiev

What’s going on in the pictures below?

What do you see that makes you think that?

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 49 SF BALLET'S ROMEO & JULIET POST-SCREENING WORKSHEET (page 2 of 2)

What was your favorite section or part of this ballet?

Think about the dancers, musicians, costumes, and sets needed for this performance. What did you visualize? Write or draw about it.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 50 SF BALLET'S ROMEO & JULIET TEACHERS MAY SEND TO: San Francisco Ballet POST-SCREENING WRITING ACTIVITY Attention: Education Programs 455 Franklin Street San Francisco, CA 94102

Write a critique of a dance performance. Imagine that you are the new arts reviewer for your local newspaper; your assignment is to write a critique of SF Ballet's Romeo & Juliet. Follow your teacher's instructions about the writing structure, length, and font size.

• Comment on the overall production. Give the reader a sense of the performance. Analyze the performance by examining the elements such as choreography, music, scenic design, costumes, and lighting. • Interpret the choreography. What was the choreographer’s intent, is there symbolism, what is the theme? What story, concept, or feeling do you think the choreographer was trying to communicate to the audience? If the choreographer created an abstract ballet to communicate an idea, feeling, or mood to the audience, what story did you create or imagine while watching the ballet? • Describe and analyze at least one specific movement phrase. How did the choreographer use movement to tell a story or communicate an idea to the audience? • Evaluate the performance; do you think the choreographer’s intent was clear? Describe the qualities, elements, and dancers that made the performance interesting for you to watch. Compare and contrast the ballet Romeo & Juliet with another version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (a movie, play, musical, etc). • A dance performance is an interaction between performer (dancers and musicians), production elements (sets, props, lights, costumes, etc), and audience that heightens and amplifies artistic expression. How did the movement and music work together? How did the production elements add to the performance? • What did the choreography or music remind you of? • What qualities and elements made the performance interesting for you to watch?

Tips • The first sentence should set the tone for the paper and should draw the reader in. • Describe, interpret, analyze, and evaluate the performance. • Identify the choreographer(s), composer(s), designers, title of the work(s), and the performers or name of the dance company you are discussing. • Include a conclusion.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 51 SUGGESTED POST-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What is one new interesting fact that you learned about ballet? What qualities and elements make a dance interesting for you to watch?

Did any of the dances or dancers surprise you? If so, how?

How was the experience of seeing dance on the big screen different from watching dance on television or performed live?

What style or genres of dance do you enjoy most? Think about ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, and social dance styles. Also consider folk dances and cultural dances from other countries and cultures around the world. How are these styles different and similar to ballet?

Think about the specific steps, lifts, turns, or jumps in the performance. Is there one step that reminded you of another dance style, a sports move, a cultural activity, or a historical event?

What was the ballet about? How did the choreographer use movement to tell a specific story?

Choreographers use a variety of sources as inspiration to transform concepts and ideas into movement for artistic expression. Imagine you are a choreographer. What story or idea will you communicate through dance?

Choreographers and dancers rehearse, or practice, a long time before a dance is performed. Choreographers analyze, evaluate, refine, and document their work to communicate meaning. How do artists use self-reflection, feedback from others, and documentation to improve the quality of their work? How is this process similar to an author or painter?

What was your favorite dance step or dance phrase? How do dancers work with space, time, and energy to communicate artistic expression?

What do you think a dancer needs to do to prepare for a performance? How does a dancer heighten artistry in a performance?

A dance performance is an interaction between performer (dancers and musicians), production elements (sets, props, lights, costumes, etc), and audience that heightens and amplifies artistic expression. How did the movement and music work together? How did the choreography, music, costumes, and sets communicate the story or concept to the audience?

As dance is experienced, all personal experiences, knowledge, and contexts are integrated and synthesized to interpret meaning. How does dance deepen our understanding of ourselves, other knowledge, and events around us? What did the dance and music remind you of?

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 52 SECTION 05 ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

San Francisco Ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has a history of making history. Founded in 1933, SF Ballet has emerged as a world- class arts organization. In this section you will learn about three different parts of San Francisco Ballet:

• San Francisco Ballet • San Francisco Ballet Orchestra • San Francisco Ballet School

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 53 SAN FRANCISCO BALLET was appointed associate artistic director.

When Helgi Tomasson (pictured below) became artistic Helgi Tomasson, Artistic Director & director in 1985, it marked the beginning of a new era. Principal Choreographer Like , Helgi had been a leading dancer

for . Among his many works, Helgi A tradition of innovation flows through the history of has staged acclaimed full-length productions of many San Francisco Ballet. Long recognized for pushing classics, including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, boundaries in dance, SF Ballet has always built upon Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, and Nutcracker. strong classical roots, while continually exploring and redefining where the art form is headed. The San SF Ballet’s repertory includes works by many Francisco Opera Ballet was founded in 1933, primarily to choreographers, including George Balanchine, prepare dancers to appear in lavish opera productions. Lew Christensen, William Forsythe, Edwaard Liang, Sir In 1942, the ballet officially separated from the opera and Kenneth MacMillan, , Mark Morris, Rudolf was renamed San Francisco Ballet. Headed by brothers Nureyev, , , Yuri Possokhov, Willam, Lew, and Harold Christensen from the late 1930s , , Helgi Tomasson, Paul until the 1970s, the Company staged the first full-length Taylor, and Christopher Wheeldon. U.S. productions of Swan Lake (1940) and Nutcracker

(1944). Under Lew’s direction, the Company made its East Coast debut at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 1956 and toured 11 Asian nations the following year. In 1972 the Company settled in the War Memorial Opera House for Watch a dance video of SF Ballet. its annual residency. The following year, youtu.be/IY0AgQZbQY0

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 54 SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ORCHESTRA Nutcracker and a winter/spring repertory season. The Orchestra’s repertory ranges from such classics Martin West, Musical Director & Principal Conductor as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Adolphe Adam’s Giselle to abstract works and San Francisco Ballet Orchestra is internationally contemporary symphonic pieces, some of them recognized as one of the top ballet orchestras in written for SF Ballet. Over the years, the Orchestra the world. Since its 1975 performance debut with has accompanied such prestigious ballet companies SF Ballet’s Nutcracker under Music Director Denis as , Ballet, Ballet de Coteau, the Orchestra’s home has been the San Nacional de Cuba, , Royal Danish Francisco War Memorial Opera House. First known Ballet, Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and Paul Taylor as the Performing Arts Orchestra of San Francisco, Dance Company. the ensemble took the name San Francisco Ballet Orchestra in 1983. Martin West (pictured below) is the Music Director & Principal Conductor of the SF Ballet Orchestra. Watch Music Conductor Martin West talk about the music of Romeo & Juliet: youtu.be/mCg9pvfM4bo With a core group of 49 members, increased to 65 or more players for certain productions, the Orchestra’s performance season includes the annual production of

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 55 SAN FRANCISCO the demands of any choreographer, any company, any BALLET SCHOOL type of movement.

Helgi Tomasson, Director In the supportive atmosphere at SF Ballet School, Patrick Armand, Associate Director there are classes for all ages and levels of ability; discovering the joy of dance is an essential part of San Francisco Ballet School is America’s oldest learning ballet. At levels beyond pre-ballet, girls and professional training academy. Overseen by Director boys are placed in one of eight levels according to Helgi Tomasson and Associate Director Patrick Armand age, experience, and ability. They follow a structured (pictured below), the School attracts students from sequence of training stages, designed to increase around the world, training approximately 700 young their technical skills, stamina, and self-discipline in dancers annually. In addition to filling the ranks of accordance with their age and physical development. SF Ballet, graduates have joined distinguished The program includes classes in technique, pointe ballet companies throughout the world. More than work, pas de deux (partnering), men's technique, 50 percent of the professional dancers in the SF Ballet , , mime, Company received training in our school. conditioning, and music.

The challenging curriculum, taught by an expert staff, emphasizes a strong classical technique and a flow of movement that suggests a sense of energy, freedom, Learn more about San Francisco Ballet School. and joy—reflecting the kind of dancing favored by San www.sfballet.org/school Francisco Ballet. It is a style that readily adapts to meet

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 56 SECTION 06 EDUCATION STANDARDS & RESOURCES

STATE & NATIONAL STANDARDS

SF Ballet Educational Screenings and Study Guides are designed to support learning through the arts. We recommend using this guide to explore movement, learn about dance and ballet, and discover arts integrated activities. The Educational Screenings and Study Guide support the California State Board of Education Dance Content Standards and the National Core Arts Standards in Dance.

For more information about the state dance content standards and the academic standards for Visual and Performing Arts in kindergarten through grade twelve, adopted by the California State Board of Education, visit www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/damain.asp.

Last modified in 2014, the National Core Arts Standards: a Conceptual Framework for Arts Learning outline a conceptual framework for arts learning for K-12 students in Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. For more information about the National Core Arts Standards in Dance, visit nationalartsstandards.org.

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 57 CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS: DANCE CONTENT STANDARDS

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION 4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments Information Through the Language and Skills Unique About Works of Dance to Dance Students critically assess and derive meaning from Students perceive and respond, using the elements works of dance, performance of dancers, and original of dance. They demonstrate movement skills, process works according to the elements of dance and sensory information, and describe movement, using aesthetic qualities. the vocabulary of dance.

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Dance to Creating, Performing, and Participating in Dance Learning in Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers Students apply choreographic principles, processes, and skills to create and communicate meaning through Students apply what they learn in dance to learning the improvisation, composition, and performance of across subject areas. They develop competencies and dance. creative skills in problem solving, communication, and management of time and resources that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn 3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL about careers in and related to dance. Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of Dance

Students analyze the function and development of dance in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to .

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 58 NATIONAL CORE ARTS ANCHOR STANDARDS IN DANCE

ARTISTIC PROCESS: CREATING ARTISTIC PROCESS: PERFORMING

ANCHOR STANDARD 1 ANCHOR STANDARD 4 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work and work. for presentation.

Process Component: Explore Process Component: Express Enduring Understanding: Choreographers use Enduring Understanding: Space, time, and energy are a variety of sources as inspiration and transform basic elements of dance. concepts and ideas into movement for artistic Essential Question: How do dancers work with space, expression. time, and energy to communicate artistic expression? Essential Question: Where do choreographers get ideas for dance? ANCHOR STANDARD 5 Develop and refine artistic technique and work ANCHOR STANDARD 2 for presentation. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Process Component: Embody Process Component: Plan Enduring Understanding: Dancers use the mind-body Enduring Understanding: The elements of dance, and develop the body as an instrument for dance structures, and choreographic devices serve artistry and artistic expression. as both a foundation and a departure point for Essential Question: What must a dancer do to prepare choreographers. the mind and body for artistic expression? Essential Question: What influences choice-making in creating choreography? ANCHOR STANDARD 6 Convey meaning through the presentation of ANCHOR STANDARD 3 artistic work. Refine and complete artistic work. Process Component: Present Process Component: Revise Enduring Understanding: Dance performance is an Enduring Understanding: Choreographers analyze, interaction between performer, production elements, evaluate, refine, and document their work to and audience that heightens and amplifies artistic communicate meaning. expression. Essential Question: How do choreographers use self- Essential Question: How does a dancer heighten artistry reflection, feedback from others, and documentation to in a public performance? improve the quality of their work?

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 59 ARTISTIC PROCESS: RESPONDING ARTISTIC PROCESS: CONNECTING

ANCHOR STANDARD 7 ANCHOR STANDARD 10 Perceive and analyze artistic work. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Process Component: Analyze Enduring Understanding: Dance is perceived and Process Component: Synthesize analyzed to comprehend its meaning. Enduring Understanding: As dance is experienced, all Essential Question: How is a dance understood? personal experiences, knowledge, and contexts are integrated and synthesized to interpret meaning. Essential Question: How does dance deepen our ANCHOR STANDARD 8 understanding of ourselves, other knowledge, and Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. events around us?

Process Component: Interpret Enduring Understanding: Dance is interpreted by ANCHOR STANDARD 11 considering intent, meaning, and artistic expression as Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, communicated through the use of the body, elements and historical context to deepen understanding. of dance, dance technique, dance structure, and context. Process Component: Relate Essential Question: How is a dance interpreted? Enduring Understanding: Dance literacy includes deep knowledge and perspectives about societal, cultural, historical, and community contexts. ANCHOR STANDARD 9 Essential Question: How does knowing about societal, Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. cultural, historical, and community experiences expand dance literacy? Process Component: Critique Enduring Understanding: Criteria for evaluating dance vary across genres, styles, and cultures. Essential Question: What criteria are used to evaluate dance?

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 60 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS SF BALLET Lincoln Center Education Learning Guides for

Romeo & Juliet Learn more about San Francisco Ballet’s professional lincolncenteratthemovies.org/education/san- dancers and artists. francisco-ballet.html www.sfballet.org/artists/dancers/principals

Take virtual tour of the SF War Memorial Opera House. STANDARDS & LESSONS tour.lcp360.com/nocache/sfwm3/OH/index.html ArtsEdge is the Kennedy Center’s free digital SF Ballet Student Matinee Study Guides resource for teaching and learning in, through, and sfballet.org/community/school-programs-resources/ about the arts. teacher-study-guides artsedge.kennedy-center.org

California State Board of Education’s Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards ONLINE RESOURCES www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/ Excerpts from Romeo & Juliet vpastandards.pdf https://youtu.be/0yBY0MD0ZWE

Common Core State Standards Ballet Master and Principal Character Dancer www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/ Anita Paciotti discusses rehearsing and performing Romeo & Juliet National Core Arts Standards in Dance youtu.be/NeOO7brJ6zY nationalartsstandards.org

Principal Dancer Yuan Yuan Tan talks about the challenges and excitement of dancing the role of Juliet youtu.be/ST9opq4extM

Music Conductor Martin West discusses the music of Romeo & Juliet youtu.be/mCg9pvfM4bo

Watch a dance video of SF Ballet. youtu.be/IY0AgQZbQY0

Romeo & Juliet film trailer www.greatamericandance.com/SanFranciscoBallet/

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 61 APPENDIX SAN FRANCISCO BALLET DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & TRAINING SPONSORS Romeo & Juliet Educational Screening Sponsor San Francisco Ballet School First Republic Bank Helgi Tomasson, Director Patrick Armand, Associate Director Original Production Sponsor E. L. Wiegand Foundation Education & Training Administration Andrea Yannone, Director of Education & Training Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance Sponsors Jasmine Yep Huynh, Manager of Youth Programs & Jody and John Arnhold Teacher Support Howard Gilman Foundation Nicole Sikora, Education Assistant Jennifer Kovacevich, Education Project Manager with additional support provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Romeo & Juliet Study Guide Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Cheryl A. Ossola, Writer Nora and James Orphanides Jasmine Yep Huynh, Contributing Writer Orphanides & Associates, LLC. April Johnston, Marketing & Promotions Manager Stuart Coleman Caitlin Sims, Publications Editor Blavatnik Family Foundation Fund for Dance Monica Cheng, Graphic Designer IMAGE CREDITS Cover | , and Davit Karapetyan in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson

5 | Left: King Louis XIV // Photo by APIC/Getty Images // © http://www.gettyimages.com/license/112072414. Right: Vanessa Zahorian and Steven Morse in Tomasson's Haffner Symphony // © Erik Tomasson

7 | San Francisco Ballet Orchestra // © Erik Tomasson

9 | Backstage during a performance of Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson

11 | Left: Myles Thatcher backstage before a performance of Tomasson/Possokhov's Don Quixote // © Erik Tomasson. Right: Costume maintenance // © Erik Tomasson

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 62 13 | San Francisco Ballet School // © San Francisco Ballet; 33 | Image 10: War Memorial Opera House, view from stage // Jennifer Stahl in Tomasson's Nutcracker // © Erik Tomasson; © http://johncanningco.com/war-memorial-opera-house/. San Francisco Ballet School // © San Francisco Ballet Image 11: War Memorial Opera House, view from Van Ness // © http://www.sfwmpac.org/. Image 12: War Memorial Opera House, 14 | San Francisco Ballet School // © San Francisco Ballet; view from audience // © http://www.sfwmpac.org/. and Davit Karapetyan in Tomasson's Nutcracker // Image 13: War Memorial Opera House, backstage // © Erik Tomasson; San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Swan Lake // © Erik Tomasson © Chris Hardy 34 | King Louis XIV // Photo by APIC/Getty Images // 18 | Both: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © http://www.gettyimages.com/license/112072414 © Erik Tomasson 35 | Vanessa Zahorian in Tomasson's Haffner Symphony // 19 | Left: Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan in Tomasson's © Erik Tomasson Romeo & Juliet. Right: Anita Paciotti and Hansuke Yamamoto in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 36 | WanTing Zhao and Daniel Deivison-Oliveira in Tomasson's Nutcracker // © Erik Tomasson 20 | Both: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 37 | San Francisco Ballet in Wheeldon's Cinderella© // © Chris Hardy 21 | Maria Kochetkova in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 38 | San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 22 | Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 39 | San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 24 | Backstage during a performance of Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 40 | San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 25 | Both: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 41 | Maria Kochetkova in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 31 | Image 1: King Louis XIV // Photo by APIC/Getty Images // © http://www.gettyimages.com/license/112072414. 42 | San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // Image 2: Vanessa Zahorian in Tomasson's Haffner Symphony // © Erik Tomasson © Erik Tomasson. Image 3: WanTing Zhao and Daniel Deivison-Oliveira in Tomasson's Nutcracker // 43 | War Memorial Opera House, view from stage // © Erik Tomasson. Image 4: San Francisco Ballet in Wheeldon's © http://johncanningco.com/war-memorial-opera-house/ Cinderella© // © Chris Hardy 44 | War Memorial Opera House, view from Van Ness // 32 | Images 5–7, 9: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's © http://www.sfwmpac.org/ Romeo & Juliet. Image 8: Maria Kochetkova in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson 45 | War Memorial Opera House, view from audience // © http://www.sfwmpac.org/

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 63 46 | War Memorial Opera House, backstage // © Erik Tomasson

47 | Left: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // Right: Maria Kochetkova in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson

49 | Left: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // Right: Maria Kochetkova in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet // © Erik Tomasson

53 | San Francisco Ballet Chris Hellman Center for Dance // © Erik Tomasson

54 | Left: Helgi Tomasson // © Erik Tomasson. Right: San Francisco Ballet on tour in Beijing // © Erik Tomasson

55 | Left: Martin West // © Erik Tomasson. Right: San Francisco Ballet Orchestra // © Erik Tomasson

56 | Left: Patrick Armand // © Erik Tomasson. Right: San Francisco Ballet Student Showcase // © Erik Tomasson

SF BALLET ROMEO & JULIET STUDY GUIDE 64