The holiday season commences with this local treasure, a Highlights of The veritable piece of eye-candy with its sumptuous sets, scenery, Nutcracker Ballet and costumes. The adept dancers Featuring The New Mexico Ballet Company of the New Mexico Ballet Commentary by Jolie Sutton-Simballa Company, accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s illustrious score, bring these memorable characters to life. The stage becomes a magically animated storybook, inviting the audience into a world of wonderment and awe. The heartwarming performance doubles as a one-hour introduction to classical music and the exquisite art of ballet. All Popejoy Schooltime Series productions are designed to integrate the Monday, December 2, 2013 arts into classroom instruction. Each production is selected with youth and : family audiences in mind, from titles and materials that reflect the cultural 10 15am only diversity of our global community. These professional performing artists create educational experiences designed to encourage literacy, creativity, Tuesday, December 3, 2013 communication and imagination. These productions purposefully target 10:15am & 12:15pm specific grade ranges. Please review these materials to make sure the recommendations and content are appropriate for your group. We then Grades: 3 - 12 encourage educators to use our suggestions as springboards into meaningful, dynamic learning, thus extending and anchoring the performance experience. Curriculum: English Language Arts, Fine Arts/ Theatre, Music & Dance StandardS addrESSED BY ATTEnding THIS PERFORMANCE IN THIS ISSUE OF DREAMCATCHERS– Introduction ............................................................................ 2 COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS: Synopsis ....................................................................................... 2 English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL) Fun Facts ...................................................................................... 2 Comprehension and Collaboration: Integrate and evaluate information presented in Vocabulary ................................................................................ 3 diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. Activities ...................................................................................... 4 Interactive Nutcracker ................................... 4 NEW MEXicO CONTENT STANDARDS: Show. Don’t Tell .................................................... 5 Fine Arts: Theatre, Music & Dance Nutcracker Finger Puppets ..................... 6 Content Standard 3: Integrate understanding of visual and performing arts by seek- The Dance of the Falling Leaves ....... 7 ing connections and parallels among arts disciplines as well as all other content areas. Outreach Activities ........................................................ 8 Resources & Websites ................................................. 8 Content Standard 5: Observe, discuss, analyze, and make critical judgments about artistic works. About the Artistic Director/Choreographer ........................................ 9 Worksheet ................................................................................... 10 Etiquette ....................................................................................... 11 Credits ............................................................................................ 11 Dreamcatchers are produced by the Education Department of Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, NM [email protected], www.schooltimeseries.com, facebook.com/schooltimeseries Introduction (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org) The first performance of The Nutcracker took place in Russia in 1892. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (pronounced chai-KOFF-skee) adapted the ballet from a story called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” written by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann. Marius Petipa (PEH-tee-PAH), and his assistant Lev Ivanov, created the original The Battle (Song 8) – The sounds of the drum, flute, and horn create the choreography. Surprisingly, the first performance of the ballet was not feeling of a battle as the mice and the soldiers fight. Clara distracts the regarded as a success. In fact, 25 years passed before anyone outside Rat King with a wedge of cheese, which gives the Nutcracker Prince a of Russia performed it! chance to stab him. Listen for the dramatic change in the music A complete version of The Nutcracker was not performed in the that indicates when the Nutcracker has turned into a Prince. United States until 1944, when it was presented by the San Francisco In the Pine Forest (Song 9) – The sounds of the battle scene melt into Ballet with choreography by Willam Christensen. It was the San dreamy melodies, created with a harp and other stringed instruments, Francisco Ballet that began the tradition of presenting The Nutcracker as Clara and the Prince dance through a wintry landscape. on an annual basis. Waltz of the Snowflakes (Song 10) – While in the Land of Snow, Clara While The Nutcracker may have been born in Russia, it has certainly and the Prince are greeted by the Snow Queen and her cavalier. The adapted to its American home. It’s become both an annual holiday song is unique because of the combined use of voices and instruments. tradition, and, with all of its variations, a reflection of the character of our country — that is, a mix of many ethnicities and ideologies. ACT II Top left: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky by Nikolay Kuznetsov, 1893 Divertissement (an amusement) – Clara and the Prince arrive in the Land of the Sweets and the Prince describes Clara’s brave deed. The Synopsis Sugarplum Fairy orders the inhabitants to celebrate. This section is The abbreviated version of The Nutcracker to be performed for made up of a group of dances, performed to some of the best-known the Popejoy Schooltime Series runs sixty 60 minutes, and features melodies from the ballet. highlights and on-stage narration for this introduction to ballet and Chocolate - Spanish Dance (Song 11) – “Chocolate” is a Spanish- classical music. flavored dance; listen for castanets. The Overture (Song 1) – A preview/summary of the music to be heard Coffee - Arabian Dance (Song 12) – An Arabian dance. throughout the performance. Tea - Chinese Dance (Song 13) – Oriental in flavor; listen for the ACT I glockenspiel. Decoration of the Christmas Tree (Song 2) – The energy and style of Trepak - Russian Dance (Song 14) – A trepak is a fiery Russian this piece echoes the busy preparations for Christmas. The Stahlbaums dance set to a simple beat. In a trepak, the dancer squats on his or her prepare for the arrival of their guests, while Clara and Fritz play. Finally, haunches and kicks out each foot alternately. their guests arrive. Dance of the Flutes (Song 15) – Also called “The Dance of the Toy Flutes.” M arch (Song 3) – The children play and dance joyfully to some of the Mother Ginger & The Gingerbread Cookies (Song 16) – Mother famous and memorable melodies of The Nutcracker. Ginger greets Clara and her Prince, then has her little children, the Children’s Gallup and Entry of the Parents (Song 4) – The children Gingerbread Cookies, dance in their honor. play mischievously, which leads into a delightful dance. Waltz of the Flowers (Song 17) – In the Land of Sweets, even the A rrival of Drosselmeyer (Song 5) – An abrupt change in the music signals flowers dance for Clara and the Prince. the arrival of Fritz’s and Clara’s magical uncle. At first, he frightens Clara Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy (Song 18) – The Sugarplum Fairy and Fritz, but then delights them by making their toys dance. and her partner perform a series of dances, including a pas de deux, Grandfather’s Dance (Song 6) – Clara receives a beautiful Nutcracker a type of ballet duet. as a gift from her Uncle Drosselmeyer. After Fritz breaks it in a fit of Waltz Finale (Song 19) – The visit to the Land of the Sweets ends jealous rage, he is sent to bed. Drosselmeyer then magically fixes the with a grand waltz. The change in the music signals the end of Clara’s badly damaged Nutcracker. After the guests’ final dance, everyone dream, as the Sugarplum Fairy bids her farewell. Clara suddenly gets ready to say goodbye to their hosts, while Clara reluctantly bids awakens with a start and finds her Nutcracker back under the tree. farewell to her Uncle and goodnight to her beloved Nutcracker. She runs to hug her beloved Nutcracker, and is left to wonder if it Clara and the Nutcracker (Song 7) – After her parents insist that was all indeed a dream. Clara keep the Nutcracker downstairs, she creeps back down to check on it under the Christmas tree. Drosselmeyer appears to protect Clara Fun Facts from the evil Rat King, by bringing the Nutcracker and tin soldiers to (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org life. The Christmas tree becomes gigantic and mice fill the room. and previous Dreamcatchers study guides) Many of the dance steps and terminology used in ballet come from the French language. That’s because ballet was popularized in France by King Louis XIV. He loved ballet so much that he took dance lessons every day. He also started the first school of ballet, and his ballet master, Pierre Beauchamps, created special steps for the king alone to perform. Ballets are never interactive with the audience. The storytelling is done through movement and music, and requires silent attention at all times. 2. POPEJOY SCHOOLTIME SERIES PRESENTS The Nutcracker Ballet Fun Facts (Continued) Vocabulary Clap for spins! In any performance, you can clap after dances and