ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHER
Ratmansky reworked The Bright Stream with his own choreography while he was the Artistic Director of the Bolshoi. This revised version premiered in 2003. In it, Ratmansky maintained the libretto, or the original story of the ballet, and the farm setting.
WHAT DID YOU FIND FUNNY? The Bright Stream is one of a few eveninglength comic ballets in history. Did you laugh during the performance? Identify a character you found funny. How did his or her movement help to create a sense of character? How did they use costumes and props to comic effect?
Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE WOR KI NG R E H EARSAL
The Presidency of John F. Kennedy: A 50th Anniversary Celebration is the 2011 Rubenstein Program and is made possible through the generosity of David and Alice Rubenstein.
PHOTO BY FABRIZIO FERRI
Alexei Ratmansky (ah-LEX-ee rat-MAN-skee), is a dancer and choreographer who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He began his training at the age of 10 at the famed Bolshoi Ballet and has performed with many companies around the world. He is currently ABT Artist in Residence.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Additional support is provided by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Altria Group, Constance Milstein de La Haye St. Hilaire and Jehan-Christophe de La Haye St. Hilaire, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, and David Gregory and Beth Wilkinson. American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center is supported through the generosity of The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund. American Ballet Theatre acknowledges The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund for its generously endowed support of The Bright Stream. This production has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support for the Kennedy Center Ballet Season is provided by Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Verizon Foundation, Mr. Martin K. Alloy and Ms. Daris M. Clifton, the Carter and Melissa Cafritz Charitable Trust, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Clark Charitable Foundation, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Fight for Children, The President's Advisory Committee on the Arts, National Committee for the Performing Arts, and Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk.
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department. ARTSEDGE is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning. For more about the performing arts and arts education, visit the Kennedy Center’s Education Department online at www.kennedy-center.org/education The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department. The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Š 2011 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Bright Stream Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky Music by Dmitri Shostakovich
A Comic Ballet in Two Acts About the Working Rehearsal
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
WHAT’S SO FUNNY?
Recognized by an act of the United States Congress as America’s National Ballet Company™, American Ballet Theatre, or ABT, is a ballet company based in New York City. The company was founded in 1940 with the goal of keeping the best ballets from the past alive, while encouraging new ballets by emerging choreographers.
Dance communicates through movement, rather than words, so humor must be shown in a physical manner. As you watch the ballet, notice how comedy can be communicated through costumes, movement, timing, and the use of props.
A BANNED BALLET In this working rehearsal, you will see ABT run through The Bright Stream, a Russian ballet that was originally choreographed in 1935 by Fyodor Lopokov (pronounced fuh-YOH-dorh loh-POH-kov) with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (dih-MEE-tree shos-tuh-KOH-vich). The ballet is a comedy about life and love on a community farm in the former Soviet Union, now known as Russia. Joseph Stalin, the communist leader at the time, felt the humor in the ballet was not respectful of Soviet laborers. His disapproval meant the ballet was banned during his rule.
Watch for… ■
the dance of the dacha dwellers. How does Ratmansky show humor in the movements of this couple, and in the way they are dressed? Do they dance in rhythm with the music?
■
the tractor driver who flirts with a milkmaid. What happens when he tries to milk her cow? Watch for his change of costume.
THE STORY OF THE BRIGHT STREAM
Act I A dance troupe arrives to entertain the workers on a collective farm during a harvest festival. Zina, the festival’s events organizer, recognizes The Ballerina, who is an old friend. A series of romantic complications arise when Zina’s husband Pyotr (pronounced Peter) falls in love with The Ballerina. In addition, two old dacha dwellers, or Russian country folk, are enchanted by The Ballerina and her partner. The Ballerina asks Zina to participate in a complicated trick to end the flirtatious advances by Pyotr and the dacha dwellers. To do so, The Ballerina dresses like her male partner, her partner dresses up in a ballerina’s costume, and Zina dresses as The Ballerina wearing a mask.
Act II The trick is played when the various couples come together. Zina dances with Pyotr, who thinks she is The Ballerina. The Ballerina and her partner, dressed as each other, meet up with the dacha dwellers to put an end to their unwanted attentions. Zina and The Ballerina, both with masks on, dance together at the harvest festival. They reveal their identities to Pyotr, who begs Zina for forgiveness. The ballet ends with a celebration. Watch how… ■
Zina communicates her feelings when she dances with Pyotr. Her heartbreak is shown with bent shoulders, and her anger is expressed with fast footwork and forceful arm movements.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LATVIAN NATIONAL BALLET
A Comic Ballet in Two Acts About the Working Rehearsal
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
WHAT’S SO FUNNY?
Recognized by an act of the United States Congress as America’s National Ballet Company™, American Ballet Theatre, or ABT, is a ballet company based in New York City. The company was founded in 1940 with the goal of keeping the best ballets from the past alive, while encouraging new ballets by emerging choreographers.
Dance communicates through movement, rather than words, so humor must be shown in a physical manner. As you watch the ballet, notice how comedy can be communicated through costumes, movement, timing, and the use of props.
A BANNED BALLET In this working rehearsal, you will see ABT run through The Bright Stream, a Russian ballet that was originally choreographed in 1935 by Fyodor Lopokov (pronounced fuh-YOH-dorh loh-POH-kov) with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (dih-MEE-tree shos-tuh-KOH-vich). The ballet is a comedy about life and love on a community farm in the former Soviet Union, now known as Russia. Joseph Stalin, the communist leader at the time, felt the humor in the ballet was not respectful of Soviet laborers. His disapproval meant the ballet was banned during his rule.
Watch for… ■
the dance of the dacha dwellers. How does Ratmansky show humor in the movements of this couple, and in the way they are dressed? Do they dance in rhythm with the music?
■
the tractor driver who flirts with a milkmaid. What happens when he tries to milk her cow? Watch for his change of costume.
THE STORY OF THE BRIGHT STREAM
Act I A dance troupe arrives to entertain the workers on a collective farm during a harvest festival. Zina, the festival’s events organizer, recognizes The Ballerina, who is an old friend. A series of romantic complications arise when Zina’s husband Pyotr (pronounced Peter) falls in love with The Ballerina. In addition, two old dacha dwellers, or Russian country folk, are enchanted by The Ballerina and her partner. The Ballerina asks Zina to participate in a complicated trick to end the flirtatious advances by Pyotr and the dacha dwellers. To do so, The Ballerina dresses like her male partner, her partner dresses up in a ballerina’s costume, and Zina dresses as The Ballerina wearing a mask.
Act II The trick is played when the various couples come together. Zina dances with Pyotr, who thinks she is The Ballerina. The Ballerina and her partner, dressed as each other, meet up with the dacha dwellers to put an end to their unwanted attentions. Zina and The Ballerina, both with masks on, dance together at the harvest festival. They reveal their identities to Pyotr, who begs Zina for forgiveness. The ballet ends with a celebration. Watch how… ■
Zina communicates her feelings when she dances with Pyotr. Her heartbreak is shown with bent shoulders, and her anger is expressed with fast footwork and forceful arm movements.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LATVIAN NATIONAL BALLET
ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHER
Ratmansky reworked The Bright Stream with his own choreography while he was the Artistic Director of the Bolshoi. This revised version premiered in 2003. In it, Ratmansky maintained the libretto, or the original story of the ballet, and the farm setting.
WHAT DID YOU FIND FUNNY? The Bright Stream is one of a few eveninglength comic ballets in history. Did you laugh during the performance? Identify a character you found funny. How did his or her movement help to create a sense of character? How did they use costumes and props to comic effect?
Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE WOR KI NG R E H EARSAL
The Presidency of John F. Kennedy: A 50th Anniversary Celebration is the 2011 Rubenstein Program and is made possible through the generosity of David and Alice Rubenstein.
PHOTO BY FABRIZIO FERRI
Alexei Ratmansky (ah-LEX-ee rat-MAN-skee), is a dancer and choreographer who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He began his training at the age of 10 at the famed Bolshoi Ballet and has performed with many companies around the world. He is currently ABT Artist in Residence.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Additional support is provided by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Altria Group, Constance Milstein de La Haye St. Hilaire and Jehan-Christophe de La Haye St. Hilaire, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, and David Gregory and Beth Wilkinson. American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center is supported through the generosity of The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund. American Ballet Theatre acknowledges The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund for its generously endowed support of The Bright Stream. This production has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support for the Kennedy Center Ballet Season is provided by Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Verizon Foundation, Mr. Martin K. Alloy and Ms. Daris M. Clifton, the Carter and Melissa Cafritz Charitable Trust, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Clark Charitable Foundation, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Fight for Children, The President's Advisory Committee on the Arts, National Committee for the Performing Arts, and Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk.
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department. ARTSEDGE is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning. For more about the performing arts and arts education, visit the Kennedy Center’s Education Department online at www.kennedy-center.org/education The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department. The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Š 2011 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Bright Stream Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky Music by Dmitri Shostakovich