POINTERS!
INTERACTIVE GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS
FALL 2010 North Carolina Dance Theatre Education and Outreach Department April Berry, Director
Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Fall 2010
Welcome to Pointers! We are delighted that you and your students will be attending a North Carolina Dance Theatre performance and we look forward to having you in the audience. This Pointers! guide has been created to help you prepare your students for the performance and connect the dance performance with other areas of your curriculum. It includes background information on North Carolina Dance Theatre, lesson plans and suggested classroom activities. You are free to reproduce any pages from this guide for use in your classroom in conjunction with a North Carolina Dance Theatre performance. At North Carolina Dance Theatre, we have a strong commitment to sharing our art form with students and teachers. We thank you for your interest and support of North Carolina Dance Theatre and our Arts-in-Education programs. Sincerely, Jean竏単ierre Bonnefoux Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux President and Artistic Director
NC Dance Theatre Arts-in-Education is very pleased to offer you and your students our first online, multi-media, interactive Pointers! Guide. I hope that this redesigned guide will help to inform and inspire you as you continue to explore new ways to integrate movement and dance into your curriculum.
Please look for the ballet shoe to help point out information and activities you may want to share with your students before, during and after the performance. We hope this Guide helps students describe, analyze, and interpret these works of art. Enjoy the performance and remember to send us your feedback! Warm regards,
April Berry April Berry Director of Education and Outreach
If you have any questions about the performance, would like further information about our programs, or your students would like to write to the dancers, please contact us at: North Carolina Dance Theatre Education and Outreach Department 701 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 Phone: 704.372.0101 X2767 email: aberry@ncdance.org
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Fall 2010
Inside This Interactive Guide •
North Carolina Dance Theatre is………………………………………………………………..…
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Educational Theatre Performances 2010-2011 ……………………………………………
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Behind-the-Scenes Tour………………………………………………………………………………..
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Watching a Performance ………………………………………………………………………………
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Meet Our Artistic Directors ……………………………………………………………………………
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Meet NCDT Dancers ………………………………………………………………………………………
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Choreographers Timeline ………………………………………………………………………………
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What is Ballet? ………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Innovative Works: The Green Project Choreographers and Ballets……………..`
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Sample Student Worksheet ……………………………………………………………………………
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Elementary Lesson and Activity: The Tree Hugger ……………………………………….
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Kinetic Energy Activities: Middle/ High School ……………………………………………
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Incorporating Literacy Strategies …………………………………………………………………
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Trick ‘R Trick Synopsis ……………………………………………………………………………………
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Dracula: A Brief Synopsis of the Bram Stoker Novel ……………………………………
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Capturing Creativity ………………………………………………………………………………………
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Professional Development for NC Teachers …………………………………………………
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Key Vocabulary Terms ……………………………………………………………………………………
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Arts Education for Teachers ……………………………………………………………………….…
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Evaluation Forms …………………………………………………………………………………………….
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Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………………………………….
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This ballet shoe will point out things in our Interactive Guide that you may want to discuss with your students.
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Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Fall 2010
10 Lessons the Arts Teach By Elliot Eisner
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The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.
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The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.
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The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.
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The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving, purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of work as it unfolds.
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The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.
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The arts teach students to think through and within a material. All art forms employ some means through which images become real.
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The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.
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The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.
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The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.
The arts’ position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.
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Fall 2010
North Carolina Dance Theatre is. . . A Professional Company Based in Charlotte, North Carolina Dance Theatre (NCDT) has eighteen dancers and six dancers in the second company. The dancers are men and women from North Carolina, all over the United States and other countries around the world. NCDT performs five shows each year at the Knight Theater and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The main company travels throughout the United States. NCDT 2 performs for many school and community groups in North Carolina.
NC Dance Theatre Company Photo: Jeff Cravotta
Visit ncdance.org for the latest info on NCDT! Arts-in-Education: North Carolina Dance Theatre’s Education programs engage students, teachers and the community–at—large in a range of artistic activities that allow them to learn about dance as an art form.
“ “Students were able to see how dance can communicate a story or a theme.” - Bailey Middle School
Community Outreach: North Carolina Dance Theatre, through innovative programs, dynamic performances and collaborative partnerships, makes dance accessible to all communities.
Photo: Peter Zay
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Educational Theatre Performances
2010-2011 Special daytime performances by NC Dance Theatre are offered at a discounted price for school groups and promote “active” observation as well as the opportunity for students to engage with the dancers following the performance.
INNOVATIVE WORKS: THE GREEN PROJECT Friday, November 12 - 10:30 am to 11:30 am Knight Theater Recommended for Upper Elementary, Middle and High School Students Contemporary choreography fuses with environmental issues for a morning of green inspired dance. Innovative Works features choreographers, Mark Diamond, David Ingram, Sasha Janes and Dwight Rhoden. A great opportunity for environmental literacy and earth science curriculum.
JEAN-PIERRE BONNEFOUX’S NUTCRACKER Thursday, December 16 — 10 am to 11:15 am Belk Theatre, Blumenthal Performing Arts center Recommended for all ages Nutcracker, Charlotte’s favorite holiday tradition, celebrates the sights and sounds of the holiday season. This beloved holiday classic, choreographed by Artistic Director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, transports audiences to a joyous holiday party, the majestic Land of Snow and the delectable Land of Sweets. No holiday journey is complete without a visit to Nutcracker!
DIRECTOR’S CHOICE: BEARDEN AND BALLET Friday, March 11 - 10:30 to 11:30 am. Knight Theatre Recommended for Upper Elementary, Middle and High School Students
Carolina Shout by Romare Bearden
Resident Choreographer Dwight Rhoden layers dance and art in a world premiere inspired the work of artist Romare Bearden, deemed “the nation’s foremost collagist” by The New York Times. Excellent program for students with an emphasis on visual art and black history.
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Behind-the-Scenes Tours Behind-the-Scenes Tours are designed for small groups (up to 30) who are studying dance or are interested in what takes place before the curtain goes up! Tours are available in September, October, late-November/early December, February and April. Get a sneak peek of the costumes, choreography and dancers who will perform in our upcoming ballets! Behind-the-Scenes Tours last 45 minutes to one hour and cost $5 per person. Book your tour today!
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Watch a company rehearsal
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Tour the magical costume shop
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Meet some of our professional dancers
For more information, please contact April Berry, director of North Carolina Dance Theatre’s Education and Outreach Department, at 704.372.0101 x2767 or by email: aberry@ncdance.org
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Lecture Demonstrations
2010-2011 North Dance Carolina Theatre dancers will come to your school or public venue with a 60minute narrated performance featuring excerpts from the current repertoire. Audience participation and a question and answer session with the dancers make this very exciting program for you and your students!
Choose from two new performance programs! PROGRAM A (Available late October and late January through April) •
Higher Consciousness, a ballet reminiscent of the 1960’s, with an environmental message. This excerpt features spoken word beatniks and bongos!
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Tree Hugger, a green-themed ballet inspired “by the need to save the trees of the rainforest.” A trio to music by Maurice Ravel, it is danced by one female dancer and two male dancers.
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Kinetic Energy, a light hearted contemporary look at alternative energy sources which include human kinetic energy.
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Dracula Pas de Deux is a classical “dance for two” between a vampire and a young woman. This narrative ballet is based on the story by the same name.
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Trick ’R Treat, an amusing ballet that takes you on a Halloween adventure.
PROGRAM B (Available Mid-March through April) •
An excerpt from Resident Choreographer Dwight Rhoden’s World Premiere ballet inspired by the life and work of Charlotte artist Romare Bearden.
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Time is of the Essence, a duet about an environmental activist couple juggling life, jobs and their mission to save the world.
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Higher Consciousness
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Dracula Pas de Deux
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One other “surprise” ballet
Please contact the Education and Outreach Department at 704.372.0101 X 2767 for more information or to schedule a lecture demonstration.
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Watching a Performance The performance you may see
A Lecture Demonstration Performance has… •
NARRATION The dancers will talk about what they are doing.
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REPERTORY WORKS The dancers will perform many different dances.
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DANCE FLOOR The dancers will dance on a special floor covering, sometimes called a “Marley”, that they will bring to your school gym or community center.
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A Theater Performance has...
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION The dancers may ask you to come on stage, dance from your seat, or ask questions. Join the fun!
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A STAGE A theater is a special place for performances. It has a curtain that will open to show you the dancers and stage with scenery and wings. There will be people at the theater called ushers who will show you and your group where to sit.
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A BALLET It could be a story, like the Nutcracker, or a group of shorter dances. Dancers tell stories through movement— they usually do not speak.
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COSTUMES AND SCENERY It is sometimes easier to understand the ballet when the dancers show you who they are (by wearing costumes) and where they are (by the scenery).
Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Fall 2010
Meet Our Artistic Directors The Artistic Directors hire the dancers, lead the rehearsals, and choose the dances the company will perform. The Artistic Directors help train dancers and coach them on the roles they perform. The Artistic Director chooses choreographers to create new dances for the company. JEAN-PIERRE BONNEFOUX [ZHON Pea-AIR BONN-foo] is the Artistic Director of North Carolina Dance Theatre. He grew up in France and joined the Paris Opera Ballet when he was fourteen years old. He later danced with the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballets in Russia, and then came to the United States to dance with the New York City Ballet. Mr. Bonnefoux and his wife, Patricia McBride, moved to Charlotte in 1996 to lead the North Carolina Dance Theatre.
“North Carolina Dance Theatre is really such a unique institution here in Charlotte. Every year we rise to the challenge of presenting world class performances to diverse audiences in Charlotte and all across the nation.”
PATRICIA MCBRIDE is the Associate Artistic Director of Dance Theatre. She was a famous ballerina in the New York City Ballet and worked closely with choreographer George Balanchine. She works with dancers and students to teach them Mr. Balanchine’s ballets and unique style.
“George Balanchine was my mentor. I have been very fortunate to have worked with him. He was the most famous choreographer of the 20th century. It has been extraordinary to pass on his legacy, his teaching techniques and stage his masterpieces. To give all of this to a new generation of dancers is a great privilege for me.”
Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux works with a dancer.
Patricia McBride teaching a class for students at the School of North Carolina Dance Theatre.
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Meet Several NCDT Dancers
Max Levy
Dustin Layton
Addul Manzano
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Hometown: Mize, Mississippi
Hometown: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Moved to the US: at age eleven to train with Boulder Ballet School
Started dancing: age 4
Trained with: National Ballet School of Cuba in Havana
My most prized possession: My sanity Favorite Music: Bright Eyes, Muse, Patrick Wolf
Alessandra Ball
Favorite Choreographer: George Balanchine Trained with: Sylvia Hennington, Ballet Mississippi, Boston Ballet School and School of American Ballet
Danced with: The National Ballet of Cuba, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Columbia City Ballet, Washington Ballet, Sarasota Ballet of Florida and BALLETNY
Traci Gilchrest
Kara Wilkes
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Hometown: El Paso, Texas
Trained with: Gwinnett Ball Theatre and Stanislav Issaev
Trained with: Ingeburg Heuser, and attended Texas Christian University on scholarship
Danced with: Colorado Ballet, Victor Ullate Ballet If she weren’t dancing she would be: A Chef
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Danced with: Hartford Ballet, Ballet Arizona, and Chautauqua Ballet Company Favorite roles: Caroline in Lilac Garden and Anna in Aiello’s Nutcracker
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Favorite Ballet: Petit Mort Favorite movie: The English Patient Favorite Holiday: Halloween I could not live without: My family’s support, my amazing friends, and laughter
Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Fall 2010
Meet NCDT2 Dancers NC Dance Theatre 2 dancers are some of the newest members of the company and come from many different places to work and perform with NC Dance Theatre. If the company comes to your school, you will probably meet many of them.
Kate Ann Behrendt
Gregory DeArmond
Noel Dilworth
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Hometown: Lake Forest
Hometown: Walnut Creek, California
Started dancing: Age 10
Started dancing: Age 7
Started dancing: Age 13
My favorite thing about dancing is: The combination of musicality, physicality and intellectual outlook; I can say with my body what words cannot.
Favorite book: Dance Conditioning
Favorite video: ABT’s Le Corsaire
Favorite music: Classical/Piano concertos (Frederick Chopin)
Favorite food: Spicy chicken marsala-any Indian food
Favorite thing about dancing: The way it makes me feel when we perform
When I was younger I wanted to be: A stuntman
In spare time: I love to read, visit museums or go out to eat
Amanda Irwin
Jordan Leeper
In spare time: I do yoga
Daniel Rodriguez
Hometown: Palm City, Florida
Hometown: Jamestown, New York
Hometown: New York City, New York
Started dancing: Age 7
Started dancing: Age 12
Favorite music: Anything I can dance to
Favorite video: Harry Potter, Avatar, The Last Airbender
Trained at: LaGuardia High School, Manhattan Youth Ballet
Favorite food: Chocolate When I was younger I wanted to be: A ballerina
Favorite Music: Hip-Hop, R&B Favorite thing about dancing: learning more and seeing myself improve
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Favorite video: “Bad” by Michael Jackson Favorite food: Spanish When I was younger I wanted to be: Comic Book Artist
Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Fall 2010
Ballet Choreographers A Timeline of Influence These choreographers on the left side of this timeline have influenced NCDT choreographers on the right side of the timeline. 1900
George Balanchine 1902-1983
1920
Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux President and Artistic Director North Carolina Dance Theatre
1940 Dwight Rhoden NCDT Resident Choreographer
Alvin Ailey 1931-1989
Mark Diamond NCDT2 Director and NCDT Choreographer
John Neumeier 1942-
1950
Jiri Kylian
1947-
2000
William Forsythe 1949-
2010
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Sasha Janes NCDT Dancer, Rehearsal Director and Choreographer
Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Fall 2010
What is Ballet? Ballet is a form of theatrical movement that traditionally combines the arts of dance, music, drama and set design. Ballet can refer to a production, a company or troupe of ballet dancers, or the technique involved. Ballet is characterized by the elegance and skill of the dancers who perform incredibly difficult actions yet make them look smooth and graceful.
Contemporary Ballet Description Contemporary ballet is a combination of different forms of dance, including classical ballet, modern, lyrical, and jazz. While it does not have a certain, defined “technique�, contemporary ballet has been developed from classical ballet styles, with a greater range of movement and work on the floor.
Contemporary Ballet Style While parallel or turned-in positions are very rarely found in a classical ballet, they are frequently utilized in contemporary ballets. Contemporary as a style is more innovative and free, and it allows a dancer to manipulate ballet concepts into more modern pieces.
Origins and Development of Contemporary Ballet George Balanchine is often considered to have been one of the first developers of contemporary ballet. Today, the Balanchine style is considered to be neoclassical ballet, and is placed between classical and contemporary. Balanchine used flexed hands and feet, turned-in legs, off-centered positions and non-classical costumes, such as leotards, unitards and tunics instead of tutus. He also included modern dancers in his company, the New York City Ballet. One dancer who trained with Balanchine was Mikhail Baryshnikov. When Baryshnikov was named artistic director of American Ballet Theatre in 1980, he began working with George Balanchine rehearsing with Suzanne Farrell various modern choreographers, such as Twyla Tharp. Tharp’s pieces were considered to be innovative for their use of distinctly modern movements combined with the use of pointe shoes and classically-trained ballet dancers. Compared with classical ballets on one side and modern pieces on the other, Tharp's movements were distinctly contemporary, a melding of both styles.
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Contemporary Ballet in the World Today There are many contemporary ballet companies and choreographers in the spotlight today, like Alonzo King and his company, Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, and Jirí Kilián, artistic director of the Nederlands Dans Theatre. Classical ballet companies, such as the Kirov Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet, also regularly perform contemporary works.
Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet
Jirí Kilián’s Nederlands Dans Theatre
North Carolina Dance Theatre’s
Teaching Artist Residencies A professional Teaching Artist from NC Dance Theatre works with students in a classroom setting introducing dance concepts that are inspired by master dance works and that relate to core curriculum goals. Residency lessons are planned in partnership with classroom teachers. These residencies are appropriate for elementary, middle, and high schools with or without existing dance programs. Funding is available from a variety of sources, and Dance Theatre education staff will work with your school to help secure funding.
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Innovative Works: The Green Project Choreographers MARK DIAMOND is the Program Director for NC Dance Theatre 2. He is a choreographer and has created ballets for many companies in the United States and Europe. He has choreographed 20 ballets for North Carolina Dance Theatre, and he works with the Education Director to choose which dances will be performed for school groups.
“Working with young dancers is very inspiring to me because they never stop growing as artists. To reach the next level in their careers, they have to learn to stretch their limits and push themselves physically and mentally.” - Mark Diamond Left: Mark Diamond’s City South
DWIGHT RHODEN is the Resident Choreographer for North Carolina Dance Theatre. The New York Times called him “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day.” Dwight Rhoden began dancing when he was 17 years old while he was studying acting. He has performed with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, and he was a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Rhoden has created over 70 ballets for his own Complexions Contemporary Ballet company, as well as for other companies, such as Alvin American Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem and the New York City Ballet/ Diamond Project. Right: Dwight Rhoden’s Broken Fantasy
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SASHA JANES, the rehearsal director, is responsible for the day to day rehearsals of the current repertoire of choreography that the company will be performing. He makes sure the dancers know all of the roles that they will be performing, and that they feel that they can go on stage and perform at their highest possible level. In addition, Sasha teaches the company ballet class, and schedules costume fittings and publicity opportunities. He works closely with guest choreographers to make sure that the integrity of their choreography is maintained. Sasha is also a North Carolina Dance Theatre dancer.
DAVID INGRAM, originally from Kingsport, TN, trained with Karen Gibbons Brown at the Kingsport Guild of Ballet. After graduating with honors from Butler University, David joined the Louisville Ballet where he performed the works of such choreographers as Val Caniparoli, Adam Hougland, Robert North, Domy Reiter Soffer, Ben Stevenson and Twyla Tharp. David’s choreography has been performed at Empujón, Fort Wayne Ballet, The Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts and The Yard in Massachusetts.
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North Carolina Dance Theatre
Green Project Ballets A dance project/performance program utilizing themes of Conservation, Pollution, Waste, and Environment scheduled for November 2010. This project is designed after the success of the performance of “Green Pieces” in July 2009 in Chautauqua, N.Y., produced by Mr. Mark Diamond.
“Higher Consciousness” (BEATNIK PIECE) Choreography: Mark Diamond Dancers: 2 male, 2 female Music: Live improvisation on bongos by dancer. Choreographer’s Statement This ballet is reminiscent of the 1960’s because that is when the protest movement of the 20th century began. The action starts as a Beatnik plays bongos between inspired statements, which start out simple and comedic as a 60’s girl dances. Between dance sequences that reflect the mood, these statements become more serious and pertinent to the present, as the music shifts to more intense piano accompaniment. These verbal statements by the dancers comment on how the Earth is being environmentally destroyed by waste and pollution. This ballet begins the program and merely is intended to present serious topics in an innocent light, which the choreographer feels should be contemplated and addressed. The answers to these problems are not presented; it is merely suggested that we all need to know what is going on with our world before it is too late.
“Time Is Of the Essence” (Save the World) Choreography: Mark Diamond Dancers: 1 male, 1 female Music: Chopin piano Scherzo #1 in B minor Choreographer’s Statement Duet about an environmental activist couple juggling life, jobs, and their mission to save the world. The action begins and we see a couple in business attire feverishly writing letters, calling government offices, and copying forms. It seems that they do this everyday. The woman is particularly obsessed with this work and is sometimes overcome with the sense of responsibility that she has taken upon herself. After the man consoles her they return to their important work. After the woman crumbles into a tense ball of anguish they take a break to lovingly plant trees around the community. But she continues the next day on her mission to save the world before it is too late. The man is overcome as his interest in these projects were actually centered around his love for her. He pulls away and rebels as he realized that they cannot single- handedly save the world.
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Title TBA (Topic: Deforestation) Choreography: David Ingram Dancers: TBA Music: electronic and sound effects mix Choreographer’s Statement Upon being asked to choreograph for the 2010 Green Project, I immediately was drawn to the aftermath of “slash and burn” a process of Deforestation. According to some recent data, “every year the earth loses an area the size of Panama of its forests due to deforestation” (www.nationalgeographic.com). Deforestation has rapidly increased with the advancement of technology and increased consumption. If the rate of depletion continues on its current course, the Earth will be without any forests in 100 years. The main practice of Deforestation is termed “slash and burn”, a process by which the trees are systematically cut down and the area is burned. While the initial outcome produces fertile land for farming, within a few years the land no longer produces crop thus forcing the farmers deeper into the forests. Deforestation also eliminates the natural habitat of native animal and plant species. The destruction of theses large amounts of trees eliminates the conversion of carbon dioxide or “Green House gases” into oxygen and contributes to the global warming phenomenon.
According to the National Geographic’s website: Deforestation also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover they quickly dry out. Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Without trees to fill these roles, many former forest lands can quickly become barren deserts I’ve chosen to focus on the product or outcome of “slash and burn” as my choreographic subject. I plan to depict a world in which ashes are all that are left of the world’s forests. Oxygen is scarce. People are dealing with a bleak, new environment. In this environment, the dancers will focus on expanding pedestrian movement that would occur in the new landscape. In order to transport the audience to this new landscape, the dancers will be knee deep in the “ashes.” Tall, black tree stumps will be placed around the stage. The lighting for the piece will be responsive to the music in a very detailed way. The costumes will be simple but easily adaptable to the movement.
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“Kinetic Energy” Choreography: Sasha Janes Dancers: 6 dancers Music: Piano improvisation over techno mix Subject on global warming and alternate energy sources. Choreographer’s Statement A somewhat comedic, innovative piece about using alternative energy sources. The main musical tempo of the piece is provided by someone running on a treadmill, which is situated on stage with a microphone attached. Also on stage is a pianist accompanying the treadmill as it cycles through several different tempo changes to which the dancers respond accordingly. A light hearted look at how we can provide our own energy instead of using fossil fuels.
“Title TBA, (Topic: Waste, Pollution)” Choreography Dwight Rhoden Dancers: TBA Music: TBA Dwight Rhoden, a New York City based contemporary ballet choreographer, will be the guest choreographer for this event. As the fourth choreographer for this program info for his creation for this performance will be announced at a later date. “I'd like to do something that deals with pollution and destruction of our planet in regards to human irresponsible behavior. Maybe dealing with the wastefulness, carelessness etc”.
“Tree Hugger” Choreography: Sasha Janes. Music; Maurice Ravel, Pavane pour un mort infant, piano Dancers: 2 males, 1 female Choreographer’s Statement When I was first approached about this project my biggest reservation was; how was I going to choreograph a piece to raise peoples’ awareness of the subject matter, without over politicizing it, and in turn alienating them from the subject matter at hand. As fanatical as many so called tree huggers may appear to be, (you only have to search YouTube to know what I am talking about), the answer was simple, choreograph a beautiful ballet that transcends political overtones, but instead takes the audience on a ride that at the end of which may have them thinking about what is happening to our trees? and how does this really directly affect me? It is not my intent to tell an audience what to think, surely no one is that pretentious, but only to introduce a subject in such a way that it inspires people to think about something in a different way. How was I going to achieve this? The idea is quite simple, a woman would climb into a tree to stop it from being cut down. The 2 male dancers represent the tree, at the beginning of the ballet the woman launches herself into the men, and never again sets any body part on the floor for the entirety of the ballet.
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“Recycling” Choreography Mark Diamond Dancers: 10 Music: Classical piano prologue and techno beat mix Choreographer’s Statement A ballet/theatre comedy piece/ fashion show, based on recycling, with costumes made entirely from recycled materials by contemporary artist Erika Diamond. This dance work is centered around the costumes that the dancers are wearing. Most of the recycled materials were retrieved out of the trash. Some of the women’s costumes are; a dress made from woven newspaper, a dress made of old movie film, another from Styrofoam packing peanuts, one from soda can pop tabs, another from an old umbrella as the skirt with a bubble wrap bodice, a dress made from white garbage bags, and an exotic outfit with a tutu made of shredded plastic soda bottles with a bra top made from the spouts of two plastic 2 liter bottles. Some of the men’s costumes are; trousers made from scrunched up plastic grocery bags with a vest made from a mesh grapefruit bag, another pair of trousers are made from hundreds of bottle caps painstakingly sewn together. The list goes on. The action will start as elegantly clad figures interact with each other to sophisticated jazz music, but the action steps up as the music kicks up to a rousing techno beat with flashing light as the dancers strut up and down a path of light in full haute couture fashion runway style.
Recycled Costumes (Artist’s statement – Erika Diamond) Some materials should never end up in landfills, particularly those that are easily recyclable or those that take years to biodegrade. For the “Green Pieces” program I have collected items such as 2-liter bottles, aluminum pop tabs, and packing peanuts. I have transformed them from useless discarded materials into wearable art. Each costume has a character that comes to life with the movement and personality of the dancers. Often the costumes are an afterthought, but in this case the movements are partly guided by the attributes and limitations of the costumes. Coming from a background in Sculpture, I endeavor to create work that promotes a harmony and connection between our self and the surrounding world.
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Director/ Writer for Spoken Words, and Concept by: Mark Diamond
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Green Project Choreographers: Mark Diamond, David Ingram, Sasha Janes
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Designer/Artist for “Recycling”: Erika Diamond
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Music: Public domain, plus computer generated sound tracks made by choreographers
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Spoken Word: Performed by dancers in this project
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Costume Design: Mark Diamond
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Costume Construction: Summer Collins
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Lighting Design: Nate McGaha
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Sample Student Worksheet
1) What is the name of this dance work? _________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
2) Who is the choreographer?_________________________________________
3) Name some of the other artists involved in this dance~ e.g., the designers, the dancers, the composer. _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________
4) Describe the part that you liked the best. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Why? ____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
5) Describe how the music, costumes and lights relate to the dance. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
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Grades K-5 Lesson Tree Hugger: Dancing The Great Kapok Tree A RAINFOREST ADVENTURE
Written by Pamela Sofras, Professor UNC at Charlotte, Education Consultant, NC Dance Theatre
National Dance Standards Addressed in this Lesson Content Standard 2: Understanding choreographic principles, processes and structures. Content Standard 4: Applying and demonstrating critical thinking skills in dance Content Standard 7: Making Connections between dance and other disciplines North Carolina Essential Standards Creation and Performance 1: Use choreographic principles, structures, and processes to create dances that communicate ideas, experiences, feelings, and images. Dance Movement Skills 1: Understand how to use movement skills in dance. Responding 1: Use a variety of thinking skills to analyze and evaluate dance. Connecting 1: Understand cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary connections with dance National Social Studies Standards Addressed in this Lesson Strand 3: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places and environments
Dance students at Charlotte’s First Ward Creative Arts Academy
National Science Standards Addressed in this Lesson Content Standards • Unifying Concepts and Processes • Science as Inquiry • Life Science
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North Carolina Language Arts Standards Competency Goal 2: The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed. Introduction and Instructional Objectives In this lesson students will study the eco-system of the rainforest. Focus will be on rainforests of the Western Hemisphere particularly the Amazonian region. Students will identify the flora and fauna found there, and discuss climate and its effect on all living things. Most importantly, they will look at how all the different aspects or parts of the environment that can be identified separately, belong to the rainforest as a whole unit. They will read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry and learn how the rainforests are in jeopardy through deforestation. They will also learn how the loss of the rainforests will impact many species of animals. The need to save the trees of the rainforest was the inspiration for the new work “Tree Hugger� by Sasha Janes. In his ballet, a woman attaches herself to a tree to prevent it from being cut down, in the same way as all of the animals, spoke to the man sleeping under the tree in the book, The Great Kapok Tree. Students will experience the process of using the book as inspiration for a dance of their own. They will explore how animals move and where they live in relation to the great trees of the rainforest.
Students will experience the process of using the book as an inspiration for a dance of their own as they explore how animals move and where they live in relation to the great trees of the rainforest.
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Grades K-5 Lesson SUGGESTED CLASS ACTIVITY: COMPOSITION Written by Pamela Sofras, Professor UNC at Charlotte Education Consultant, NC Dance Theatre 1)
Read as a class The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
2)
Identify the nine animals who will come to the tree • Boa Constrictor • Tree Frogs • Bees and Butterflies • Jackal • Monkeys • Porcupines • Macaw/Parrot • Anteater • 3 Toed Sloth
3)
Assign 2-3 students to each animal depending on size. Each pair/trio will research information about their animal and write a list of action and descriptive words to inspire their dance.
4)
Students as a class will create a Kapok “Tree Hugger” dance sequence. The sequence will consist of: • Two students to create the shape of the Great Kapok Tree •
In the above order, each group of different animals, one group at a time will approach the tree using “locomoter” movement and finish resting on the tree. Each set of animals will dance their dances and find places to rest under, over, behind, (etc.) in the comfort of the tree.
Think about and ask: Do your animals travel together or separately? What is your relationship to others in your group? •
When all have finished, the final picture will include the Kapok tree and all the animals who depend on it for their homes, protection or food. Do you blend with your group and surroundings or stand out in some way?
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Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
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Grades 6-12 Lesson Kinetic Energy –Alternative Energy Sources Air and Water – Harnessing Energy Written by Pamela Sofras, Professor UNC at Charlotte Education Consultant, NC Dance Theatre National Dance Standards Addressed in this Lesson Content Standard 2: Understanding choreographic principles, processes and structures. Content Standard 4: Applying and demonstrating critical thinking skills in dance Content Standard 7: Making Connections between dance and other disciplines North Carolina Essential Standards Creation and Performance 1: Use choreographic principles, structures, and processes to create dances that communicate ideas, experiences, feelings, and images. Dance Movement Skills 1: Understand how to use movement skills in dance. Responding 1: Use a variety of thinking skills to analyze and evaluate dance. Connecting 1: Understand cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary connections with dance National Science Standards Addressed in this Lesson — Content Standards • Unifying Concepts and Processes • Science as Inquiry • Life Science Connecting Concept - Dance and Science Natural Energy Sources, water and air and our own Kinetic Energy Exploring strong and light energy in ourselves and in the environment Introduction and Objectives In this lesson, students will learn about the use of energy in dance as defined by the six dynamic qualities of movement; percussive, sustained, swinging, collapsed, suspended, and vibratory. Students will explore how the body uses energy variations to provide variety in movement choices. Students will relate their own kinetic energy to the forces of energy in nature. Choreographer Sasha Janes has created a ballet called “Kinetic Energy” to help us think about alternative energy sources that include human kinetic energy. Energy can range from light to strong. Using the natural resources of water and air, students will explore and identify the energy variations in each; from gentle breeze to hurricane, ripple to tsunami. Essential Questions • Do we always use the same amount of energy in movement? • What determines the energy of a movement? • How does energy manifest itself in air and water? • Describe the relationship between emotion and energy? • How can we show the energy in water and air in human movement?
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Grades 6-12 Kinetic Energy SUGGESTED CLASS ACTIVITIES Written by Pamela Sofras, Professor, UNC at Charlotte Education Consultant, NC Dance Theatre
Introduction 1.
Show an excerpt of Alonzo King describing energy to children during an educational performance by North Carolina Dance Theatre. Discuss the demonstration and note the vocabulary words: Intensity= strong or light Speed= fast or slow
2.
Post six separate pieces of construction paper on the board. On each is written one of the dynamic words. Dynamic Words/Qualities: Percussive, Sustained, Swinging, Collapsed, Vibratory, Suspended. Define energy, kinetic energy and inertia. Discuss the relationship of energy to the dynamic qualities. Discuss how different dynamic qualities enrich movement.
Composition Activity •
In quartets, students will create a “Kinetic Energy Dance” inspired by either water or air. The dance should move through a variety of action/descriptive words from- gentle to strong to gentle, a cycle. Students must show the different dynamic qualities for each type of water or air phenomenon. There should be a clear beginning and ending shape. Dancers may dance all four together or vary performers with the different dynamic qualities. Students will also select music from several options provided by the teachers.
In addition, each quartet must costume their dance using recycled materials. Mark Diamond created a work called “Runway” that is based on recycling. Every costume in the dance was made from recycled materials.
Materials available for students may be: Plastic garbage bags, bubble wrap from packing, paper bags, plastic bottles, aluminum foil, soda cans, soda caps, packing Styrofoam peanuts, etc.
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Incorporating Literacy Strategies Thru the Arts in the Classroom STUDENT ACTIVITIES Compare/Contrast Example: Describe how the ballets in the performance you see are alike and different. • Key Words: Both, in common, the same, different from • Reading Skills: Main Idea, Similarities, Differences
Cause/Effect Example: Explore motion, movement and energy in dance. • Key Words: As a result of, because of, in order to, when….then • Reading Skills: Identifying events, Cause/effect relationships
Time/Order Example: Describe choreographic principles • Key Words: First, next, finally • Reading Skills: Sequencing, Main Idea/supporting details
Student Notes:
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“Trick ‘R Treat” A family-friendly Halloween ballet by Mark Diamond
October 2010
Synopsis As a family with a lot of kids gets ready for Halloween everyone is deciding what their costume shall be. Mom and Dad are getting ready to go out and everyone is trying to scare each other, especially Dad and the older kids. Finally they go outside and join many other kids from the neighborhood who are also “Trick or Treating”. They visit various houses and have a variety of experiences; some scary, some silly.
The kids get separated as they pass through the church graveyard where they have some serious scary experiences; some pranks, some unexplainable. The last house they visit is a large dark mansion that belongs to an eccentric family in town. This is where they all will have experiences that they will never forget. Click here to watch a short video with Mark Diamond discussing his Trick ’R Treat ballet!
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DRACULA
Photo Credit: Royal Winnipeg Ballet
A Brief Synopsis of the Bram Stoker Novel The Englishman Jonathan Harker, a solicitor’s clerk, travels to Transylvania to negotiate a real-estate transaction with Count Dracula. The Count arranges to purchase Carfax Abbey, near London. The sessions are far more dramatic than Harker expects, and presently he wakes in a Budapest hospital, where he is attended by his fiancée, Mina (Wilhemina) Murray. Meanwhile, the Count sails to England. In the hold of the ship are seven boxes of Transylvanian soil. Having claimed the blood of the crew, Dracula begins his hunt on English ground, and claims his first local victim in Lucy Westenra, Mina’s friend. Soon he terrorizes London with is hunting. Renfield, a patient in a London mental institution, seems to have a sixth sense for when Dracula is near. This perception is noted by John Seward, the director of the institution. Soon a team of vampire hunters gathers around Seward and Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, a Dutch specialist in rare illnesses. They pursue Dracula and have several confrontations, but there is only one sure way to kill the Count, which is to stake him through the heart into his native soil. Dracula flees to his Transylvanian castle, pursued by the team. An American, Quincey Morris, delivers the telling blow.
Click here to watch a short video with the choreographer of NCDT’s Dracula ballet.
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Capturing Creativity North Carolina Dance Theatre partnered with the Dance and Theatre Department of UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Schools to explore and define the creative process in dance. The partnership was formed in order to explore ways to create more sophisticated curriculum resources in dance for a growing number of dance educators teaching in the public schools of North Carolina. An underlying goal of the creators of "Capturing Creativity" is to change the "norm" of how the creative process in dance is taught in schools by analyzing concrete, tangible examples of work that is being created now. Traditionally, dance composition teachers deconstruct already completed works and speculate about the choreographic processes used. The method for analyzing choreography used for these units begins with the work’s inception and follows the process to the completed piece and its premiere performance. The process of creation is observed as it evolves with the developing work. In the future, it is hoped that these units will enrich and add to the dance knowledge base in the field of dance education. These lessons are designed as guides for the dance educator and are open to revision and interpretation as needed for maximum student learning. The activities provided here are by no means the only way to teach the material. They serve as a template to guide the lesson writing of those talented dance educators wishing additional resources for their classrooms. The lesson units have been field tested by dance teachers in the CharlotteMecklenburg School System, and by students at UNC at Charlotte preparing to receive dance teacher licensure. All provided valuable input into the existing lessons.
Capturing Creativity Units: (click the unit for more information) Energy: The Texture in Between Preserving Legacy Cinderella: Linking Past to Present Forward Moves: On the Verge Agon: Hearing the Dancing, Seeing the Music
Ordering Information Each of the Capturing Creativity units is available to Dance Educators in North Carolina directly through NC Dance Theatre. The cost for each unit, including the book of lesson plans, teacher’s notes, and assessments and the accompanying VHS video is $100. When a Capturing Creativity unit is used as part of a DEEP workshop, it is available to all workshop participants for $35. Click here to use the Capturing Creativity Order Form to place your order or email April Berry: aberry@ncdance.org for more information.
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Professional Development for NC Teachers Come dance with us! A key component of Dance Theatre’s programs is our nationally recognized Dance Educator Enrichment Program (DEEP) and Primary Educator Enrichment Program (PEEP). DEEP sessions for dance specialists focus on broadening professional knowledge through Dance Theatre’s Capturing Creativity curriculum units. PEEP sessions for K-5 classroom and special area teachers introduce dance concepts and give educators tools and resources for integrating dance and movement activities with curriculum. Workshops are offered free of charge to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers and at a nominal charge to other teachers. Continuing education credits are available. Please call 704.372.0101 x2767 with questions or to register.
2010-2011 Teacher Programs Dance, Design, Discover! (NC Dance Theatre in partnership with Discovery Place) For Middle/High School Dance and Science Educators Monday, October 11, 2010 4:45-6:45 PM Location: Garinger High School
Above: Teachers learn about energy forms with Discovery Place Program Specialist Joel Bonasera. Left: Charlotte dance and science teachers in a movement exercise led by NCDT Choreographer Sasha Janes.
Click here to watch a short video and hear comments from teachers on the workshop.
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2010-2011 Teacher Programs Left: Dance and Science teachers watch the “Kinetic Energy” ballet by Sasha Janes during the “Dance, Design, Discover” Workshop for Teachers.
Right: A Discovery Place facilitator at one of the energy stations with two teachers from Southwest Middle School
Charlotte Teachers Institute Exploding Canons: The Unexpected Impact of Romare Bearden Thursday, February 10, 2011 5:00-7:15 PM Location: North Carolina Dance Theatre Patricia McBride & Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance 701 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202
Romare Bearden Workshop (NC Dance Theatre in partnership with Mint Museum) Spring 2011 More details to come. Please check our website at a later date.
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Key Vocabulary Terms
Abstract: free from representational qualities Choreographer: person who creates dances Choreography: the dance work Composition: the way in which the parts of the dance are put together to form a whole Cycle: a repeating event Dynamics: the energy of movement expressed in varying intensity, accent and quality Eco-system: an interdependent environmental system made up of a community of plants and animals Energy: the force behind movement Improvisation: movement that is created spontaneously, occurring within free or highly structured environments, but always with an element of chance. Inertia: the resistance of a physical object to a change in its state of motion Intent: the motivation for movement, may be internal or external Kinetic Energy: the extra energy an object possesses because of its motion Locomoter movement: movement that travels in from place to place, usually defined by weight transference. Some basic locomoter movements are walk, skip run, jump, slide, leap, gallop Narrative: a choreographic structure that is representational and in the form of a story Partnering: the actions and movements between two or more dancers Sequence: selected order of movement and shapes in dance with a beginning, middle and end
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Arts Education Resources for Teachers •
John F. Kennedy Center Education Department: http://www.kennedycenter.org/education/partners helps educators teach in and through the arts. The web site features current arts education news; professional resources for teachers and others; and an annotated catalog of other related web sites.
•
Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education: www.lincolncenter.org features information on professional development opportunities for educators on exploring the arts with their students through an experiential approach that emphasizes learning across the curriculum through theatre.
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NC Wolf Trap Program: http://www.wolf-trap.org features information on the arts services provided to pre school children, their teachers and families through drama, music, and movement. NC Wolf Trap is one of 15 regional sites of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts in Virginia:
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North Carolina Dance Alliance: http://www.ncdancealliance.org
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National Dance Education Organization: http://www.ndeo.org
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North Carolina Arts Council: http://www.ncac.org Statewide agency providing support through grants and programs to schools, individuals and cultural organizations
Click here to find more resources for students on the NC Dance Theatre web site!
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Lecture-Demonstration Performance EVALUATION FORM (to be filled out by principal or contact teacher) •
Did you use this performance guide as follow-up to the Lecture-Demonstration performance? If so, what did you find most useful about the guide?
•
What other things would you like to see included in this Performance Guide? Please identify things that would make the guide easier to use.
•
Please circle your response: The performance began On time Late If late, by how long? The performance length was: Too long Too short
Just right
The quality of the performance was: Excellent Good Fair
Poor
The content of the performance was developmentally: Appropriate Inappropriate
•
If inappropriate, please tell us how: The content of the performance was related to the following curricular areas: Circle all that apply Dance Music Social Studies Visual Arts Science Language Arts Math
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•
What kinds of Lecture Demonstration Performances would you like to see in the future?
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Would you recommend this performance to other schools?
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What did you find most interesting?
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What did your students enjoy the most?
Thank you for your feedback!
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Yes
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Pointers! Interactive Guide for Educators
Innovative Works: The Green Project Educational Theater Performance
Teacher Evaluation Form
School
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Theatre
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Acknowledgements North Carolina Dance Theatre would like to thank the many students and teachers who participate in our programs as well as the following organizations and individuals for their support.
Jeff Cravotta Tom Johnson Mel Morganstein Contributing Photographers
Melissa Current
Cheryl Maney
Dance Educator First Ward Creative Arts Academy
Visual Arts and Dance Curriculum Specialist Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
Nina Newton
NC Dance Theatre
Pamela Sofras
Education & Outreach Associate NC Dance Theatre
Education Committee
Professor of Dance UNC at Charlotte and NCDT Education Consultant
BG MEDIA Pointers! Guide Design Producer: Dance, Design, Discover! Workshop Video
Š 2010 North Carolina Dance Theatre Permission is granted to reproduce pages for classroom use only in conjunction with performance activities by North Carolina Dance Theatre.
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Education and Outreach Department 701 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202 Phone: 704.372.0101 X 2767 Email: aberry@ncdance.org