merde- a term used by dancers, especially in ballet, to wish someone good luck before a performance; similar to “break a leg”.
To be the first dancer to make it to the stage (marked by the “merde” logo on the board) in order to perform the lead role in tonight’s performance.
Svetlana Zakharova
Misty Copeland
Anna Pavlova
Margot Fonteyn
1979-
1982-
1881-1932
1919-1991
prima ballerina at the Bolshoi Ballet and etoile with the La Scala Theatre Ballet
principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre
prima ballerina at the Imperial Ballet
prima ballerina assoluta at the Royal Ballet
nicknamed the “tsarina of dance”
the first African American principal dancer at ABT
known as one of the greatest ballet dancers of her generation
named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people
known for her solo performance of “The Dying Swan” and her work with the Ballets Russes
was appointed to her position at the Royal Ballet by Queen Elizabeth II
The Pavlov dessert was named after her
known for partnering with Rudolf Nureyev
Place the board in the center of a table. Next, place three Devant Cards face up in a row, and keep the rest of them face down in a stack. Gather all six dice and all standing ovation cards and keep them within reachable distance of all players. Each player will then select a character of their choice and place it the corresponding portrait on the board. Players will also take the pointe shoe tracker that corresponds with their chosen character and make sure the slider is set all the way to the left, right below the “10”. To begin, each player will role one die. The player who rolls the highest number will begin, and turns will continue in a clockwise direction from there.
A player’s turn begins by rolling all six dice. The player has up to three rolls each turn, where they can choose to re-roll all the dice or keep some and re-roll the others. In addition, a player does not have to use all three rolls. They can stop after only one or two rolls. After the player has finished their desired number of rolls, they will then resolve the dice according to the chart below:
For 1, 2, and 3, three of a kind must be rolled for points. If you roll 3 1s, move ahead one space on the board. For each additional 1, move ahead one more space. If you roll 3 2s, move ahead two spaces on the board. For each additional 2 , move ahead one more space. If you roll 3 3s, move ahead three spaces on the board. For each additional 3, move ahead one more space.
Every 4 rolled replenishes your pointe shoes by one point. Move your slider ahead one space along your pointe shoe tracker.
For every 5 rolled, you earn one standing ovation. Every 6 rolled damages a player’s pointe shoes.
If another player has been crowned Étoile, that player’s pointe shoes are damaged by 1 point. If you have been crowned Étoile, all other players damage their pointe shoes by 1 point.
In the ballet world, the term “Étoile”, which is French for “star”, is the highest rank a female dancer can reach. At the beginning of the game, the first player to end with a 6 on one of their dice becomes Étoile.
Only one dancer can be Étoile, which they show by wearing the tutu. Because an Étoile must be in rehearsals all the time, the cannot replenish their pointe shoes. Therefore, rolling a 4 has no effect if you are Étoile. Since an Étoile is more likely to earn a lead role in a ballet, taking a turn while Étoile moves you closer to the stage. For every turn taken as Étoile, move 2 spaces ahead on the board. The only way to leave the position of Étoile is if another player rolls a 6 against you. You may then choose to stay as Étoile or leave. However, if you leave, the player that rolled a 6 must replace you as Étoile.
Pointe shoes are an essential part of any ballet. Each player has a slider that marks the life cycle of their pointe shoes, from brand new to broken in to dead.
Each player begins the game with new pointe shoes, marked at “10”. If a player’s slider hits 0, their shoes have “died” and they can no longer perform and are effectively out of the game. Pointe shoes can only be replenished by rolling a 4, unless the player is Étoile. (see “Becoming Étoile” for additional rules).
Standing ovations are earned by rolling a 5. Standing ovations must be saved up until a dancer has enough “prestige” to purchase a “Devant Card”.
Devant is the French ballet term for “in front of”. Therefore, Devant Cards help a dancer get “in front of” the competition!
At the end of a player’s turn, they may chose to purchase a Devant Card using their standing ovations. They may chose to purchase any of the three face-up Devant Cards. The price of each card varies and is indicated by the handclap symbol. Some Devant Cards must be discarded immediately after use, and others may be kept for the rest of the game. This is indicated by a “D” or “K” on the bottom right of the card. If a Devant card that must be discarded is purchased, the effect of the card must be applied immediately after purchase. Three Devant Cards must be face-up at all times. If a Devant Card is purchased, the next card in the face-down stack must replace it.
name of card describes the action to be taken from the card
indicates the number of standing ovations needed to purchase the card
indicates if the card can be kept or if it must be discarded after use
The first dancer to make it to the stage, marked by a 20 on the board, is the winner of the game. A player can also win by being the only dancer to not have their pointe shoes die (being the only player to not have their slider reach 0).