A Teachers Resource Pack for Key Stage 2 / 3
Contents Introduction
Page 2
History of Peter Pan
Pages 2 - 3
Scenario
Pages 4 - 5
Characters
Pages 6 - 7 Pages 8 - 9
Choreography
Pages 9- 10
Music
Pages10 - 11
Set and Lighting
Pages 11 - 14
Costume
Pages 14 - 18
Flying
Pages 16 - 18
Lesson Plans
Creative Ideas for Key Stage 2
Pages 19
25
Photos
Pages 26 - 34
Bibliography
Page 35
Introduction This resource pack is designed to give teachers an insight into Northern Ballet production of Peter Pan. It is suitable for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 and provides practical ideas and tasks that can be used in the classroom. Peter Pan was first produced by David Nixon in 2004 and it premiered at Leeds Grand Theatre in December 2004. Due to the size of the production and the need for a revolving section of floor, the number of theatres it could tour to was limited. In this reprise of the production alterations have been made to the staging to allow it to tour to more venues.
The History of Peter Pan Peter Pan is an adventure story for children of all ages, written by JM Barrie, and was premiered as a play in 1904 at the Duke of York Theatre, London. Shortly after, Barrie retold all over the world using different mediums. The overriding theme in Peter Pan is the childlike fantasy of never growing old. While some of the characters have changed since the original manuscript (Michael was originally called Alexander and Tinkerbell was Tippy or Tiptoe), the central character of Peter Pan has remained the same through all adaptations, portraying the myth of everlasting youth through the fantasy of Neverland. In each version Captain Hook attempts to capture Peter, who represents agelessness, in order to put an end to his everlasting youth. Timelessness is a theme, again highlighted by the crocodile who ticks wherever he goes. placing children in the central roles he challenged audiences who were used to seeing adults taking the lead and enhanced its attraction to children. In the original play the further apart from the adults who were also portrayed as the villains.
While some elements in the original story have remained faithful in subsequent adaptations, others and consequently gets poisoned has consistently remained faithful to the original. In the play, the audience saves Tinkerbell as they clap their hands, proving that they do believe in fairies. In other versions the interpretation differs depending on the The story can be seen to contain tragedy in its ending, in both the original and revised versions. Peter Pan chooses Neverland over Wendy, as she wants to return home to her family. However, in the original manuscript Wendy decides to remain in Neverland with Peter. This suggests an element of victory as RDS, 1990, p 106), but there is still a tragic element as Wendy forfeits real motherhood to become surrogate mother in make-believe. Peter himself Within all versions of Peter Pan, the essence of the original manuscript remains. Each adaptation handles the characters and themes in a slightly different manner, making adjustments to fit the medium, be it film, pantomime, musical or dance. Over a hundred years on from its premier the story of Peter Pan is still relevant within our culture and an exciting tale for children and adults alike. In 1929 Barrie gave the rights to Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up to Great Ormond Street source of income and additional funding for its redevelopment, research and new equipment.
Scenario ACT 1 Night Mrs. Darling encounters a strange being in her behind. It is the end of the day and the children, Michael, John and Wendy, with their dog Nana, play and have supper. Mr. and Mrs. Darling prepare to go out to a dinner party and get the children ready for bed. As the children Peter. He is looking for his shadow but having found it, it back on and as Peter flies about the room her brothers wake too. Peter teaches them all to fly and as Nana and their parents run into the room, they all fly
The Stars The First Adventure The children fly over London, the sky and the seas, and arrive at the Island of The Neverland. The Jungle The Second Adventure The Lost Boys, Captain Hook, the Pirates and Wild Beasts are all following each other the Lost Boys that Peter has brought them some prey to shoot down. Tootles fires his Tinkerbell has duped them. Wendy revives and as her brothers arrive in the jungle, Peter leads them The Mermaids Lagoon The Third Adventure Mermaids are sunning themselves as the children play, eat and rest on the beach. The Pirates arrive by boat, and a fierce fight ensues. Hook is chased away by the Crocodile who wants the rest of him, having eaten his arm already. Peter and Wendy are stranded on
the rock as the waters begin to rise. Wendy flies away on the tail of a kite. Peter prepares to die, the biggest Adventure of all, but the Neverbird gives him her nest for a boat and he sails away and into the next Adventure. ACT 2 The Underground Home The Fourth Adventure sleep and Wendy gives Peter his medicine, drawing close to him. The two children dance together, but Peter soon returns to his defiant self and abandons Wendy for sleep. Wendy mends their clothes and falls asleep. The Pirates and Captain Hook abduct the children but nkerbell wakes Peter who realises the children are gone. Tinkerbell tries to prevent him from drinking his medicine before he goes. She drinks it herself and is beginning to die, but is saved by Peter and the audience. The Jolly Roger - The Pirate ship The Fifth and Last Adventure On board the ship, the Pirates celebrate the capture of the children and the imminent death of Peter Pan. Hook has the boys herded towards the plank. The Crocodile has swum out to the ship, looking for Hook. Peter Pan arrives and the great and final fight begins. Peter is triumphant and Hook jumps overboard and into the jaws of the Crocodile. Peter and the boys now take over the ship becoming pirates themselves before Peter orders them to take down the pirate flag. Tinkerbell sprinkles the ship with fairy dust as the sails unfurl and the ship begins to take flight - for home. Night Mrs. Darling and Liza are preparing the beds for the night. When Mrs. Darling is alone Peter flies in and fights Mrs. Darling for the children. Peter bars the window but is moved by her distress and flies away, leaving They fly in and creep into their beds. Nana wakes Mrs. Darling and the children are reunited with their parents. The Lost Boys are welcomed into the family by Mr. Darling. Wendy asks Peter to come and live with them all too but he realises he would have to grow up and flies off into the night, up into the stars and back to Neverland.
Characters Peter Pan: Wanting to stay young for eternity, Peter Pan ran away and now lives in Neverland with the Lost Boys. He can be caring, gentle and loving, but is also slightly selfish and arrogant. Portrayed as brave, bold and strong, he is as mischievous as his shadow, which tries to escape in Act 1. He cares for Wendy but he decides to remain in Neverland, where time stands still. Tinkerbell: A fairy and best friend of Peter Pan. Tinkerbell is hot headed, brave, a practical joker and jealous of Peter and helps Peter Pan and the Darling children to fly with her magical dust. loyal companion, Tinkerbell risks her life to save his. The Lost Boys: Tootles, Nibs, Slightly, Curly, Twin 1 and Twin 2. All the Lost Boys are portrayed as naive, playful and socially uneducated. They also idealise Peter Pan and are happy adopting Wendy as their mother. The Lost Boys would like to think of themselves as fearsome and courageous but require guidance from Peter and Wendy. Wendy: The oldest of the Darling children, Wendy is a mature and well-mannered teenager. She makes friends with Peter Pan and also develops a crush on him. Wendy becomes surrogate mother to the Lost Boys and is happy to be conventional within her role, emulating responsibilities with activities such as sewing, resolving arguments, preparing food and sitting down for a proper dinner with the Lost Boys. John: The middle of the Darling children and games with Michael, but can also bully him at times. He likes to pretend to be a pirate. Michael: The youngest of the children, Michael play acts with John, pretending to be an Indian. Both children are boisterous, energetic and inquisitive. They enjoy exploring Neverland and going on adventures.
Mr. Darling: Father to Wendy, Michael and John, he is portrayed as a stern, disciplined and regimented man, due to the way he disagrees with childhood play and has an inability to display affection. However Mr Darling loves his children very much. Peter Pan allows Mr. Darling to rediscover his own playfulness and open affection towards his children. Mrs. Darling: Mother to the children and wife to Mr. Darling. Mrs. Darling is a compassionate and elegant woman. When aims to teach good behaviour and raise her children in a loving way, which instils moral values. Nana: Captain James Hook: Leader of the Pirates, he hates Peter Pan and is always looking for revenge for Peter cutting off his hand and feeding it to the crocodile. Due to this, Hook is afraid of the crocodile which always wants to finish his meal. Hook is angry, charismatic, and a strong leader. He is also depicted as more aggressive and smarter then his pirate gang. Smee: Irish pirate 1st mate to Hook Pirates: Skylights, Cacco, Arnold the Black, Bill Jones, Cookson, Gentleman Starkey The Pirates are all adults; they are vile, ferocious, disloyal and mean to each other. Peter Pan easily tricks the Pirates, showing their foolishness. Mermaids: Surreal and mysterious underwater creatures. Like seductive sirens these mermaids are interested in both Peter and Wendy. The Crocodile: It ticks because it swallowed a clock. The clock represents the timeless aspect of Neverland. The Crocodile has a particular appetite for Hook and always appears when Hook is battling Peter Pan. The Never Bird: A kind and graceful creature who helps Peter Pan escape from Hook.
David For David Nixon, the most important element to explore in Peter Pan was imagination. He story. The creative process began with Patricia Doyle, who has collaborated many times with Nixon on productions such as and Dangerous Liaisons. talking it through with me, and then helps to write the scenario. She comes into the
After arriving at a clear understanding of the intent of the novel and characters, Nixon works with the dancers important but I find that the acting only comes when they start to move. For instance, the first dressed themselves up already in their outfits and they changed. Once they had a holster it took on a different form for them, then I can start to see where they are going. I think
The choreography is based on a classical vocabulary, but also includes pedestrian
to relate to the story elements. I try to do this with all my ballets, I look for what
The use of pointe and flat shoes for certain characters helps to differentiate the characters or make them more real.
I put the mermaids on pointe because that could create an
is in flats for the same reason.
Peter Pan
a moment of a very different
Indians were really just to give a sense of this circle on the island, of people chasing scene. nal manuscript as Wendy decides to return home while Peter maintains his everlasting youth in Neverland.
Choreography Peter Pan helps to communicate character through movement. The movement vocabulary for each character helps the audience build a picture of their personality and status. Mrs. Darling and Wendy Wendy moves very quickly and her vocabulary contains many jetes (small jumps) and s movements contrast by being bigger, larger movements which show her position as Peter Pan stance with his hands on his hips and chest puffed out. As Nixon explains, Lost Boys Each of the Lost Boys are identifiable by their gestures and quality of movement. Nibs thinks he is the leader so he has little solos and takes a central position. Tootles is a little bit shy so is often apart from the others and a little bit lazier in his movements. He is also easily tricked as Tinkerbell convinces him to shoot an arrow at Wendy. Curly is cocky by nature so always Wendy arrives each of them has a reverence and you The Twins mirror each other throughout the production showing that they are identical.
Michael and John John is t He wants to be the boss and bullies his little brother, so his movements are larger and more aggressive than his brother who is shier and well behaved. What Nixon really
Pirates e pirates as seen through a
group dance sections are made humorous through pedestrian gesture and movement.
Fights Again, the fights are choreographed to reflect that they are children fighting and not and not like these Ja think that if you were a kid and went off to automatically become this magnificent fighter, all of a sudden can fight because your imagination allows you, but you can only fight to the extent of your
Hook, he j
Music Stephen Warbeck has built an international reputation for his film scores and work in theatre. His work includes compositions for Prime Suspect, Mrs Brown, Billy Elliot and . He is an associate artist of the RSC, writing scores for An Inspector Calls at the National Theatre and To the Green Fields and Beyond at the Donmar Warehouse. In 1998 he was awarded an Oscar for best original score for the film Shakespeare in Love. Peter Pan is the first ballet score he has composed. When Warbeck was first approached by Nixon, he was excited about venturing into a new realised that I am not just a film composer. I keep myself alert, I think, by tackling music in
Despite the different medium, the creative process he followed was much the same as for crea work in the media (theatre, dance, film) the visual, textual and music elements have a different nce scenes using the
Peter Pan itself - and it is one that has been treated in the original stage play as well as further theatre versions, several films and also
in animation. But I find that I also have to be set free from the source material, to discover what it is all about an
The score took seven months, from the original commission to the finished piece. Nixon and Warbeck started by discussing the scenario for the ballet and how they would approach the work. Warbeck explains the process: give me - not any specific lengths to music passages - but we agreed on the basic high points of the tale such as learning to fly, the escape to Neverland and the meeting with the n I had a few ideas together, a pianist played through the first draft of the score to David and we started to examine the bones. As the
He also had to resist exploring his own personal opinions of the original book and Peter Pan, not Captain Hook, and David knew whom he wanted to concentrate on. But you vengeance, very much aware of his destiny and of fate catching up with him. And he dies uttering the - long live Eton! Lads in drama who go to the bad are always more Warbeck continues to produce a very varied portfolio of work. It is this variety that keeps
someone else, which is why Peter Pan
Set and Lighting Design: an interview with Peter Mumford Peter Mumford has worked with a wide range of dance, ballet and opera companies in Britain and around the world. He also works in TV both as a director and lighting director. He has founded and formed companies such as Second Stride Dance Co. and the dance/TV production company Dancelines Productions where he won Opera Screen and Dance Scre Swan Lake and1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. In 2003 he was awarded the Olivier Best Lighting Design Award for the Royal National s production of Bacchai.
During the creative process, David Nixon, Pat Doyle and Peter Mumford worked closely together from the scenario. After absorbing the story, Mumford developed a visual response and images and then they looked at how they could make it work technically. project before I began creating the actual models of the sets - during that period I ame childlike when given toys to play
perspective. The first major consideration was the 'flying' aspect of Peter Pan as the designs had to accommodate the wires and ways of concealing wires and creating access, in particular to - so I have tried to stylise the room in such a way that it still sends out the right (quite naturalistic) signals to the viewer but allows one to fly in through the window / disappear
through doors and get attached and detached as necessary. The stripy wallpaper helps to
Nixon also wanted the pirate ship to 'fly' home which was achieved with a combination of revolving the ship / releasing the sails and using a wind machine. The largest task was to make the spaces and the transitions work both smoothly and musically. The revolve became central to the design allowing reasonably speedy changes in location. As the sense of moving rapidly between c Using a revolve meant quick transitions from the part of the set constantly on view - you can't just cut from one shot to the next as you can with film so how you get from one location to the next becomes almost as important as the location itself.
children and Peter - and still fly over the rooftops/ stars/ waves/ seeing the island and landing on the island - so that is
During the design process Mumford allowed his imagination to rd, the 'string' jungle and the objects in Neverland that reflect aspects of the nursery seemed the right road to go down for Neverland is a limitations and part of the art of theatre is to be imaginative within that framework and I would hope we have created a magical version of Peter Pan that is also unique in it's
Costume The costumes for Peter Pan were designed by David Nixon and realised by the Wardrobe department. One of the main considerations when designing the costumes was incorporating the flying harnesses without compromising the designs. The harness and padding is worn underneath the costume which has a hole cut in the back to allow the dancer to be clipped on to the wire. This allows the stage technicians to quickly clip the wires on and off the dancers and allows a variety of dancing and flying in a continuous as the buckle of the harness was visible. The theme of nature and the earth runs throughout the costumes of Neverland and can be seen through the use of leaves, berries and natural materials on Peter, the Lost Boys, the Never Bird and Tinker Peter P was dyed and then hand painted with each of the leaves and berries made individually and sewn on by hand. His shadow costume is an exact replicate, with fur, suede and leather used instead. Lost Boys The Lost Boys were the most difficult costumes to design. At first they were stolen as babies. about what they would hav would have gathered grass and leaves and they would have sewn it together in some form, so all links them to their leader, Peter Pan. The Darlings Nixon wanted to place the darlings in the period of the novel so their costumes are taken
of Neverland. Wendy ess, an overdress and when she is in Neverland, an apron and headdress. The dress is made of stretch silk which moves well, enhancing the dancers movement and looking effective under lights. It was important that the style of the dress made the dancer playing Wendy look childlike, and so it is loose to give the body a square appearance, which also helps to hide the harness. The apron and headdress she wears when looking after the Lost Boys incorporates the theme of nature and the earth. Made to look like leaves and using earthy colour tones, the apron contrasts against her white dress and helps tie her to Neverland. Hook silk brocade. It is very big and heavy so difficult to dance in and alterations had to be made during rehearsals to his shirt and coat. One sleeve was shortened, because of the hook, and it needed to be buttoned down with elastic to his trousers as it swung too much when the dancer moved. His wig is made of human hair and his hat is a trademark of the character. Pirates would have put together. Once you accept Hook, then it falls after that the other Pirates woul colours such as red, gold and blue with accessories such as belts, hats, feathers and eye patches and tattoos painted on to the skin.
The Never Bird The Never Bird was the costume that proved the most challenging to realise from the original design. Ivory and gold, the bodice is made of lycra and detailed with leaves. The skirt is pleated on an angle to give it a feathery effect and the headdress is made of ostrich feathers and plastic jewels. The wings, made of crystal organza, have light boning supported by a steel rod which hinges at the elbow. Arriving at the final version was a case of trial and error with much time being spent in rehearsal to see what would work. The size of the wings presented the biggest problem, especially as the two dancers who play the role are different heights. The result however is one of the most spectacular costumes in the ballet.
The Mermaids The mermaid costumes are very different to the rest of the costumes in Peter Pan as they are colourful and exotic. A rich blue colour, they are covered with sequins to resemble scales and the shape is tight to the body forming a tail over the legs. A lacy trim on the bottom of the ta through the water as they move.
Flying An aspect that any production of Peter Pan has to consider is the fact that Peter and the children fly. adaptation is no exception and Flying by Foy was commissioned to provide the technical expertise to realise this. Flying by Foy is a company who produce flying effects for film, television, theatre and concerts and they work with the client to achieve the effect required, adapting the systems and equipment they use to fit the scale of the production and venue. Adam Searle, Flying Director from Flying by Foy was integral to the realisation of the flying, enabling it to work choreographically and practically. For Peter Pan there are two sets of tracks along which the harnesses move: one that runs vertically and another that runs horizontally. These are operated by a crew of technicians who manually hoist, lower and pull the dancers along the tracks by ropes. Dancers who move simply up and down are operated by one person, and those who also move along the tracks are operated by two. The harnesses used are unique to Foy and allow the dancers to be attached or unclipped in seconds. This has to be done while the dancers are still on stage, so ensuring this was possible had to be choreographed into the scenes. The harnesses though, presented their own problems as the dancers wearing them and there are certain moves that they just the harness is tiring and breathing is restricted as they have to be very tight. The dancers wear them throughout the nursery scene, which is a long time to be dancing in one, but What is great in the piece is that Peter often flies when you think,
whole time and getting out of breath. But because of that people forget about the wire,
Three weeks were given to exploring ideas and rehearsing in the studio which Nixon Firstly, what he imagined the dancers would do on the wires and what was possible was the wires will only let them do what the wires will let them do. very little you can do to stop yourself. Once you start on a course you have to see it they had accepted that, they found some looking for his shadow. The second frustration came when transferring the production to the stage at Leeds Grand Theatre one week before the premiere. Having thought the flying would be easier on stage, it was actually more difficult because the height between the stage and the tracks made everything slower. So some movements had to be re-worked which was not an easy process. Working with the music also proved a challenge to begin with as it was difficult for the technicians to pick up the cues within the music, particularly during rehearsals when they only ever heard a short time it became much easier - especially with the full orchestra playing. The head operator knows all the musical cues and calls the moves to the other operators, meaning that all the flying dancers are co-ordinated with each other. The learning process involved happened on both sides of the collaboration as it was the first time the team from Foy had worked with dancers. Adam to work with, being able to push their bodies further than an actor could, allowing us to create new and exciting movements whilst still looking graceful. The dancers are also very good at remembering what moves they did from the outset, meaning more time could be spent perfecting the routines rather than remember each routine
dancers are trained to do this, the average stage technician
Creative Ideas Shadow Dance This is based on a section at the beginning of the ballet where Peter Pan is arguing with his shadow, trying to get it to return to him. The two characters mirror each other, occasionally catching the other out, using gesture, floor work and contact work. Warm up could include work with a partner, keeping the same distance apart while travelling and copying movement.
Mirroring a partner Task 1 (10 mins) In pairs, experiment with movements, mirroring your partner. Keep the movement very slow and controlled, paying great attention to detail to ensure unison, so that it is difficult to tell who is leading and following. Swap roles and experiment with different starting performing the movement in opposition rather than mirroring. Task 2 (5 mins) In pairs, decide on 4 movements, on the spot, mirroring your partner, and 2 movements that are not. Task 3 (5 mins) Develop by adding a change of level, a turn and a change of speed.
Travelling Task 1 (5 mins) Practice travelling with a partner, keeping the same distance apart. Steps could include gallops, skipping, leaps, jumps, turns, possibly developing into a combination. Task 2 (5 mins) In pairs, create own travelling sequence including a jump, a turn, a movement on the floor (e.g. roll, crawling etc) and a balance. Task 3 (5 mins) Practice paying attention to detail, ensuring both are working together in unison, keeping the same distance apart, performing the same movements.
Contact work Task 1 (15 mins) Teach several simple supports/counterbalances: Back to Back Start standing back-to-back, press into each other giving equal force. Both take a step away keeping backs in contact, bending knees into a sitting position. Safety point do not link arms as this does not leave the hands free in case of a fall. To extend this practice, lower to the floor, keeping whole of back in contact with partner. Hand to hand
Stand face to face placing palms together outstretched above heads. Press giving equal force, take a step back ensuring you maintain the body in a straight line Safety point do not arch the back as this puts pressure on the lumbar region, support back by engaging abdominal muscles. To extend this, take away one hand at a time. Shoulder to shoulder Start facing each other, placing right shoulders against each other. Press with equal force taking a step apart, keeping bodies rigid in a straight line, heels on the floor. Can also be tried sideways on. Pulling away
Stand face-to-face, holding wrists not hands, arms extended straight. Pull away (as if you are being pulled by your waist) with equal force, bending knees into sitting position, curving spine. To extend, try with both holding right or left wrists. Task 2 (5 mins) In pairs students find 2 more of their own supports/counterbalances. Experiment with levels, using different body parts as the point of contact. Task 3 (5 mins) Pairs decide on 4 supports/counterbalances and order.
Task 4 (5 mins) Add linking movements (turn, jump, travelling movement) that mirror each other to form a sequence.
Pirates The Pirates have a strong group identity and much of their movement is based on actions and gestures that represent their character. They often move together, the group working as a whole, dancing in unison using regular formations, such as lines. The use of swords and fighting is a source for much of their movement vocabulary. During the warm up it may be useful to include exercises that require the students to work as a group eg. travelling in a straight line as a group across the space (walking, running, skipping, galloping, hopping etc) changing speed, level etc.
A fight! Task 1 (10 mins) ocking a sweeping movement to the head or legs, and an attack eg. a stabbing movement. Practise on the spot and then try travelling (backwards when defending, forwards when attacking). Task 2 (5 mins) In pairs, experiment and decide on two more movements and order. Task 3 (5 mins) Link the movements together (adding a turn, a jump and one other transition separate lesson further on in pack for ideas) to create a sequence.
see
Task 4 (10 mins) Pairs join to create groups of 4 and teach each other their sequences. Task 5 (5 mins) Link all material together to create a quartet, thinking about formation in the space. This can then be developed by adding devices such as repetition, unison and cannon.
Pirate group - travelling Task 1 (5 mins) In small groups, decide on 4 travelling movements that you can perform in a line. Practice with arms linked or around shoulders. Task 2 (5 mins) Find a way of breaking out of the line, travelling on your own pathway and forming a line again and practice. Task 3 (10 mins) Decide on an order for the steps (eg. 2 movements in a line, break away/reform, 2 steps) and how many repetitions of each. Practice the sequence, paying attention to working in unison and travelling in a straight line.
Pirate group - stationary Task 1 (10 mins) In small groups, experiment with different gestures/actions a pirate may do and decide on your 4 favourite (eg. rowing, drinking etc.). Task 2 (5 mins) Decide on an order and how to link them together to create a sequence. Task 3 (5 mins) Consider: Group formation (eg. line, square, bunch etc) Timing and speed of action Direction Levels
The Lost Boys As with the Pirates, the Lost Boys appear very much as a group and their character is demonstrated through their movement vocabulary, which includes gesture. This is apparent in scenes where they are story, as their literal shaking and fear is reflected in the quality and dynamic of their movement. The dinner scenes rely on gestures and pedestrian actions as the basis of the choreography. Devices such as unison and canon are demonstrated clearly in their sections. Warm up could include finding different shapes (eg. small, large, curved, spiky, twisted, open etc)
Fear Task 1 (5 mins) er legs, curved around side, under arm etc) as if hiding. Dictate when they swap roles (several times in quick succession) so they have to improvise responding quickly. Task 2 (5 mins) Pairs decide should be on a different level/using a different space. Task 3 (5 mins) Order and link together to create a sequence
ABAB.
Task 4 (5 mins) Experiment with the speed of the transitions focusing on the idea of trying not to be seen (slow creeping movements or a quick dash). This idea can be developed/adapted to work with small groups (A, B, C, D) or even the whole class (half As, half Bs). The transitions between shapes can be experimented with, performing them in unison, canon or randomly at different times.
Dinner time Task 1 (5 mins) Individually, find 3 gestures the Lost Boys might make at dinner time. These could be preparing dinner, feeling hungry, eating, cleaning up after, relaxing afterwards. Exaggerate making the movements large, whole body actions. Task 2 (5 mins) In groups, share ideas and decide on 6. Place in a logical order (ie start with being hungry or preparing dinner) and practice as a group in unison. Task 3 (5 mins) Decide on group formation (ie in a line, circle etc) and whether you perform the whole sequence in unison, canon or a mixture.
Photographs as a stimulus for Dance This session is based on the following 8 photographs of the production. It may be useful to begin by asking the pupils to describe the images, drawing attention to:
Number of dancers caught in the picture Contact between dancers Position of the dancers body Where the dancer is looking Areas of focus or interest in the photograph The emotion suggested by the photograph
Task 1 (5 mins) Choose 4 positions from the photographs and practice performing them. Decide which order you are going to perform them in. Task 2 (10 mins) Find ways of linking the movements together, possibly including travelling movements, turns, jumps, a change in level etc. Decide how many counts each movement will take (it may useful to set the time for the whole sequence to fit 16 counts). Task 3 (10 mins) to form one sequence. Task 4 (10 mins) Share the work with the rest of the pupils and encourage to identify which photographs have been used and in what order.
Bibliography
Ahad, Nick Yorkshire Post (North Yorkshire Edition) pg 11, 15th December 2004 Apter, Kelly The Scotsman pg 21, 19th February 2005 Barrie J.M (1991) Peter Pan in Kensington Garden/Peter and Wendy: Oxford University Press, Oxford Crips, Charlotte The Independent: Review pg 18, 17th March 2005 Jack R.D.S (1990) The Manuscript of Peter Pan: Yale University Press. Penfold, Phil The Stage pg 22, 7th April 2005 Rose Jacqueline (1984) Macmillan Press Lt, London. Website
www.northernballett.com/ppstephenwarbeck.html
Photo Credits:
Alistair Muir Brian Slater Linda Rich
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