Music SERGEI PROKOFIEV Choreography WINTHROP COREY BALLET... · slippers; Summer brings her a gossamer dress; Autumn offers a pumpkin that magically transforms into a coach; and Winter

Audience guide for:

May 12-14, 2017The VETS, Providence, RI

MusicChoreography

SERGEI PROKOFIEVWINTHROP COREY

CINDERELLA SYNOPSIS

Act I - A room at Cinderella’s house

Cinderella sits alone, in the morning, by the fireplace until her stepmother enters, followed by her two stepsisters who are quarreling over a scarf. Exasperated, Cinderella’s stepmother ends the argument by cutting the scarf in two and the ill-tempered sisters begin teasing Cinderella.

A messenger from the Prince arrives with an invitation to a ball. The two stepsisters are overjoyed at the prospect of going to the ball, but make it clear that Cinderella is not invited. Cinderella pleads with her stepmother to let her go, but, alas, the answer is no. A mirror brings her back to reality—she sees her miserable dress and realizes that she couldn’t possibly go to the ball looking as she does. Saddened, Cinderella consoles herself with the thought of her beloved father. She takes her portrait out of her trunk and dances for him like she used to do. She is caught by the two stepsisters who taunt her and make her do all the chores at once. A beggar woman appears, asking for alms. While the others ignore her, Cinderella offers the woman a piece of bread—all she has.

The time has come to prepare for the ball. The stepsisters try on all sorts of gowns, fighting over each dress. A dancing master is summoned to teach the two stepsisters the proper way to dance, but the lessons end in disaster. Nevertheless, preparations are completed for the ball. The stepmother and stepsisters finally depart.

Left alone, Cinderella allows herself to be carried away by unattainable dreams of attending the ball. Suddenly, the old beggar woman appears again—this time as Cinderella’s fairy godmother. The Fairy Godmother orders fairies, representing the seasons of the year, to prepare and dress Cinderella for the ball. The fairy of Spring presents the girl with a pair of crystal slippers; Summer brings her a gossamer dress; Autumn offers a pumpkin that magically transforms into a coach; and Winter brings jewels glistening like icicles. Dressed and now ready for the ball, Cinderella truly is a princess.

Before leaving, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother warns her that she must leave the ball and return home at exactly twelve o’clock, or she will return to her former state. She tells Cinderella that she will be reminded of the approach of midnight by twelve elves, each representing the hours of the clock. Cinderella assures her Fairy Godmother that she will be home on time, and is whisked off to the ball.

Act II — In the ballroom of the magnificent palace

While waiting for the Prince to appear, the ladies and gentlemen dance a stately measure. The stepsister arrive, attracting attention as they grotesquely imitate the manners of the other guests.

The Prince arrives, greets his guests, and ascends the throne. As the ball continues, a new strain of enchanting music is heard and a lovely young girl enters. The Prince cannot take his eyes off her and asks her to dance. He presents Cinderella with three oranges—the rarest of fruits in his kingdom. Moved by the envious glances of the stepsisters who do not recognize her, Cinderella gives the fruit to them. They depart, leaving Cinderella and the Prince alone. The two dance together to declare their love.

The guests return and the court festivities continue. At the height of the celebration, the clock strikes twelve and twelve elves appear. Terrified, Cinderella flees the castle and the Prince runs after her. As Cinderella dashes home, the prediction of her Fairy Godmother is fulfilled and she once again is dressed in rags. Only the crystal slippers remain from her ball dress and she loses one of them in her haste to depart. The Prince pursuing his new-found love finds the slipper. He comforts himself with the thought that all he has to do is find his true love is to find the owner of the slipper.

Back at Cinderella’s home, she sits alone by the fire place. She recalls the splendid hall and dancing with the Prince. She decides it all was a dream until she remembers the glass slipper in her pocket. The two stepsisters enter and boast about the fine time they had at the ball—how popular they were and how a princess gave them oranges.

Noise from the street heralds the arrival of the Prince who is going house to house in search of the unknown beauty. When he enters both stepsisters try in vain to force their feet into the slipper. Even their mother tries her luck. She summons Cinderella to help her. As she bends down, the other glass slipper falls from her dress. The Prince’s eyes are opened as he realizes that this humble servant is the mysterious princess who awakened love in his heart.

Cinderella and the Prince have found each other. They celebrate the reunion and leave to live happily ever after.

© 2017, FESTIVAL BALLET PROVIDENCE PAGE 2

BALLET BASICSThese five basic positions are the foundation for all ballet moves. They will help you understand the positions that a dancers moves through. Each position has a shape for the feet and the arms. Every ballet dancer starts with these five positions and masters them early on to be able to perform complex movements. If you master these moves you will be on your way to becoming a ballet dancer!

For each of these movements you must maintain good dancing posture: Stand up tall and straight, don’t let your stomach hang out or your bottom stick out. Think of having a long neck and lift the chin slightly, as if you have glitter on your cheekbones.

ACTIVITY - Teach your students the first five positions of ballet:Teach the students as many or as few of these positions as they can learn. Play a game by yelling out the number of a position and having them achieve it as quickly as possible.

FIRST POSITION

Feet: Touch your heels together and turn out your legs so that feet make a very wide

V-shape.Arms: Make an oval in front

of your chest, like you are hugging a beach ball.

SECOND POSITION

Feet: Keep your legs turned out but slide your feet shoulder-width apart.

Arms: Open the oval so that your elbows are in line with

your shoulders.

THIRD POSITION

Feet: Keep your legs turned out and touch one heel in front

of the arch of the other foot.Arms: Keep one arm opened

to the side and cross the other one in front of your chest, like

first position.

FOURTH POSITION

Feet: From 3rd position, slide the front foot forward so they are still crossed with six inches

of space between them.Arms: Keep one arm in front

of your chest and lift the other one in a half oval above your

head.

FIFTH POSITION

Feet: Put one foot turned out, directly in front of the other

foot. The front toe touches the back heel, and the back heel

touches the front toe.Arms: Make an oval above your head with both arms.

CLASSROOM RESOURCESOn the following pages are a few pre- or post-performance assignments for your students to enrich their theater experience and to build personal and cognitive connections with the dancing. Feel free to use any or all of the assignments. If you or your students would like to send them to our studios at 825 Hope St. Providence, RI 02906 or [email protected], we would love to share them on our blog!


BALLET VOCABULARY


WATER WISE


HEALTHY SNACKINGDancers eat healthy snacks throughout the day to keep their energy up and mind alert. What healthy snacks do you eat?

Snack-Shopping List

Instructions: Answer these five questions about your snacking habits and what you like to eat. When you’re done, use your answers to make a shopping list at the bottom. Tear it off and send it with a parent, or tag along and shop for snacks yourself.

Remember: If the snack has a few ingredients, list them all.

1. Instead of buying sugary or high-fat snacks at school or the store, put a healthy snack in your backpack every morning.

BACKPACK SNACK:

2. Do you snack after school? If so, what healthy snack would you like to eat after school?

AFTER-SCHOOL SNACK:

3. Do you eat dessert after dinner? If so, what healthy dessert would you like?

DESSERT:

4. Don’t forget the weekend! Think about what you’ll be doing — playing sports, hanging out with friends — and if you’ll be eating snacks. What healthy snacks would you like to have on the weekend?

WEEKEND SNACKS:

5. To pack or store a snack, you might need some containers. For your snacks, will you need anything like a plastic bag or reusable plastic container?

CONTAINERS:

SHOPPING LIST:________________________________________________________________

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THE BEGINNING OF DANCE

Beginning records of dance are rare as the very nature of dance leaves nothing physical behind once the dance has

ended. There are no canvases, scripts or scores of dance to leave for the next generation. Dances have been passed

down through the ages with direct interaction from human to human. But from early manuscripts, sculptures

and paintings we do have an understanding that dance has been an integral part of human celebration, ceremony

and entertainment for centuries.

In Western cultures people reached out to join hands and move with the melodic phrases of the voice. One of the

earliest western dances was the Ring Dance. It often had a central focus such as a sacred object or a tree to which

the dance moved around. This chain-dance can be traced back to the Greek poet Homer, as it is one of the items on

the Shield of Achilles in the Iliad. Greek philosopher Aristotle describes dance in Poetics as a rhythmic movement

that expresses mans’ character and struggle.

As dance rose up through the courts of Europe during the Renaissance one’s ability to dance properly was an

important status symbol. The ability to dance without showing much effort was a valued trait. It was fashionable

to walk with toes turned out and the center of gravity further forward on the toes. Court dancing masters worked

with the aristocracy to develop the skill required to perform dance with ease and make the dancing look effortless.

The courts of Italy and France helped storytelling in dance flourish through their grand spectacles. Often these

stories placed the king in a lead role depicting an omnipotent character, such as a Greek god. King Louis XIV

of France is referred to as the Sun King for his most notable dancing role as Apollo in the Ballet de la Nuit. King

Louis XIV allowed the dancing masters to begin training court performers in the nobles dance technique to fill the

supporting roles in his grand performances. Through this work the dance masters codify the positions of the feet

and arms which are the foundation for ballet positions still used today. King Louis XIV founded the first dance

training school in France, L’Academy Royale de Danse.

Today ballet schools around the world continue to use the positions and terminology developed at L’Academy

Royale de Danse. Ballet steps continue to be taught and explained with their French terms. For example, a ballet

plie is a movement in which the dancer bends at the knees to lower the body. The French term for fold or bend is

plie. Dancers continue to bow and curtsey as though they are performing for royalty.


THE BEGINNING OF DANCE- ACTIVITY -

VOCABULARY

Record(s)

1. to write (something) down so that it can be used or seen again in the future to produce a record of (something)

2. to show a measurement of (something)

3. to indicate (something)

4. to store (something, such as sounds, music, images, etc.) on tape or on a disk so that it can be heard or seen later, to produce a recording of (something)

Manuscript(s) written by hand or typed <manuscript letters>

Ceremony

1. a formal act or event that is a part of a social or religious occasion

2. very polite or formal behavior

Melodic

1. a pleasing series of musical notes that form the main part of a song or piece of music

2. a song or tune

Sacred

1. worthy of religious worship

2. very holy

3. relating to religion

4. highly valued and important, deserving great respect

Philosopher

1. a person who studies ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life

2. a person who studies philosophy

Status

1. the position or rank of someone or something when compared to others in a society, organization, group, etc.

2. high position or rank in society

3. the official position of a person or thing according to the law


Aristocracy

1. the highest social class in some countries

2. the people who have special titles (such as duke and duchess), who typically own land, and who traditionally have more money and power than the other people in a society

Spectacle(s)

1. something exhibited to view as unusual, notable, or entertaining; especially an eye-catching or dramatic public display, an object of curiosity or contempt

2. glasses

Omnipotent

having complete or unlimited power

Codify

1. to put (laws or rules) together as a code or system

2. to put (things) in an orderly form

Terminology

the special words or phrases that are used in a particular field

UTILIZE EACH OF THE VOCABULARY WORDS TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. What was at the center of a Ring Dance?

2. What occasion or event were early humans known to have danced for?

3. What language was used to develop words for the field of dance at L’ Academy Royale de Danse?

4. Where did dance flourish with grand public displays that told stories?


5. Dancing without showing much effort was an indication of what social class?

6. When Western cultures joined hands to dance, what would their music be?

7. Who described dance as a rhythmic movement that expresses mans’ character and struggle?

8. What ruler was responsible for putting a system of rules together for dancing?

9. What type of role was typical for a king to dance as in the courts of France and Italy?

10. How do we know that people have danced for centuries?

11. If you wanted to improve your ranks in society, how would a court dancing master help?


ANSWER KEY

1. The center of a Ring Dance often had a sacred object as a central focus.

2. Early humans were known to dance as part of a ceremony.

3. French is the language used to create dance terminology.

4. Dance flourished in the courts of Italy and France with grand spectacles.

5. Dancing without showing much effort was an indication that one was part of the aristocracy.

6. Western cultures joined hands and danced to melodic voices.

7. The Greek philosopher Aristotle described dance as a rhythmic movement that expresses mans’ character and struggle.

8. King Louis XIV was responsible for codifying dance.

9. It was typical for a king to dance an omnipotent role.

10. We know that humans have danced for centuries through manuscripts, event though specific records are rare.

11. A court dancing master would help you improve your status by training you to dance without showing much effort.


PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS 3)Ballet dancers sometimes look like they defy gravity when they jump through the air and are lifted into the air. But they are actually constantly working with gravity to execute these moves. The center of gravity is the point at which an object will balance. A dancer’s center of gravity must stay above the area that he/she makes contact with the floor. This is what allows them to balance.

For example, the center of gravity for this teeter totter is the blue vertical line:

Try to find the center of gravity for your pencil by balancing it on your finger.

Draw a line through the images of the dancers below to illustrate their center of gravity. Identify the forces at work in these images:


FOUETTE TURNS

During the height of the classical era, Italian ballerina Pierina Legnani danced many leading roles in Marius Petipa’s ballets, including Swan Lake’s Odette/Odile. She performed with such grace and mastery, that the audience and everyone else who saw her claimed she set the bar. Legnani performed 32 fouettes (a fast whipping turn on one foot) in a row. Fouette turns on pointe (on the top of the toes) continue to be a technical challenge which dancers train for routinely. Even today, ballerinas around the world dancing the part of Odette/Odile are compared to Legnani’s performance.

For more on the physics of a fouette turn:

http://colgatephys111.blogspot.com/2012/11/physics-of-fouette-turn-in-ballet.html

To view fouette turns watch Marianela Nunez:

Marinela Nunez was born in Argentina and is a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet. Watch Marinela perform fouettes in Don Quixote Coda, Swan Lake Black Swan Coda, Le Corsaire Coda, and La Bayadere.

https://youtu.be/L4_NPf95NKU

Describe how the following physics terms can help describe fouette turns.

Inertia

Centrifugal force

Velocity

Acceleration

Momentum

Radius


SOCIAL STUDIESThe Rise of Sergei Prokofiev Amid Stalin Censorship


CINDERELLA FAIRY TALE REPORTDescribe the setting of Cinderella:

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Who are the main characters?

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Which character possessed magical qualities? Why?

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__________________________________________________________________________________.What is the conflict or problem in this Fairy Tale?

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How was the conflict resolved in the story?

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__________________________________________________________________________________.What part of the story was make-believe, or seemed not real?

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How did the fairy tale end?

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WRITING(FILL IN THE BLANK)

Dear _____________________,

You were my favorite character in Cinderella!

I loved it when you ___________________________

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________________________________________________.

Your dancing was _____________________________

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Your costume was ___________________________

________________________________________________.

Sincerely _____________________.

P.S. I drew a picture of you on the back of this letter!

Write a letter to your favorite character in the ballet. Tell them what you liked about their dancing, costume. Draw a picture of them on the back of your letter.


INFORMATIVE (EXPLANATORY) WRITINGWrite an informative report about your field trip to see Cinderella. Remember to use good descriptive words and concrete details. You might want to include:

• How did your day begin?• How did you travel to the theater?• Who was with you?• What did you do at the theater?• What did you see?• What did you hear?• What happened at the end of the performance?• How did your field trip end?


WRITING(OPEN ENDED)

Dear _____________________,

Sincerely, ______________________

Write a letter to your favorite character in the ballet. Tell them what you liked about their dancing, costume, or music and what made them stand out in your mind. Draw a picture of them and add it to the letter.

DRAW A PICTURE OF THE CHARACTER


DESIGN A COMIC STRIP

Cinderella tends the fire and serves her stepmother tea

A message is delivered that the Prince has invited guests to a ball.

A dance master tries to teach the step sisters how to dance.

Rather than going to the ball, Cinderella must sweep the floor.

Fairies bring Cinderella shoes, fabric, mice, and a pumpkin.

The fairy godmother uses magic to get Cinderella ready for the ball.

Cinderella dances with the prince at the ball.

At midnight Cinderella leaves the ball dropping one of her shoes.

The prince searches for the girl who lost her shoe and finds Cinderella.

CHALLENGE: Write each sentence of dialogue using proper quotations and punctuation.

Use the boxes below to draw the events from the fairy tale Cinderella. Use speech bubbles to show what each character might have said in the story.


MATCHING ACTIVITY


WORDSERARCH


CROSSWORD


CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

ACROSS

1. BIRDS5. BALL8. STEPMOTHER10. PRINCE

DOWN

1. CINDERELLA2. CASTLE3. SLIPPER6. MAGIC7. GOWN9. SPARKLES


SILLY CINDERELLA FILL-IN


Ballet has been around for as long as human civilization has been around. Dance is an art form that is passed down from person to person, so what we do know of ancient dance, we find in artifacts like tomb painting or references in ancient writings. For example, in Homer’s Iliad there is a specific mentioning of the Shield of Achilles as having an area that depicted dancing.

Ballet’s Beginnings

Ballet started in the courts of Europe as a way for the aristocracy to enjoy themselves, and entertain themselves during social gatherings.

The first organized ballet was in the courts of France under the rule of Catherine de Medici in 1581. It was the first documented performance where dance, poetry, music, scenery and costuming were all brought together with the intent to have a cohesive integrated performance. The performance lasted from 10 in the evening until 3 in the morning and the Queen herself performed in the ballet.

As we go from the Renaissance into the Baroque period, the dances performed in the courts become more complex and greater technique is required to dance properly. The Baroque dances became so intricate that dancing masters were called into the courts to work with the aristocracy.

Ballet as an art form began to take shape in France during the reign of King Louis XIV. King Louis XIV was a great dancer himself. He was also a very clever in cast himself in the roles of Gods. His most notorious role was as Apollo and for this reason; he is often referred to as The Sun King.

King Louis XIV decided he wanted to cultivate more skilled dancers to perform in his ballets. He decided to create a school for formal dance training and founded the Royal Academy of Dance in 1669. At first it only trained men, as women were not allowed to participate until 1681. Eventually, women began to join the men as dancers in King Louis’ court, although they had to contend with giant skirts and tight corsets. These early professional dancers spent their careers training and performing ballets at first only during Operas, but later as stand-alone productions.

Today, dancers around the world still use the language of French as the primary language of ballet. All ballet terminology is in French. For example, a dancer performs a plie (the French word for fold) by folding their legs; and a fouette turn (the French term for whipped) is a turn where the leg is whipped around.

Romantic Era

In the Romantic era of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, society was fixated on spiritual and supernatural elements of “good versus evil” and “spirit versus flesh” that can be found in many ballets during this time. La Sylphide was the first of many ballets with a “supernatural” character. The supernatural characters were like spirits that weren’t bound to the earth, but were lighter than air. To give this illusion, dancers darned the end of their shoes to make them stiffer allowing them to rise up higher onto their toes. This was the beginning of today’s pointe shoes. Marie Taglioni is the dancer credited with being the first ballerina to rise fully up on pointe.

Also adding to the magical illusion of spirits and the supernatural was the gas lighting of the time. It isn’t until 1881 that we see the first electric lighting used in theaters. So during the Romantic Era, if a dancer ran off stage and crashed into a light, there was a good chance that her skirt (tutu) would catch fire. Today the side lighting on the stage is referred to as “shin busters”, and though a misplaced exit can hurt a dancer, the risk of catching fire no longer exists.

BALLET HISTORY SUMMARYPrepared by: Valerie Cookson-Botto, Festival Ballet Providence


Classical Ballet in Russia

During the late 1700s and early 1800s we see a time of great political change in Europe. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars change the landscape across Europe. Russia is an Empire of strength and wealth and many great ballet dancers and choreographers head to Russia to continue the art form.

Born in France, Marius Petipa traveled to Russian in 1847 to begin his 60 year career with the Mariinksy Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and composer Pytor Tchaikovsky created some of the most famous ballets, many of which are still performed around the world today; Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. From these ballets we get many of the classical ballet structures and traditions still performed today such as: the Divertissement, the Grand Pas De Deux, and the tradition of ballet dancers stopping in the middle of the performance to bow and curtsey.

The classical ballets created in Russia celebrated a tradition that Opera had already established of extravagant, dramatic productions. Ballets were the highest and most popular forms of entertainment for the people in that day. Ballets were seen as the ultimate union of music and movement.

During the mid to late 19th century, ballet technique improved dramatically in ballet academies and theaters. Ballet schools during this time discovered that training dancers from a very young age allowed them to strengthen muscles and develop artistry that was far more complex than ever before.

Questions for discussion

Why do people dance today? How is it the same or different than it was years ago?

How do you think the origins of ballet influenced the style of movement?

During the Classical era, ballet technique got more advanced and ballerinas’ skirts (tutus)got shorter. How are these two elements connected?

Why do you think dancers bowed and curtsied originally in a ballet? Why do dancers still bow and curtsey today? What does it mean when someone bows?

Why would King Louis XIV cast himself as the part of Apollo?


Documents

Music SERGEI PROKOFIEV Choreography WINTHROP COREY BALLET... · slippers; Summer brings her a gossamer dress; Autumn offers a pumpkin that magically transforms into a coach; and Winter