Act II of The Nutcracker - Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
            Act II of The   Nutcracker

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                   Act II of The              Nutcracker
Ballet Frontier's The Nutcracker School Show features an abridged
version of the original Nutcracker production. A guest moderator will
welcome the audience, outline the story and educate students about
dance training and production design.

One exciting aspect of The Nutcracker School Show is the extensive
participation of pre-professionally trained youth dancers in the
production. Students will get to see peers of all ages on stage and the
results of committed training and discipline.

  Visit Ballet Frontier of Texas’ Website: http://www.balletfrontier.org/

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                  Act II of The          Nutcracker
Tips for watching ballet from Ballet Frontier of Texas:
• When the lights dim it is time for the performance to start
• Talking is distracting so please stay quiet during the performance
• Please remain in your seat during the show
• Follow the directions of the staff when entering & exiting

• Feel free to clap during appropriate times

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                    Act II of The             Nutcracker
Helpful Ballet Vocabulary:
Ballet – a form of theatrical dance that uses particular movements
and poses. No words are spoken. The story is told through music
and movement.

Ballerina – a female ballet dancer. This term once referred to the
star female dancer; now it means any female ballet dancer.

Corps de Ballet – ballet dancers who perform as a group. In The Nutcracker, the
Waltz of the Flowers is performed by the corps de ballet.

Danseur – a male ballet dancer.

Divertissement – a dance or series of dances which show a dancer’s skill. In The
Nutcracker, the “country” dances of Act II (Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, Russian,
Marzipan, Mother Ginger) are divertissement.

On-Pointe – when a ballerina stands on the tips of her toe or pointe shoes, she is
said to be “on pointe”.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                    Act II of The              Nutcracker
Helpful Ballet Vocabulary:

Pas de deux – a ballet dance for a couple. The Sugar Plum Fairy and the
Nutcracker Prince perform a pas de deux near the end of Act II in The
Nutcracker.

Pirouette – ballet turn in which the dancer turns around completely on one foot.

Pointe shoes – also called toe shoes. Special ballet shoes worn by ballerinas to
allow them to dance on the points of their toes.
Student dancers should not wear pointe shoes
until age 10 or 11.

Port de bras – the arm movements of ballet.
Literally it means the carriage of the arms.

Tutu – a ballerina’s skirt, made of several
layers of fine net-like fabric called tulle
(pronounced tool).

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                  Act II of The              Nutcracker
The History of the Nutcracker :
The Nutcracker is a fairy tale ballet in two
acts centered on a family’s Christmas Eve
celebration. It is Alexandre Dumas’
adaptation of the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann.

It was first set to music by Tchaikovsky and
originally choreographed by Petipa &
Ivanov. The Nutcracker was commissioned
by the director of Moscow’s Imperial
Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, in 1891, and
premiered a week before Christmas 1892.

The Nutcracker ballet tells the story of a
young girl named Clara and her
mischievous brother Fritz at the family
Christmas celebration.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The           Nutcracker
The History of the Nutcracker :
Their Uncle arrives with gifts including a
magnificent nutcracker for Clara. Fritz is
jealous and breaks it. Clara is heartbroken,
but her Uncle repairs her treasure and the
party continues.

When everyone has gone to sleep, Clara’s
magical adventure begins. Clara’s journey
takes her to the Land of Snow, where she is
welcomed by snowflakes. The Nutcracker
Prince escorts Clara to the land of Sweets
where she is greeted by the Sugar Plum
Fairy. She and the Nutcracker are then
treated to spectacular cultural dances. To
conclude the performance there is one
final dance before Clara goes back home.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                   Act II of The            Nutcracker
The History of the Nutcracker :
E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) (Ernst Theodor
Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German
Romantic author of fantasy and horror. He
was also a jurist, composer, music critic,
draftsman and caricaturist. He is the author of
the novella “The Nutcracker and the Mouse
King,” on which the famous ballet The
Nutcracker is based.
Inanimate objects come to life in many of
Hoffmann's stories. He was a champion of the
imagination run wild. The French writer
Alexandre Dumas adapted Hoffmann's story
“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” about
a little girl, Marie, and her Christmas toys, into
the more familiar story we see preformed
today.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                  Act II of The          Nutcracker
The History of the Nutcracker :
In the original version, Marie worries about a
beautiful nutcracker that's been broken. At night,
she goes to check on it. To her surprise, it has
come alive, and a story-within-the-story begins:
armies of mice and toy soldiers battle in what is
either the child's delirious nightmare, or, perhaps
another reality into which she wanders.

Alexandre Dumas altered that original version,
making it lighter and less scary. Marie became
Clara and her flights of imagination became
sweeter and more tame. In 1892 a team of
Russians turned Dumas' version into a ballet. The
Nutcracker did not enjoy great success at first, but
the music by Tchaikovsky eventually did. And
staging it has become a Christmas-season ritual.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The          Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky and His Music:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Russia on
May 7, 1840. He was a bright child who could
read Russian, French and German at the age
of 6. He began taking piano lessons when he
was 7 years old. He showed an ultra-sensitivity
to music and had a delicate musical ear.

In 1850, his well-to-do middle-class family
moved to St. Petersburg where he attended
school. He was mildly interested in music and
at age 14 began attempting composition. At        Listen to his music for The
age 21 he began to study music seriously. In      Nutcracker here:
1866 he moved to Moscow to be a harmony           http://grooveshark.com/
teacher for the Moscow Conservatory. He led       #!/album/Nutcracker+Suit
                                                  e/277854
a quiet life there, teaching, composing and
making friends.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The           Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky and His Music:
In 1877, a wealthy widow started to subsidize Tchaikovsky. However,
there was one strange condition to the widow's financial support—that
they were never to meet. With this financial independence, he was able
to resign from the Conservatory in 1878.

Tchaikovsky first began composing music for
ballet in the mid- to late-1800s. At the time,
ballet music was considered unimaginative;
the music world was astonished that such a
great composer would "stoop so low."

Tchaikovsky accepted The Nutcracker
commission from the director of Moscow’s
Imperial Theatres in 1891. He went on to
compose two other full-length ballets that
would become enduring masterworks of the
genre: Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The          Nutcracker
Choreography of The Nutcracker:
Choreography is the art of creating and arranging dances. The word
derives from the Greek for “dance” and for “write.” Choreographers
create the sequence of steps that make up a dance performance.
These can be short, such as dances you may see on TV commercials, or
hours long such as full length ballets.

The Nutcracker choreography was begun by the
famed Marius Petipa, but when Petipa fell ill the
work was taken up by his assistant Ivanov.
According to historical accounts, Petipa refused
to have his name linked with it, feeling his own
part in its creation was insufficient. Dance
historians have recognized his contribution,
and the choreography is generally credited to
both Petipa and Ivanov.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                   Act II of The            Nutcracker
Choreography of The Nutcracker:
Marius Petipa was born in France in 1822. His
father was a dancer, choreographer and
teacher and brought him up to do the same.
After years of travelling the world as a dancer,
he moved to Russia in 1847.
When Petipa turned 40 in 1858, choreography
was a logical alternative to dancing. Petipa’s
style called for massive, luxurious productions.
Inevitably, with such a long career (56 years at
one company), fashion turned against Petipa.
Although officially titled ‘ballet master for life,’   Watch Petipa’s work:
he retired in 1903 after unfavorable reviews.          http://www.youtube.co
Due to ill health, he moved to southern Russia in      m/watch?v=9S3Du31Au4
                                                       c
1907 where he lived until dying on July 14,
1910.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The          Nutcracker
Choreography of The Nutcracker:
Lev Ivanov was born in Moscow in 1834. At ten years old he was enrolled
at the Imperial School of Ballet, where he was a pupil of Marius Petipa’s
father, Jean Petipa. Ivanov eventually rose to the rank of principal
dancer. In 1885 he was appointed second ballet master, the assistant to
Marius Petipa.
His choreography was always in the shadow of Petipa, as he was a
Russian at a time when Russian ballet paid greater respect to foreigners.
His most famous contributions to ballet are The Nutcracker and the
'white' acts of Swan Lake. He died in St. Petersburg in 1901.

           Watch a preview of Swan Lake:
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF1IKqozs0I

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                  Act II of The          Nutcracker
Russia in the 1890’s:
Czar Alexander III led Russia at the time of the
commissioning of The Nutcracker. He was a physical,
imposing ruler whose style of ruling was designed to
bolster Russian nationalism. His reign saw the rapid
industrialization of Russia.

In 1894, upon the death of Alexander III, his son Nicholas
II ascended to the throne. Nicholas was gentle and
approachable. However, he could be weak and
inconsistent. His personality made him unsuited to deal
with Russia’s serious political problems.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The           Nutcracker
Russia in the 1890’s:
Nicholas II’s failure to consider reform led to
political opposition. The growth of the working
class saw the development of socialism. In
1898, the Russian Social and Democratic
Labor party was formed. The party followed
the ideas of Karl Marx and called for an end
to the Czarist state. In 1901, the Social
Revolutionary Party was formed. It drew its
support from the peasantry. They advocated
for land reform and many of its members
favored direct action or the use of
violence. A revolution was sparked and
Nicholas II’s handling of domestic disruptions
and World War I incensed his subjects and
led to his abdication. The Bolsheviks
executed the royal family on July 17, 1918.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                  Act II of The            Nutcracker
Featured World Cultures:
The part of The Nutcracker you will see features world cultures. They are
emphasized in the costumes, dance steps and body movements.

In this production, students will enjoy a colorful, multicultural celebration
of sweets from around the world: Spanish Hot Chocolate, Arabian
Coffee, Chinese Tea and Russian Candy. They will also see dances by
sparkling angels and beautiful flowers, in addition to Clara and the
Sugar Plum Fairy, all choreographed to Tchaikovsky's famous
compositions.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The         Nutcracker
Featured World Cultures: Spanish
The chocolate dance: This dance features graceful, classical Spanish
dance with quick turning and snapping of the head at the end of a
musical phrase.

Chocolate from Spain: Why from Spain? Because Spain owned most of
South America and that is where chocolate still comes from.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The          Nutcracker
Featured World Cultures: Arabian
The Coffee Dance: Inspired by exotic Arabian weaving of arms and legs;
dancers incorporate slithering, snake-like partnering and distinct
Arabian angular poses of the head and arms.

Coffee was grown in Arabia, Egypt, and other countries in that area.
Although it is now grown all over the world, some people still prefer
"Arabica" coffee. In the 18th and 19th centuries, people in Europe loved
to fantasize about Arab sheiks and the exotic women around them.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The           Nutcracker
Featured World Cultures: Chinese
Tea from China: This dance often includes a traditional Chinese ribbon
dance. It can also include a Chinese dragon, a symbol of power and
royalty, carried in by the dancers.

Since tea was first discovered in China, it has traveled the world. Tea is
the most popular beverage in the world, as well as one of the healthiest.
For several hundred years, people drank tea because of its herbal
medicinal qualities; later tea was used as a religious offering.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The         Nutcracker
Featured World Cultures: Russia
Russian Candy: This dance was inspired by intimidating Russian soldiers
from history. They perform Cossack-like dance steps including "Russian"
jumps and a low to the floor circling of one leg under the other.

The storyline Tchaikovsky was working from said that this was supposed
to be a dance of peppermint sticks or maybe of caramels. Since he was
a Russian and his dancers were all Russian, he incorporated the most
wonderful, showy kind of Russian village dancing.

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
            Act II of The    Nutcracker
                     Nutcracker Project: Cards
                     Choose your favorite characters from
                     The Nutcracker and design an original
                     costume for this character based on
                     their culture and role in the ballet.

                     Make at least four of these cards so that
                     they create the basis of a deck of
                     playing cards.

                     Who will be your King?
                                      Queen?
                                      Joker?

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The          Nutcracker
Nutcracker Project: Places Represented
Investigate the places represented in The Nutcracker:
Spain, China, Russia and Arabia.
Choose the location you would like to visit and create a poster showing:
• What does their alphabet look like?
• What language do they speak?
• Has the location changed since The Nutcracker was first performed?
• Show a flag from one of the region’s current countries.
• What does their money look like?
• What holidays are celebrated there?

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The           Nutcracker
Nutcracker Project: Places Represented
Investigate the places represented in The Nutcracker:
Spain, China, Russia and Arabia.
Find out all of the languages that are spoken in the regions represented
in The Nutcracker. Learn a few words from each of these regions.

          Think about what languages you would like to learn?

                                     Learn about language options at FWISD here:
                                     http://www.fwisd.org/pages/FWISD/Departments_Programs/D
                                     epartments__L-Z_/World_Language

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                 Act II of The          Nutcracker
Nutcracker Project: Music
Investigate the places represented in The Nutcracker:
Spain, China, Russia and Arabia.
Research the music from the areas represented in the ballet.
Tchaikovsky’s music for each of these regions has distinct elements
unique to that region. Find out what instruments are unique to these
regions that helped him capture the regional sound. Find out what these
instruments look and sound like. Present your findings to the class.
             Here’s an example of Russian Folk music:
             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn06W-iBfkQ

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
                                        Act II of The                                          Nutcracker

        $25,000+                                                                         $10,000-$24,999
        Sid W. Richa rdson Founda tion                                                   Arts Council of Fort Worth & Ta rra nt County
        Rosentha l Founda tion                                                           Community Founda tion of North Texa s
        Willia m E. Scott Founda tion                                                    Ellison & Edwa rd La sa ter Trust
                                                                                         Texa s Commission for the Arts
                                                                                         Texa s Educa tion Agency
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

        $500 - $9,999
        Armstrong Founda tion                                                            Arts Council of Northea st Ta rra nt County
        Ba tes Conta iner                                                                BBVA Compa ss Founda tion
        Jill Bla ck                                                                      Colonia l Country Club Cha rity
        Communities Founda tion of Texa s                                                Fort Worth Convention a nd Visitors Burea u
        Frost Ba nk                                                                      Ma ry Potishma n La rd Trust
        Ja ck La rson                                                                    Mollie & Ga rla nd La sa ter Trust
        Rozell Spra yer Ma nufa cturing                                                  Rya n Founda tion
        Sertoma Club of Downtown Fort Worth                                              Joe P. Stra in
        Ta rget Founda tion                                                              Texa s Associa tion of Pa rents & Educa tors of the Dea f
        Virginia Street Smith Trust                                                      Wells Fa rgo Founda tion

Ballet Frontier of Texas & Imagination Fort Worth
            Act II of The   Nutcracker