Beauty and the Beast 2021 - TEACHER'S GUIDE Discover Dance Performance March 19, 2021
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Beauty and the Beast
2021
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Discover Dance Performance
March 19, 2021
Mobile Civic Center TheaterNote to Teachers We are grateful for your support of Discover Dance, Mobile Ballet’s education outreach program offering the excitement of live, fully-staged performances of classic ballets to K-12 students throughout the Gulf Coast region. For many students, these productions are their first exposure to the visual and musical arts that comprise ballet. The love of dance is born and nurtured. Our youngest audiences hold the next generation of dancers, choreographers, musicians, costumers, set designers, lighting and sound engineers, and balletomanes. The following will help you prepare your students to see Beauty and the Beast. It includes information on the history of ballet, as well as ideas to incorporate into lesson plans across the curriculum. If you have additional questions, contact Mobile Ballet at 251-342-2241 or info@mobileballet.org. PERFORMANCE NOTES: You will notice the dancers in this performance are wearing special clear masks on stage. This performance was possible due to the dancers’ and audience’s adherence to special coronavirus health and safety measures, including wearing masks at all times. Dancers wear regular cloth masks backstage, and wear the clear masks while onstage so their facial expressions can be seen by the audience. You may also notice a moment during this performance when dancers kept going despite a prop malfunction; and even creatively incorporated it into the following scene. A great example of “the show must go on”! The majority of dancers in this performance are local students, from elementary through high school. Mobile Ballet students train at our studios in Mobile and Daphne. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Language Arts/History: Read a version of the Beauty and the Beast story to your students (be sure to choose a source suitable for young audiences). Because children are often more familiar with the version of the story presented in the Disney film, you may want to share both versions with the class in order to compare different versions of the fairy tale and establish a conversation about adaptations. Discuss some of the differences between reading a story, attending a live performance at the theater, or viewing a movie at the cinema. Visual Arts: Ask your students to explore how color is used in the props, sets, costumes, makeup, and lighting to help create different moods. Ask students to notice the different colors they see and how those colors make them feel. Music: Listen to excerpts from Alexander Glazunov’s The Seasons, which is used in this production. Listen not only for different instruments which create different moods but for patterns in the music which influence the choreography. Also notice how the dancers’ movements correspond to the count of the time signature in the music. Mathematics: Many shapes and patterns are used in ballet choreography. Patterns include diagonal lines, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, grid formation, and staggered formation. Shape formations include circles, triangles, pentagons and hexagons. Formations sometimes resemble objects like flowers, bicycle wheels, or snowflakes. Encourage students to look for patterns during the ballet.
The History of Beauty and the Beast
The original printed version of Beauty and the
Beast (French: La Belle et la Bête) is credited to French
novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and
was first published in 1740. She claimed that a
chambermaid told it to a young lady, while on board a
ship to America. This lengthy version was abridged,
rewritten, and published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de
Beaumont in 1756 to produce the adaptation most
Gabrielle-Suzanne
commonly retold.
de Villeneuve Beaumont greatly pared down the cast of
(by Louis Carrogis characters and pruned the tale to an almost
Carmontelle-1759)
archetypal simplicity, and she is credited with the
plot line of the story we accept today. In her version,
Beauty comes to appreciate the Beast by her own initiative rather than in the
Villeneuve version, where she is repeatedly reassured by a Good Fairy and
magical dreams that loving the Beast is a good idea.
Anthropologists believe the story may actually
be over 4,000 years old, and versions of the story over
the ages were influenced by Ancient Greek stories such
as Cupid and Psyche written by Lucius Apuleius
Madaurensis in the 2nd century AD, and The Pig King,
an Italian fairytale published by Giovanni Francesco Jeanne-Marie Leprince de
Beaumont
Straparola around 1550.
Beauty and the Beast is a classic fairy tale, well known along with
others such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Yet unlike those two stories,
where the female protagonist instantly falls in love with her prince, in this
tale the woman gets to know the male character first and develops a
relationship with him before she falls in love. Another distinguishing
characteristic of the story is that the male character, portrayed as hideously
ugly (a "beast") proves to be gentle and kind, thus disproving the notion that
first impressions are trustworthy.
The Beauty and the Beast story is well known to folklorists and is one
of the most popular in oral tradition, and elements of Beauty and the Beast
appear in tales from many different cultures. The tale has been notably
adapted for screen, stage, prose, and television over many years.The Story of Mobile Ballet’s
Beauty and the Beast
Based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s 18th century fairytale
adaptation of French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s
story La Belle et la Bête
A sorceress disguised as a beggar
arrives at a castle and offers a cruel and
selfish prince a rose in return for shelter.
When he refuses, she reveals her identity.
The beautiful sorceress tells the prince
that his bad manners do not match his
beautiful appearance so to teach him a
lesson she casts a spell upon him,
transforming him into a wild beast and
his servants into household objects. This
spell will only be broken if he learns to
love another and earn her love in return
or else he will remain a beast forever.
In a village nearby lives the widower merchant, Maurice, and three
daughters. The older two girls are selfish and spoiled, while the third –
Beauty – is lovely within and without. The conceited hunter Gaston plots to
marry her in vain. One day, Maurice leaves on a trip and is caught in a
storm. Lost and seeking shelter, he comes upon the Beast’s castle. Maurice
sneaks into the garden and plucks a rose as a gift for Beauty, only to enrage
the Beast for whom the roses are a prized possession.
Beauty searches for her father and finds him locked in the castle
dungeon. Asking to take her father’s place, the Beast agrees to let Beauty
stay. She quickly befriends the castle’s servants, who invite her to aspectacular dinner. Angry to find the servants (turned by the spell to teapots,
plates and candelabra) treating her like a guest, he’s reminded the beautiful
kind girl may be their only hope.
A friendship forms between the Beast and Beauty, turning to
something more in a romantic dance one night. A magic mirror tells Beauty
her father is in trouble. She leaves to save Maurice with the mirror in hand to
remember the Beast. Arriving home to the village, she uses the mirror to
reveal the Beast and recover her father’s sanity. Realizing Beauty loves
another, jealous Gaston locks her with her father in a basement and rallies
the villagers to the castle to slay the Beast. Beauty and her father escape and
rush back to the castle. Finding the Beast near death, she realizes how much
she loves him.
The sorceress appears and breaks the spell, revealing the handsome
prince along with the true appearance of the castle and its inhabitants. Love
overcomes all obstacles and stigmas of appearance – with a “happily ever
after” for all.
The music used in Mobile Ballet’s production of Beauty and the Beast
includes Russian composer Alexander Glazunov’s The Seasons and other
compositions.
The costumes were designed and constructed for this production by
Mexico City costume designer Brisa Alonso.The History and Technique of Ballet
Ballet is a theatrical form of dance that originated with the Renaissance
festivities and masquerades of the 16th century Italian courts. Early ballets
were performed by the nobility and presented in large banquet halls with
accompaniment of music and spoken text.
This early form of ballet, known as ballet du cour (court dances), became
very popular in the courts of Louis XIV in Paris, France. Later in the 17th
century, when the five positions of the feet
were codified, spoken text gave way to the
use of mime and the traditional story ballet,
or ballet d’action, was born.
All ballet movements begin and end in
one of five basic positions which were
defined in France more than 300 years ago.
These positions form the alphabet of ballet
steps. A choreographer arranges steps to
make a dance in the same way a writer puts
words together to form a story.
Many ballets performed today are story
ballets that use body, arm and facial
expressions to communicate the plot, as
well as elaborate scenery and costumes to
establish the setting and make the story come to life. These include The
Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Coppelia.
Some ballets do not have a story or costumes or scenery. These ballets
focus only on the dancing and the music. All ballets must have dancers, a
choreographer, a score, a stage and lighting for the stage, and of course an
audience.
Ballet Technique
Ballet dancers everywhere begin every lesson and every rehearsal at the
barre, a wooden or metal hand-rail placed around the walls of the ballet
studio. Working at the barre reminds ballet dancers that when their heels
leave the floor, their ankles must be stretched, their feet arched, and their
toes pointed. This makes the leg and foot appear to be one straight,
beautiful line.When class begins, the dancers
use the barre for support — their
hands are held high, their upper
bodies are lifted, and their legs and
feet are turned out to the sides.
They bend their knees gently, then
straighten them. This is a plié. It
strengthens leg muscles, knees and
ankles. The dancers then straighten their legs and repeatedly brush one
foot across the floor, stretching it into a fully pointed position called tendu.
These basic exercises build into a series of faster and more complicated
combinations, preparing dancers to perform away from the barre in any
way required of them.
Legs that turn out from the hip at a 90-degree angle is another
characteristic of ballet dancing. Ballet “borrowed” turn-out from the
sport of fencing. It enables a dancer to move quickly in any direction by
providing a broad base of balance and greater range of motion from the
hip. Turn-out also helps make the legs look longer.
Dancing en Pointe
One of the most unique techniques of ballet is dancing on one’s toes.
Except in very rare and usually comical situations, only female dancers
dance on their toes. They must wear special shoes, called pointe shoes,
which are constructed to allow them to balance on the tip of the toe.
Dancing en pointe was first used in the Romantic ballets of the 19th
century to give dancers a floating, ethereal quality. It continues as an
essential element of ballet technique that allows dancers to move quickly
and efficiently while adding grace and drama to their movements.
Pointe work fascinates both the dance student and dance observer.
When done correctly, it is a pleasure to both, but if done incorrectly it not
only is painful to do and see, but can be damaging to the feet, ankles,
knees, and back of the performer.
In most instances, the bones of the feet have not hardened enough
before age twelve to sustain the demands of pointe work. Beyond that age,
its study should be undertaken only after the student has attained a strong
basic technique. A correctly placed body is particularly important. These
two factors — strength and placement — usually require several years of
serious ballet study several days a week. One or two classes per week, evencontinued over a number of years, is usually insufficient preparation for
pointe work.
Pointe work is the end result of slow, gradual training of the whole
body — back, hips, thighs, legs, feet — coordination of movement, and the
placing of the body. When the body is placed correctly, the weight is lifted
upwards off the feet, with straight knees, perfect balance, a perfect demi-
pointe, and without any tendency on the part of the feet to sickle either in
or out or the toes to curl or clutch. Correct
pointe position, therefore, is one in which the
toes are straight (never knuckled over or
released backward) and in a direct line under
the ankle.
Although the entire body must be ready for
pointe work (even the head must be poised
Incorrect Pointe Positions correctly), the feet present special consider-
ations. Ideally, ballet dancers should have
sturdy, compact arches rather than high,
flexible ones. Short toes of almost equal length
are preferable to long or tapering toes, because
balance en pointe is taken on the pads of the
toes just beyond the nails.
The pointe shoe itself is not the secret to
pointe work, but rather an aid to the body’s
Correct Pointe Position own strength. Today’s shoes are much stronger
than those used by early-19th-century ballerinas.
Nevertheless they are merely satin-covered cloth slippers, with very narrow
leather soles and a “box” made up only of about seven layers of cloth held
together by a particular kind of glue. This very lightweight shoe breaks
down quickly; a professional dancer may need several pairs for a single
performance.Ballet Vocabulary
Ballet terminology is the same the world over. French is the primary language of ballet
because the first academy of ballet was based in Paris, France over 300 years ago. Ever
since then, ballet dancers and teachers have been using the same words.
adagio (a-DAHZH-ee-o): A slow dance movement.
allégro (al-LAY-groh): Quick and lively dance movement.
arabesque (ah-ra-BESK): The position in ballet where the dancer stands on
one leg with the other leg stretched in the air — usually out to the back, at
a right angle to thebody. The arms usually correspond to the position.
There are many types of arabesques depending on the direction of the
body, height of the leg, and position of the arms.
artistic director: The person at a ballet company who is in charge of
choosing ballets to perform, hiring dancers, rehearsing the company for
performances and other artistic decisions.
assemblé (ah-sahm-BLAY): Assembled. This is a jump in which the working leg
slides across the floor, helping to lift the dancer into the air where his/her
feet then come together before landing in fifth position.
attitude (a-tee-TEWD): This term is derived by Carlo Blasis from the statue
of Mercury by Giovanni da Bologna. As with the arabesque, this is a pose in
which the working leg is raised. Unlike the arabesque, the knee is bent.
Also unlike the arabesque, it can be done to the front, the side or the
back.
balancé [ba-lahn-SAY]: Balanced. This describes the shifting of the dancer’s
weight from one foot to the other. The dancer steps out to the side with
one foot, crosses in front or behind with the second foot, shifting weight
with this second step, and then replaces the weight back onto the first foot
by releasing the second.
ballerina (bahl-lay-REE-nah): The female dancer in a ballet company who
usually is an exceptional performer and performs many leading roles. The
star ballerina is called the “Prima Ballerina.”
ballet master, ballet mistress (ba-LAY ma-stir, ba-LAY mis-tris): This is the
title given to the person responsible for conducting company class for the
dancers and rehearsing the ballets. He/she is also responsible for knowing
the company’s repertoire and teaching these ballets to the dancers.
barre (bar): A wooden or sometimes metal hand-rail placed around the walls
of the ballet studio. The dancers begin their daily classes using the barre
for support.
battu (ba-TEW): Beaten. Any step embellished with a beat is called a pas battu.
cabriole (ka-bree-AWL): A leap in which the lower leg beats against the upper
one at an angle, before the dancer lands again on the lower leg.choreographer (core-ee-OG-rah-fer): The person who arranges movements
and patterns of dancers in order to form entire dances. They may also
develop the concept or idea of a ballet.
corps de ballet (cor duh bal-Lay): The group of dancers other than principals
and soloists, who make up a ballet company. They work much like a
chorus would for an opera.
croisé (krwah-ZAY): Crossed. A position on stage in which the dancer faces
one of the front corners with the legs crossed. In croisé devant, the
downstage leg is in fourth position to the front; in croisé derrière, the
upstage leg is in fourth position to the back.
dedans, en (ahn duh-DAHN): Inward. In steps and exercises the term en
dedans indicates that the leg, in a position à terre or en l’air, moves in a
circular direction, counterclockwise from back to front.
développé (dayv-law-PAY): Developed. To execute this movement, the
dancer draws the toes of the working foot up to the knee of the
supporting leg and then extends the foot outward into a position that is
held in the air before being released, returning the feet to the position in
which they began.
divertissement (dee-vehr-tees-MAHN): a short entertaining dance.
écarté (ay-har-TAY): Separated, thrown wide apart. Écarté is one of the eight
directions of the body, Cecchetti method, referring to the openness of the
position.
effacé (eh-fah-SAY): Shaded. One of the eight directions of the body,
Cecchetti method, referring to the way in which part of the dancer’s body
is hidden from the audience in this position.
entrechat (ahn-truh-SHAH): Interweaving or braiding. A step of beating in
which the dancer jumps into the air and rapidly crosses the legs before and
behind each other.
first position: the first of five positions of the feet, with the heels placed
together and the legs turned out from the hips forming a straight line with
the feet.
fondu, fondue (fawn-DEW): Melted. The term refers to any movement that
lowers the body by bending one leg. In a plié, both legs support the body;
in a fondu, only one leg supports the body.
grand battement (grahn baht-MAHN): "large beat". The movement is a
“kick” in which the working leg is raised as high as possible while keeping
the rest of the body still. “Kick” is in quotation marks because the
battement should be a controlled lift, not a throwing of the leg into the air,
and the leg must be controlled as well when coming down. This is also the
kick one associates with a chorus line.
jeté (zhuh-TAY): A jump in the air. There are many different types, but the
most common is the grande jete or big jete. In this movement both of thedancer’s legs are split in mid-air after taking off from one leg and then
landing on the other.
pas (pah): Step.
pas de deux (pah de duh): A dance for two people, usually a man and a
woman.
pirouette (peer-o-WET): A turn or spin on one foot. Doing multiple
pirouettes takes very good balance and coordination.
plié (plee-AY): A bending of the legs where the knees point directly to the
side. Most ballet steps such as jumps and turns begin and end with a plié.
Pliés may be done in any of the five positions of the feet.
pointe (pwent): The tip of the toe. Most female ballet dancers dance on the
tips of their toes wearing special shoes, called pointe shoes. En pointe
means to dance on the tip of the toes.
port de bras (pawr duh brah): The five basic positions of the arms
corresponding to each of the five positions of the feet.
premier danseur (pruh-MYAY dahn-SUHR): A male ballet star or leading
dancer of the ballet company. He is the male version of the Prima Ballerina.
retiré (ruh-tee-RAY): To withdraw. The movement is one where the working
foot is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg.
sissonne (see-SAWN): Sissonne is named for the originator of the step. It is a
jump from both feet onto one foot — with a few exceptions.
temps leve (tahn luh-VAY): Step to lift; a term used to describe a sharp jump
either on one foot or two. May be done in any position.
tendu (than-DEW): movement where the leg is extended straight out from
the supporting leg with the foot fully pointed — it can be done front, side
or back.
tour en l’air (toor-ahn-LEHF): A turn in the air. A step in which the dancer
jumps straight up in the air and performs one or more turns of the body.
tutu (TOO-too): A ballet costume made of a bodice and layers of netting. In
most classical ballets the ballerina wears a classical tutu which sticks
straight out from the waist. In Romantic ballets, such as Giselle, the tutu is
long, hanging below the calf.The mission of
Mobile Ballet is
to provide
superior
dance education,
to present
quality
performances,
and to promote
the ballet to the
community as an
expression of the
human spirit.
Mobile Ballet Mobile Ballet
Mobile Studio Eastern Shore Studio
4351 Downtowner Loop N 26436-B Kensington Place
Mobile, Alabama 36609 Daphne, Alabama 36526
Phone: 251.342.2241 Phone: 251.626.8932
www.mobileballet.org
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