La Nuit des interprètes

Centre Chorégraphique National - Ballet de Lorraine Direction Didier Deschamps

S T U D Y G U I D E

National Arts Centre, Dance 2007–2008 Season

Cathy Levy

Producer, Dance Programming

This study guide was prepared by Ballet de Lorraine and Renata Soutter for the National Arts Centre Dance Department, April 2008.

This document may be used for educational purposes only.

Centre Chorégraphique National (CCN)-

Ballet de Lorraine Directed by Didier Deschamps

The Ballet opens its doors

Le CCN - Ballet de Lorraine

CONTENTS Mission ........................................................................................... p.3 Who’s who? What else? ................................................................. p.4 Tell me about your day ................................................................... p.6 You can’t have a show without costumes! ...................................... p.7 Sshhh—the performance is starting! .............................................. p.8 Student Matinee program…………………………………………….. p.9 Classroom Activities ...........................……………………………….p.18

About the Company / Mission Formerly known as the Ballet Français Théâtre de Nancy, the company was renamed the Centre Chorégraphique National - Ballet de Lorraine in 1999. The following year, Executive and Artistic Director Didier Deschamps reaffirmed the company’s commitment to original, creative choreography. The company is particularly active in developing new work, and has established a reputation as a leader in contemporary choreography. The CCN is a valuable resource for artists, allowing them to share with an audience the fruits of their research, their artistic journey, and their vision of the world.

The Ballet is also a substantial organization that employs some 60 people, including 30 dancers of diverse nationalities, plus stage technicians, wardrobe personnel, and communications, maintenance and administrative staff. The Ballet also operates a school of dance that offers weekly classes to nearly 200 students. Finally, the CCN is an international meeting place that attracts choreographers, dancers and dance companies from across France and around the world. The CCN’s program of support for other dance companies is called

l’accueil studio—literally, ―the welcome studio.‖ The program allows choreographers to explore and develop new work in collaboration with other dance artists, and to share it with new audiences.

The Ballet de Lorraine also supports emerging choreographers, enhancing their creative potential by bringing together artists from many different disciplines.

As part of its commitment to sharing the magic of dance with the widest possible audience, the CCN offers a dynamic range of artistic activities, including audience development events, television broadcasts of live performances, exhibitions, presentations, lectures, and open rehearsals.

Who’s who?

What does an executive and artistic director do?

He or she manages the ballet company’s artistic and administrative team, and develops the company’s artistic programming, usually along one of two main lines: by commissioning new works from choreographers or by staging productions of existing works from the established ballet repertoire.

Didier Deschamps - Executive and Artistic Director of the Centre Chorégraphique National (CCN) – Ballet de Lorraine Didier Deschamps studied choreography in Lyon, in Paris at the Centre International de la Danse, and in New York at the Merce Cunningham Studio with Viola Farber. As a dancer, he performed in Lyon as a company member under Michel Hallet Egayan, Marie Zighéra, and Régine Chopinot, and with the Opéra de Lyon Ballet; in Paris with the Yuriko Dance Company; in the United States with the Hawaii Dance Theatre (Humphrey/Limón repertoire under the direction of Betty Jones) and with Viola Farber in New York; and in Angers at the Centre national de danse contemporaine (CNDC), also with Viola Farber. As a choreographer, he has worked in France with Régine Chopinot, the Opéra de Lyon Ballet, the Théâtre des Huits-Saveurs, the Angers CNDC, the Lyon Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSM), and his own company; and abroad with the Copenhagen Danse’Hus and the London Contemporary Dance School. He is also much in demand as a dance teacher, both in France and internationally. He was a visiting professor at the Angers CNDC from 1982 to 1984, and at the Lyon CNSM from 1984 to 1990. In 1990, at the recommendation of Brigitte Lefèvre, then Déléguée à la danse (dance advisor) to the French Ministry of Culture, he joined the Ministry as an Inspector of Dance, and in 1992 Jack Lang (then Minister of Culture) appointed him Inspector General, Dance Development and Education. In 1995, former French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy appointed him Délégué à la danse, then in 1998 dance consultant to the Ministry’s Music, Dance, Theatre and Performance Branch (DMDTS) under Dominique Wallon. In July 2000 Mr. Deschamps was appointed Executive and Artistic Director of the Centre Chorégraphique National (CCN) – Ballet de Lorraine. That same year he was named an Officier des Arts et Lettres and Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite.

What does a choreographer do?

A choreographer is an expert in the art of creative movement: he or she develops the movement sequences, the steps and the body language dancers use to perform a work. Many choreographers are also dancers or former dancers. Sometimes a choreographer will invite the dancers to participate in creating a new work.

What does a rehearsal director do?

The rehearsal director (sometimes also called the ballet master or ballet mistress) is responsible for rehearsing the dancers according to the choreographer’s directions, until they have learned the work perfectly. The rehearsal director works alongside the choreographer and often stands in for him or her during rehearsals, so the rehearsal director must be completely familiar with the work and with the choreographer’s vision and technique.

What else?

What is a repertoire?

A repertoire is a set of dance works that have become associated with a company over the years. The repertoire may have a particular ―colour,‖ that is, a particular style that is characteristic of the company. Works from a specific period or culture are sometimes adapted to express a different time and place.

What is a dress rehearsal?

When dancers prepare for a performance, the last step in the process is the dress rehearsal—essentially a ―dry run‖ of the actual performance. The dancers dance the ballet from start to finish; the lights, sets, costumes and music are all in place, ready for the performance. A few final adjustments, and the only thing left is to open the doors and welcome the audience!

What is the choreographic process?

Creating a personal, original dance work takes inspiration, determination, and experience. There are many stages in the development of a dance work, and the challenge is to give an intangible idea physical expression through the dancers’ bodies.

Choreographic inspiration can come from many sources: some possibilities are nature, a poem or story, a piece of music, or a painting. To develop a successful dance production, the choreographer has to consider many other elements besides the dancers’ physical movements, including space, timing, and the overall ―feel‖ of the piece. The sets, props, costumes, lighting, and music all play a part in the finished work. Depending on the choreographer’s concept, the work may be a solo or a group piece; it may tell a story, or it may be a purely abstract exploration of time and space.

Tell me about your day… A typical day in a dancer’s life might look like this:

10:00 to 11:30: The day begins with a ballet class, a daily session that prepares the body for a full day of dancing. The class starts with exercises at the barre (the French word for ―bar‖), a horizontal pole, either attached to the wall or freestanding, that supports the dancer while he/she is stretching and warming up.

The barre symbolizes this essential part of the dancer’s routine. The daily ballet class is a time to stretch and strengthen the body, review essential movements and techniques, and prepare for the challenges of rehearsal. It also helps

develop the dancer’s discipline, commitment, physical expression and ability. After the class, the dancer puts the exercises into practice in more formal movement sequences and rehearsals.

11:45 to 13:45: Rehearsal: together with other members of the company, the dancer practises a new work or an established piece from the ballet repertoire. Learning a ballet requires a lot of concentration.

13:45 to 14:30: A professional dancer cannot rehearse or perform for hours on end without eating properly and staying well hydrated. Lunchtime is the time to take a break, replace some of the calories expended in vigorous rehearsals, and rehydrate the body for the afternoon’s activities.

14:30 to 17:45: Afternoons are generally spent in rehearsal, sometimes with the choreographer, who works with the dancers he/she has chosen to fine-tune his/her creative vision of the work. Sometimes there will be an open rehearsal, where members of the public are invited to come and see the work in progress. Dancers with CCN – Le Ballet de Lorraine must also plan on touring across France and internationally, since the company’s objective is to present each production to the widest possible audience.

You can’t have a show without costumes!

Costumes are an essential part of every dance production, and every costume—no matter how simple or complex—is the result of many hours of painstaking work. The Ballet de Lorraine has a wardrobe department with two full-time staff.

1) The first step in creating the costumes for a production is a meeting between the choreographer and the wardrobe team. The choreographer describes how he/she imagines the work: the lighting, the sets, the general feel of the show. Then the wardrobe team gets to work creating costumes that match the choreographer’s vision.

2) Sometimes design sketches are prepared to give a more precise idea of the final costumes the dancers will wear; sometimes the wardrobe team works without a sketch.

3) In the next and crucial step, the wardrobe team cuts out the fabric pieces for the costumes and fits them together on a dressmaker’s dummy. This is when the costumes really start to take shape and the wardrobe team’s talents start to shine through.

4) Next, the costumes are dyed. This is a delicate and meticulous process: from an infinite range of colours, it’s important to capture the exact tones and shades the choreographer has in mind.

5) Finally, the dancers try on the costumes and the wardrobe team makes final adjustments to fit each costume to its wearer. They often have to find innovative ways to give the dancers maximum freedom of movement: by making the sleeves extra loose, for example, or using lightweight or stretch fabric. After each production, the costumes are cleaned and stored. Some will be re-used in future productions, while others will be worn only once. To be a successful wardrobe master or wardrobe mistress, you need discipline, creativity, the ability to translate ideas into concrete form, and the ability to listen. ―Turning two-dimensional concepts into three-dimensional costumes—that’s what my job is about,‖ says the Ballet de Lorraine’s wardrobe mistress.

Sshhh! The performance is starting…

Dance is a living art. A dance work is not complete until it has been presented to an audience. The performance is a critical moment because the audience's response tells the choreographer whether his or her vision has been successfully communicated. Therefore, the audience plays an active role in the choreographic process.

There are lots of things to notice during a dance performance:

- The choreography, the dancers, the music, the sets, the costumes and the lighting, all of which contribute to the overall effect of the show.

- The movement and emotions expressed by the dancers, and how they relate to the music, sets, colours, textures and design elements.

- The combination of patterns, shapes and dynamics on stage.

You may find you react differently to different dance works, and two people watching the same live performance can have very different interpretations of what they saw and how they felt. The key is to ask yourself which elements you liked or didn't like about a particular performance—for example, the quality of the dancers’ movements, the music, the lighting, the design elements, the gestures and symbols used by the choreographer—and reflect on what the work meant to you. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers: it's your experience, and the interpretation of it is all yours.

STUDENT MATINEE PROGRAMME Didier Deschamps has chosen to present solo and duet works created between 1921 and 2007 by choreographers Meredith Monk, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Françoise Sullivan, Jean-Pierre Perreault, Russell Maliphant, Dominique Bagouet and Paul-Andre Forter. Here is background information about each piece:

Break Premiered in 1964 at Washington Square Galleries, New York Choreographer: Meredith Monk Dance instructor and rehearsal director: Lutz Förster Costumes created by the CCN - Ballet de Lorraine Wardrobe Department Ballet mistress: Noriko Kubota 1 male dancer Duration: 8 minutes 50 seconds ―[My goal is to create] an art that breaks down boundaries between disciplines, an art which in turn becomes a metaphor for opening up thought, perception, experience… An art that expresses the emotions for which we have no words, and which we can barely remember; an art that certifies the existence of an emotional world in an era and in a society that systematically seek to eliminate emotion." – Meredith Monk

American Meredith Monk's talent is far-reaching. She was one of the early post-modern choreographers in New York and was associated with the Judson Dance Theater in the 1960s. In 1968, she founded her company, The House. Ten years later, she started the Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble.

Monk has created numerous site-specific pieces (pieces performed outside or in other non-traditional places). Juice (1969), for example, began at the Guggenheim Museum and then moved back to Monk's loft. Another important work, Education of the Girlchild (1973), depicted the life of a woman beginning with old age and moving backwards to childhood. This piece won a prize at the Venice Biennale in 1975.

Monk's work in dance, music, theatre, opera, musical theatre, film and visual art has demonstrated her interdisciplinary talent. In 1988, she released her first feature film, Book of Days. In 2002, she recorded mercy, a cd of her music. The following year, her first orchestral score, Possible Sky, premiered.

Source: http://www.artsalive.ca Learn more: http://www.meredithmonk.org/

Mother Étude Premiered in 1921, danced by Isadora Duncan Choreographer: Isadora Duncan Music: Scriabin Lighting: Thibault Leblanc Dance instructor: Elisabeth Schwartz Rehearsal director: Isabelle Bourgeais 1female dancer Duration: 2 minutes 50 seconds This solo is part of a set of dances, Dance Impressions of Russia, inspired by three études by Scriabin. Duncan created the work a few months after arriving in Moscow to found a school of dance. In a bleak Russian landscape, Scriabin’s mystical harmonies provide the desolate accompaniment to a bereaved mother’s grief. This interpretive solo develops along a single narrative line that symbolizes the trajectory of human life. A woman stoops, as if bending over a child she is pulling from the earth. Movement sequences carve out the space between the mother and her imaginary infant. The movement is earthbound, the gestures deliberate and powerful, enveloped in a layer of music—―The true dance is an expression of serenity,‖ Duncan wrote. The child wanders away under the mother’s watchful eye; when it returns she embraces it fervently and lays it down before her. But as she fondly caresses the child, her hand encounters nothing but the unyielding ground. Stretched out on the earth, the grieving mother offers a final gesture of farewell. Source: Dictionnaire de la Danse (translation) Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) Isadora Duncan was an important American-born modern dancer. She combined many of the aesthetic and social ideas of her time to create a personal style. Like the followers of the French teacher François Delsarte, as well as the advocates of dress reform, Duncan abandoned her corset to dance instead in flowing Grecian-inspired robes. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Duncan choreographed to classical music that had not been written specifically for dance, which was a controversial choice. Source: http://www.artsalive.ca Learn more: http://www.isadoraduncan.org/

Revolutionary Étude Premiered in 1921, danced by Isadora Duncan Choreographer: Isadora Duncan Music: Scriabin Lighting: Thibault Leblanc Dance instructor: Elisabeth Schwartz Rehearsal director: Isabelle Bourgeais 1 female dancer Duration: 2 minutes 18 seconds This solo, also part of the Dance Impressions of Russia series that Duncan created while living Moscow, was inspired by historical events and conveys Duncan’s passionate social and political conviction. A woman stands alone at centre stage, head bowed, hands clasped behind her back. As she straightens up, her posture and body language convey the power of a social manifesto, the portent of a Promethean struggle. Her gestures, kneading and pressing into the ground, have an almost violent quality; her successive advances are like so many escape attempts. Pausing for a moment, she sweeps the stage with her gaze, and the sight of her imaginary companions brings her own situation starkly home. Suddenly her worker’s hands bunch into fists, her mouth opens in a silent cry, and she soundlessly berates the invisible crowd as she surges forward once more. In an implied confrontation, she assaults air and earth with fists and feet; the pounding rhythm accelerates until suddenly her imaginary bonds are ruptured. The future opens up before her, and she welcomes it eagerly, pumping her fist defiantly into the air as the dance ends. Source: Dictionnaire de la Danse (translation)

Dédale Premiered in 1947 Choreography: Françoise Sullivan Dance instructor: Ginette Boutin Lighting designer: Jean-Philippe Trépanier Lighting technician: Olivier Bauer Costume designer: Denis Lavoie Ballet mistress: Isabelle Bourgeais 1 female dancer Duration: 5 minutes 25 seconds Black and Tan Premiered in 1948 Choreography: Françoise Sullivan Music: Duke Ellington Dance instructor: Ginette Boutin Costumes designed by Jean Paul Mousseau Costumes created by Denis Lavoie Ballet mistress: Isabelle Bourgeais 1 female dancer Duration: 5 minutes 20 seconds Françoise Sullivan (1925 - ) is a pioneer of modern dance in Montréal and an acclaimed choreographer, dancer and multidisciplinary artist. In addition to her accomplishments as a dancer and choreographer, she is an internationally respected visual artist whose career has spanned over six decades.

As a young woman, Sullivan studied visual art at Montréal's École des Beaux-Arts and ballet with Gérald Crevier. She later performed with Crevier's Les Ballets-Québec. In 1941, she met the painter Paul-Émile Borduas, who was the leader of the Automatistes, a group of Montréal artists who rebelled against aesthetic and social conformity. In 1948, the Automatistes published a manifesto, the Refus Global. Sullivan was one of the manifesto's signatories. She was also the only woman to contribute an essay, ―La Danse et l'espoir‖ (―Dance and Hope‖), which is one of the first political treatises on dance to be written in Canada.

Since 1948 she has been at the forefront of the international art scene, and her life and work have inspired generations of artists. Her rich and diverse body of work has earned her many awards and honours, including the Order of Canada and the Ordre du Québec. Learn more: http://www.dcd.ca/exhibitions/sullivan/sullivanhome.html

Lamentation

Premiered on January 8, 1930 at Maxine Elliott’s Theatre, New York Choreographer: Martha Graham Costume designer: Martha Graham Music: Zoltán Kodály, Neun Klavierstücke, Opus 3, Number 2 Original lighting design by Martha Graham, adapted by Beverly Emmons Ballet mistress: Isabelle Bourgeais 1 female dancer Duration: 3 minutes Lamentation is a ―dance of pain‖—not of a specific person, time or place, but rather a physical expression of grief itself. Martha Graham (1894-1991)

Martha Graham's name is synonymous with modern dance in the United States. She began her career as a member of the Denishawn company. Later, she performed in The Greenwich Village Follies before beginning to teach full time. She presented her first concert in 1926.

Graham's early choreographic efforts were reminiscent of Ruth St. Denis' in their exotic themes and music visualization structures. However, she quickly developed her own style that rejected stereotypical femininity in favour of strong, angular movements. Some of her works contained humour, but most were sombre.

The technique Graham developed placed dancers'weight low in their hips and emphasized the contraction and release of the torso. She created several dances inspired by American culture, including Frontier (1935) and Appalachian Spring (1944).

During the 1930s, Graham's all-woman company presented some of her most celebrated compositions, such as Primitive Mysteries (1931). In the late 1930s, Graham began to accept men into her company, including Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor and Erik Hawkins, who later became her husband. After World War II, Graham turned to Greek mythology for inspiration in works like Cave of the Heart (1946), Night Journey (1947) and Clytemnestra (1958).

Graham's creative longevity is remarkable. She gave her last performance in 1969 at age 74. She continued to choreograph until a year before her death. Her last work, Maple Leaf Rag (1990), was a whimsical piece choreographed to ragtime music by Scott Joplin. During her career, Graham choreographed over 180 works.

Source: http://www.artsalive.ca

Learn more: http://www.marthagrahamdance.org/

Les Ombres dans ta tête Premiered in 1996 Choreography: Jean-Pierre Perreault Dance instructors: Ginelle Chagnon and Lucie Boissinot Music: Bertrand Chénier Lighting designer: Jean Gervais Costume designer: Jean-Pierre Perreault Ballet mistress: Isabelle Bourgeais 2 male dancers Duration: 17 minutes Jean-Pierre Perreault’s creative universe is intimate yet social, fragile yet powerful. His works invite us to explore human nature, and consistently evoke in the viewer ―the feeling of being both witness and participant, outside the narrative and represented, overlooked and acknowledged‖ (Aline Gélinas, Cahiers de théâtre JEU, 1988 [transl.]).

Jean-Pierre Perreault (1947-2002)

Jean-Pierre Perreault was one of the most talented artists of his generation and one of Canada’s most important choreographers. An accomplished dancer, set designer and visual artist, Perreault began his career in 1967.He began his dance career as a charter member of Le Groupe de la Place Royale (later renamed Le Groupe Dance Lab). In the early 1970s, he was appointed co-artistic director of the company with Peter Boneham – a position he held until 1981. After he left Le Groupe, he was in demand as a choreographer and guest teacher at various institutions, including Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and the Laban Centre in London.

Two Choreography: Russell Maliphant Music: Andy Cowton Lighting: Michael Hulls Ballet master: Jarmo Penttila 1 female dancer Duration: 8 minutes In this powerful, demanding piece, a single dancer is confined in a square box of light—a visual expression of Russell Maliphant’s fascination with the relationship between light and movement.

The work is an eight-minute crescendo of music, movement and light, escalating to an intense climax. Andy Cowton’s score was composed specifically for the ballet. Two was originally commissioned by the Dance Umbrella Festival (London, UK). Russell Maliphant trained at the Royal Ballet School in the U.K. and graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet before leaving to pursue a career in independent dance, working with companies such as DV8 Physical Theatre, Michael Clark & Company, Laurie Booth Company and Rosemary Butcher. He has studied anatomy, physiology, bio-mechanics, and the Rolfing Method of Structural Integration. In April 2000, he received an Arts Council Fellowship. He has created over 20 pieces to date, collaborating closely with lighting designer Michael Hulls, and has set works on renowned companies and artists including: Lyon Opera Ballet, Ricochet Dance Company, The Batsheva Ensemble and Ballet de Lorraine. Source: http://www.rmcompany.co.uk/index_new.html

Une danse blanche avec Eliane Premiered on January 4, 1980 at the opening of the Maison de la Danse de Lyon (Lyon, France) Based on Dominique Bagouet’s Suite pour violes, Sous la blafarde and Danses blanches Remounted by Sylvie Giron, June 13, 2000 for Les nuits des 20 ans, Maison de la Danse de Lyon Choreography: Dominique Bagouet Music: Eliane Lencot, Jo Privat Instructors: Sylvie Giron (dance), Eliane Lencot (music) Costumes based on original designs by Christine Le Moigne / Created by the CCN – Ballet de Lorraine Wardrobe Department Ballet mistress: Isabelle Bourgeais In association with Les carnets Bagouet Special thanks to Éditions Universelles 1 male dancer + 1 accordionist Duration: 8 minutes

Dominique Bagouet created Une danse blanche avec Eliane in 1980, for the inauguration of the Maison de la Danse de Lyon. The work comprised excerpts from three earlier choreographies, and proposed a new interpretation of the space, the music, and inevitably the performance. In 2000, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Maison de la Danse, I was invited to remount the work in collaboration with composer Eliane Lencot, who participated in the original production. I was delighted to have the opportunity to revisit this familiar and beloved creative environment. We also toured this solo/duo in 2002 as part of a performance evening called Matière première. And now, quite naturally, I think it is time for a new generation of dancers to appreciate this deeply human, disciplined yet playful work. Disciplined in its vocabulary—dance being a language unto itself; and playful in the licence it gives the performers. – Sylvie Giron, November 2005 ―It’s about being responsive, being aware, the quality of being human: existing in the moment not as a dancer but as a human being, a man or a woman dancing…. The performer’s level of confidence affects the quality of the choreography at a very basic level: the dancer’s mere presence almost visibly influences the quality of the work.‖ – Dominique Bagouet, interview with Chantal Aubry, July 3, 1987 (translation)

-20° Choreography: Paul-André Fortier Music: Victor – Auto 20 Costumes: Denis Lavoie Lighting: Olivier Bauer Ballet mistress: Isabelle Bourgeais 2 female dancers 3 lighting operators Duration: 15 minutes

Paul-André Fortier was teaching literature and drama when, in 1973, he discovered dance—and was instantly smitten. He joined the Groupe Nouvelle Aire, the company that has spawned some of Quebec’s finest choreographers: Ginette Laurin, Édouard Lock, Daniel Léveillé, etc. Mr. Fortier’s choreographic works gradually moved ―from narration toward abstraction, giving free rein to a multiplicity of interpretations and to the audience’s emotional response.‖ He is an outstanding solo performer whose recent compositions include Solo 30x30: Trente minutes, trente jours, a site-specific outdoor work he performed for 30 minutes every day at the same time for 30 consecutive days, in five cities on three continents. Learn more: http://www.fortier-danse.com/ and http://www.artsalive.ca

Classroom Activities Activity 1: Dance Speaks – talking dance

Subjects: Dance and English (or French) No materials required

There are many ways to express and communicate about life’s experiences. Dance is one non-verbal form of communication. When we watch dance we think and feel about what we are seeing and also reflect on how it connects to our own personal experience. Choreography is the language of making dance. Dance vocabulary is created and put together to deliver an artist’s vision. An art form without words, dance is a language that needs to be appreciated and learned. To build dance literacy among your students, see and do as much dance as possible. Encourage students to talk, write and create based on what they’ve seen. Talking and writing about dance helps students become more articulate on how to express their opinions about what they have seen. On return to school have your class, or in small groups, discuss the show you saw. Here are some introductory topics for discussion. Questions for discussion:

Why do you think the Artistic Director choose the pieces you saw to present to the public?

Compare and contrast the different pieces. How are they different? How are they similar?

What do you think was the inspiration for each of the choreographers who originally created the piece?

What does each piece express and communicate?

Discuss the differences between a solo work and a duet. Describe the work:

What did you see? What was the movement quality? Describe the movement: Full body movement or only body parts What actions happened (leaps, hops, stretches, turns, flutter, swing) How was the space used? (Low, medium, high, floor, down, up, corners) Directions Time (slow, medium, fast, long, short) Energy (strong, bound, sustained, light, sudden, free, strong, sharp, smooth)

What did you hear? Was there music or a soundscape?

Was there special lighting or costumes? Expressing opinions:

Did you enjoy the show? Why or why not?

Would you recommend this performance to a friend?

How did the lighting, costumes, set and music add to the pieces and help to express the ideas or moods of each work?

Describe in prose or poetry the feelings a dance gave you.

Activity 2: Dance history, Living history Subjects: Dance, History, English (or French)

Materials required: Access to a library and/or the internet, large space to move in, pencils and paper and/or video cameras and computers.

The repertoire presented was selected by the Artistic Director of Ballet de Lorraine. The solo and duets performed by the dancers in Ballet de Lorraine were originally created between 1921 and 2007 by dance artists from Canada, the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Activities:

How do you think the company learned the dance works that were created in the beginning of the 20

th century? How can dance be preserved? Research

the archival process of dance.

Step 1: Choose a historical figure in modern dance (i.e. Isadora Duncan or Martha Graham). Assign your students the task of preparing a report on the artist so that they learn who the artist was and how they contributed to the art form. What made her a pioneer? Situate the artist in the socio-political time period in which she worked. What else was happening in the art form, the economy, politics, fashion, music, art at the same time as the artist was living and working. Step 2: Once they’ve learned about the artist, have them create a dance piece based on the artist, specifically referencing her dance style. For example, Isadora Duncan’s dances were free-flowing and her costumes imitated ancient Grecian style.

Step 1: Have your students create a short solo work on themselves. Step 2: Once the students are confident in their choreography and can perform it at ease, have them teach their solo to a fellow dancer. Have that student perform the work. Step 3: Have a discussion about the process of transmission and the role of the dancer or interpreter in the creative process. Did the work change when the creator was no longer the dancer? Step 4: Have students document and archive their dance. Discuss how you can preserve dance with the aid of videography, photography, dance notation, paintings, written description, and by teaching it to others. Have the students choose a format to document their dance with. Then share that form with the group. Discuss how similar or dissimilar the archived dance is from the original live form.

Activity 3: Critic for a Day

Subjects: Dance and English (or French) Materials required: paper, pencils/pens, sample review and preview articles

There are many different ways to enjoy dance: for example, you can be a dancer yourself, or you can attend dance performances. This latter category includes audience members and dance critics—people with an ―expert eye.‖ Dance critics are like trail guides who help us understand what dance is about, get to know an artist or a dance piece, or situate a work in its cultural or historical context. With their insight and experience, they can help us understand a work better or encourage us to go and see it. In this activity, students take on the role of dance critics to write a dance preview or review. A preview article is written and published before the show opens, and provides an introduction to the dance work. It should contain information about the choreographer and the company (including previous career credits and highlights); some enticing catchphrases to make the reader (or listener) want to go and see the show; basically ―who what when where‖ information. Have students look up information about Ballet de Lorraine, (they’ll find some in this guide) and consult sample preview articles to write their own preview in the manner of a dance critic. Check your local paper for previews. A review, on the other hand, is much more specific and detailed. For this activity, have students use this guide to choose two or three aspects of the work (for example, historical context, costumes, dance style, etc.) to focus on in their article. They can also describe other elements, such as the lighting, sound design, sets and props, etc. Have each student write a dynamic review of the piece, relying on their memory and their ―expert eye‖ to describe the work objectively, then subjectively. How did they react? Was it amazing? confusing? thrilling? Why? What worked and didn’t work about the pieces? Conclude the review with a brief summary of how the work connected with their eyes, their heart and their senses. Dance reviews: http://www.thedancecurrent.com/reviews.cfm More resources to encourage writing and reading about dance can be found at: http://www.artsalive.ca/en/dan/understand/read.asp http://www.artsalive.ca/en/dan/yourturn/write/default.asp

Activity 4: Movement…and the final touches Subjects: Dance, Drama, Visual Art,

Materials required: large space to move in, lighting sources (flashlights, lamps, theatre lighting etc), fabric, props

We all dance, at different times, for different reasons. Dance is part of our culture and part of what makes us human. We dance at weddings, for rituals, we dance to socialize and have fun, and then there are those who dedicate their lives to dancing and train daily to dance as a full-time profession. Dance as an art form is part of a theatrical tradition dating back from early times. Dance on stage requires much more than just movement and choreography. A theatrical dance presentation most often involves music, costumes, specialised lighting and often sets and props. All of these work with the choreography and dancers’ interpretation to create the show. Activities:

Discuss how the costumes, lighting, music and props fit with the choreography of the work the students saw. What role did they play in the pieces? Were they secondary to the dance, or were they almost like a character, an essential part of the work?

Using the solo pieces the students created in the previous activity, have them explore the form of duet. Encourage them to explore choreography using:

- Unison (perform the solos side by side at exactly the

same time)

- Canon (start one solo at a certain point after the first one has already started)

- Repetition (play with repeating sections at different times than each other)

- Opposition in space (perform the solos varying the direction the dancers are facing and how they use the space, change the direction of traveled movement, or travel stationary movement)

- Opposition in time (play with slowing down or speeding up movement or movement phrases)

- Have them use their imagination and explore their own ways of creating choreography

Once the students have a clear duet created, ask them to add another element – a costume, fabric stretched out to enhance the shapes they make, experiment with different styles of music (use hip hop instead of classical, use the sound of rain drops instead of a pop song etc.), play with lighting (flashlights, desk lamps on wheels, flashing red bicycle lights, overhead vs side lighting or front vs back lighting etc.). The main aim here is to explore and encourage creativity. Have them make choices to add one or two elements to their dances. Rehearse with the new elements. Finally, perform the pieces for each other or as part of an end of term recital for parents.

3 RUE HENRI BAZIN

54000 NANCY

TÉL : 03 83 85 69 01 FAX : 03 83 85 68 90

www.ballet-de-lorraine.com