presents

The Nutcracker

2015 December

HOW TO BE A GOOD AUDIENCE

A good audience:

Does not talk aloud or annoy others

Does not bring food into the theatre

Does not run in the lobby or theatre

Does not throw objects or fidget with

things

Does not lie down, lean on neighbors, or sleep

Does not leave trash in the theatre

Turns off their cell phones

Pays attention to the show

Applauds when the dancers take a bow

After watching The Bristol Bal- let’s performance of The Nut-

cracker and using the work- book, please take a moment to

fill out this evaluation form. Your answers will assist us in planning future programs

and in meeting the needs of your students.

Name of school and system:

__________________________________________________________________________

Are you a student or teacher?

__________________________________________________________________________

If a teacher, Grade level:

__________________________________________________________________________

Subject area taught:

__________________________________________________________________________

Rate the following from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.

The ballet was a positive experience for you. 1 2 3 4 5

I used/did the activities from the workbook. 1 2 3 4 5

The activities in the study guide were helpful in preparing for the perform-

ance. 1 2 3 4 5

I would attend another Bristol Ballet performance. 1 2 3 4 5

Which activity did your students enjoy the most? ___________________________

Did your or your students impression/opinion of ballet change after this pro-

duction? ________________________________________________________________

Is there anything you would like to see added or changed?

__________________________________________________________________________

Additional comments or suggestions? _____________________________________

—————————————————————————————————

__________________________________________________________________

Design and decorate a costume for this ballerina.

Basic Ballet Positions

First Position: The balls of the feet are turned out

completely. The heels touch each other and the

feet face outward, trying to form a straight line.

Second Position: The balls of the feet are turned

out completely, with the heels separated by the

length of one foot. Similar to first position., but the

feet are spread apart.

Third Position: One foot is in front of the other with

the front foot touching the middle of the back

foot.

Fourth Position: The feet are placed the same as

third position, but one step apart.

Fifth Position: With both feet touching, the toes of

each foot reach the heel of the other.

The origin of The Nutcracker, a classic Christmas Story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a

family’s Christmas Eve celebration. Alexandre Dumas Père’s adaptation of the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann was set to music by Tchaikovsky and originally cho-

reographed by Marius Petipa. It was commissioned by the director of Moscow’s Imperial Theatres, Ivan

Vsevolozhsky, in 1891, and premiered a week before Christmas 1892. Since premiering in western coun-

tries in the 1940s, this ballet has become perhaps the most popular to be performed around Christmas

time. The story centers on a young girl’s Christmas Eve and her awakening to the wider world and ro-

mantic love. The composer made a selection of eight of the more popular pieces before the ballet’s De-cember 1892 premiere, forming what is currently

known as the Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, as is heard in Moscow Ballet productions. The suite became in-stantly popular; however the complete ballet did not achieve its great popularity as a Christmas perform-

ance event until almost 100 years later.

Students: On this page highlight the nouns in pink and the verbs in green!

Did you know?... Study about it…….

How do you

prepare to be a

professional

dancer?

What is a person

that makes up a

dance called?

Male dancers must be

very strong to leap,

jump and lift

ballerinas. Research

the muscles a male

dancer must develop.

Write a report about a

famous ballet dancer.

Begin your search by

looking up the

February 13, 1995

issue of Time

Magazine (page 72).

When dancers stop

dancing they must take up

a new career. Many

become teachers,

choreographers, or

directors. What is a

choreographer?

What famous painter and sculptor enjoyed watching dancers

in Paris?

He created La Petite Daneuse

(“The Little Dancer” made out of bronze)

The Nutcracker

Post Performance Discussion Questions

1. What was your favorite part of the ballet? (For example: the music,

the costumes, the scenery, the movement)

2. Was it hard to follow the story without words?

3. Do you think it is hard to dance on the tips of your toes?

4. Did you like the ballet?

5. Would you like to see another ballet in the future?

6. Pick any character. What emotions did you see in that character?

7. Do you think that the ballet is an athletic activity similar to football

or gymnastics? Why or why not?

The Nutcracker Ballet Word Search

C H I N E S E E G D D N S E K

I S H T Q G W Y L U R A R Q N

H S I N A P S H V A U I E N K

Y K S V O K I A H C T S W Z D

D A N C E R S Z S I T S O O F

T E L L A B E C N A D U L H N

Y L I M A F K Z U I L R F U M

R E Y E M L E S S O R D T S U

V T B K P C G S R M Y C R W L

C F G V E I I X R A R E I O P

F R I T Z S F N D A I V R N R

E N S Z X U T I C D U Y G S A

R C Y G J M L K L P S R G P G

V I I S G O E O C L A R A E U

T C E M H R S N A I B A R A S

ARABIAN BALLET CHINESE

CLARA DANCE DANCERS

DROSSELMEYER FAMILY FLOWERS

FRITZ GIFT HOLIDAY

MICE MUSIC NUTCRACKER

RUSSIAN SNOW SOLDIERS

SPANISH SUGARPLUM TCHAIKOVSKY

What Do You Think?

Consider the Dance of the Snowflakes

scene in The Nutcracker. What types of animals might you find

living in this type of habitat? What else might you find living in

this habitat (plants, trees, insects, etc)?

Write and illustrate your ideas below.

The Nutcracker:

Act I: The Adventure Begins

Fill in the blanks with the words from the word bank be-

low.

Clara’s _______________ begins to shake and she wakes

up to find that the Christmas tree has grown and the

____________________ has come to life. Other toys have

also come to life and an _______________ group of

mice enter the room. The horrible ____________________

challenges the Nutcracker to fight, but _______________

saves the Nutcracker by conquering the Mouse King

with her _________________. The Nutcracker is trans-

formed into a _________________ who takes Clara on a

fantastic ___________________. They then encounter the

snowflakes and the _______________________ with

whom she dances. A beautiful _________________ car-

ries Clara and the Nutcracker to see the

______________________ in the Land of Sweets.

Mouse King pillow Clara

evil Snow Queen

shoe Sugar Plum Fairy Nutcracker

swan Prince journey

Can you?

You will notice that ballet dancers do not

speak. They often use “body talk” or mime to

act out the story.

Act out a scene from The Nutcracker with a

friend. See if your class can read your “body

talk”.

Can you remember…….

Name the different charac-

ters/sweets from the second act.

What props were on the stage?

What was your favorite dance in

the Land of Sweets?

Color the characters from The Nutcracker

Fairy Tales

Use the Venn Diagram below to compare and contrast

The Nutcracker with another folktale or story. Use the diagram to help you

write a paragraph about

The Nutcracker and the other story you chose.

The Nutcracker Maze

The Nutcracker doll is lost!

Can you help Clara find the way to her friend?