NYCkidsARTS

American Ballet Theatre

Axial Movements for ballet dancers and other careers: Twisting, turning, bending and stretching

Design Arts, Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, Drawing, Theater, Video)

- Students will explore the concepts of twisting, turning, bending, and stretching as they observe a video of ballet dancers performing and create their own piece based on ways that different people ne...

Dance as a ritual: Giselle and the grape harvest

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Social Studies (Dance, Environmental Arts, Journalism, Literature, Theater, Video)

- In the story of Giselle, the villagers partake in a traditional dance in celebration of the grape harvest. Cultures throughout the world use dance in traditional ceremonies to celebrate, make things...

Dance Elements

Performing Arts (Dance)

A dance for two: Pas de Deux

Design Arts, Foreign Languages, Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, Drawing, Video)

- In this lesson, students will explore the ballet element "Pas de Deux" (a dance for two), making connections to their own lives as they explore their ideas of things that they do in pairs or things t...

Creating lines with the body

Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, English)

- This lesson explores both vertical and horizontal lines in creating the classical ballet poses. A large part of the movement vocabulary for this lesson comes from folding and unfolding the body into ...

Let's Jump

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, English)

- This lesson introduces the specific ways in which ballet jumps are performed, and introduces the idea of gender specific kinds of jumps. We learn that ballet is different for boys than girls.

Pas de deux / Pas de trois

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, English, Technology)

- This lesson introduces dancing with a partner and ways to work with a partner to create connected body part shapes. First using connected body parts, and then using a list of prepositions to create a...

Shh it's Shape museum

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, English)

- This lesson explores Shapes: Circular, Angular, or Elongated. Using the environment of a museum Your students will enter into an exhibit of shapes. And through teacher led prompting they will chang...

Elements of Theatre / “Billy the Kid”

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Social Studies (Dance, Design, English, Stagecraft, Theater)

- This lesson is a preparatory experience for viewing a performance. An introduction to all the elements that go into a ballet performance: how each of these elements works together to create the wor...

Fancy Free

Performing Arts (Dance)

Fancy Free Map Work: 24 Hours in New York City

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Social Studies (Dance, Literature, Video)

- In this lesson, students will put themselves in the shoes of the sailors in “Fancy Free” as they imagine what they would do with one free day in New York, or perhaps their own town. They...

What is ballet? Exploring the art and researching its production while learning about the ballet piece “Fancy Free.”

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science (Dance, Design, Journalism, Video)

Giselle: Romantic Notions in a Modern World

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Social Studies (Dance, Literature, Theater, Video)

- In this lesson, students will become familiar with the story ballet “Giselle,” by exploring the synopsis and watching video segments. The lesson will focus on elements of the Romantic Ag...

Greek Civilization

Performing Arts (Dance)

Athens and Sparta

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Social Studies (Dance, English, Literature, Technology, Theater)

- Compare Greek architecture and symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes along with the study of Athens and Sparta and their differences with regard to foundations of democracy and leadership.

If I were a Greek God

English as a Second Language, Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Social Studies (Dance, English, Literature, Technology, Theater)

- This lesson brings to life the importance of the Greek gods in Greek literature. By having the students create their own character of a Greek god, attaching a favorite hobby and using that hobby to p...

Orpheus

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Social Studies (Dance, English, Literature, Technology, Theater)

- Students studying the Greek Myths will break down a myth to its core thematic ideas. Brainstorm on ways to incorporate the theme into the action of the Myth. Cast themselves in Principle, Soloist and...

The Adventures of Ulysees

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Social Studies (Dance, English, Literature, Theater)

- This project is broken up into the five sections of story or narrative ballet structure: exposition, development of action, conflict, culmination and resolution. Students are assigned a different par...

Time, Space and Energy

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Social Studies (Dance, Literature, Technology, Theater)

- This lesson is a preparatory experience for the Greek Civilization unit. The unit focus’s on students creating ballets based on first Greek Myths and then the Greek novel, “The Adventures of Ulysses...

Kingdom of the Shades - La Bayadere

Language Arts, Performing Arts (Dance, Theater)

- The scene Kingdom of the Shades is often referred to as the greatest illustration of the transfixing power of the Corps de Ballet. It’s lyric pace and precise movement are said to create a hyp...

Locomotion: People, animals and ballet dancers move across space!

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Visual Arts (Dance, Journalism, Literature, Theater)

- Locomotion is an essential element to ballet, as well as to human and animal survival. In this lesson, students will explore some functions of locomotion in humans and animals and as a means of expr...

My Life: Creating An Autobiography

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Visual Arts (Dance, Journalism)

- After viewing the video Born To Be Wild, students will create autobiographies that reflect the parallels of their lives to those of the dancers and other people they are introduced to in the video. ...

Pas de Deux Comparisons

Language Arts, Performing Arts (Dance, Theater)

- This lesson uses video observation, a viewing worksheet, and discussion to help students recognize the different uses of common elements of dance. It is intended for use with commercially available ...

Patterns in the World – From Math to the Ballet

Language Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education/Health Science, Visual Arts (Dance, Drawing, Environmental Arts, Music, Theater, Video)

- Students will explore the idea that pattern exists everywhere in our world, showing up in our vision, hearing, school subjects and cycles in nature. Furthermore, pattern is essential element to movem...

"Born To Be Wild: The Leading Men of American Ballet Theatre"

Language Arts, Performing Arts (Dance, Video)

- After viewing the video Born To Be Wild, students will research a dancer, Mark Morris, or a topic presented in the video such as choreography, ballet, or a ballet company. Note to teacher: The speci...