Student Matinee: BalletMet

Recommended for Grades 5-12.

BalletMet is committed to uplifting communities and schools through dance with education programs focused on developing body awareness and movement through learning and fun. During this student-centered program, dancers will perform excerpts from Timeless Tide, a work that brings swirling energy onstage to depict the gravitational pull of time, and selections from Seasons, in which dancers gracefully depict the cycle of nature. With choreography by Yue Yin and Edwaard Liang, the one-hour program highlights cultural contributions from Asian-American artists. Throughout the performance, BalletMet artists will explain and demonstrate what students are seeing. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions at a post-performance Q&A.

BalletMet Educational Resources for Teachers

• A comprehensive study guide of the BalletMet Student Matinee Program, including performance preparation activities, dance lessons & assessments, information on the lighting design, fun facts, and more! All Grades.
• Northrop Study Guide 24-25 by BalletMet (PDF)
  • MN State Create & Perform & Connect Standards

Pre-Show Questions:

• What images, stories, or people come to mind when you think of ‘ballet’?
• You’ll see dance pieces that tell stories in an abstract way. What does it mean when something is described as ‘abstract’? How do you think that will be reflected in the dancing?

Post Show Questions:

• What were some of the similarities and differences between the three pieces you saw today?
• Which piece held your interest and why?
• The three pieces you saw today were inspired by different ideas, stories, or concepts. If you were to choreograph your own ballet, what would be your inspiration? What story would you tell? 

Watch

• The origins of ballet - Jennifer Tortorello and Adrienne Westwood TED-Ed (5-minute animated video. Grades 5 and younger.)
• What’s the point(e) of ballet? - Ming LukeHow To Watch Ballet: 5 Steps To Become a Ballet Pro Curious Muse (12-minute video best suited for grades 6-12.)
  • MN State Connect & Respond Standards
• The physics of the "hardest move" in ballet - Arleen Sugano TED-Ed (4-minute animated video exploring the physics of a fouetté best for grades 8-12.)
  • MN State Connect Standards
• Ballet and the brain: The science of how dancers learn choreography Royal Opera House (8-minute video - Royal Ballet dancer Gemma Pitchley-Gale is joined by neuroscientists, healthcare professionals, and psychologists to find out how performers learn and the techniques they can employ to improve their performance. Grades 8-12.)
  • MN State Connect Standards
• Edwaard Liang talks about Seasons BalletMet YouTube (90-second video.)

Read

• Pointe Shoes: Dancing on the tips of the toes - The Kennedy Center (Article exploring history of the pointe shoe with video clips of modern dancers explaining how they work with pointe shoes. Grades 5-12.)
• Yue Yin Talks World Premiere Work, Timeless Tide (Blog Post from BalletMet about the development of the dance piece. Grades 8-12.)

Do

• Ballet and Classical Music - The Kennedy Center (Grades 3-5 Lesson Plan students choreograph, explore elements of classical ballet and learn basic ballet vocabulary.)

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Sponsored by RBC Wealth Management.

The BalletMet presentation of Timeless Tide is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.