Ballet Performance Guide
Bluegrass Youth Ballet
About Ballet Performances
A dance performance can take many different forms. Its subject may range from a child’s fairy tale to a psychological drama to an abstract idea. Or, it may be a “pure dance” ballet with no subject or theme. The dancers can wear pointe shoes or street shoes, or even no shoes at all. Costumes may be ornate and classical (like tutus), or they might look as if they were purchased from the clothes rack of a local department store. The dancers in the performance sometimes move in a grand and noble manner. They may appear to spend more time in the air than on the ground, and they may dazzle the audience with the speed of their turns and the beats of their legs-all characteristics of classical ballet. In the next piece, however, the same performers may explore body movement and stage space in a manner more like modern dance (a dance form in which the movement is not as structured as the movement in ballet) than ballet.
What Does an Audience Member Look Like at the Theatre?
- You should not eat or talk during a ballet performance. Also, you should not get up and walk around while the dancers are on stage. These things may be distracting to the dancers or other audience members.
- Flash photography is not allowed at dance performances because it is distracting and dangerous to the dancers.
- You should clap any time the music stops and dancers have just completed a dance. You may also want to clap for any difficult and/or fancy steps the dancers perform such as lifts, turning sequences or large jumps. This clapping encourages the dancers and lets them know that you appreciate their talent.
- If the music has a good beat and you feel like clapping to the beat, you are permitted to do so at a ballet performance.
- Often times when performances end the audience gives the dancers a standing ovation.
- Sometimes audience members will yell BRAVO! after seeing something spectacular.
Compare & Contrast
How do audiences at a ballet differ from audiences at a sporting event? What do these two audiences share?
Behind the Scenes
- Director: This person is like a coach. They oversee all aspects of the performance.
- Choreographer: This person creates the steps of the dances.
- Dancer: This person performs the choreography on stage.
- Stagehand: This person performs a variety of backstage work, including hanging drops, moving sets on and off the stage, monitoring props, etc.
- Costume Mistress: This person designs, sews, and maintains the costumes for the dancers.
- Lighting Designer: This person designs the lights that will set the mood of the ballet.
- Sound Technician: This person sets up and operates the equipment for the music.
- Stage Manager: This person directs everyone backstage to do his or her job at the correct time so that the production can run smoothly.
The Elements of Dance
The elements of dance (space, time and force) are present in the Dia de los Muertos dance performance. These elements are used in dance choreography to express an idea, thought or emotion.
SPACE: Refers to the area that the dancer occupies and moves through. Some components of space are:
Direction- forward, backward, right, left, up, down Pathway-straight, curved
Levels-high, middle, low
Shape-individual shape or group shape
TIME: Involves the length and speed of the movement. Some components of time are: Accent- an emphasis on a pulse that occurs regularly
Rhythmic Pattern-use accents that occur irregularly Duration-length of the movement (short, medium, long)
FORCE: Also known as energy, it reinforces, heightens, expands and highlights parts of a movement theme or section of a work. Some components of force are:
Heavy/Light Sharp/Smooth Tension/Relaxation Bound/Flowing
Locomotor movement-movement that travels from one place to another such as walk, run, leap, hop, jump, slide, gallop, skip
Nonlocomotor movement-involves body parts that move around a stationary base by bending (flexing), stretching (extending), twisting (turning) on an axis
** Information listed above was compiled from Dance Teaching Methods and Curriculum Design by Gayle Kassing and Danielle M. Jay.
Try the Five Basic Positions of Ballet
The five positions of the feet in ballet were developed in the 17th century when court ballets were being performed. Even earlier, turn out (the idea of standing with the legs turned out from the body at the hips) had been recognized as being important. As ballet continued to move forward to a more professional status, the five positions became more standard. They were finally established in 1725, and have become the basis of all ballet. Movements begin and end in these positions, and they provide a common starting point for ballet technique all over the world.
First Position-Stand with heels together, legs and feet turned out, pointing away from the body. Turn out from the hips as much as possible, but do not let knees or ankles twist.
Second Position-From first position, slide feet away from each other, so that they are still turned out, but there is a foot length between the heels.
Third Position-Place the heel of one foot against the middle of the other foot, keeping both turned out.
Fourth Position-Place one foot exactly in front of the other with space about the length of one foot between them.
Fifth Position-Place one foot against the front of the other foot with both turned out. Feet should be toe-to- heel and heel-to-toe.
Bluegrass Youth Ballet
Email: info@bluegrassyouthballet.org
Website: www.bluegrassyouthballet.org
Location: 1595 Mercer Court, Lexington, KY, United States
Phone: 859-271-4472
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bluegrass-Youth-Ballet-59704969597/
Twitter: @BYByouthballet