Classical Ballet

Learning Guide

The Sleeping Beauty, Washington Ballet’s Katherine Barkman and Rolando Sarabia,
xmbphotography
 Community Engagement Mission
Intrinsic to The Washington Ballet’s mission to bring the joy and artistry of dance to the
nation’s capital, our community engagement programs provide a variety of opportunities to connect
children and adults of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to the art of dance. Through live
performances, audience enrichment programs, the highest caliber of dance training and educational
events, we aspire to spark and enhance a love for dance, celebrate our history and cultural diversity
and enrich the lives of our community members.
To learn more visit: https://www.washingtonballet.org/about

Table of Contents

This guide is designed to help people of all ages explore the art and history of classical ballet in a
fun an engaging way.

About The Washington Ballet …………………………………………………………...…………...…….3

History of Ballet………………………………………………………………………………….…………….4
What is Classical Ballet? ……………………………………………… ………………………………..…..5
Stepanov Notation…………………………………………………………………………..………………..6
What’s the point of pointe shoes? …………………………...……………………………………....……..7
What is a tutu? ………………………………………………………….………………………………..…...8
Ballet Vocabulary Coloring Sheets………………………………………………………….…………..9-13
Movement Activity Classical Pantomime ……………………………………………………………...…14

Director of Community Engagement Vanessa Hope

Community Engagement Manager: DeMoya Watson Brown
The Washington Ballet’s Community Engagement programs are supported by:
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation
Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation
GEICO
The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation
The Harman Family Foundation
The Morningstar Foundation
Public Welfare Foundation
Barbara Epstein Foundation
Betty and Wes Foster Family Foundation
George Preston Marshall Foundation
Capitol Hill Community Foundation
Lorraine S. Dreyfuss Theatre Education Foundation

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 About The Washington Ballet
Celebrating its 74th year as an organization, The Washington Ballet grew out of the success
of The Washington School of Ballet, founded and directed for years by legendary dance
pioneer Mary Day. The School opened in 1944 and the Company was established in 1976
with Ms. Day’s singular vision clearly illuminated: to create a stellar institution of teaching,
creating, and enlightenment through dance.

Artistic Director Julie Kent’s long-term vision is to elevate the

prominence of The Washington Ballet to a world-class
ballet company by expanding the size of the company and
broadening its repertoire. She has introduced into the
repertoire seminal works by George Balanchine, Frederick
Ashton, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, Justin Peck and
Alexei Ratmansky while embracing the work of emerging
choreographers including Clifton Brown, Gemma Bond, and
Ethan Stiefel, among others. Her commitment to the
development of both the dancer and the art form is fulfilled
through presentation of beloved classic 19th-century ballets
and landmark 20th-century works while reaffirming a
commitment to commissioned works that will contribute to Julie Kent, Artistic Director
the evolution of ballet and its relevance in our times.

In addition to being an iconic ballerina, Kent has the distinction as the longest-serving dancer
at American Ballet Theatre, having danced with the company for 29 years. Her extensive
roles encompass the breadth of the ballet repertoire and as a muse to choreographers who
created works on her. Her continued devotion to serving the art form, to promoting arts
education and to using her experience to nurture, train and develop the next generation of
dancers are the tenets by which she will further elevate TWB and its Company, school and
community engagement programs and initiatives.

Victor Barbee, Associate Artistic Director

Elaine Kudo, Ballet Master
Rubén Martín Cintas, Ballet Master

The Company Dancers

Victoria Arrea, Katherine Barkman, Nardia Boodoo, Adelaide
Clauss, Jessy Dick, Kateryna Derechyna, Nicole Graniero,
Sona Kharatian, Ayano Kimura, Alex Kramer, Tamás Krizsa,
Corey Landolt, Eun Won Lee, Olivia Lipnick, Ariel Martinez,
Tamako Miyazaki, Javier Morera, Ashley Murphy-Wilson,
Andile Ndlovu, Lucy Nevin, Maki Onuki,
Alexandros Pappajohn, Gian Carlo Perez, Daniel Roberge,
Oscar Sanchez, Rolando Sarabia, Stephanie Sorota,
Sarah Steele, Brittany Stone, Masanori Takiguchi

Apprentices: Kimberly Cilento, Gilles Delellio, Lope Lim,

Stephen Nakagawa, Samara Rittinger, Alexa Torres

The Studio Company Dancers

Andrea Allmon, Peyton Anderson, Rafael Bejarano,
Nicholas Cowden, Abigail Granlund, Audrey Malek,
Aurora Mostacci, Helga Paris– Morales, Rench Soriano
The Washington Ballet’s
Ashley Murphy-Wilson

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 History of Ballet
15th Century - Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century.
Noblemen and women were treated to lavish events, especially wedding celebrations, where
dancing and music created an elaborate spectacle. Dancing masters taught the steps to the
nobility and the court participated in the performances.

16th century - Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman, wife of

King Henry II of France, and a great patron of the arts, began to
fund ballet in the French court. Her elaborate festivals encouraged
the growth of ballet de cour, a program that included dance, decor,
costume, song, music, and poetry.

17th century - King Louis XIV helped to popularize and

standardize the art form. A passionate dancer, he danced many
roles himself, including that of the Sun King in Ballet de la nuit. His
love of ballet fostered its elevation from a past time for amateurs to
an endeavor requiring professional training. By 1661 a dance
academy had opened in Paris and in 1681 ballet moved from the
courts to the stage. The French opera Le Triomphe de l’Amour
Incorporated ballet elements in its performance, creating a
long-standing opera-ballet tradition in France. King Louis Xiv of France in the Costume of the
Sun King in the Ballet 'La Nuit', 1653 Giclee
th
18 century - In the mid-1700s French ballet master Jean Georges Noverre rebelled
against the artifice of opera-ballet, believing that ballet could stand on its own as an art form.
His vision—that ballet should contain expressive, dramatic movement, and that movement
should reveal the relationships between characters—introduced the ballet d’action, a
dramatic style of ballet that tells a story. Noverre’s work is considered the precursor to the
story ballets of the 19th century. During this time period, ballerinas removed the heels from
their dancing shoes to better articulate their feet in jumps.

19th century - Ushered in by the Romantic Movement which

influenced art, music and ballet, this century becomes known as
the Classical Era of ballet because so many classical ballets such
as Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty were created. Classical
Ballet’s themes were focused on expressing emotions and
passions and often included a supernatural world of spirits and
magic. Marius Petipa, often referred to as “the father of classical
ballet” for his influence, creates most of the worlds most famous
classical ballets during this era including: Swan Lake,
The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and many more. It’s also during this
period that ballerinas begin wearing tutus and dancing on the tips
of their toes, known as pointe work. Maria Taglioni was the first
ballerina to dance a full-length ballet on pointe in 1832. The tutu at
Maria Taglioni in The Sylphide, 1832 this time, was a calf-length, full skirt made of tulle.

20th century - Russian choreographers Sergei Diaghilev and Michel Fokine began to
experiment, moving beyond the confines of classical ballet form and story. Diaghilev
collaborated with composer Igor Stravinsky on the ballet The Rite of Spring, a work so
different—with dissonant music, a story of human sacrifice, and unfamiliar movements—that
it caused the audience to riot. Choreographer and New York City Ballet founder
George Balanchine, a Russian who emigrated to America, would change ballet even further.
He introduced what is now known as neoclassical ballet. He also is considered by many to
be the greatest innovator of the contemporary “plotless” ballet. With no definite story line, its
purpose is to use movement to express the music and to illuminate human emotion and
endeavor. Today, ballet is multi-faceted combining classical forms, traditional stories and
contemporary choreography.

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 Stepanov Dance Notation
Classical ballet is a system of dance based on codified movements and
positions of the arms, feet, and body designed to enable the dancer to
move with the greatest possible agility, control, speed, lightness, and
grace.

In the 1890’s Vladimir Stepanov, a dancer at the Imperial Ballet devised

a new movement notation system which could allow the preservation of
classical ballets by documenting the choreography. The Stepanov
notation system is based on the musical staff and uses markings that look
like notes, organized in measures that correspond to the score. Separated
into three horizontal tracks, the markings indicate the movements of the
torso and head, the arms, and the legs. The notations indicate when the
leg is bent or straightened, the height of the foot, which way the dancer is facing and traveling, whether she
is on pointe and how she is using her wrists. Arm movements are written as symbols
King Louis Xiv of similar
France in thein appearance
Costume of the
Sun King in the Ballet 'La Nuit', 1653 Giclee
to music notes with streaks around them. The streaks indicate how the dancer is supposed to move his/her
arms and the notes indicate on which beat each arm movement is to occur. A space on the paper specifies
the audience's location. After Stepanov’s death in 1896, Alexander Gorsky took over the notation project and
perfected Stepanov’s system.

A page from Alphabet des mouvements du corps humain (1892),

by Vladimir Ivanovich Stepanov, illustrating his dance notation system.

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 What is Classical Ballet?
Classical ballet is a system of dance based on
formally specified movements and positions of
the arms, feet, and body designed to enable
the dancer to move with the greatest possible
agility, control, speed, lightness, and grace.
Movements are generally graceful and flowing
and dancers create defined lines and shapes
with their bodies. Elements of classical ballet
technique include dancing from a turned-out
position of the legs, pointe work, high leg
extensions, dynamic turns and intricate
footwork. Classical ballets usually tell a story
and have themes focused on expressing
T he W a s h i n g t o n Ba l l e t ’ s Sw a n La k e M is t y C o p e la n d a n d
emotions and passions. They often include a B ro o k l y n M a c k . Phtoto: Theo Kossenas
supernatural world of spirits and magic.

The Five Positions

of the feet and arms

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 What’s the point of pointe shoes?
Ballerinas dance on pointe shoes to create an illusion of lightness and a sense of floating on air.
Before pointe shoes were invented, ballerinas were sometimes suspended on wires to allow them to
skim the floor on their toes or rise into the air. In the early 1800s, dancers began rising to their toes on
their own. The first pointe shoes were simply flat slippers, lightly reinforced by the dancer with darning
around the toes. With such light support, the earliest pointe work consisted merely of brief rises to pointe.
Over the course of two centuries of ballerinas, ballet technique and shoemakers innovations have
produced the more supportive shoes used today.
Pointe shoes provide support while allowing articulation of the foot. Dancer’s have to develop and use
their own strength to dance on pointe.
droop below a dancers waist and to hold their shape, often with 9—12 layers of tulle. There are several
variations on the Classical tutu. One called the pancake tutu is supported by a hoop inside the fabric, and
sits on the dancer’s hip. The platter tutu is similar, but it sits on the dancer’s waists instead. One more
called the powderpuff tutu is light and fluffy, so it doesn’t need a hoop to support itself.

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 What is a tutu?
Tutus are the traditional costume of a classical ballerina. Tutus allow ballerinas to move freely
and gracefully onstage, and they allow the audience to see the artistry of the choreography
and the dancer’s technique. Tutus are complex costumes built so they will not droop below a
dancers waist and to hold their shape, often with 9—12 layers of tulle. There are several
variations on the Classical tutu. One called the pancake tutu is supported by a hoop inside the
fabric, and sits on the dancer’s hip. The platter tutu is similar, but it sits on the dancer’s waists
instead. One more called the powderpuff tutu is light and fluffy, so it doesn’t need a hoop to
support itself.

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 Ballet Vocabulary
Plié: to bend
A smooth and continuous bending of the knees outward, while
maintaining the ballet position with your feet, turn out of the legs, and
with the upper body held upright. Heels stay on the floor in demi-plié.

Grande Plié
Is a deeper bending of the knees outward, while maintaining the ballet
position with your feet, turn out of the legs, and with the upper body held
upright. Heels come off the floor in grande plié.

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 Ballet Vocabulary
Relevé: to rise
Demi– pointe: Rising onto the balls of your feet.

En Pointe: Rising onto your toes.

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 Ballet Vocabulary
Tendu : to stretch

Gradually extending the working leg to the front, side, or back, passing from flat to
demi-pointe to point where only the toes are touching the floor.

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Ballet Vocabulary

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Ballet Vocabulary

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 Movement Activity
Classical Pantomime
In Classica ballet there is no dialogue. The story is told through
dance, music and pantomime.

Pantomime helps convey character, and every

gesture is important in the telling of the story. There is a standard
mime vocabulary used by every ballet company. Here is a list of
some Classical Pantomime gestures.

Ideas Movement

I point to yourself
King hand gestures on sides of head in form of crown
Devil gesture with 2 fingers in shape of horns on head
Love 2 hands on heart
Knocking tap fist in hand three times
Sewing pull needle through fabric
You/He/She gesture to other person palm up
Think touch your temple
See point to each eye
Beautiful/Handsome circle your face/draw hand down face
Crazy circle around your ear
Marry point to your ring finger
True/Faithful hold 2 fingers high
Dress gesture along sides of clothing
Hear cup your ear with your hand
Someone hold your first finger up
Enter sweeping gesture with both arms across your body
Cry gesture with all fingers from eyes
Mice/Rats moving fingers as whiskers
Dance circling hands overhead
Die/dead cross arms-hands in fist
Yes nod head
No turn head or gesture with arms

Activity 1 Exploring Pantomime—Have students work in groups of 3 or 4. Give each group 3– 4 ideas
& gestures. Give the group a few minutes to figure out what the movements looks like and to
practice them. Have each group teach their pantomime gestures to the class.

Activity 2 Charades—Now that everyone is familiar with the pantomime gestures. Have students take
turns picking an idea & gesture out of a hat. They must perform their pantomime in front of the
class. Their classmates get 3 chances to guess the idea.

Activity 3 Create a Pantomime Story- Divide students into groups of 3-5. The goal for the group is to
create a story and perform it using only pantomime movements. The story shoud have a clear beginning middle
and end. You should specify the number of gestures the group must use. Allow students 10—15 minutes to
create their story and practice it. Then have students perform their story for the class and reflect on the
performances.

Reflection Questions: What is your interpretation of this group’s story? Does anyone have a different interpretation?
How did different groups effectively communicate their story? What did they do with their bodies? Why is it important to
speak with our bodies as well as our words?

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