April 6, 2013 1pm
Dance is for everyone Much like the numerous channels on television, the Sacramento Ballet has a large variety of ballets in its repertory that are sure to entertain and inspire all members of the audience. Dance is one of oldest, if not the oldest, form of artistic expression known. Dance is movement and everything in our world reminds us of this fact. A bird circling lazily in the sky, the moon rising on the horizon, water rushing down the rapids, and the very molecules of all things weave, bob, circle, and dance. Long before people developed formal language, they used movement to communicate basic needs. Modern man still uses physical movement or, “body language,” to make themselves understood. Dance can take many forms, and today, we are going to learn about a form of dance called ballet.
Dance is a Great Tool For Learning Here are some things to look for, and learn about dance, as you enjoy today’s performance:
• See how many different dance forms you can discover today.
• Learn how ballet can tell a story.
• Hear some of the most famous music ever written for Ballet.
• Listen to learn new words used to describe a dance made for a single dancer, two dancers, or a group of dancers.
• Learn that ballet can be funny.
• Learn what is the most popular ballet in America today.
Meet Your Narrator:
Christopher Nachtrab
Birthplace: Long Island, New York Previous Affiliations: The Richmond Ballet Joined Sacramento Ballet: 2009 Christopher began his dance training under the tutelage and guidance of his mother, Susan Nachtrab, in his native New York. He continued his dance studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with Violette Verdy, Guoping Wang and Virginia & Jacques Cesbron. While at Indiana University he performed principal roles in such ballets as Gerald Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi! & George Balanchine’s Who Cares?. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Ballet and Comparative Literature, Christopher continued on to begin his professional career with The Richmond Ballet. Some of his most memorable performances have been in George Balanchine’s Mozartiana (The Gigue), Ron Cunningham’s Carmina Burana (Blue Pas), Trey McIntyre’s Second Before the Ground & Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs (All The Way). For his many accomplishments, Mr. Nachtrab has been the recipient of various performance awards including the Marina Svetlova Memorial Award and the Verdy Award for Ballet Excellence. In his free time he dedicates his energy towards the youth of his home community as the resident choreographer for “The Elite Corps de Ballet of Long Island.” Christopher is also an accomplished stage actor and has appeared most notably in the role of Puck in Benjamin Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Discover Dance April 6, 2012 • 1pm Narrated by Christopher Nachtrab assisted by Alex Stewart
Royal Theme Music by Punch Brothers Choreography by Alexander Biber Stefan Calka Ava Chatterson Rex Wheeler Lauryn Winterhalder Lauren Breen Kaori Higashiyama Katie Miller Evelyn Turner Oliver-Paul Adams Alex Biber Alex Stewart Mate Szentes
Excerpts from
Alice in Wonderland
Music by various composers Choreography by Ron Cunningham Alice & the White Rabbit Alexandra Cunningham & Jackson Jirard Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee Oliver-Paul Adams & Rex Wheeler Cheshire Cat Alexander Biber
Singin' in the Rain Sung by Gene Kelly Choreography by Ron Cunningham Oliver-Paul Adams
Stefan Calka
Christopher Nachtrab
Fairy Tale Characters from Aurora's
Wedding
Sleeping Beauty, Act III Music by Peter Tchaikovsky Choreography by Marius Petipa Puss-in-Boots & the White Cat Lauryn Winterhalder & Mate Szentes
The Arabian Dance from
The Nutcracker
Music by Peter Tchaikovsky Choreography by Ron Cunningham & Carinne Binda Amanda Peet & Richard Porter
Sylvia Music by Leo Delibes Choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton Students of the School of Sacramento Ballet: Annelise Bryan, Erin Edwards, Isabella Rosen Ana Schloemann, Katya Schloemann, Alex Sprague Emily Tan, Madeline Williams, Maddy Kilby, Solana Tanabe
White Swan Pas de Deux Music by Peter Tchaikovsky Choreography by Lev Ivanov Alexandra Cunningham & Stefan Calka
New York! Music by Alfred Newman Choreography by Joanna Summerhayes Lauryn Winterhalder Christopher Nachtrab Jackson Jirard Rex Wheeler
Stars and Stripes Pas de Deux Music by John Philip Sousa Choreography by George Balanchine Amanda Peet & Oliver-Paul Adams
Western Hoe Down Music Medley by the Boston Pops Choreography by Ron Cunningham Lauren Breen Ava Chatterson Isha Lloyd Lauryn Winterhalder Oliver-Paul Adams Stefan Calka Christopher Nachtrab Rex Wheeler
Grand Finale Entire Company
Costumes courtesy of California Musical Theatre and Deirdre Hawkins
Artistic Staff
Artistic Directors: Production Manager: Wardrobe Supervision: Ballet Mistress:
Ron Cunningham & Carinne Binda Caitlin Sapunor-Davis Theresa Kimbrough • LeeAnne Larsen Lynlee Towne
What did you Discover about Dance today? 1.
Several dances today showed how humor can be a theme in dance. What was your favorite dance that showed humor?
Answer:
2.
What is the name of the composer who wrote the music for The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake?
3.
What is the term used when two dancers perform together on stage as you saw in Swan Lake?
Answer:
4.
In the dance, New York, what other style of dance is featured besides ballet?
5.
What do you think would happen if Alice could catch the White Rabbit?
Answer:
6.
What country inspired the movement seen in the Western Hoe Down?
Answer:
7.
What is the name of the costume worn by the Swan Queen and the White Cat?
Answer:
8.
How many children from the greater Sacramento area participate in the Sacramento Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker each year?
Answer:
9.
What was your favorite dance, and why?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer:
Who's Who at the Ballet The Choreographer
The choreographer makes up the movements performed by the dancers. The choreographer arranges the dance steps to tell the story through dance and gestures alone. When creating a ballet, choreographers are often inspired by their own experience and interests and try to incorporate these ideas into their movement. Of all the people who come together to make a ballet, the choreographer is the most important.
The Composer
The composer is the person that writes music. A dance reflects the changing mood of the music, whether happy, sad, mysterious, etc. Peter Tchaikovsky composed the music of three of the world’s most famous ballets, Swan Lake (1877), The Sleeping Beauty (1890), and The Nutcracker (1892). In America, the most popular ballet today is The Nutcracker.
The Dancer
Learning to dance ballet takes years of practice, dedication, and hard work. Dancers train from 8 to 10 years to become professional dancers, then continue their training on a daily basis throughout their careers Dancers practice for many hours every day to keep up their strength and flexibility. Dancers are able to learn quickly and memorize the choreographers’ often complicated ideas and steps. Today’s dancers are extremely versatile, because choreographers draw on many forms and styles of dance to create new ballets.
Costume Designer
In a story without words, costumes help tell the audience about the characters. The costume designer works closely with the choreographer. In designing ballet costumes, special care must be taken to allow the dancers the ability to move freely.
Stage Manager
During rehearsals and performances, it is the Stage Manager that makes sure everything runs smoothly backstage. The Stage Manager ensures that changes in scenery and lighting, dancers’ entrances and exits, and any special effects happen at just the right time.
Thank you to our 2012 - 2013 sponsors:
Your Partner in Giving
Anonymous Commerce Printing John de la Vega Wayne & Shari Eckert Grebitus & Sons Jewelers
James Hargrove & Wendy Stevens Hawthorn Suites Barbara K. Jackson Steven & Niko Mayer Thomas McCauley
Mark Otero Gary & Abby Pruitt Sacramento Ballet Guild Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau
Keith Sutter Dr. Richard & Ursula Wertz Foundation Jill & Dan Zerkle
Looking for Camp Ideas?
Get Your Kids Moving This Summer! Intensive • June 10 - 28 • Ages 11 and up
The Sacramento Ballet’s Summer Intensive 2013 is a comprehensive rigorous ballet training program designed to challenge, stimulate, and inspire highly motivated students and those with aspirations of a professional career. Taught by a world class faculty, Summer Intensive 2013 is a total immersion program integrating strong ballet techniques, pointe work, variations, with current contemporary dance forms. Classes will include: Ballet Technique, Pointe, Men’s Classes, Variations, Musical Theater, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Yoga, Pilates, Injury Prevention.
Summer Workshop • June 10 - 28 • Ages 8-13
Sacramento Ballet offers an exemplary, 3 week Summer Ballet Workshop. Students will grow as dancers while training under professionals from the renowned School of the Sacramento Ballet, and guest Artists from the Sacramento performing arts community. Ballet technique and artistry will be stressed at all levels with strength and stretching classes to enhance physical performance. In the afternoons, students explore additional dance genres, broadening their artistic development and culminating in a performance at the end of the three-week session. Classes will include: Ballet Technique, Variations, Corps de Ballet, Boys Class, Stretch, Modern, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Musical Theater, Russian Character Dance, and Acting Workshop.
Private Ballet Coaching Sessions • July 15 - Aug. 16
For Levels Intermediate to Advanced Ballet Students (or by placement class)
The School of the Sacramento Ballet will be offering a 5 week Private Coaching Program this summer for students Level 2-7 beginning the week of July 15. Students will meet weekly with their coach to work on targeted areas of improvement determined through video analysis of each student in class. Students in addition to one-on-one private coaching time will learn a classical variation that encourages improvement in the identified areas. The 5 week session will culminate in a demonstration of the classical variation and final video analysis. Cost: Level Dependent
Dance Camps • Ages 4-7 Sugar Plum Fairy Fun • July 8-12
Pirates and Mermaids • July 15-19
Prince and Princesses • July 22-26
Children explore the magic of dance through themed movement and music. Dance Camps include dance, song, storytelling, acting, crafts, and creative games based on different weekly themes. Students will engage their imagination in fun classes discovering Nutcracker characters, Pirates and Mermaids who rule the sea, and Prince & Princesses of many kingdoms. Light and healthy snacks will be provided. Cost: 1 Camp session: $200, 2 are $175 each, 3 are $155 each. (with an additional 5% discount for siblings)
Summer Session • July 9 - August 16 • Ages 3 1/2 and up
S
Continuation of yearly leveled ballet classes from Creative Movement through Level 7, and Adult Ballet which provide an excellent opportunity for students to individually focus on improving technique. Summer Session classes will be offered for six consecutive weeks and can be taken as an enrolled student or on a drop in basis.
For a complete list of dates, schedules and pricing:
www.sacballet.org (Go to the Education tab, then Summer Programs) or, for more information, email: marla@sacballet.org • 916-552-5800 x100
the
chool
of the Sacramento Ballet