Dance
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Below is the list of the Dance units available for educators. Download the Artsource® Order Form (PDF) to purchase a Unit.
Questions? Please call (213) 972-3377 or email artsource@musiccenter.org
African Roots in American Soil (D11)
African American
Dance Ensemble
Every year Dr. Chuck Davis journeys to Africa to "sit at the feet
of the elders." His research on the history, music and dance of specific
cultural groups enables him to choreograph African American interpretations
of authentic material from Africa. The video includes "Lamban," a Griot
or historian's dance from the Old Mali Empire,
circa 13th century, and "Isicathulo," a gum boot dance of the Shona,
Ndebele and Zulu people in Southern Africa.
Lessons feature an African
folktale that is told on the audio, as well as chants, proverbs, Kwanzaa,
and ways to develop leadership through dance. Includes video (22 min) and audio (15 min).
Price: $40.00
Billy the Kid (D15)
Eugene Loring and the Joffrey Ballet
George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein created a distinctive American ballet style which shocked traditionalists. They invited Eugene Loring to choreograph a ballet based on the notorious outlaw, "Billy the Kid." Aaron Copland's music underscores the "Opening March" of the ballet which shows pioneers traveling West and features motifs that portray their experience.
Lessons feature original dance motifs based on pioneer life, work, characters and legends, as well as motif writing. Includes video (9 min) and audio.
Price: $40.00
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Brother Sun, Sister Moon & Yup'Ik Moon Song (D22)
Chuna McIntyre
Chuna McIntyre performs traditional Yup'ik dance and song accompanied by percussion on a hand drum. He uses authentic artifacts and masks to illuminate the customs and stories of this ancient southwest Alaskan tribe.
Lessons feature Indian signs to tell a story, ways to interpret Nature Poems through creative movement, and how to design a dance costume for a cultural celebration. Includes video (8 min) and audio.
Price: $40.00
CRWDSPCR (Crowdspacer) (D19)
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Merce Cunningham is recognized as one of the primary dance innovators of the twentieth century. He recounts four events that led to important discoveries in his work: 1) his initial collaboration with composer John Cage in the late 1940s, when they began to separate the music and the dance; 2) his use of chance operations in his choreography; 3) his use of video and film as a medium to choreograph works specifically for the camera; 4) his use of dance computer software to create movement possibilities for his choreography. Includes video and audio.
Price: $40.00
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Dhon Dholak Cholam, Lai Haraoba & Vasanta Rasa Lila (D18)
Ranganiketan Manipuri Cultural Arts Troupe
Show ways to communicate through expressive hand gestures and spellbinding music played on unique instruments which have derived from the ancient culture of Manipur, India. This cultural heritage has been preserved intact for thousands of years and passed from one generation to the next via master artists and teachers.
Lessons explore social studies. Includes video and audio.
Price: $40.00
Eagle Dance and Hoop Dance (D04)
American Indian Dance Theatre
The American Indian Dance Theatre performs a theatrically-staged presentation of Native American dance and music while maintaining the integrity of different cultural traditions.
Lessons feature traditional stories central to both the Eagle and Hoop dances. Includes video (5 min).
Price: $40.00
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Firebird (D17)
Arthur Mitchell & the Dance Theatre of Harlem
Arthur Mitchell, the first black male dancer with the New York City Ballet, shows the power of an individual to overcome adversity and transcend social attitudes. "The Firebird," an old Russian folk tale, is a metaphor for Freedom and Oppression as the Dance Theatre of Harlem transforms it into a universal tale.
Lessons on how to create and interpret mythical creatures in dance, write a cinquain poem, create and dance scenes from the Firebird folk tale. Includes video (16 min) and slides.
Price: $40.00
Impressions #2 (D14)
Bella Lewitzky & the Lewitzky Dance Company
This choreography is part of a suite. It is based on Bella Lewitzky's responses to selected paintings by Vincent van Gogh, including "Starry Night."
Lessons focus on an interdisciplinary approach which involves creative movement, language and visual images. Includes video (5 min).
Price: $40.00
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Lamentation & Satyric Festival Song (D24)
Martha Graham - Introduced and Performed by Janet Eilber
Martha Graham is considered to be one of the most important innovators of the twentieth century. Her vision inspired a uniquely expressive dance form and original technique. Lamentation was inspired by sculpture and represents the essence of grief. In contrast, Satyric Festival Song displays the opposite emotions, expressing laughter, teasing wit and self-mocking humor.
Lessons include how to express emotions through postures and creative dance, ways to work with the breath and movement, and how to dance poems that express public and private worlds. Includes video (13 min).
Price: $40.00
Los Mitos, Danza de la Reata & Jarabe de Amor Ranchero (D12)
Amalia Hernandez & the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico
Ballet Folclorico de Mexico captures the heart and spirit of the Mexican people and their traditions in these materials through the pageantry and ritual of the indigenous cultures before the arrival of the Spaniards. Also depicts the influence of the Spanish and European cultures on these groups, creating a style called 'Mestizo.' The multidisciplinary lessons are built around the themes of The Human Family and Transformation. Includes video (16 min) and audio (11 min).
Price: $40.00
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Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (D16)
Donald McKayle & Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
"What is beautiful about mankind are the differences, and that is a thing to celebrate," proclaims choreographer Donald McKayle. He was the first Black male selected to join the Martha Graham Dance Company, touring with them on their historic tour of Asia that was sponsored by the U.S. State Department.
Lessons are grounded in such themes as rhythms of work, leading and following and Freedom and Oppression. Includes video (10 min) and audio (4 min).
Price: $40.00
Revelations (D01)
Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater
"Revelations" celebrates the human spirit and one's ability to overcome
adversity. The artistic vision of Alvin Ailey profoundly captures the
essence of his Black experience in America.
Unit includes material based on African-American cultural heritage.
Lessons explore contrasting gestures and emotions, creation of a 'signature dance' related to each person's name, and response through dance to Langston Hughes' poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." Includes video (4 min) and audio (3 min).
Price: $40.00
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Sarve Kashmir & Interlace (D23)
Anna Djanbazian
Anna Djanbazian's Persian-Armenian heritage, love of design and nature influence her themes and choreography. Sarve Kashmir reflects the style of Persian dance usually performed in homes, on the street or in courtyards. The barefoot performers, laden with jewelry portray a group of women selling bread on the street. Interlace is a traditional Armenian dance based on the structural designs seen in Armenian churches from the 4th - 17th century.
Lessons outline the Persian Cinderella story from the time of Marco Polo, Star Map dances, and movement studies based on architectural forms. Includes video.
Price: $40.00
Stamping Ground (D27)
Jir Kylin & Nederlands Dans Theater
An extraordinary suite of dances inspired by Aboriginal culture and research by Jir Kylin. This choreographer didn't attempt to imitate the dances, but rather in collaboration with dancers from the Nederlands Dans Theater, he experimented with different animal qualities. The Artsource Video shows excerpts of Aboriginal dancing, as well as the process of creating Stamping Ground.
Lessons feature mirroring, conversations, animals and creation myths. Includes video.
Price: $40.00
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Suite of Appalachian Music & Dance (D02)
AMAN International Folk Ensemble
In this vibrant unit, the AMAN International Folk Ensemble focuses on
a wide range of dance forms and music found in a far-reaching geographical
area of the Appalachians, reflecting both European and African influences.
The theme, Enduring Values, is underscored in the lessons. Includes
video (13 min) and audio (4 min).
Price: $40.00
Suite of French Canadian Dances (D03)
AMAN International Folk Ensemble
AMAN International Folk Ensemble preserved and presented the traditional dance, music and folklore of many ethnic groups, particularly those of North American immigrants. This unit focuses on the work of Yves and France Moreau who choreographed this suite of dances to represent both rural and urban traditions. his kaleidoscope of French Canadian dance and music includes "Les Saluts," a traditional dance, and a French quadrille. Learn "Les Saluts," dance a reel, and perform a French Canadian quadrille. Includes video and audio.
Price: $40.00
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Tete en L'air (D26)
Diavolo
Diavolo has broken the boundaries of more traditional dance companies. Their original material includes architecture, geometric shapes, mechanical functionality and landscapes. Tete en l'Air, was inspired by a large wooden staircase. It features dancers streaming down, under, and even through it via a series of ingenious trap doors.As "citizens of the world" they portray a sense of bewilderment and wonder as they explore endless possibilities that highlight the themes of The Human Family and Transformation.
Lessons focus on collaboration, working with different types of structures and ways that ordinary objects can be transformed into ideas to be investigated. Includes video.
Price: $40.00
The Brass Ring (D28)
Pilobolus Dance Theatre
Video Pilobolus Dance Theatre is a major American dance company of international influence. Unlike traditional dance companies, Pilobolus' daring lifts, counterbalances, swinging sculptures and contact designs are created through an improvisational, collaborative process. Features excerpt from The Brass Ring premiered at the 2000 Olympic Games. Unit is most appropriate for fifth grade through high school, featuring physics and architectural concepts with application to dance.
Lessons give step by step strategies for successfully guiding of students through experiences that enable them to collaborate in improvisation and composition. Sculptural studies use weight and physics principles. Many examples of Literacy connections. Includes video.
Price: $40.00
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The Flying Goddess & the Fan Dance (D09)
Lily Cai
Lily Cai, a Chinese-American, preserves her traditional Chinese culture by performing ancient classical court dances. Two classical dances show contrasts between different dynasties.
Lessons include the concept of 'classical circles,' the Chinese Ribbon Dance and animal-mime dances, as well as "The Sun Rises," a series of pictures found on an ancient cave wall. Includes video.
Price: $40.00
The Green Table (D21)
Kurt Jooss and
Performed by The Joffrey Ballet
The Green Table premiered in Paris in 1923, and is now regarded as one of the most important dance works of the twentieth century. It is a compassionate and humanistic Dance Drama that depicts the indecencies and inhumanities of warfare and features the powerful leaders who make the decisions that impact all people.
Lessons include mask-making, ways to create dance motifs and to express different emotions through gesture and dance. Video (6 min) included.
Price: $40.00
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Excerpt from The Nutcracker, "Waltz of the Flowers" (D05)
Gerald Arpino & the Joffrey Ballet
"The Nutcracker," a traditional holiday treasure, was inspired by the musical score of Tchaikovsky and based on a delightful story by E.T.A. Hoffman. The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago's production is an American interpretation emphasizing its international cultural heritage.
Lessons celebrate toys coming to life through dance, dioramas and dream collages. Includes video and audio.
Price: $40.00
Excerpt from The Sleeping Beauty (D25)
American Ballet Theatre (ABT)
Recognized as a living national treasure, American Ballet Theatre was founded in 1940. The aim was to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new work. "The Sleeping Beauty" serves as the inspiration for this unit. View a pas de deux danced by "Sleeping Beauty" and her prince.
Lessons features ballet terms, clear structure and steps for guiding students through the process of adapting a story and organizing it so it can be told through dance, includes Five Points of Story Structure related to the Narrative Ballet. Video included.
Price: $40.00
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Woolloomooloo Cuddle (D10)
Remy Charlip
Remy Charlip shows how our perception of what dance is can be changed by the way we view the ordinary events of our lives. He has evolved unique approaches to creating dances, including his "Radio Dance" and "Air Mail Dances."
Lessons focus on techniques for imaginative dance-making in visual and movement media. Includes video and audio.
Price: $40.00
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