For Educators

School Show Series

Each year, Ballet Austin offers The Nutcracker School Show Series to students from 36 central Texas school districts, private schools and home-school groups, with over 14,000 students in attendance. The mission of the School Show Series is to provide a live performance experience at a minimal cost, and to offer an optional educational program (for more information, see Docent Program below) that includes engaging activities for the young audience member. Additional school show performances are added for productions other than The Nutcracker when possible.

Students then travel to the theater for a one-hour educational Ballet Austin performance. Teachers are provided with a copy of Ballet Austin’s Footnotes, a production specific performance guide with pre- and post-performance details, activities and discussion points.

"I wanted to thank you for a wonderful presentation of The Nutcracker to our second graders. The day was impressively organized and efficient. The response from our students was great. This opportunity has allowed them to be exposed to the arts and to the beginning of appreciation and value for them".
Second grade teachers, Round Rock Independent School District

Show times:
December 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th, 2008

10:00am - 10:55am (Act I)
12:00pm - 12:55pm (Act II)

Location:

The Long Center for the Performing Arts

701 West Riverside Drive, 78704 (at the corner of S. 1st Street)

The Long Center Website: Click Here

Directions to The Long Center: Click Here 

Ticket Prices:

Student ticket price: $4.00 (minimum group size of 10 students)

Chaperones: 1 chaperone per every 22 children free, additional chaperones $20.00

Additional Information:

Registration is first come, first served. When the shows are full we will begin a wait list. If space opens up for your school you will be notified.

Third and fourth grade students traditionally attend. The accompanying Docent presentation (optional) is geared towards third and fourth grade curricula and developmental levels.

Admission is limited to elementary school students. If your students are in middle or high school, your group may be eligible for an ArtSmart discount or a group discount to a public performance. Please contact Pei-San Brown, Director of Community Education, for more information.

Minimum group size is 10 students. If your group size is smaller than 10 students, we invite you to attend a public performance of The Nutcracker. You may purchase tickets online at: http://www.balletaustin.org/atb/Nutcracker2008.php

Questions? Please contact Pei-San Brown, Director of Community Education at pei-san.brown@balletaustin.org or 512.476.9151 ext. 178.

Docent Program

Ballet Austin Guild members and other volunteer Docents visit schools to deliver a 45-minute presentation on the life and training of a dancer, information on the upcoming production and theater etiquette. The presentation is tailored to educate students on current productions and the collaboration involved in bringing the current production to the stage. It also includes a brief history of ballet and an overview of classical and contemporary ballet, in addition to interactive elements such as handling pointe shoes and ballet slippers, and trying on actual costumes from past productions. The docent program was developed as the pre-performance education component to the School Show Series (see above), and is now available to other classrooms scheduled to attend a live Ballet Austin performance.

Potential Docents are required to register for and attend one of the following training sessions:

• Wednesday, November 5, 2008 from 6 - 8 pm
• Thursday, November 6, 2008 from 10 am - noon
• Tuesday, November 11, 2008 from 11 am - 1 pm

Questions? Please contact Pei-San Brown, Director of Community Education at pei-san.brown@balletaustin.org or 512.476.9151 ext. 178.

 

Leaps & No Bounds

Ballet Austin offers Leaps & No Bounds, a program using kinesthetic learning as a means of reinforcing the skills necessary for success on the standardized TAKS Test. This program, taught once a week, during the school day, uses movement as a method for reinforcing kindergarten through 5th grade reading readiness, math, geography and science. The students "travel" each year to five different countries that reflect their social studies lessons and each country's cultural heritage becomes a focus for learning. Participating principals and school administrators acknowledge the value and impact of the Leaps & No Bounds program within an aggressive academic enrichment strategy.

For more information about getting Leaps & No Bounds at your school, or for underwriting/sponsorship opportunities, please contact Michelle Martin.

michelle.martin@balletaustin.org // 512.476.9051 ext. 130.

Sponsored by:



 

Build-a-Ballet

Build-a-Ballet is a 50-minute interactive performance that introduces elementary-age students to the process involved in creating a work of art. Dancers from Ballet Austin’s Professional Level Trainee program perform nine excerpts from Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mill’s version of The Carnival of the Animals with original music by Camille Saint Saëns. Students participate in developing a movement phrase that is eventually incorporated into the ballet. We also discuss elements of choreography, including use of space, rhythm, timing, and partnering. Build-a-Ballet is presented in schools and also onsite at Ballet Austin’s AustinVentures StudioTheater.

 

Show times at Ballet Austin – AustinVentures Studio Theater:

Wednesday February 11, 2009 at 10am
Wednesday February 11, 2009 at 3:45pm
Thursday February 12, 2009 at 12pm

Bring Build-a-Ballet to your school:

Contact Pei-San Brown, Director of Community Education, for available dates and pricing

pei-san.brown@balletaustin.org or 512.476.9151 ext. 178

 

Ticket Prices:

$7 per student

1 complimentary adult admission for every 22 students
$7 per each additional adult (additional adults must be approved by Ballet Austin)

What a spectacular program you did for us this morning! To have the dancers right in front of us, to hear the pitter-patter of their shoes as they danced and even to know a little bit about the dancers and ask them questions was such a fantastic experience. The way the information was presented and demonstrated really made sense and I think will make a lasting impression. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, are very impressed and want to thank you and the dancers.

 - Kim Kinahan, Kirby Hall School

To register your school for Build-a-Ballet interactive performances, please contact Pei-San Brown, Director of Community Education at pei-san.brown@balletaustin.org or 512.476.9151 ext. 178

For more information about underwriting/sponsorship opportunities for Build-a-Ballet, please contact Michelle Martin, Associate Artistic Director, at michelle.martin@balletaustin.org or 512.476.9151 ext. 130.

Sponsored by: