Educational Materials & Study Aids

Ballet Hispanico is delighted to share our dance education materials with you. Depending on your interests, you may wish to explore any of the following areas contained on this page: A Curriculum Model Sample Lesson Plans Repertory As The Basis For A Dance Curriculum Study Guides for the Company's Performances For Young People General Resource Materials These materials reflect the collected expertise and experience of our Primeros Pasos faculty and specialists, as well as the dedicated public school educators who have worked with Ballet Hispanico over many years. The documents provided on this page can be downloaded easily by using the Adobe Reader program, provided online at no charge from www.adobe.com in their Support section. Should you have difficulty viewing or printing these documents, please let us know.

A CURRICULUM MODEL The Ballet Hispanico curriculum model is designed to support the academic achievement of learning standards in the Language Arts or Social Studies curriculum through a program of dance education that draws on the widest range of Ballet Hispanico's artistic resources. Primeros Pasos staff members work closely with each classroom teacher to identify the academic focus for a residency program. A curriculum is then devised, which draws on a creative movement foundation combined with the structured training of an appropriate Hispanic dance form or repertory work to accomplish the scholastic goal.                                                      All of Ballet Hispanico's educational programs and activities are founded in our convictions about dance as the powerful expression of both an individual and a culture. Please click on the following document for a statement of the beliefs that guide our educational programming. Download: click here for A Foundation for Achievement.

SAMPLE LESSON PLANS Dance movement, rhythms and Hispanic culture form the basis for a wealth of activities, which can be used in the classroom by teachers (even those with no dance background!) to enrich their classes in math, history, social studies, physical education, language arts, music and art. The following Activity Packet is part of the Study Guide created to accompany ?Viva Las Americas! and includes ten lessons designed to enhance students' understanding of dance, music and the patterns of cultural evolution. The relevant curriculum areas and grade levels are indicated with each lesson. Download: click here for ?Viva Las Americas! Activity Packet Whether you are a classroom teacher or a dance teaching artist, the sample lesson plan below, developed in our Empire State Partnership residency, offer innovative ways to bring Hispanic dance and culture into the classroom. The example below celebrates the renowned Mexican painter Diego Rivera, integrating dance with a Language Arts lesson. Download: click here for Diego Rivera Lesson Plan

REPERTORY AS THE BASIS FOR A DANCE CURRICULUM Works from the Ballet Hispanico Company's repertory have served as a rich resource for a dance curriculum. The following document is a report from the "Guajira Dance Project," a year long dance residency unit for 2nd - 4th graders at P.S. 166, which was based on the company's ballet, Guajira, choreographed in 1999 by Pedro Ruiz. Included in the report is a list of the student-created dances, a brief description of Spanish dance forms and a sample lesson plan. Download: click here for Guajira Dance Project A picture and description of Guajira appears in The Company section under Current Repertory.

STUDY GUIDES Ballet Hispanico provides a comprehensive study guide to teachers who bring their students to see a Performance for Young People, presented by the professional company. These study guides are tailored to reflect the specific content of the performance, which may be drawn from company repertory or works commissioned especially for the piece (such as ?Viva Las Americas!). Each study guide contains classroom exercises and information on the dances, as well as other educational information related to Ballet Hispanico and the performance. Here are some examples. The following Activity Packet is part of the Study Guide created to accompany ?Viva Las Americas! and includes ten lessons designed to enhance students' understanding of dance, music and the patterns of cultural evolution. The relevant curriculum areas and grade levels are indicated with each lesson. (This document is also included in the Sample Lesson Plans above.) Download: click here for ?Viva Las Americas! Activity Packet Descriptions of the dances to be seen in the performance are included, as well as some questions and suggestions on how to use the material. Here is a sample from ?Viva Las Americas!, which is based on traditional folkloric dances from Latin America. Download: click here for About the Dances from ?Viva Las Americas! Students, particularly young children, are often unfamiliar with the experience of attending a live performance. We provide a simple set of guidelines for attending a performance, together with some questions to encourage a deeper awareness of the event. Download: click here for Attending a Performance Students of all ages are sometimes hesitant about attending a dance performance, particularly if they have never had any first-hand experience. Here is a brief introduction on ways to approach a dance concert and become familiar with the art form. Download: click here for How to Look at Dance

GENERAL RESOURCE MATERIALS Many of the documents included above include general information about dance and Hispanic culture. For easy reference, here are four items which are commonly requested. Download: click here for The Forms of Spanish Dance Download: click here for Suggested Hispanic Fiction Download: click here for Attending a Performance Download: click here for How to Look at Dance Please note: the information on this page is provided for the personal use of teachers, students and educators. As copyrighted material, it may not be published or placed for sale in any form.