'Tis the holiday season and the Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Nutcracker Prince come alive with a teaching and study guide for Tchaikovsky's famous ballet. Background information, activities, games and puzzles are all included in the packet perfect for classrooms or family viewing.

Additional Tags

visual and performing arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Arrange to visit a live performance of the ballet
• Record a variety of performances of the same scene and ask viewers to critique the director's choices

Classroom Considerations

• In a perfect world, class members would witness a live performance of the ballet; however, if such a field trip is not possible, many free versions of the ballet are available through the Internet
• Although the guide is designed to prepare for a live performance by the Stroia Ballet Company, the background information and activities can be adapted to any performance

Pros

• Includes a guide to theater etiquette
• Also included is a list of fun facts (140 costumes are used in a typical Nutcracker performance)

Cons

• Specific references to the Stroia Ballet Company would need to be removed from some of the materials