Unit Overview: Breaking Ballet

Student Teacher Name Date Submitted: Date (s) Taught:

Rebecca Santone December 12, 2017 N/A

Context/School Name/Place & Location Grade level/Age/Group

Private Studio High School
suburban town (i.e. Methuen, MA)
Length of class Classes per week
approx. 1 hour 3

Contextual/Environmental Factors Implications for Instruction/Content

Fifteen-year-olds have a growing independence and are Teacher will vary instruction to allow students time to work
beginning to learn on their own (Mellor and Mellor 139). and problem-solve independently.

Sixteen-year-olds often defy the rules (Mellor and Mellor
159).
Seventeen-year-olds often focus on living practically and not
naïvely (Mellor and Mellor 180).
Class will be held after students get out of school.
Students may be at different levels in technique.
Teacher will establish classroom agreements with the students
(students will collaborate with teacher to form them) and
students will be expected to follow these agreements.
Students will be encouraged to take risks in their movements.
Teacher will lead an upbeat warm-up at the barre to keep
students’ energy levels up and keep them engaged in their
work and movements.
Teacher will have individual expectations for students. For
example, lower level students will be working towards
executing one chaîné tour, while higher level students will be
working towards perfecting one chaîné tour, or executing
multiple.

Unit Overview
Unit Title
Breaking Ballet
Unit Summary
During this unit, students will practice both ballet technique (specifically chaîné tour) and learn how to use motif and
development to make this technical movement express a meaning or emotion.
All Critical Essential Questions/ Focus Questions
 What concepts need to be understood in order to learn how to execute a chaîné tour properly (according to ballet
technique)?
 How can students apply these concepts to properly execute a chaîné tour in a combination?
 How can we interpret movement based on its level, shape, and tempo?
 How can we manipulate movements’ levels, shapes, and tempos in order to convey a desired feeling or emotion?
 How are each dancers’ execution of turns in ballet similar/different?
 How does each dancer use their bodies to convey a deeper meaning or give off a certain feeling?
 How can we manipulate technical ballet movements to convey a deeper meaning or give off a certain feeling?
 How can students use choreographic elements to alter a chaîné tour to give off a desired feeling/emotion/meaning?
 How can we interpret movement based on its qualities?
 How did each dance develop a chaîné tour using choreographic elements?
 What feelings/meanings are given off by each dancer’s turn(s)?

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Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) (What will students know and be able to do for each lesson?)
 Students will be able to execute a chaîné tour
 Students will be able to use basic elements of motif and development to express a desired feeling or emotion
 Students will be able to interpret a potential meaning or feeling given off by a dancer turning in ballet.
 Students will be able to motif and develop a chaîné tour to give off a desired emotion or meaning.
 Students will perform the combination from the unit that includes an individually developed chaîné tour.
Lesson Title & Cornerstone Name Corresponding National Core Arts Corresponding Massachusetts Arts
and # Standard(s) (NCAS) Standard(s)
1. C1 Dancing and Performing: DA:Pr5.1.HSI 1.22 Demonstrate a high level of
Time to Turn a. Embody technical dance skills (for consistency and reliability in
example, functional alignment, performing technical skills
coordination, balance, core support,
clarity of movement, weight shifts,
flexibility/range of motion) to retain
and execute dance choreography.
2. C2 Creating and Composing: DA:Cr1.1.HSI 2.13 Choreograph or improvise
Introduction to Motif and Development b. Experiment with the elements of movement sequences and/or dances that
dance to explore personal movement incorporate a range of choreographic
preferences and strengths, and select principles and choreographic structures
movements that challenge skills and
build on strengths in an original dance
study or dance.
3. C3 Knowing History, Culture, and DA:Cn11.1.HSII 2.11 Describe and analyze, orally and
Context: Discovering Someone Else’s a. Analyze dances from several genres in writing, the choreographic structure
Turn or styles, historical time periods, and/or of variety of dances, using appropriate
world dance forms. Discuss how dance vocabulary
dance movement characteristics,
techniques, and artistic criteria relate to 2.16 Describe accurately how a
the ideas and perspectives of the choreographer manipulated and
peoples from which the dances developed the basic movement content
originate. in a dance

3.9 Formulate and answer questions

about how ideas are communicated
through dance

4. C4 Analyzing and Critiquing: Turn
Your Own Way
DA:Cr1.1.HSII 3.7 Perform a movement piece that
b. Apply personal movement communicates a topic of personal,
preferences and strengths with social, or artistic significance and
the movement vocabulary of several explain the movement choices
dance styles or genres to choreograph
an original dance study or dance that
communicates an artistic intent.
Compare personal choices to those
made by well-known choreographers.

5. Performance DA:Pr5.1.8 3.8 Perform dances confidently,

c. Collaborate with peers to discover communicating the intention of the
strategies for achieving performance choreographer and the style of the
accuracy, clarity, and expressiveness. dance
Articulate personal performance goals
and practice to reach goals. Document
personal improvement over time (for
example, journaling, portfolio, or
timeline).

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Rationale
There is a stigma that ballet is very rigid and there is no room for self-expression. The purpose of this unit is to teach students
that ballet can be expressive movement and motif and development can be used within ballet technique to put meaning behind
movement and give off a desired feeling or emotion.
Key Concepts/Vocabulary
 chaîné tour
 motif and development
 choreographic elements (shapes, tempo, etc.)
Prerequisite Knowledge/Experience
 basic ballet technique/experience

Student Learning Corresponding National Corresponding Assessment Methods for

Outcomes (SLOs)
Students will be able to
execute a chaîné tour
Students will be able to
use basic elements of
motif and development to
express a desired feeling
or emotion
Core Arts Standard(s)
(NCAS)
DA:Pr5.1.HSI
a. Embody technical dance
skills (for example,
functional alignment,
coordination, balance,
core support, clarity of
movement, weight shifts,
flexibility/range of
motion) to retain and
execute dance
choreography
DA:Cr1.1.8
b. Identify and select
personal preferences to
create an original dance
study or dance. Use genre-
specific dance
terminology to articulate and
justify choices made in
movement development to
communicate intent.
Massachusetts Arts
Standard(s)
1.22 Demonstrate a high
level of consistency and
reliability in performing
technical skills
2.13 Choreograph or
improvise movement
sequences and/or dances
that incorporate a range of
choreographic principles
and choreographic
structures
Meeting Outcomes
 By the end of the
lesson, students will be
able to execute a
chaîné tour properly
 Students’ turning skills
(of chaîné tour) will
show significant
improvement from the
beginning of the lesson
By the end of the lesson,
students will be able to
execute movements that
show clear intentions
behind their level choices,
tempos, and shapes.

Students will be able to
interpret a potential
meaning or feeling given
off by a dancer turning in
ballet.
Students will be able to
motif and develop a
chaîné tour to give off a
desired emotion or
DA:Cn11.1.HSII
a. Analyze dances from
several genres or styles,
historical time periods,
and/or world dance forms.
Discuss how
dance movement
characteristics, techniques,
and artistic criteria relate to
the ideas and perspectives of
the peoples from which the
dances originate.
DA:Cr1.1.HSII
b. Apply personal movement
preferences and strengths
with the movement
vocabulary of several dance
2.11 Describe and analyze, Students can articulate their
orally and in writing, the interpretations of each piece of
choreographic structure of choreography viewed, and why
variety of dances, using they interpret it this way.
appropriate dance
vocabulary
3.9 Formulate and answer
questions about how ideas
are communicated through
dance
3.7 Perform a movement By the end of the lesson,
piece that communicates a students will have a final
topic of personal, social, or product of how they altered a
artistic significance and basic chaîné tour and can
explain the movement

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meaning.
Students will perform the
combination from the
unit that includes an
individually developed
chaîné tour.
styles or genres to choices explain their movement choices
choreograph an based on the desired
original dance study or dance feeling/emotion/meaning they
that communicates an artistic
intent. Compare personal
choices to those made by
well-known choreographers
DA:Pr5.1.8 3.8 Perform dances Students will perform
c. Collaborate with peers to confidently, communicating combination to the best of
discover strategies for the intention of the their abilities
achieving performance choreographer and the style
accuracy, clarity, and of the dance
expressiveness. Articulate
personal performance goals
and practice to reach goals.
Document personal
improvement over time (for
example, journaling,
portfolio, or timeline).

Unit Scope and Sequence: Description of Each Lesson

Lesson 1 During this lesson, students will practice executing technical turn (chaîné tour). The lesson will begin with barre
exercises that incorporate the dance concepts behind a chaîné tour, such as weight transfer. The students will then learn
a combination that incorporates a chaîné tour.
Lesson 2 During this lesson, students will be introduced to basic motif and development. The elements of motif and development
that will be focused on are changing shapes, levels, and tempos of movement.
Lesson 3 During this lesson, students will continue their study of motif and development within ballet. Students will
view footage of ballet dancers executing various technical turns, and will identify characteristics about each
performance gives off a certain emotion or conveys a deeper meaning.

Lesson 4 During this lesson, students will combine their technical movements (chaîné tour) and determine how they want to
motif and develop the movement to make their chaîné tour give off a desired feeling or emotion/put a meaning behind
the movement. This choreography will continue from the previous lesson, and a final product will be determined by
each student.
Lesson 5 Students will perform the combination from the unit that includes an individually developed chaîné tour.

Resources, Materials, Equipment, Technology, Videos, Music, Links, Handouts, etc.

 proper dance attire
 system to play music
 system to play videos
 ballet barre/studio space and/or makeshift space
 ballet dictionary/app

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