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Ballet Theatre Company Brings Danceand Theater into the ClassroomBallet Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization20 Jefferson Avenue, West Hartford, CT, 06110www.dancebtc.org | 860-570-0440 | CEP@dancebtc.org

BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 2The mission of BTC’s Behind the Curtain is to expose students to the joys of balletand develop an understanding of the process behind staging a dance production. Ithopes to inspire artistic endeavors in its students, and develop a lifelong connectionto the arts.Behind the Curtain is affiliated with BTC’s main-stage productions such asCinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, along with its annual production ofThe Nutcracker. BTC offers an interactive presentation hosted by its professionaldancers and artists to educate students about the many aspects of full-length balletproductions. These presentations aim to invoke an early appreciation for the performing arts andoffer knowledge that will propel students to be active and attentive audiencemembers. Integrating the performing arts in education is crucial for shaping theminds of the next generation to think outside the box, follow their dreams, getinnovative, and work as a team to create a better future. In addition, the Behind theCurtain program offers entertaining workbooks so that students can further explorethe ballet and performing arts world, while also practicing essential academic skills. Opening Students' Eyes to the Many Wonders of a Ballet Production In ope nin g s tud ent s’eye s t o t he man ywon der s o f a ba lle tpro duc tio n, Be h in d t h eCu r ta i n a ims to sh arethe jo ys of liv eper for man ces wi thyou ng aud ien ces an dins pir e a li fel ongcon nec tio n t o t he art s,whe the r t hat be as aper for mer , c ost ume r,mem ber of th e c rew , o raud ien ce mem ber .Pictured are students from S.A.N.D. Elementary experiencing a pointe shoelecture demonstration from BTC's Be hin d t he Cur tai n N utc rac ker school tour.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 3Share the joy of dance and the performing arts withyour classroom! Don't miss out on the magic ofSn ow W hi te this spring! Ballet Theatre Company is thrilled to offer Behind the Curtain in affiliation with its production of Snow White. In April 2024, Ballet TheatreCompany will present its productionof Snow White, choreographed anddirected by Artistic DirectorStephanie Dattellas. The ballet willintegrate the talents of BTC’sresident professional dancers, localperformers, students of the Schoolof Ballet Theatre Company andnationally acclaimed guest artists. Inaddition, many other talented artistswill work behind the scenes to buildbackdrops and sets, design andcreate costumes, and determinelighting designs to create thismagical performance andproduction.The content in each presentation ofBehind the Curtain is designed forthe grade level of students inattendance. Please note: theactivities below are intended to givea general overview of our program,and may be adjusted slightly basedon the audience, the school’sresources, and/or interest.

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... School Tour Performance Featuring BTC's Production of Snow Whi te .................................. Prepared Materials Overview ............................................................................................................... Snow White Digital Storybook ............................................................................................................ Performing Arts Activity Workbook ................................................................................................... Academic Activity Workbook ...............................................................................................................Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................................ More Information To Come ...........................................................>...................................................... About Ballet Theatre Company ............................................................................................................ 2-345-678910111213Table of ContentsBEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 4

BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 5 Featuring BTC's production of Snow WhiteThe School Tour Performance of S now Wh i te offers aninteractive experience between BTC staff, dancers and thestudents at your school. Gather together all of your classroomsfor a school-wide assembly, or break the performance downfor each grade level. Wha t is S n o w W h i t e Schoo l Tour Perform ance?BTC has developed the Sn ow Whit e School Tour to exposestudents to the joys of dance and allow them to explore themany different roles in the performing arts world through aninteractive presentation. The program will last forapproximately one hour, allowing time for students to watchlive performance excerpts, learn basic elements of ballettechnique, learn choreography from the show, and ask theprofessionals questions.Learn choreography excerpts fromthe show!Learn ballet positions and balletmovements with BTC's RehearsalDirector! Meet BTC's resident company ofprofessional dancers and watchthem perform excerpts from theperformance!Explore costume design, lighting,stage managing, and more withBTC's artistic and production team! Experience the magic of balletin an interactive setting! School Tour PerformanceSchool Tour Performance

Snow White School Tour Performance (continued)BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 6 Through the Scho ol Tour Per formance of S n o w W h i t e , stu dents will:Learn about how ballet orig inate d and its i mportance t o Eur opeancultu res through out historyExplo re all of t he di fferen t pro duction rol es that col labor ate to crea tefull- length danc e pro ductio nsLearn about ligh ting design , the roles of t he stage ma nager,produ ction week, and more!See h and-made co stumes, bac kdrops, and prop s up close!Disco ver movemen t in their own b odies as th ey learn ba sic balletposit ions and mo vements amo ngst the profess ional dance rsLearn choreograp hy excerpts from Snow White and dive i nto the act ingand p antomime th at go hand- and-hand wi th th e dancingWatch performanc e excerpts from Snow W hite, performed by BTC’sprofe ssional res ident compa nyInter act with da nce profess ional s and BTC’s Artistic T eam t hrough a li veQuest ion-and-Ans wer session"Scienti fic resea rchand othe r studies havedemonstr ated thatarts edu cation ca nenhance Americanstudents ' math an dlanguage skills a ndimprove test scor eswhich in turn inc reasechances of highereducatio n and goo djobs in the futur e."~Thad C oc hr an

In addition to the School Tou r Performan ce of Snow Wh ite, BTC ha s created a package ofprepared materials to accompa ny the prog ram. Teache rs can choose to utilize thesemater ials in their classroom before the School Tour Performance, which will introduce theballet and excite the student s for the p rogram, or in troduce the materials following t heprogram, to initia te discussi on and refl ection. BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 7 Prepared MaterialsPrepared MaterialsThe B e h i n d th e Curta i n PreparedMaterials include the following:Snow W h i t e Digital Storybook1.Performing Arts Activity Workbook2.Academic Activity Workbook3.

What is the Digital Storybook?BTC's Digita l Storybook tells the story of Balle t Theatre Company’s Snow White. Thedigital stor ybook features pi ctures from the com pany’s 2021 live ad aption film andoriginal ill ustrations. These vibrant and captiv ating photos help t he magic of a dan ceproduction s hine through in s to rybook form. Read ers will explore ha nd craftedcostumes, st unning live-stage s ets, and fun prop s as they flip fr om page to page. Th isstorybook in cludes each step of Snow White’s jou rney, giving reader s a hint of whatseeing the p roduction in pers on is like.BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 8 Snow White Digital StorybookSnow White Snow White Digital StorybookDigital StorybookFollow these 7 Dwarfs on their journey to help Snow White.

What is the Performing Arts Activity Workbook?BTC has cr eated a series of activity workboo ks that allow stu dentsto explore ballet and the m any elements that come together tostage a th eater production. The Snow White P erforming ArtsActivity W orkbooks are brok en down into thre e differentworkbooks: Version 1 for Gr ades K-1, Version 2 for Grades 2-3 , andVersion 3 for Grades 4-5. W ith over 30 pages of worksheets an dclassroom activities, these workbooks allow students to take onthe role o f a costume or se t designer and ex plore productionelements o f the ballet. The Snow White Per forming Arts Acti vityWorkbook i ncludes discussio n pages which pro vide teacherstopics and ideas to reflect upon after works heets and activit iesare comple ted. This workboo k is a great way to encourage theminds of t he next generatio n to get creative , share their ide as,and expres s themselves! BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 9 Snow White Performing Arts Activity Workbook "The futurebelongs to youngpeople with aneducation andthe imaginationto create."~Ba rack ObamaPerforming Arts Activity WorkbookPerforming Arts Activity WorkbookPlease Note: Ballet Theatre Company consulted with a 3 r d - 4 t h g r a d e t e a c h e r f r o m t h e M a ss a c hu s et t sPublic School District when creating the content f o r t h e s e w o r k b o o k s . S e v e r a l d r a f t s w er e di s cu s s edand enhanced with the insight of an additional pro f e s s i o n a l w h o h o l d s a M F A i n E d u c at i on , Th e at e r ,and History.

What is the Academic Activity Workbook?BTC has cr eated a series of activity workboo ks to complementthe digita l storybook of Sn ow White. The A cademic ActivityWorkbook i s offered in thre e different versi ons: Version 1 fo rGrades K-1 , Version 2 for G rades 2-3, and Ve rsion 3 for Grade s4-5. With over 25 pages of worksheets and cl assroomactivities , these workbooks cover the four m ain academicsubjects. Students will pra ctice their math skills through st oryrelated wo rd problems, expl ore a bit of hist ory of the ballet ,utilize th eir reading compr ehension skills, and investigatehow enviro nmental settings play a role in th e story. Inaddition, the Snow White Ac ademic Activity W orkbookincludes d iscussion pages w hich provide teac hers topics andideas to r eflect upon after worksheets and a ctivities arecompleted. The workbook is a great way to pr actice essentialschool ski lls, coupled with excitement and t he magic of theballet!BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 10 Snow White Academic Activity WorkbookAcademic Activity WorkbookAcademic Activity WorkbookBehind the Cur t a i nalso includes p r e p a r edmaterials toaccompany the S c h o o lTour Performan c e .Teachers have t h efreedom to cho o s e h o wthey would lik e t oimplement thes ematerials in t h e i rclassroom. Please Note: Ballet Theatre Company consulted with a 3 r d - 4 t h g r a d e t e a c h e r f r o m t h eMassachusetts Public School District when creating t h e c o n t e n t f o r t h e s e w o r k b o o k s . S e ve r a ldrafts were discussed and enhanced with the insigh t o f a n a d d i t i o n a l p r o f e s s i o n a l w ho ho l d s aMFA in Education, Theater, and History.

How long is the School Tour Performance?1. Please set aside one hour for the program - preferably during school operating hours.a. What does your class need? 2. Space to move!a. Where do presentations take place?3. Performances will fit best in a gymnasium or auditorium.a. BTC’s staff will bring their special dance floor to lay down to protect dancers en pointe. b. How many students participate?4. The performance can be designed for audiences of all sizes - one classroom, the entiregrade level, or the whole school can attend.a. How many people does BTC "bring"?5. The tour will be conducted by BTC's CEP Administrator. In addition, the program willshowcase BTC's professional resident company through performance demonstrations andproduction excerpts, BTC's costumer through a demonstration of BTC's Snow Whitecollection, BTC's Artistic Director, and a member of BTC's production team.a.Frequently Asked Questionsfor Behind the Curtain School Tour PerformancesBe hin d t he Cur tai n i s m ade po ssi ble by the generous support of:Ba lle t T hea tre Co mpa ny, Co nne cti cut Of fice of the Arts, CT Humanit ies , a nd theGe org e A . a nd Gra ce L. Lon g F oun dat ion . BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 11

BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 12 More Information to ComeInterested in BTC’s Behind the Curtain program featuring the 2024 performance of Snow White?Send us an email (CEP@dancebtc.org) or reserve your spot on our online form(www.dancebtc.org/behind-the-curtain) and BTC will notify you first! In addition to the prepared materials and School Tour Performance, classrooms participating inthe Behind the Curtain program will enjoy an abbreviated performance of Snow White. More information regarding the abbreviated performance will be announced soon. Please reach out to CEP@dancebtc.org to share your interest, and we will be sure to keep youupdated with important details about the program. Share the magic of Snow White with yourstudents this upcoming spring!

BEHIND THE CURTAIN | PAGE 13Contact Us!Contact Us!About Ballet Theatre CompanyEmail: CEP@dancebtc.orgPhone: 860-570-0440 www.dancebtc.orgBallet Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Located in West Hartford,CT, BTC offers a dance training school, professional company, and enrichment program toexpose the community to arts opportunities and performances. The artistic andadministrative teams at BTC believe strongly in making a safe space for people of allbackgrounds and sizes in the dance world. Through Behind the Curtain , BTC hopes to shareartistic learning experiences with children in the area and welcome all young movers intothe dance community!