New Ballet Ensemble and School www.newballet.org
New Ballet Ensemble and School (NBE) brings relevant and lively displays of dance to young audiences through live, in school performances where students can engage, up close, with our dancers and teaching artists. Their distinctive productions showcase a wide variety of dance genres, including Ballet, Flamenco, Hip-Hop, Memphis Jookin, Tap, West African Dance, and more!
Find 2023-2024 Season information here: New Ballet’s School Show Performances 2023/2024
Check out the 2023-2024 School Performances Brochure
Live, In School Performances include:
– Pre-Performance Guides to help educators actively engage their students in each production, including information on composers and choreographers, prompts to promote critical thinking, and a range of activities to maximize students’ understanding and appreciation of the performance.
– Real time interaction with our performers and teaching artists.
– Post-Performance live interaction with brief Q&A session with the performers
Optional Add-Ons:
– Live Choreographic Instruction: Teachers may request additional virtual or live instruction from the performers, during which our Teaching and Performing Artists will work with students live (via technology platforms) to teach steps or movements from the choreography based on cultural genres seen in the performance. For this added feature, there will be an additional fee.
Contact mary@newballet.org for more information.
Sample Programs Offered
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
| Every holiday season Nut Remix delights Memphis audiences with a modern reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s classic Nutcracker, starring Memphis’ own Lil Buck! Set on Memphis’ famed Beale Street, Classical Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Flamenco, Memphis Jookin, West African dance, and more create a magical world of movement and music you’ll never forget! The Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Big Band play live along with Flamenco musicians and African drummers. Unless you’ve seen Nut Remix, you’ve never seen a show like this!
The New York Times named Nut Remix one of the three most innovative “Nutcrackers” in America! – Alastair McCaulay, New York Times Dance Critic Nut Remix tells a new story that includes conflict resolution, embraces a global perspective, and celebrates authentic cultural legacies from around the world. It’s a major production, typically presented at the beautiful Cannon Center in downtown Memphis. “The spirit on stage is wonderful.” – New York Times review of “Nut ReMix” – Run Time: Approx 1-hour |
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
¡José! is New Ballet Ensemble & School’s newest school show based on the life and work of the great modern dance master, José Limón. Inspired by the book José! Born to Dance, this show presents student audiences with a program that illuminates a variety of dance, music, and art genres from this era in history, such as Flamenco, Spanish guitar, and modern art, which inspired José Limón on his journey to become one of the most influential modern dance choreographers of his time. Timely and relevant for cross-curricular student learning, New Ballet’s engaging performance will be complemented with an integrated unit for classroom study.
– Run Time: 30 minutes
Contact Mary Golden at Mary@newballet.org for semester availability.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
Anansi and the Sky God is based on an African folktale, set to the infectious sounds of West African drumming. A narrator tells the story of Anansi the Spider and his wife Aso, who trick the powerful Sky God into giving them all the stories in the world to share with all the people in the world. Anansi’s journey of discovery is brought to life through African Dance, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Modern, and Flamenco.
– Run Time: 30 minutes
Contact Mary Golden at Mary@newballet.org for semester availability.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
Peter and the Wolf is a lively variation on Prokofiev’s classic ballet, with characters representing not only the instruments of the orchestra, but also five different dance disciplines – Hip-Hop, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Character dance. The performance lasts 30 minutes, and is preceded by an overture of the Hip Hop Dying Swan, a trademark of NBE.
– Run Time: 35 minutes
Contact Mary Golden at Mary@newballet.org for semester availability.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type: Arts Appreciation
Program Description:
Three Shoes and Bare Feet celebrates four different styles of dance and the cultures they originate from through the different shoes worn – or not worn – by their dancers. The music and French culture that produced Ballet are represented by the classic pointe shoe. Spanish culture and its passionate Flamenco music and dance feature special shoes with short heels and nails in the soles to produce the percussive sounds of Flamenco. Hip Hop and Memphis Jookin are all about the sneakers, which support the dancers’ weight on pointe (in athletic shoes). American modern dance and West African dance are performed in bare feet! Live African Drumming and Flamenco Guitar enhance this performance for children and youth of all ages.
– Run Time: 30 minutes
Contact Mary Golden at Mary@newballet.org for semester availability.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
