Grades: 	Advanced (9–12)
Subjects: 	Visual Arts, Dance
Time Required:	3–5-Part Lesson
	Three 50-minute class periods
Author: 	J. Paul Getty Museum Education Staff

Lesson Overview
Students will examine three works of art to learn about the daily lives of working ballet dancers in Paris in the 19th century. Students will conduct additional research to learn about the cultural context at the time these dancers worked, including how ballet dancers were perceived. Finally, students will create a backstage view of a contemporary dancer.

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
•	research and describe how culture and a particular time period influence artists in three works of art depicting dancers. 
•	understand how visual artists are inspired by dance and can share experiences with sketchbook pages and drawings.
•	identify and use the elements of art to discuss and analyze works of art, including their own.
•	create an original pastel drawing of a contemporary dancer.

Featured Getty Artworks

Ballet Dancers Rehearsing (p. 25) by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=133702

Ballet Dancers Rehearsing (p. 23) by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=133701	

Waiting by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas 
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=829

Materials
•	Reproductions of Ballet Dancers Rehearsing (pages 25 and 23) from An Album of Pencil Sketches by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas
•	Reproduction of Waiting by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas
•	Background Information and Questions for Teaching about the drawings and pastel
•	Internet access
•	Dark-colored 8½ x 11 inch paper
•	Pastels or colored chalk
•	Information and activities in the “Understanding Formal Analysis” section on the Getty website (optional) at http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/formal_analysis.html 
•	Student Handout: “Backstage View of a Contemporary Dancer”
•	Magazines

Lesson Steps

Degas’ Dancers in 19th-Century Paris

1.	Complete step 1 of “Day 2: Degas’ Drawings of Dancers” from the Beginning-Level Lesson (see http://getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/performing_arts/lesson10.html) to discuss Ballet Dancers Rehearsing (p. 25). Also ask students to complete the following:
•	Identify the areas of the sketchbook page that show legs, feet, elbows, and hands in motion.
•	Describe what the artist has done to depict motion. (He used line and redrew the position several times without erasing. He smudged the pencil lines and created several light parallel lines around the body parts to rearticulate the form.)

2.	Follow the same procedure with Ballet Dancers Rehearsing (p. 23). Ask the following questions about this drawing: 
•	What motion do you see in the top right corner of the sheet? (swaying of the hips)
•	How do you know? (gesture; expressive, energized marks)
•	What parts of these two dancers were included in the sketch? (legs, hips, arms) What part of the dancers was excluded? (head) 
•	What might the artist be interested in capturing with this sketch? (motion and gesture)
•	Which figure has the most details and definition of form? (the standing figure on the left)
•	Describe her gesture. What might she be thinking? Have you ever posed in this way?

3.	Let students know that about a third of Degas’ images of dancers are set backstage, in the wings of the Paris Opera, in dressing rooms, and in practice rooms. Have students research the historical context and daily life of ballet dancers in the 19th century by reading the following resources:
•	“The Dancing Life” on the National Gallery of Art’s website at
http://www.nga.gov/feature/artnation/degas/dancinglife_1.shtm
•	Vanity Fair article on Degas and the Dance exhibition at
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2002/10/degas200210

4.	Ask students what, according to the Vanity Fair article, was the popular opinion of French ballet in the time of Degas. What was the popular opinion of young ballerinas in particular in 19th-century Paris? Also ask students what they remember from the National Gallery of Art’s website about dancers’ work schedules. Based on their research and observations of the drawing, how do they think Degas felt about ballet?

5.	Point out to students that the Vanity Fair article explains that ballet at the time was barely considered an art form. Ask students what type of popular dance today might be barely considered an art form by critics.

Study in Mark Making and Composition

1.	Remind students that Degas often practiced sketching figures of dancers while they were not on stage. Students will take twenty-five minutes to create a study using one of his drawings of dancers. Explain that we can learn a lot about the physicality and motion of drawing by creating a study. Distribute reproductions of Degas’ Waiting, dark-colored 8½ x 11 inch paper, and pastels. Direct students to stand while creating the study to ensure that they are drawing with the entire arm and not just the wrist. Tell students to flip the reproduction upside down and examine the work of art. This unusual angle allows them to focus on the composition as well as isolate the lines and marks that make up the pastel. Have students position the dark paper in a horizontal format and begin the study by drawing shapes in the composition to define the figures in space. Point out the relationship of the shapes to the edge of the paper.

2.	Once the composition is established, students can fill in the shapes with the kinds of colors and energized marks they see in the reproduction. Encourage students to build the intensity of the colors by layering marks and colors. Let them know this is simply a warm-up activity that encourages close observation, complements and builds upon their existing drawing skills, and helps them to understand the physicality and motion of drawing.

Interpreting the Form and Content of Degas’ Waiting

1.	Encourage students to take five minutes to do a quick write inspired by the scene that was captured in this work of art. Next, have students discuss all the details they notice about the work to a partner. Prompt the entire class with the following questions and tasks to describe the two characters after they have completed the quick-write and pair-share:
•	Describe the two characters in this work of art. How are they different?
•	Focus on the posture and gesture of each figure. Notice what each is doing with her body (posture), hands (gesture), and head. When someone is seated in this way, how do you think the person feels?  
•	Is there anything in the pastel that indicates the fact that this image was made well over a hundred years ago? (the clothing of the dancer’s companion) What gives you that impression? (her hat and parasol)
•	What other details do you notice about these figures? (the hairstyles and accessories)
•	What has the artist chosen to conceal and reveal about these figures? (their facial expressions)
•	Why would you imagine the ballerina has her right hand on her ankle? (She may have injured it.)
•	What is happening in the drawing? (The two women are sharing an anxious moment in silence.)
•	What can you tell about the setting? (They are seated on a bench. They may be outside of a rehearsal space.)
•	Look closely at the empty space on the floor. What do you see? Who or what do you suppose is casting the shadow on the right? How does this shadow relate to the figures in the composition? 

Point out that Degas is capturing a behind-the-scenes moment. Some scholars have suggested that male ballet subscribers were the intended audience for this work. 

2.	Tell students that they will now focus on the formal qualities of the pastel. Refer to “Understanding Formal Analysis” on the Getty website at http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/formal_analysis.html for more information about the elements of art and principles of design.
•	How much of the composition is taken up with the figures? (about one-third)
•	How much space did the artist leave above their heads? 
•	How much space did the artist leave below their feet? (about two-thirds)
•	What is the effect of this use of space? (The ballerina and figure in black are pushed into the top half of the composition. The diagonal space under their feet creates space for the viewer to enter the scene. The composition further isolates the figures, who are lost in their own thoughts and experiencing an anxious, personal moment.)
•	Look closely at the types of marks created in pastel. Identify areas that have a softer, blended look. (ballerina costume, floor, bench)
•	Identify areas with crisp, unblended lines. (edge of clothing, characters’ bodies)
•	Identify areas with layered, hatched, or parallel crossing lines. (ribbons, skirt, hair, skin)
•	Where do you find areas with strong outlines?
•	How does this image differ from what we have observed from the sketchbook pages? (resting vs. motion, finished pastel vs. quick sketch from memory)
•	How would you describe the mood of this drawing? What did the artist do to create mood?

Drawing a Dancer behind the Scenes

1.	Inform your students that they are going to create a behind-the-scenes view of a contemporary dancer. Distribute the student handout “Backstage View of a Contemporary Dancer” as well as images of contemporary dancers from magazines. You may choose to print out candid images from blogs featuring contestants from popular TV dance competitions. 

2.	Tell students that Degas created numerous drawings, paintings, and pastels of dancers, and he would redraw them in new compositions. Have students create a few sketches of potential compositions on the worksheet for about fifteen minutes. Remind students to experiment with the amount of space around each figure and use a range of expressive and energized marks. 

3.	Distribute colored drawing paper and pastels. Explain to your class that Degas worked from life as well as from memory and photographs. Encourage your students to work from photographs of contemporary dancers to create an original drawing. Remind them that they can flip the image upside down to capture the postures and gestures with greater ease.  

4.	Allow students to work for an entire class period to finalize their drawings. You may wish to play music while they work. Encourage them to stand while drawing. Remind students that when we stand while drawing, we are drawing with our entire arm and body. The marks and lines we generate while standing will express more energy and motion than when we draw in a seated position and draw with only the wrist.

5.	When students’ drawings are complete, display them around the classroom. Have students discuss each other’s work while considering the following points: 
•	What do posture and gesture reveal about a dancer’s inner thoughts or workday? 
•	Does the subject acknowledge the viewer or look away?
•	What is revealed about the setting?
•	What is the overall mood of the pastel?
•	What has contributed to the mood?
•	How much space is around each figure? Do the figures occupy at least one-third of the composition?
•	What did the artist choose to conceal?
•	What kinds of marks and techniques were incorporated in the pastel?
•	What details, including the dancer’s clothing and accessories, reflect contemporary times?

Assessment
Students will be assessed on their participation in class discussions when analyzing works by Degas, including their ability to make connections to the cultural context in which the drawings were made. Students’ pastel drawings will be assessed on whether the pastel depicts a contemporary dancer that has modern accessories, employs a range of expressive marks, and fills up at least one-third of the composition while leaving room for the viewer to enter the scene.

Extension
Have students compare their own drawings of a contemporary dancer with Juliet Dancing by Man Ray, which depicts a dancer who was a contemporary of the photographer who created the image. Refer to steps 3–5 of the section “Two Artists Capture Motion” in the Intermediate-Level Lesson (see 
http://getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/performing_arts/lesson11.html). Discuss the similarities and differences in the compositions of each image of a dancer.

Standards Addressed

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts

Grades 9–12

SPEAKING AND LISTENING 
Comprehension and Collaboration 
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Visual Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools

Grades 9–12 (Proficient)
1.0 Artistic Perception
1.1 Identify and use the principles of design to discuss, analyze, and write about visual aspects in the environment and in works of art, including their own.

Grades 9–12 (Advanced)
1.0 Artistic Perception
1.6 Describe the use of the elements of art to express mood in one or more of their works of art.

2.0 Creative Expression 
2.1 Create original works of art of increasing complexity and skill in a variety of media that reflect their feelings and points of view.
2.4 Demonstrate in their own works of art a personal style and an advanced proficiency in communicating an idea, theme, or emotion.

4.0 Aesthetic Valuing 
4.1 Describe the relationship involving the art maker (artist), the making (process), the artwork (product), and the viewer.

Dance Content Standards for California Public Schools

Grades 9–12 (Proficient)
3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
3.2 Describe ways in which folk/traditional, social, and theatrical dances reflect their specific cultural context.