Test your ballet terminology.

By Rain Francis.

1.   What does piqué mean?

a)     To pick
b)     To prick
c)     To stick
d)     To click

2.     If you were doing a fondu, how many legs would you be standing on?

a)     One
b)     Two
c)     None

3.     Who was the ‘royale’ (or changement battu) allegedly named for?

a)     Nijinksy
b)     Nijinksa
c)     Pavlova
d)     Louis XIV

4.     Which of the following means ‘to fall’?

a)     Tombé
b)     Chassé
c)     Jeté
d)     Pas de bourrée

5.     Which of the following is commonly considered a step to be performed by a male dancer?

a)     Fouetté en tourant
b)     Tour en l’air
c)     Glissade
d)     Grand battements

6.     If you were travelling de côté, in which direction would you be going?

a)     Forwards
b)     Backwards
c)     Sideways
d)     Diagonally

7.     Where would you find your jambes?

a)     At the end of your arms
b)     Attached to your hips
c)     On your shoulders
d)     In your ballet shoes

8.     Which body parts are primarily involved in épaulement?

a)     Head, neck, shoulders
b)     Waist, hips, hands
c)     Feet and legs
d)     Arms and legs

9.     Which of the following is not named for an animal?

a)     Pas de chat
b)     Pas de cheval
c)     Pas de bourrée

10.  True or false?

Frappé means ‘to whip’.

Answers:

1 – b; 2 – a; 3 – d; 4 – a; 5 –b; 6 – c; 7 – b; 8 – a; 9 – c; 10 – false.

Photo © Dmitri Mihhailov | Dreamstime.com 

This year is the 75th anniversary of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev’s birth, and 20 years since his death. How much do you know about one of the most celebrated dancers of the 20th century?

1. With which ballet did Nureyev make his directorial debut?

a) The Afternoon of a Faun

b) Petrouchka

c) Pineapple Poll

d) Don Quixote

2. Nureyev’s first performance in Britain was held to support which organization?

a) The Royal Academy of Dance

b) The Royal Ballet School

c) The Royal Ballet

d) The Royal Opera

3. Giving his mother a shock, Nureyev was born prematurely in a

a) boat

b) train

c) car

d) plane

4. Nureyev danced with many of the best ballerinas of his time, but with whom did he say he danced with “one body, one soul”?

a) Eva Evdokimova

b) Margot Fonteyn

c) Gelsey Kirkland

d) Antoinette Sibley

5. Nureyev danced with Miss Piggy on the Muppet Show (check it out on YouTube – it’s a classic!). Which ballet did they perform a parody of?

a) Cinderella

b) The Nutcracker

c) Swan Lake

d) Manon

6. In which company was Nureyev director, dancer and chief of choreography during the 1980s?

a) The Royal Ballet

b) The Paris Opera Ballet

c) Dutch National Ballet

d) American Ballet Theatre

7. Which ballet by Sir Frederick Ashton was premiered by Fonteyn and Nureyev, and would become known as their signature piece?

a) Marguerite and Armand

b) Baroque Pas de Trois

c) Romeo and Juliet

d) Les Sylphides

8. To which country did Nureyev defect in 1961?

a) America

b) United Kingdom

c) Austria

d) France

9. In the 1970s, Nureyev toured the USA in a production of which musical?

a) Fiddler on the Roof

b) Cats

c) Kiss Me Kate

d) The King and I

10. Nureyev played a violinist in the 1983 film Exposed, alongside which Hollywood actor?

a) Harvey Keitel

b) Marlon Brando

c) Robert De Niro

d) Russell Crowe

Answers:
1 – d; 2 – a; 3 – b; 4 – b; 5 – c; 6 – b; 7 – a; 8 – d; 9 – d; 10 – a

Photo: Rudolf Nureyev by Jack Mitchell. Photo source http://onlyartimages.blogspot.com/2011/04/rudolf-nureyev.html

You may love to lead your partner onto the dance floor for a waltz or sultry tango, but how much do you actually know about Ballroom?

By Rain Francis.

Where did the samba originate?

a) Chile

b) Brazil

c) Paris

d) Cuba

Which dance takes its inspiration from the spectacle of bullfighting?

a) Rumba

b) Mambo

c) Paso Doble

d) All of the above

Which is considered to be the oldest of the ballroom dances?

a) Viennese Waltz

b) Bolero

c) Samba

d) Tango

In what year was the foxtrot first danced?

a) 1901

b) 1914

c) 1929

d) 1943

In which movie would you find the characters Scott Hastings, Shirley Hastings, Fran and Barry Fyfe?

a) Tango

b) Shall We Dance?

c) Last Tango in Paris

d) Strictly Ballroom

Which of the following does not have its roots in Cuba?

a) Salsa

b) Tango

c) Cha-cha

d) Rumba

True or false: Jive is derived from the jitterbug.

In Dancesport, east coast swing, bolero and mambo are all types of what?

a) American Smooth

b) American Rhythm

c) International Latin

d) All of the above

True or false: Dancesport has been confirmed for inclusion in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Dancing With the Stars has been a popular TV show in many countries worldwide. Which country first aired the show on which the format is based?

a) United Kingdom

b) United States

c) Australia

d) Russia

Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c; 3 – a; 4 – b; 5 – d; 6 – b; 7 – true; 8 – b; 9 – false; 10 – a

Photo: Chehon Wespi-Tschopp and Anya Garis perform an Argentine Tango routine choreographed by Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo on Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance. ©2012 FOX Broadcasting Co. Photo by Mike Yarish.

How much do you know about George Balanchine, one of the 20th century’s most famous choreographers?

By Rain Francis.

1. George Balanchine was born in which country?

a) USA

b) Germany

c) Russia

d) Poland

2. With which composer would you MOST associate Balanchine?

a) Tchaikovsky

b) Stravinsky

c) Ravel

d) Gerhswin

3. Which of the following is NOT represented in Balanchine’s Jewels?

a) Sapphires

b) Rubies

c) Emeralds

d) Diamonds

4. Which group of dancers was Concerto Barocco choreographed on?

a) New York City Ballet

b) Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo

c) Julliard School of Dance

d) School of American Ballet

5. How many times did Balanchine marry?

a) none

b) twice

c) four times

d) five times

6. Which dancer created the lead role in The Prodigal Son?

a) Serge Lifar

b) Vaslav Nijinksy

c) Leonide Massine

d) Mikhail Baryshnikov

7. Which ballerina created the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ?

a) Maria Tallchief

b) Suzanne Farrell

c) Gelsey Kirkland

d) Patricia McBride

8. Which was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in America?

a) Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

b) Serenade

c) Agon

d) Apollo

9. Which of the following Greek muses is NOT present in the ballet Apollo?

a) Terpsichore, muse of dance

b) Caliope, muse of epic poetry

c) Clio, muse of history

d) Polyhymnia, muse of mime or hymns

10. Theme and Variations is choreographed to a score by which composer?

a) Stravinsky

b) Prokofiev

c) Satie

d) Tchaikovsky

ANSWERS: 1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – a; 4 – d; 5 – d; 6 – a; 7 – a; 8 – b; 9 – c; 10 – d

Photo: English National Ballet. Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks performing Balanchine’s Apollo. Photo by Patrick Baldwin.

How much do you know about jazz dance icon Bob Fosse?

By Rain Francis.

1. Which of the following characters would you NOT find in Chicago?

a) Mary Sunshine
b) Roxy Hart
c) Lilli Vanessi
d) Billy Flynn

2. In the 1972 film Cabaret, Sally Bowles is a performer at what club?

a) The Kitten Klub
b) The Kit Kat Klub
c) The Top Kat Klub
d) Top Hats ‘n’ Kats

3. The 1953 film Kiss Me Kate was inspired by which Shakespeare play?

a) Romeo and Juliet
b) The Taming of the Shrew
c) Much Ado About Nothing
d) Othello

4. The video for Beyonce’s Single Ladies was inspired by what Bob Fosse number?

a) All That Jazz
b) I Gotcha
c) Mexican Breakfast
d) Bye Bye Blackbird

5. Rich Man’s Frug is a number from which Fosse film and stage show?

a) Sweet Charity
b) Pippin
c) The Pajama Game
d) Damn Yankees

6. In the semi-autobiographical All That Jazz, who plays the elder “Joe Gideon”, the character based on Bob Fosse?

a) William Shatner
b) Michael York
c) David Hasselhoff
d) Roy Scheider

7. As a Choreographer and Director, Fosse won nine Tony Awards and one Academy Award. What film was the Oscar for?

a) Cabaret
b) The Little Prince
c) Lenny
d) Kiss Me Kate

8. In the 1969 film Sweet Charity, who played Charity Hope Valentine?

a) Gwen Verdon
b) Shirley MacLaine
c) Liza Minnelli
d) Ann Reinking

9. Which of the following is NOT a number in The Pajama Game?

a) Steam Heat
b) Hernando’s Hideaway
c) Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo
d) Small Talk

10. What moniker is given to Amos Hart in Chicago?

a) Fred Casely
b) Mister Cellophane
c) Pal Joey
d) Mr. Applegate

Answers:
1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – b; 4 – c; 5 – a; 6 – d; 7 – a 8 – b; 9 – c; 10 – b

Top photo: The Female Ensemble in Australia’s Chicago. Photo by Jeff Busby, 2009.

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

Test your dance knowledge…

By Rain Francis.

With which name would you MOST associate Ginger Rogers?

a) Gene Kelly

c) Mikhail Baryshnikov

c) Fred Astaire

d) Donald O’Connor

For which ballerina was the Dying Swan choreographed by Mikhail Fokine?

a) Anna Pavlova

b) Natalia Markova

c) Alicia Makarova

d) Anna Karenina

Who did Lucette Aldous dance alongside in the 1973 filmed version of Don Quixote?

a) Mikhail Baryshnikov

b) Rudolph Nureyev

c) Anthony Dowell

d) Carlos Acosta

Which of the following names would you LEAST associate with contemporary dance?

a) Martha Graham

b) Jose Limon

c) Cyd Charrise

d) Merce Cunningham

Which king is best associated with the origins of classical ballet?

a) Louis XIV (King of France from 1643-1715)

b) Henry VIII (England, 1509-1547)

c) Ferdinand III (Italy, 1637-1657)

d) Phillip III (France, 1270-1285)

Which of the following was Gene Kelly the star of?

a) Singin’ in the Rain

b) An American in Paris

c) Ziegfeld Follies

d) All of the above

Which American ballerina wrote Dancing on my Grave?

a) Maria Tallchief

b) Gelsey Kirkland

c) Darci Kistler

d) Cynthia Harvey

Who’s daughter is Liza Minnelli?

a) Elizabeth Taylor

b) Debbie Reynolds

c) Margot Fonteyn

d) Judy Garland

Who choreographed Cabaret, Chicago and Damn Yankees?

a) Bob Fosse

b) Jerome Robbins

c) George Balanchine

d) Alvin Ailey

What nationality is renowned dancer Sylvie Guillem?

a) Italian

b) English

c) French

d) Canadian

Answers:

1 – c, 2 – a, 3 – b, 4 – c, 5 – a, 6 – d, 7 – b, 8 – d, 9 – a, 10 – c

Test your dance knowledge!

By Rain Francis

1. Which name is best associated with Tanztheater?

a) Isadora Duncan

b) Alvin Ailey

c) Garry Stewart

d) Pina Bausch


2. Which modern dance expert choreographed for the films White Nights, Hair and Amadeus?

a) Paul Taylor

b) Twyla Tharp

c) Mark Morris

d) Rudolf Laban
 

3. Jacob’s Pillow is an annual dance festival held in which US state?

a) Massachusetts

b) New York

c) Iowa

d) Colorado

4. Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris founded a dance company in 1990. What was it called?

a) Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

b) White Oak Dance Project

c) White Nights Dance Project

d) Baryshnikov Morris Dance Company

5. Which of the following is NOT a work by American choreographer, Twyla Tharp?

a) In the Upper Room

b) Movin’ Out

c) Fancy Free

d) Fugue

6. In which work would you find Herod, Herodius and St. John the Baptist?

a) Salome

b) Spartacus

c) A Midsummer Night’s Dream

d) Sinfonietta

7. Which Australian contemporary dance company has its home in Adelaide?

a) Dancenorth

b) Expressions Dance Company

c) BalletLab

d) Australian Dance Theatre

Choreographer Jiri Kylian. Photo by Joke Schot

8. Choreographer Jiri Kylian is best associated with which company?

a) Nederlands Dans Theater

b) Sydney Dance Company

c) Rambert Dance Company

d) DV8 Physical Theatre

9. Who choreographed Appalachian Spring?

a) Rafael Bonachela

b) Mats Ek

c) Martha Graham

d) Merce Cunningham

10. Which work allegedly caused a riot when it was first performed?

a) Romeo and Juliet

b) Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

c) Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes

d) Falling Angels

Answers:
1 – d, 2 – b, 3 – a, 4 – b, 5 – c, 6 – a, 7 – d, 8 – a, 9 – c, 10 – b