Interacting in the Learning Community: “Build a Ballet”: A Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Project for Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT A format for a collaborative, real-world learning experience for students from a variety of disciplines is presented. The “Build a Ballet” project involved high school students in dance, drama, and visual arts classes who utilized concepts and skills in choreography, dance performance, playwriting, and design to create an original narrative ballet based on a short story selected prior to beginning the project. The educational goal was for the participating dance, drama, and visual arts students to have the opportunity to develop skills in and across their disciplines through participation in a project involving planning, designing, constructing, and producing an original performance work. The original libretto, written by students, was based on Kate Chopin's short story “The Story of an Hour.” After assigning tasks through collaborative discussion at an initial planning meeting, each class worked during their regular class time to create their contribution to the ballet. The final ballet was first performed and discussed at an informal showing in the dance studio where critical feedback from all participating students, faculty, and administration was discussed, and appropriate changes to choreography, costuming, and characterization were made. It was performed next at local middle schools and culminated with a public performance. Although the student participants found the process to be challenging, they expressed a sense of satisfaction with their final performance. The intended goal of utilizing discipline-specific skills and a realistic setting was achieved, and the students' struggle with the process is evidence of learning. Audience members appreciated seeing a narrative ballet that was unlike others they had seen before. The result was a learning experience in which students applied classroom skills in design, scriptwriting, choreography, and performance in a manner that mimics the work of professional artists in visual arts, drama, and dance.