Welcome to Cuesheet,

a performance guide

published by the

Education Department

of the John F. Kennedy

Center for the

Performing Arts,

Washington, D.C. This

Cuesheet is designed

to help you enjoy the

performance of

Do Jump!

What’s inCuesheet?Do Jump! Takes Theaterto New Heightspages 2-3

Imagination is Key toCreativity, pages 4-5

A Peek Behind theCurtain, pages 6-7

On the Day of thePerformance, page 8

Look for the

person doing a

handstand for

topics of

discussion or activities

you may want to do

with other students,

friends, or family.

“DO JUMP!”: YOJI HALL AND NAMI HALL.PHOTO BY JOHN KLICKER

Let’s Get Physical!At the Kennedy Center, you will see ashow called Do Jump!, a production thatpresents a selection of the company’smost-loved acts.

Here are a few pieces (or short acts)you’ll see:

• “Something from Nothing”—a man in a suit and top hat loses more than he expects. See how many times you are taken by surprise in this work.

• “Dance of the Dollies”—performers dance with hand trucks (upright vehicles used to move heavy objects). Observe how the dancers balance on them.

• “AH HA”—an audience sing-along. Look for costumes that help the audience participate.

• “Diabolo Boys”—Two jugglers toss and catch diabolos. Look at how string is used to balance the twirling diabolo and keep it from falling.

• “Divided We Fall”—A doll, ballet dancers, and a mysterious man bump into each other so much that strange things start to happen.

Guess how things got mixed up.

Meet the ExtremePerformers

W hat is “extremely physical theater?” You’ll know whenyou see Do Jump Movement

Theater perform. The company blendsdance, theater, music, acrobatics,humor, and juggling together in oneperformance.

Not only do dancers in Do Jumpneed to know how to move gracefully,but they must also be able to do back-flips, walk on their hands, or swing

on a trapeze!

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Because of the amount of strength and skill it takes to perform its acts,Do Jump MovementTheater is described as“extremely physical.”

The Chinese have juggled spool-shaped objects called

diabolos for more than 4,000 years!

Different Methods of Moving

In Do Jump performances, you’ll see two very different styles of movement—ballet and

acrobatics. Ballet is based on a specific set of body positions.Most positions require dancersto outwardly rotate their legsfrom their hips with feetpointed out–called “turnout”. When ballet dancersturn out, they have agreater range of movement.

In ballet, the dancers’ movementsare graceful and fluid (or flowing) andthey appear as if they are floating.

Although acrobats are also graceful,their movements are less fluid than ballet and use shorter bursts of physicalactivity to perform challenging feats.Both ballet and acrobatics requirestrength, precision, balance, flexibility,and agility.

When you watch the piece “DividedWe Fall,” see if you can spot two ballet moves. Look for two acrobatic moves in “Dances with Dollies.” Usethe chart above to help you identifythese moves.

Acrobatics Throughthe AgesTumbling, swinging on a trapeze, juggling…all of these activities areforms of acrobatics. And each activityhas a different history.

Many believe acrobatics has roots in ancient Egypt, China, and Greece. The first evidence of juggling was

Young men and women inancient Greece were not afraid

to take the bull by its horns. TheGreeks worshipped a physically

fit body and acrobatics offered agreat way to stay in shape.

cartwheel – completing a 360-degree

sideways rotation of the body by

holding arms and legs outstretched

like spokes of a wheelhandspring – completing a 360-degree

forward rotation of the body by using

both arms at once to push off from

the groundbackbend – bending backward from

a standing position until hands

touch the ground

pirouette (peer-oo-WET) – to turn or

spin on one footchassé (sha-SAY) – to slide along the

floor as if one foot is chasing the other

plié (plee-AY) – to bend the knees

fluidly, without jerking

Acrobatics

Ballet

found in hieroglyphics (writing using pictures instead of words) in Egyptiantombs. In China about 2,500 yearsago, everyday objects such as tables,bowls, and jars were used as props inearly acrobatic performances. About3,500 years ago, a Greek artist painted people grabbing a bull’s horns andvaulting up over its back.

Improvisation in Action

A lthough Robin Lane and otherchoreographers direct the DoJump dancers, the choreography

isn’t complete without the input of itsperformers. During rehearsal (or prac-tice), dancers like Aaron Wheeler-Kayoften make up steps as they go along.This process is called improvisation.

A Performer’sChallenging MomentsProblem-solving is an important skill in art, and dancer Aaron Wheeler-Kayknows that finding solutions is part ofthe fun. As a member of Do Jump, hehas the freedom to come up with hisown movements to improve a piece.“Sometimes that’s really exciting andsometimes that feels like a lot of pressure,” he says.

He explains, “What I’ve come tounderstand is that if you invest in theprocess of creating things with loveand with respect and friendship…whatyou end up with is something great.”

Top PropsJust as Chinese acrobats useeveryday objects like bowls andtables in performances, Do Jump

performers bring objects to life onstage by dancing with them. In “Danceof the Dollies,” performers ride, push,balance on, and fold their bodies ontohand trucks.

Find an ordinary object in yourhome and figure out a way to use theobject in an extraordinary artwork. Forexample, you can turn a coffee canisterinto a drum by covering one end withwax paper. With a little imagination, abroom can be a wonderful dancingpartner. Or try arranging scraps ofnewspaper and other recyclable materials into a collage. The possibilities are endless!

Movements with MeaningDancers are able to tellstories without saying a word.

By moving their bodies incertain ways and by makingdifferent facial expressions,performers provide silentclues that hint at an action or a story—just like the game charades. This is called mime.

Practice mime by playing charadeswith a friend or classmate. Pick anaction like eating an apple, riding a bicycle, or making an ice cream sundae. Mime your action while yourpartner guesses what you’re pretendingto do. Once you’re comfortable performing simple actions without talking, try using mime to tell animportant scene in a favorite story.

Make it UpTry this improvisation activitywith three to four of your friendsor family members. Everyone in

your group writes threeactions, like walk, roll,or slide on scraps of

paper. Put all thescraps of paper

in a bowl. Taketurns picking three

pieces of paper eachfrom the bowl.Improvise by combining thethree actions

together inspace immediately

without planning ahead.Return your papers back to the bowl, and watch thedifferent ideas others havewhen performing the same actions.

Hand trucks were made to pickup and move heavy objects.Watch for the different and creative ways Do Jump dancers use them.

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Robin Lane choreographsmany of Do Jump MovementTheater’s most-loved dances.

Working withMusicians

In every Do Jump performance, at least one musician plays aninstrument while the performers

dance on stage. Using “live” musicinstead of recorded music means thatthere’s a greater chance of making mistakes. But it also means there canbe more pleasant surprises.

Usually, the performers create apiece first without music. Then theyshow the movements to a musicianwho creates music based on the movements. Next the company practices with the music and tweakstheir original choreography. It’s a back-and-forth process until the music is just right.

Tricks of the TradeDo Jump can create interesting effectson stage with just a few basic tricks. In “Something Out of Nothing,”an actor seems to glow becauseblack lights are used. Black lightsare similar to fluorescent lights,but are covered with a darkbluish-purple glass that blocksmost visible light and lets onlysoft ultraviolet light shinethrough. Black lights makeanything covered in blackseem invisible while anything covered in white has a purplish glow. Whenyou watch “Something Out of Nothing,” see if you can figure out howthe performer’s handsseem to multiply.

What a Little Light andMusic Can DoDid you know that lighting andmusic can affect the mood of a

performance? For instance, fast-pacedmusic and bright, colorful lights mightbe used with an energetic dance. A saddance might have slow, quiet musicand blue lights. In “Divided We Fall,”the lighting and music change threedifferent times. Each time there’s achange, the mood changes. Watch andlisten to “Divided We Fall” closely.After the performance, share withfriends or family one way that thelights or music helped to change the mood.

How do you think Do Jump creates the

special effects of multiple hands on one

performer (left) andelongated bodies

(above)?

Do Join in at

U sually when you go to the theater, you are asked to watchand listen quietly, right? This is

because performers are in the sameroom with you and are affected bywhat you do. At a Do Jump performance,the rules are a little bit different. For most of the show, you’ll give the performers your quiet attention. Butunlike most other performances, therewill be times when a member of DoJump Movement Theater will speak to you directly and invite you to join in the fun.

During a piece called “AH HA,” you will have an important role. Listen carefully to the directions theperformer gives you—and enjoy beingpart of the show!

Stephen A. SchwarzmanChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

Theater at the Kennedy Center is presented with the generous support of Stephen and Christine Schwarzman.

Additional support for the KennedyCenter Performances for YoungAudiences is provided by the U.S.Department of Education, ThePresident’s Advisory Committee on the Arts, the Estate of Joseph R.Applegate, Chevy Chase Bank, theClark Charitable Foundation, andAlma and Colin Powell.

Cuesheet, Do Jump!Editor: Kirsten BodensteinerWriter: Theresa SottoDesign: The Kirwan Company, Inc.

Special thanks to Robin Lane and Aaron Wheeler-Kay for their participation in this Cuesheet’s creation.

Cuesheets are produced byARTSEDGE, a program of theKennedy Center EducationDepartment.

For more information about theperforming arts and arts education,visit our Web sites:www.kennedy-center.org/educationwww.artsedge.kennedy-center.org

Questions, comments? Write us atcuesheets@artsedge.kennedy-center.org.

© 2007 The John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts

The U.S. Department of Education supportsapproximately one-third of the budget for theKennedy Center Education Department.Thecontents of this Cuesheet do not necessarilyrepresent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assumeendorsement by the Federal Government.

Visiting the Kennedy CenterThe John F. Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts is a living memorial toJohn F. Kennedy, the President of theUnited States from 1961 to 1963. As aliving memorial, the Kennedy Centerhas two functions: It is a place wheredance, music, theater, and opera cometo life every day. It is also a place that

honors President Kennedy, whowas a lifelong supporter of the arts.

The Kennedy Center presents morethan 2,000 performances each

year on seven differentstages. Do Jump! will be

performed in the FamilyTheater. Over 300people can watch ashow in the FamilyTheater at one time.

ResourcesRead:Bullock, Ivan, and Diane James, I Want toBe: An Acrobat,World Book, 2002.

Kalman, Bobbie, Kids Perform Circus Arts,Crabtree Publishing, 1997.

Sendak, Jack, and Maurice Sendak, CircusGirl, HarperCollins, 2002.

Go online:Do Jump Movement Theaterdojump.org

DO JUMP! Study Guidedojump.org/docs/dojump_study_guide.pdf

This is the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as viewed from the state of Virginia, across thePotomac River.

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Do Jump! dancers combine ballet and acrobaticsagainin this work. Can you guess the title?

Do Jump!