lesson plan polinafrenchculture.org/sites/default/files/polina_-_eng_final_compressed.pdf · from...

Lesson plan created by Azadée Tolooie. Translated by Andrew A. Rosado Hartline POLINA by Angelin Prejlocaj.

1

LESSON PLAN

POLINA By Angelin Preljocaj.

Created by Azadée Tolooie Translated by Andrew A. Rosado Hartline


2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I UNDERSTANDING THE FILM

Information about the film ……………………………………………………… 3

The filmmakers ….……………………………………………………………… 4

Summary ………………………………………………………………………… 5

The universe ……...……………………………………………………………... 6

II IN CLASS DISCUSSION : BEFORE THE FILM ………………...……….………. 9

Student worksheet 1: The movie poster ….………………..………………... 10

Teacher worksheet 1: The movie poster ………….……………….………... 13

Student worksheet 2: The trailer …………………………………………..…. 14

Teacher worksheet 2: The trailer ……………………………………..…….… 20

III IN CLASS DISCUSSION: AFTER THE FILM …………………..….…………… 23

Student worksheet 3: Reconstructing the story ...…...………………………. 24

Teacher worksheet 3: Reconstructing the story ………………………..……. 25

Student worksheet 4: Exploring classical Russian ballet ...……...……........ 26

Teacher worksheet 4: Exploring classical Russian ballets ……………..…... 27

Student worksheet 5: Create a contemporary dance choreography .……... 28

Teacher worksheet 5: Create a contemporary dance choreography …….... 30

SITOGRAPH Y ….……………………………………………………………………….. 31


3

I UNDERSTANDING THE FILM

TECHNICAL FICHE

Title : POLINA

Year : 2016

Country : France

Duration : 108 minutes

A film by Angelin Preljocaj

Script : Valérie Müller

So und : Jean-Luc Audy

Producers : Gaëlle Bayssiere, Didier Creste and Maxim Ajjawi

Original author : Bastien Vives

Sceanery : Toma Baqueni and Mila Preli.


4

THE DIRECTOR

Angelin Prejlocaj

Born in France in 1957, of Albanian parents, Angelin Preljocaj began studies of classical dance before turning to contemporary dance with Karin Waehner. In 1980, he left for New York to work with Zena Rommett and Merce Cunningham, then continued his studies in France with the American choreographer Viola Farber and the French Quentin Rouillier. In 1984, he created his own company and choreographed 50 pieces, from solo to large forms. His creations are in the repertoire of many companies, which he also receives high demand. He does choreographies for La Scala in Milan, the New York City Ballet and the Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris. He directed short films (The Postman, Black Ideas in 1991) and several films, including A Hyphen and Annunciation (1992 and 2003), for which he received, among others, the "Grand Prix du Film d 'Art' in 2003, the Video-Dance Grand Prize in 1992 and the Prague Video Festival in 1993. In 2009, he directed the film Snow White . In 2011 he signed for Air France, the commercial L'Envol, which takes again the choreography of Le Parc . Throughout his career, he has received several recognitions, among which the "National Grand Prize for Dance" awarded by the Ministry of Culture in 1992, the "Benois de la danse " for Le Parc in 1995, the "Bessie Award" For Annunciation in 1997, "The Victories of Music" for Romeo and Juliet in 1997, the "Crystal Globe" for Snow White in 2009. He


5

is Officer of Arts and Letters, Knight of the Legion of Honor and has was appointed Officer of the Order of Merit in May 2006. Angelin Prejlocaj received the Samuel H. Scripps Award from the American Dance Festival for his entire work in 2014. Today, Ballet Preljocaj is composed of 24 permanent dancers since its creation in October 2006 at Pavillon Noir in Aix-en-Provence. It is a place entirely dedicated to dance under the artistic direction of Angelin Preljocaj. Directed with Valérie Müller, Angelin Preljocaj's first feature film, Polina, adapted from Bastien Vivès' comic book, was released in November 2016.

SUMMARY

Russia - 1990s. From early childhood, Polina was trained by the rigor and demand of Professor Bojinski and has become a promising classical dancer. As she prepares to join the prestigious Bolshoi ballet, she attends a contemporary dance show that deeply unsettles her.


6

THE UNIVERSE 1

GRAPHIC NOVEL ADAPTATION

Adapted from the graphic novel by Bastien Vivès, this feature film is based on the story of a dancer who prefers her freedom over stardom. Angelin Prejlocaj and Valérie Müller have kept the original work only kept the character of Polina and recomposed it and allowed it to evolve on screen in its own way. In the film, Polina appears at first sight as a perfect element of the former Soviet Union: born of a Siberian mother and a Georgian father, she belongs to a modest environment where the parents are ready to sacrifice it all for the success of their child. Subjected to the triple authority of a regime, a sports discipline and an extremely demanding teacher, young Polina grows up with a body and a spirit that does not correspond to her personal ambitions. Gradually letting herself be carried by her senses, she will let go of her stardom and try to fly on her own.

1 Source: Le Monde. Rubrique Cinéma. « Polina, danser sa vie » : une danseuse prend la tangente au cinéma. Isabelle Regnier


7

MOSCOW – PARIS The scenario of Polina offers an unusual analysis of the dance milieu. Far from the clichés of the anorexic ballerina who lives only in her slippers, this film allows the viewer to leave the lights of the stage to confront the street and its dark reality. Shared between Moscow, France and Belgium, the film stresses the opposition between the classical tradition and modernity. Paralleling Russian discipline and French casualness, Polina is the fruit of a unique socio-cultural mix: she possesses the strong character of a Caucasian, the poetic fiber proper to the Slav soul and the ambition of a French revolutionary claiming their freedom. Prejlocaj places the dancer in a very realistic context. Effectively, the course of Polina evokes that of many dancers today. "There are many coming from very poor backgrounds. And that is understandable. As Angelin often says, when you have nothing, you always have a body with which you can work, express your artistic vocation. As for this crossing of Europe, it reflects the career of most of these young people. ".

Valérie Müller.

DANCE

Combining the great tradition of the classic Hollywood musical with danced scenes that literally take over the narrative, Angelin Prejlocaj deliberately blurs the lines between dancing and life. The narrative, simple and linear, resembles a modern and feminist fairy tale. By emancipating the middle corset of classical dance, the young woman decides to become a choreographer.

In Polina, we dance everywhere and all the time. People dance during class, stage, in nightclubs. People dance at home, in the warmth, to the sound of old traditional Russian songs. People dance in the snowy forest, at night, after a day of training where we felt our wings grow between the anthracite bars, whose windows are dressed with a splash of bright color.


8

FINDING THE POLINA

In contrast to Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan , for example, where Natalie Portman often had a double or was digitally inserted, the director and his companion, screenwriter Valérie Müller dreamed of the aerial steps of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. To play Polina, they needed a dancer who could tame the camera and act. They searched for her a long time, first in France, without success, then in Russia, where they auditioned no less than six hundred dancers. But their perseverance has borne fruit beyond their expectations. Pupil of the prestigious ballet academy Vaganova of St. Petersburg (she has since joined the troupe of Mariinsky), Anastasia Shevtsova conquered them all.


9

II IN CLASS DISCUSSION :

BEFORE THE FILM

These pedagogic activities were created for students between the ages of 13 and 15 in

order to prepare them for the screening of the film in its entirety. The lesson plan can be

done in the mother tongue or in French per the students’ linguistic profiles and the

foreign language teacher’s objectives. The target level varies according to the proposed

activities in the lesson plan.

In this lesson plan, language skills are abbreviated as followed:

• WC: Written comprehension

• OC: Oral comprehension

• OP: Oral production

• WP: Written production

• OI: Oral interaction


10

STUDENT WORKSHEET 1 : THE MOVIE POSTER

All levels DANCE

1. Write the letter that corresponds to the element on the left column:

____ : Des chaussons

de danse

____ : Un ballet

____ : Un miroir

____ : Un justaucorps

____ : Une danseuse étoile

____ : Tourner

____ : Le théâtre

____ : Un tutu

____ : Des collants

____ :

____ : Sauter

____ : Faire des pointes

____ : La barre

A B C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L


11

2. In groups of two, complete the bubbles with as many relevent words to

dancing.

Clothes/Costume

People

Places

Dancing styles

Movements


12

POLINA

1 2 3

1. Describe the three covers/posters and hypothesize a theme, the main

characters, and the story of the film.

2. Each poster/cover represents a different Polina. What are the elements

they share in common? Which elements are different?

3. Which do you prefer? Why? Justify.

Je préfère l’affiche numéro …. parce que …


13

TEACHER WORKSHEET 1 : THE MOVIE POSTER

All levels

DANCE (WC)

This starting activity will allow a global discovery of the film and thematic vocabulary of dance. It will also serve as a preamble to the next activity where the lexicon studied will be reinvested in a vocabulary categorization exercise.

Corrections : H : Des chaussons de danse - A : Un ballet – B : Un miroir – F : Un justaucorps – C : Une danseuse étoile – J : Tourner – I : Le Théâtre – L : Un tutu – G : Des collants – D : Sauter – E : Faire des pointes – K : La barre. If the students are incapable of offering words themselves, the teacher can give them a short vocabulary list that they can use to complete the vocabulary sheet. Suggested c orrections : Vêtements : Un justaucorps, des ballerines, des collants, une robe, un tutu, une jupe, un pantalon, une veste, etc. Personnes : Un chorégraphe, un/e danseur/danseuse, un/e professeur de danse, un/e costumier/costumière, une ballerine, etc. Lieux : Le théâtre, l’académie de danse, l’école de danse, l’Opéra, la scène, la rue, le

cinéma, le cabaret, le bar etc. Mouvements : sauter, tourner, danser, courir, rester immobile, sautiller, piétiner, se plier, etc.

POLINA (WP)

This activity will allow students to make their own assumptions about the film and prepare them for the screening of the film. The study of the posters will highlight the key elements of the film. Suggested corrections:

Diffe rences : The colors, the dancers’ positions, the professor, the type of image

(photo/drawing), the dancer is moving (1 and 3) and immobile (2), the dancer is outside

(3), the dancer’s back is facing the audience (3), etc.

Points in comm on : the title (POLINA), the dancer is in the center, the clothing, the

hairstyle, etc.


14

STUDENT WORKSHEET 2 : THE TRAILER

Levels A2/B1

THE RUSSIAN BALLET

1. Have you ever seen a ballet? Did you like the dancing style? Why?

2. Circle the words below that make you think of ballet:

3. Research on the Bolshoi Theater and its dancing

company. Share your favorite video with the class.

"As long as Russia exists, the Bolshoi will exist (...), it is a place of great culture and great art. " Ludmila Proujanskaïa

ennuyeux

fragile

fort

spectaculaire

puissant

féminin

gracieux NUL Élégant

masculin

athlétique

démodé

COOL BIZARRE

compétitif lourd

léger

lent

long

DIFFICILE


15

4. Read the article on the next page and say if the following statements are

true or false. Justify your choice.

TRUE FALSE

a. The academy students finish class at 6 PM.

b. Some students prefer eating in front of the television instead of

dancing.

c. Recruiters from big ballet companies go to the academy to observe

students.

d. Foreigners cannot be a part of the Bolshoi.

e. The Bolshoi is a reputable school.


16

At the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, little Russian rats dream of

becoming stars2 ARTICLE – LE POINT CULTURE Date of publication 19/04/2016

From 10 to 19 years old, the 721 students at the academy start their classes at 9:00 am and finish at 6:00 pm before training alone or with their classmates until bedtime comes up.

"Sometimes, in the evening, I would like to sit on a sofa and eat without stopping while watching TV, but instead, I have to prepare for the next day's classes," she says.

Mikhail, 17, confirms: "It's not easy, it's our vocation, so it's okay, but it's still a lot of work."

At graduation, the academy invites the recruiters of all the great Russian ballets to observe the future dancers. And the Bolshoi, Moscow's famous theater, has of course priority over the students.

Harper Ortlieb, a 15-year-old American, left her native Oregon last year to join the Bolshoi Academy, which she discovered through videos on YouTube. "It's the best school in the world," she says. "We all dream of getting in the Bolshoi, becoming a star dancer!"

Like Harper, 84 students from around the world, including 17 Americans and a French girl, are learning Russian ballet. "I'm the only foreigner in my class, but the other students help me a lot," she says.

2 Source : http://www.lepoint.fr/culture/a-l-academie-du-ballet-du-bolchoi-les-petits-rats-russes-revent-de-se-transformer-en-etoiles-19-04-2016-2033360_3.php

http://www.lepoint.fr/culture/a-l-academie-du-ballet-du-bolchoi-les-petits-rats-russes-revent-de-se-transformer-en-etoiles-19-04-2016-2033360_3.php



17

5. Watch the following trailers from the Bolshoi Theater. What are your

impressions?

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9PMu25hTx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed2-1lhfd4A

Use the following phrases and adjectives from Activity 2 to express your

impressions and opinions on videos.

=> Exemple : Je pense que c’est spectaculaire. Le ballet a l’air … Les danseurs semblent … Ça me donne l’impression

de …

Le ballet semble … Je pense que c’est … À mon avis le ballet est …

6. Si vous étiez une danse, laquelle seriez-vous ?

=> Exemple : Si j’étais une danse, je serais la danse contemporaine parce que j’aime créer et être libre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9PMu25hTx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed2-1lhfd4A


18

MOMENTS OF LIFE

Listen to the trailer without the image.

http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=19565377&cfilm=234760.html

1) What are your thoughts when hearing the music of the trailer?

What do you hear?

2) Listen to the trailer for a second time and put the phrases in

order of appearance. Label them 1 though 6.

Fais-moi vivre

quelque chose !

Regarde autour de toi, l’artiste c’est ça

aussi, c’est quelqu’un qui regarde le monde

autour de lui.

Faut que tu sois vigilante, faut que tu

changes ton approche technique.

T ‘as un univers personnel qui

passe tout de suite, les gamins

en parlent encore.

Je ne veux pas voir une jolie danseuse,

je veux voir Polina danser.

La Polina du Bolchoï

n’existe plus.

http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=19565377&cfilm=234760.html


19

3) Reread the statements from the trailer in the previous exercise.

- What are Polina’s challenges?

- What does her entourage ask of her?

4) Watch the trailer and identify the hard and happy moments in

Polina’s life. Complete the table.

SNIPPETS

HAPPY MOMENTS

DIFFICULT TIMES

ENFANCE

ADOLESCENCE

ÂGE ADULTE


20

TEACHER WORKSHEET 2 : THE TRAILER

Levels A2/B1

The Russian ballet (WC) / (OP) / (OC) It is important for students to be aware of the importance of the Bolshoi Academy and its prestige in Russia and around the world. They will be able to better understand the story and the challenge Polina faces in her dancing career as well as the challenges for her parents and for her social climbing. Before watching the trailer, students will be able to express their appreciation and knowledge of ballet and their prejudices about this type of dance through activities 1 and 2. They will then be invited to research into the subject. It would be interesting to ask them to present a video of their choice and to justify their selection orally. The teacher can also draw their attention to the Bolshoi logo in order to describe and comment on it. The teacher can then make the students read the quote of Ludmila Proujanskaïa and ask for examples of tangible or intangible symbols that are representative of their country and of their culture. The reading comprehension based on an excerpt of an article published in the newspaper Le Monde will be an opportunity to get deeper into the subject of the film and to apprehend and comment on the daily life of the students of the academy. Corrections : a : TRUE b : FALSE (“instead of that, I have to prepare for class the following day”) c : FALSE (“recruiters from the big Russian companies”) d : FALSE (“American (…) to join the Bolshoi Academy”) e : FALSE (“it’s the best school in the World”)


21

MOMENTS OF LIFE (OC) / (WC) / (WP) Students will be able to discover the trailer during this activity in two stages. At first, they will only listen to the soundtrack of the video to comment on the music and give their first impressions. Music plays a major role in the film. Composed by the collective 79D, the music is as galvanizing as it is oppressive and follows perfectly Polina’s inner quest between what is expected from her and her emotions. Corrections

The music is very rhythmic. We hear a clicking that resembles that of a chronometer or the mechanism of a watch, percussion and sounds that remind us of steps of a military march and then violins. A second listen will put the replicas of the trailer in order. The teacher can leave students a few minutes to check their understanding of the bubbles. Once the activity is done, they will be invited to reflect on these replicas that concern Polina and in particular what they mean for her. Corrections :

Ord er :

1- The Bolshoi Polina no longer exists.

2- You must be vigilant, you must change your technical approach.

3- Make me live something!

4- You have a personal universe that passes right away, the kids still talk about it.

5- Look around you, an artist is that too, it is someone who looks at the world

around them.

6- I do not want to see a pretty dancer, I want to see Polina dance.


22

Cor rections

Her entourage asks him to change her dance technique, to express her emotions, to let

go of the control of her feelings, to open her eyes to others, to work less and to live more

so that her dance expresses something of true. Her challenge will be to discover herself

artistically and personally in order to blossom in the dance.

The students will then watch the trailer and identify the highlights of Polina's life with the

help of images.

Corrections

Happy moments: she dances in the snow, she flirts with a friend, she lives a love story, she dances with her family, she travels to France, she dances in a nightclub, she dances in front of young people, she dances in the street on the harbor, she dances on stage. Difficult moments: Her mother cries because of her departure to France and her decision to leave the Bolshoi Academy, she faints in the corridor of the academy, her relationship with her boyfriend becomes conflictual, she expresses her anger behind the scenes, she finds hers elf on the street and sleeps in a laundromat, the death of her father.


23

III UNDERSTANDING THE FILM :

AFTER THE FILM

These pedagogic activities were prepared for students between the ages of 13 and 15 in

order to prepare them for a discussion after the screening of the film Polina in its entirety.

The study can be done in the mother tongue or in French per the students’ linguistic

profiles and the foreign language teacher’s objectives. The target level varies according

to the proposed activities in the lesson plan.

In this lesson plan, language skills are abbreviated as followed:

WC: Written comprehension OC: Oral comprehension OP: Oral production WP: Written production OI: Oral interaction


24

STUDENT WORKSHEET 3 : RECONSTRUCTING THE STORY

All levels

POLINA’S LIFE Reconstruct the story of Polina’s life. Write the letter that corresponds to the

chronological order.

A- The death of Polina’s.

B- Polinás portrait is hung in the wall of honor in the Russian Academy.

C- Polina works at night.

D- Polina passes her first audition to enter the ballet academy in her town.

E- Polina hurts her heel while dancing.

F- Polina decided to leave to Aix-en-Provence in France.

G- Polina enters the Bolshoi Company.

H- Polina fall in love for the first time with the French Adrien.

I- Polina is in the streets without money and jobless.

D


25

TEACHER WORKSHEET 3 : RECONSTRUCTING THE STORY

POLINA’S LIFE (WC)

Through this activity, students will be able to reconstruct the story of the film. It can be

done in pairs or individually.

Corrections :

Chronological order

D -> G -> H -> F -> E -> I -> C -> A -> B.


26

STUDENT WORKSHEET 4 : EXPLORING CLASSICAL RUSSIAN

BALLETS

IT’S A CLASSIC!

Here are five classics that made Russian ballet famous.

Write the number of each corresponding image to its title.

2

3

4

5

1

___ : Spartacus

___ : Sleeping beauty

___ : The Nutcracker

___ : La Bayardère

___ : Swan Lake

Do you know any of these ballets?

Have you seen any of them?

=> In small gourps, research on a

ballet of your choice and present it

to the class as an oral presentation.


27

TEACHER WORKSHEET 4: EXPLORING CLASSICAL R USSIAN

BALLETS

IT’S A CLASSIC ! (WC) / (OC)

Here is a useful link to further discover the great russian classic ballets

https://fr.rbth.com/longreads/ballets_russes/

Students will be invited to research on Russian ballets that they will choose in small

groups. They will be able to present the ballet of their choice to the class using videos

and/or images and make an oral presentation (with a PPT slideshow for example).

Corrections :

1- Sleeping Beauty

2- The Nutcracker

3- Swan Lake

4- La Bayadère

5- Spartacus



28

STUDENT WORKSHEET 5 : CREATE A CONTEMP ORARY DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY

AND NOW WE DANCE!

Draw a paper "emotion" then in small groups, make a

description of a short sequence of movements to illustrate

this word. You can also choose accompanying music!

One person from the group reads the movements out loud,

the rest of the class performs the choreography.

Put your hands in front of your

face.

Bend your knees and raise your

hands to the sky,

etc ...


29

HOPE LAUGHTER

JOY SADNESS NOSTALGIA DESIRE

JEALOUSY PASSION

MADNESS DREAM

ZEN ANGUISH

STRESS ENTHUSIASM

ABSENCE FEAR

CUT THE FOLLOWING WORDS


30

TEACHER WORKSHEET 5 : CREATE A CONTEMPORARY DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY

AND NOW WE DANCE! (OP) or (WP)

This creative task will be an opportunity to reinvest the body parts vocabulary and the

movement verbs as well as the imperative mode in form of a game.

In small groups, the students will pick a paper randomly (see page 29), they can also write

their own ideas of emotion words on a white paper.


31

SITOGRAPH Y

• About the film / other / press kits

http://www.lemonde.fr/cinema/article/2016/11/15/polina-danser-sa-vie-une-danseuse-prend-la-tangente-au-cinema_5031350_3476.html

https://bscnews.fr/201611025916/cine/polina-un-bel-exercice-de-style-signe-angelin-preljocaj.html

http://cccdanse.com/reviews/bd-bande-dessinee-bande-dansee-polina-de-bastien-vives/

https://culturebox.francetvinfo.fr/cinema/sorties/interview-juliette-binoche-l-artiste-doit-casser-tout-ce-qu-il-a-appris-248361

• About dance , Russian ballet a nd Bolshoi

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_Mariinsky

http://www.reseau-canope.fr/langues-en-ligne/langues-vivantes-etrangeres/russe/lart-choregraphique/a2-b1-college/scenario-pedagogique.html


https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_Bolcho%C3%AF


https://www.operaderouen.fr/wp-content/uploads/dossier-danse-2017-web.pdf









https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_Mariinsky



https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_Bolcho%C3%AF



https://www.operaderouen.fr/wp-content/uploads/dossier-danse-2017-web.pdf

lesson plan polinafrenchculture.org/sites/default/files/polina_-_eng_final_compressed.pdf · from...

Documents