Name:

Leila E
PROJECT #1
1. Revised essential question for project #1
How can one make a living in the performing arts in the twenty-first century?

2. Does your revised essential question for project #1 meet the following criteria?
Yes
No Your essential question is open-ended; that is, it typically will not
have
a single, final, and correct answer.
Yes

No

Your essential question is thought-provoking and intellectually

engaging, often sparking discussion and debate.

Yes

No

Your essential question calls for higher-order thinking, such as

analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction. It cannot be effectively
answered by recall alone.

Yes
ideas

No

Your essential question points toward important, transferable

within (and sometimes across) disciplines.

Yes

No

Your essential question raises additional questions and sparks

further inquiry.

Yes
an

No

Your essential question requires support and justification, not just

answer.

Yes

No

Your essential question recurs over time; that is, the question can
and should be revisited again and again.

3. Based on the above assessment, do you have any revisions to your question for
project #1? If yes, revise it in the box below. If no, then copy the question you
started with into the box below.
Leila-What you wrote originally (see the black boldface in this box) is really the primary
research question. Working off that, is this your essential question (in purple here)?

How can the field of dance be nurtured in order to survive long-term and to provide
sustainable careers for dancers and others working in dance?
Your original essential question in this box then becomes a strong primary research
question. - How can we as a society contribute to ballet in a way that careers in
ballet become viable occupations for others in the future and how can ballet reach
more people so that it survives for future generations to pursue and enjoy?
Do you see what we are doing here? We are trying to frame what you are actually going
to research within a broader purpose. Given that you want to focus on ballet, the
research question should focus on ballet. The essential question goes bigger--but looks
at the field of dance generally.

4. Research questions that you would investigate in relation to your revised

essential question for project #1 (please include as many as you think are relevant to
your project).
What are the obstacles in pursuing a career in the arts change to ballet?
What will be needed to be done in ballet in order broaden the scope and range of
audience members?
Is ballet dying?
What is it like living as a ballet dancer?
How do people perceive ballet and the arts?
Will the perceptions of ballet change?
What can be done to create an understanding and appreciation for the arts?
What can I do to interconnect the community and the ballet world together so that they
are mutually supportive and integrating?

5. Give us a brief, one-paragraph description of your proposed project for project

#1.
What I was thinking of doing is kind of like a mash up. I want to become the intermediary,
the person who connects the general public, not only the people who can afford or who
have preference of seeing ballets, but everyone with the ballet world. I wanted to get a
two sided view on the arts (ballet specifically): from the artists themselves and from the
audience and general public. I would want to create a documentary that captures both
sides of the coin. I would interview a wide variety of the general public (age, race,
economic class, gender). I would ask them questions that I think may have influence on
their perception and exposure to ballet (i.e have they ever seen a ballet, when they hear
the word ballet what do they think, where do they live, would they pay X amount to see a
ballet, would they pay X amount to see a sports game, what is the most recent/relevant
thing that has a connection to ballet that youve seen or done?, etc.)
With that information, I would want to transition into a sort of montage/ day in the life of a
ballet dancer. I would want to show the contrast of peoples perception of what ballet is by

documenting the pain, tiresomeness, stress, athleticism, etc. of ballet. I would be hoping
that these aspects of ballet would come as a shock or realization to the members
watching the documentary. I was also thinking of adding a part of myself into the
documentary (my own thoughts, struggles, goals, dreams within the ballet world through
the obstacle of learning and perfecting a variation as well as just showing what it is I have
been doing everyday after school for the past 6 rand how I have two worlds that kind of
contrast).
After showing both sides of the story, I would want to pose the audience with a question
such as, now how can we make it so that anyone who wants to can practice ballet?
anyone who wants to can see a ballet? have I changed what your perception of ballet
is? So this would pose a question to the ballet world and the public. What can the ballet
world do to be more welcoming and what can the public do to be more supportive?
This project description sounds great; its clear that you put enormous thought into this.
Some pending solutions/thoughts that I would want to propose to BPS and Boston Ballet:
- develop a free program for people to come watch that incorporates both classical,
neoclassical, and contemporary dance
- teach a ballet class for free
- propose a plan that for every program that the ballet does have a day of reduced ticket
pricing so that people who cant afford the regular prices can buy these tickets
- have a day for BPS students to attend a show/multiple programs for free
All of these are interesting possibilities. Look at all the musical groups (e.g.--Handel and
Haydn, BSO) that we partner with. Why not ballet? I would talk with your mentor and
possibly with Mr. Pitts. This IS do-able...pick one or more of your bulleted ideas and try
running with it/them.
Mr M and Ms. F