Students will examine three works of art to learn about the daily lives of working ballet dancers in Paris in the 19th century. Students will conduct additional research to learn about the cultural context at the time these dancers worked, including how ballet dancers were perceived. Finally, students will create a backstage view of a contemporary dancer.

Students will learn about an artist's sketchbook that includes drawings of ballet dancers. They will practice two ballet steps and discuss how an artist uses line to depict dancers in rehearsal. Students will make a sketchbook and produce a series of quick sketches of dancers.

Video Description:  In this close-up video, Dr. Nicholeen Viall, Research Astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, shares her love for astronomy and ballet and how her creativity has helped her ask questions about the sun that no one has ever asked before.  Video Length:  2:20.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Ask SME: Close-up with a NASA Subject Matter Expert videos are professionally developed to capture a glimpse of NASA SME's personal interests and career journeys. Each can be used to spark student interest and broaden their ideas of the STEM workforce. Additional videos in this series can be found by searching GoOpenVA using "NASA eClips Ask SME".