M8A1: Critical Analysis of Tchaikovsky’s the Nutcracker Ballet Act 1

M8A1: Critical Analysis Project: The Nutcracker
Image of a ballerina in a graceful pose. If you crave high culture during the Christmas season, you will probably turn to two classic productions: Handel’s Messiah (a portion of which we examined in Module 5) and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker actually expands the dance art form to include much more of what we would expect in theatre than is usual in this medium. This makes the experience all the richer and provides additional clues to the story being told.
Using the outline given below, write a critical analysis of part of Act One from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker: The Nutcracker Ballet (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][45 min 21 sec] (minimum one-full page). Refer to the example at the end of Chapter 9 as a guide, but be sure to include the following expanded outline points:
Genre
Overall theme
Story line, movement (including the basic dance steps you recognize, mime and pantomime)
Characters
Costuming
Mise-en-scene (set)
Score (musical background)
Use of color
Lighting techniques
You will need to do some research to obtain information about the story, as we are only viewing the first part of the production.
Be sure to include a convincing, inclusive conclusion at the end of your critical analysis and a bibliography of at least two sources that you used to prepare your analysis, one of which may be the class text. Do not use and cite Wikipedia. Instead, visit the Excelsior College Library to learn about academic sources. The page on Evaluating Information Evaluating Information (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. includes helpful sections on "Print vs. Web Resources," Evaluation Criteria," Evaluation Scenarios," and "Media Literacy."
Write a 500-750 words critical analysis. Follow the APA style, using the Excelsior College Library resources on learning to use APA Style. Excelsior College Library resources on learning to use APA Style (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Submit the analysis to the assignment dropbox.
See the Course Calendar for the due date.
Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.
Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.” Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.” Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”
Turnitin®
This course has Turnitin® fully integrated into the course dropbox. This means that you should only submit your assignments to the dropbox below. Please do not submit your assignment directly to Turnitin.com.
Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin® automatically. You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar to other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers. Use your Originality Report as a learning tool to identify areas of your assignment that you may not have cited appropriately. You may resubmit your assignment through this dropbox as many times as you need to check to see if you have made improvements, until the due date of the assignment. However, once you have made your first submission, you will need to wait 24 hours after each subsequent submission to receive a new Originality Report. Plan accordingly as you draft your assignment. Once the due date has passed, your assignment submission will be considered final.
Evaluation
This assignment will be graded using the Written Assignment Grading Rubric located on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here section of the course. Please review the rubric prior to beginning your work so that you ensure your submission meets the criteria in place for this assignment. All essays combined are worth 50% of your final course grade.