Notable Feet - Dance Trivia
Notable Feet
Dance History Trivia Quiz
By Joy Held
Test your knowledge of dance history by taking this trivia quiz. Most of the answers can be found in past issues of Dancer, in the monthly Dancer Calendar or Notable Feet. Answers below! Good luck!
1. What dancer holds the record for longest performance career with the New York City Ballet (30 years)? a. Suzanne Farrell b. Gelsey Kirkland c. Merrill Ashley
2. Who choreographed “Le Sacre du Printemps” for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1913? a. Rudolf Nureyev b. Vaslav Nijinsky c. Jean Georges Noverre
3. “Giselle,” “La Sylphide,” and “Les Sylphides” are examples of what type of ballets based on their costuming? a. ballet blanc b. ballet de cour c. ballet d’action
4. Who is considered the first recognized dancer in America? a. Jules Perrot b. Jerome Robbins c. John Durang
5. What first name is shared by ballerinas Bias, Cerrito, and Essler? a. Fanny b. Jean c. Suzanne
6. Eurythmy is a movement form created by what turn-of-the-century philosopher? a. Mortimer Adler b. Rudolf Steiner c. Bertrand Russell
7. The “Therapeutic Barre” was organized and first presented in America by which Harkness ballet teacher? a. Joanna Kneeland b. David Howard c. Marjorie Tallchief
8. What important choreographer was inspired to take up ballet when Anna Pavlova visited Lima, Peru in 1917? a. Alvin Ailey b. Frederick Ashton c. Alberto Alonso
9. Who was the first dance teacher to Duncan Noble and Robert Lindgren? a. June Roper b. Luigi c. Leonide Massine
10. Carlo Blasis wrote what long-lasting work in 1828 that still has an influence on ballet training today? a. 101 Stories of the Great Ballets b. The Code of Terpsichore c. My Theatre Life
11. Jerome Robbins was born in what month? a. January b. May c. October
12. Deceased in November, what Danish dancer and choreographer developed an energetic ballet technique that is still popular today? a. Peter Martins b. August Bournonville c. Ib Anderson
13. Who is the amazing jazz dance pioneer from Steubenville, Ohio who influenced teacher Francis Roach? a. Balanchine b. Baryshnikov c. Luigi
14. Who choreographed “The Catherine Wheel” and “The Upper Room”? a. Twyla Tharp b. Valerie Bettis c. Isadora Duncan
15. George Balanchine and Mikhail Baryshnikov were both born in what month? a. November b. January c. August
Answers: 1.c. Merrill Ashley; 2.b. Vaslav Nijinsky; 3.a. ballet blanc; 4.c. John Durang; 5.a. Fanny; 6.b. Rudolf Steiner; 7.a. Joanna Kneeland; 8.b. Frederick Ashton; 9.a. June Roper; 10.b. The Code of Terpsichore; 11.c. October; 12.b. August Bournonville; 13.c. Luigi; 14.a. Twyla Tharp; 15.b. January.