Listen and watch to learn how ballerinas customize their pointe shoes! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.

1. Why do ballerinas need to prepare their own shoes? Why don't they come already prepared like sneakers?

2. How much do pointe shoes cost?

3. Have you ever had to "break-in" a pair of shoes before? What did you do to make them more comfortable?

4. Dancers use rosin to make their shoes more sticky so they don't slip on the floor - are there any instruments you can think of that also use rosin?

Listen and watch to learn about the evolution of pointe work! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.

1. Do ballerinas need strong feet to be able to go on pointe?

2. What kinds of exercises would they need to do to get stronger feet?

Listen and watch to learn about the different characters in the ballet Swan Lake! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.

1. Who are the main characters in Swan Lake?

2. Do you think the main dancers need to like each other or be friends to dance well together?

3. Why is it challenging to dance in the corps de ballet?

4. Why is it challenging to dance as the main leads?

Listen and watch to see how dancers rehearse for the ballet Swan Lake! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.

1. How do you think the dancers work together to make this dance look so beautiful?

2. Did you hear the rehearsal director calling out directions to the dancers during the dance?

3. What do you think it feels like to dance while being connected to other people like this?

Listen and watch to learn about what a choreographer does! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.

1. Why does mime need to be so big and grand in ballet?

2. Does mime translate every word in a sentence or just the main words?

3. Does the music help the mime become more understandable?

Listen and watch to learn about the science behind the hardest move in ballet! Think about the statements below after you finish the video.

• Momentum is the strength or force an object has when it is moving. Dancers need to generate a lot of momentum in order to do these 32 fouette turns!

• Torque is a force that produces rotation. The dancer's supporting foot (the one that touches the floor) helps create torque that produces the fouette turn.

• Potential Energy is the stored energy of an object. The dancer's whipping leg (the one that stays in the air) gains potential energy each time it stretches out to the side.

• Kinetic Energy is the energy of an object in motion. The dancer's whipping leg (the one that stays in the air) converts it's potential energy to kinetic energy when it whips into the body.