East
of the Sun, West of the Moon
East of the Sun, West
of the Moon
is a mythological story exploring the timeless themes of love, human error and
redemption. The story’s setting is
the Northern wilderness of Scandinavia, mirroring the geography of Northern
Canada. The re-imagining of this
folk tale breathes new life, humour and relevance into a very old story.
Weaving both movement and spoken word this latest MOTUS O creation inspires and
empowers both the young and the young at heart.
East of the Sun was adapted by Eleanor
Albanese and MOTUS O with original music by Peter Jarvis and Paul Tedeschini.
East
of the Sun,West of the Moon:
Synopsis
East of the Sun, West
of the Moon
is a mythological story exploring the timeless themes of love, human error and
redemption. The story’s setting is
the Northern wilderness of Scandinavia, mirroring the geography of Northern
Ontario. Lillie, a young woman living an isolated life with her family, finds
her joy through art. Through
painting, she explores a place she’s never been to, yet longs to visit. Her yearning becomes realized in the
form of a white bear who pays a visit to her family. He offers riches to the family in exchange for the
companionship of Lillie.
In her new home with the
White Bear, all of Lillie’s needs are met- yet she is still not content. She returns home for a short visit with
her mother, but the bear warns her to not listen to her mother’s advice. Ignoring the Bear’s cautions, Lillie
lights a candle in the night upon her return to the Bear’s home. The candle reveals the Bear’s true
identity. He is under a spell cast
by an evil troll; and he lives as a Bear by day and a Prince by night. Because Lillie has cast her eyes upon
him, he is bound to return to the troll and wed her. If only Lillie had waited one hundred nights! The Prince leaves to go to the place East
of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Lillie vows to find him.
The remainder of the story
is Lillie’s search to find the Prince.
Along the way, she is helped by two elderly women as well as the four
winds. But even with this help,
Lillie must face untold dangers.
No one she speaks to has ever traveled as far as the place East of
the Sun, West of the Moon- not even the North Wind. She must find the courage to forge into unknown
territory. When Lillie does
eventually reach East of the Sun, West of the Moon, she meets with further
challenges. She must use her wit,
her integrity and her intuition to first meet with the Prince, and second,
devise a plan which will break the spell.
Lillie is successful and she and the Prince are wed.
The Symbolic
Language of the Story
East of the Sun, West
of the Moon is a symbolic story of the journey of a
young woman. Lillie has outgrown
the nurturing of her family and is on the verge of finding her own voice. When she embarks on the adventure of
adulthood, she is ill prepared for the “flight”. When faced with loneliness, she reverts back to childlike
dependency. Rather than listening
to her own internal voice, she listens to someone else’s advice (in this case,
her mother’s). The lighting of the
candle reveals a part of her psyche which is not yet ready to be revealed. Darkness prevails, (the troll’s spell),
and she is left utterly alone.
However, it is in this lonely and dark place that Lillie discovers what
it is she wants for her life and she sets out on her quest to find East of
the Sun, West of the Moon. What is
required of her is courage, keeping an eye on her goal and faith in her
intuition. And because Lillie
seeks to be empowered, rather than imposing her power over others, many come to
her aid- the winds and the elderly women.
Her helpers, though, cannot accompany her all the way and ultimately,
she must “go it alone”. Lillie’s
willingness to take responsibility for her error, leads her to the place where
she ultimately faces her own darkness and break the spell of fear.
EAST
OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON
TEACHER
REVIEW
MOTUS O dance theatre
presented an outstanding performance of an old legend which captured the
imaginations of all present. This
multi-layered show captivated children from grades 1 to 6 but also the adults
in the audience. All ages were
able to understand the story. Younger
children loved it because of the expressively colourful costuming, the powerful
music and the variety of characters. One of my grade 2 students wrote, “Gulumpa, the troll,
was…pretty scary looking at first but she was so funny.” Another student wrote, “In the story,
Lillie played with the Northern Lights.”
Older students enjoyed
the humour and dexterity of the four actors as they quickly transformed between
numerous characters. The
performance stretched their understanding of drama as they observed a natural
integration of all the art forms in a theatrical production. Adults loved the humour and sensitivity
with which the issues were handled.
MOTUS
O dance theatre lived up to its reputation in creating “works of physical
inventiveness that portray the human experience through humour and
pathos”. The original musical
score captivated the changing moods with precision. The play was riveting from beginning to end and the children
enjoyed asking questions of the performers after the show as they learned some
theatrical magic.
As
a teacher, I would highly recommend this show for grades 1- 6. In addition, older theatre students
would benefit greatly as MOTUS O dance theatre fully incorporates all the arts and
endeavors to seek original ways to communicate “the story”.
Margaret Boersma
Teacher
Aldergrove Public
School, Markham Ontario
MOTUS
O Dance Theatre Company
Presents
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Study
Guide
Background
☼ Classroom Activities ☼ Resources
About MOTUS O
It is strange to think how
an American gymnast, an Australian sheep shearer and a Canadian figure skater
could have their paths meet and eventually become Co-Artistic Directors of a
dance theatre company in Canada.
Yet, as it turns out, that diversity has become the essence of MOTUS O. The Artistic Directors of MOTUS O,
Cynthia Croker, James Croker and Jack Langenhuizen, have all been trained in
several artistic disciplines with decades of performing experience. Since their formation in 1990, MOTUS O
has created several full-length productions for both family and adult
audiences. The troupe continues to
tour nationally and internationally bringing with them their innovative and
highly visual works to both small and large communities alike.
About EAST OF THE SUN WEST
OF THE MOON
MOTUS O was approached by
playwright Eleanor Albanese from Thunder Bay, Ontario to collaborate on a new
show for young audiences. We were
very intrigued with Eleanor’s idea to adapt the Norwegian Folk Tale, East of the Sun, West of the
Moon.
Eleanor has spent her life
immersed in the arts with a focus in arts education, theatre arts and visual
arts. Her plays for young
audiences have toured nationally from coast to coast. Her fantastical adaptation of Pinocchio (first produced by
Toronto’s Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People) toured with Theatre New Brunswick
the winter of 2005.
Eleanor has also developed
plays for general audiences including The Novena Sisters, a radio drama, which
recently aired with CBC’s Little Italies Series. Her full- length drama The Two Rooms of Grace, which was included in
the 1999 International Women’s Playwrights Festival in Ireland.
Eleanor continues to work
with countless residencies and programs with Learning Through the Arts,
Lakehead University Dept. of Lifelong Learning, Magnus Theatre, Playwrights
Guild of Canada, Nunavut Arctic Teacher’s College and Kiviliq School of
Operations.
Synopsis of Story 
Nana tells a story to
her granddaughter Simone, who is trying to come to terms with the fact that her
mother is very ill with cancer. In
the Scandinavian story Nana tells of Lillie, a young girl from a very poor
family who agrees to live with a White Bear in exchange for financial provision
to buy medicine, food and clothing for her father, mother and sister Primrose.
Unbeknownst to Lillie,
the Bear is really a Prince who has been placed under a spell by Gulumpa, an
evil Troll. He is a Bear by day and a Prince by night. What Lillie doesn’t realize is that if
she stays with the Bear for 100 nights without looking upon the face of the
Prince, the spell will be broken.
One day out of
homesickness, Lillie goes back for a short visit to her family, who are now
rich and healthy. When Lillie
returns to the Bear’s home, she takes her mother’s ill-fated advice, lights a
candle in the night and looks upon the Prince’s face, thus losing her
opportunity to break the spell.
The Prince is whisked away against his will to the land of East of
the Sun, West of the
Moon
where he is now destined to marry the ugly Troll.
Lillie feels compelled
to find this faraway place and rescue the Prince. With the help of the winds, the troll’s servant, magical
objects, and her own strength and cunning, Lillie thwarts the Troll, breaks the
spell, and brings the Prince safely home.
CAST
OF CHARACTERS
Lisa Emmons: Lillie
Lara Bernstein: The Prince, White Bear, Lillie’s
Father, East Wind
Sarah Felschow: Simone, Primrose, The Northern Lights,
North Wind,
Gulumpa’s Servant
Cynthia Croker: Simone’s Nana, Lillie’s Mother, The
Northern Lights, A
Two-Headed Hag, West Wind,
Gulumpa the Troll
Pre-Show Information
and Activities
Themes/Issues
Explored in the Show
The Arts: Dance, Mask, Set and Costume Design
Language Arts: Storytelling, Folktales, Adventure and Quest
Tales
Guidance: Responsibility, Striving to reach a
goal, Loyalty,
Hope
Pre-show Discussion
Primary
Option #1: The Story
·
Ask
the children about folktales that they know
·
Talk
about the kinds of characters in these stories
·
Ask
what it means to go on an adventure. Have they been on an adventure? Do they
know stories about adventures?
·
Tell
them that they are going to see a show about a girl who goes on an adventure,
and that this show will use dance to tell the story.
·
Give
a brief summary of the story, without giving away the ending.
Option #2: The Dance
- Ask the children if
they take dance lessons. What kind? (Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Ethnic)
- Do they know any
dances that tell a story? (Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Indian Classical Dance,
First Nations Dance.)
- Ask how dance can tell
a story. Have them demonstrate how to express various emotions with their
bodies. (E.g. stamp a foot, use hands to say “go away”, “come here” etc.)
- Tell the children
that they are going to see a Dance/Drama, in which the story will be told
through dance and storytelling, aided by costumes, set, and props. ( give
definitions of each of these)
- Give a brief summary
of the story, without giving away the ending.
Junior:
Option #1: The Issues
of Responsibility, Loyalty and Hope
- Have they or any one
close to them, suffered a major illness or injury. What was it like for
the ill person and for the other members of the family? What kept them
hopeful that they or the other person would get better?
- What responsibilities
do they have to members of their family? Their community?
- What is meant by
loyalty? To whom do they owe loyalty?
- Tell them that they
will see a show about two young girls who are dealing with these issues.
One is a modern day person and the other is from a Folktale.
- Give them a brief
synopsis of the story, without giving away the ending.
Option #2: The Quest
Story
- Ask what it means to
Strive for a goal. Do they have any goals that they are striving toward?
How do they hope to reach them?
- Do they know any
stories of Quest, from their medieval studies or other sources? ( books,
movies, video games)
- What are some of the
elements of these kinds of stories? (heroic characters, a goal, a journey,
obstacles, tests, villains etc.)
- Do they know any
stories where the person on the quest is female?
- Introduce the story
of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and explain that it is the story of
a young girl who must go on a quest to fulfill a promise and rescue a
friend.
Option #3: The Dance
- Ask the children if
they take dance lessons. What kind? (Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Ethnic)
- Do they know any
dances that tell a story? (Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Indian Classical Dance,
First Nations Dance.)
- Explain how dance can
tell part of the story, express an emotion, or create a specific mood or
atmosphere. (ask for some examples)
- Tell the students
that they are going to see a Folktale that has been adapted to dance. Ask
them what artists might have worked on the show. (Choreographer,
designers, playwright, directors, dancers, etc.)
- Make a chart of these
roles, to be added to after the performance.
- Give a brief synopsis
of the story, without giving away the ending.
What to watch for
during the performance
Primary:
·
Watch
for a person who is going on an adventure
·
Who
helps her along the way?
·
The
different kinds of dancing in the show
·
The
different costumes that they see
Junior:
·
The
kind of dances are in the show? When the dance
is literal, telling the story, or when it is
abstract, expressing emotion or creating atmosphere.
·
How
do the dancers change from one character to another?
·
How
do the designer and the choreographer use material to create characters,
setting, mood etc?
Post Show Discussions
and Activities
Discussion
Primary
- Ask the children
content questions from
the play, to review the story. (plot, character,
setting)
- With the students,
make a list of the obstacles that Lillie meets on her adventure. Beside
each one, tell how she overcame the obstacles.
- Find out if they can
name the characters played by each of the dancers. (E.g. One dancer played
the bear, and the prince. Another played the Northern Lights, the West
Wind)
- Discuss how the
dancers moved and danced when they were feeling various emotions. (happy-quick,
light: sad-slow, heavy etc.)
- Recall how the
dancers changed from one character to another (costume, voice, body
language).
- Review the story and
the characters
Junior
- Discuss the elements
of a quest that are present in the story. (going on a journey, a goal to
be reached, obstacles to overcome, riddles to solve etc)
- What are the qualities of a
hero/heroine? List them and decide who in the story fits the criteria.
- Discuss Lillie as a
heroine, in the way she helps her family, attempts to rescue the prince,
and overcomes obstacles.
- Talk about how the
dancers used costume, body language, voice, to change from one character
to another
- Discuss how the style
of dance changed depending on the characters and the plot.
- Review times when the
dance is literal and when abstract.
- Discuss the use of
fabric, to create setting, props, etc.
- Recall how the music
was used to create mood, introduce specific characters etc.
Language Arts
Activities 
Primary
Create a Big Book
·
Have
each student draw a picture of their favorite character. Write the character’s
name and some descriptive words under the picture. Combine the pictures to
create a Big Book.
Create a Folktale
·
Make
a chart of the elements of a folktale with the following headings: good and bad
characters, obstacles, magic objects, spells, settings (in the woods, in a
castle, by the sea etc.)
·
Ask
the children to give examples from familiar stories, for each of the headings.
Add them to the chart
·
Have
children combine the elements from the chart to create new stories, and write
and illustrate their stories.
·
Choose
a folktale book from the library and tell the class about it.
Junior
Create a Quest
·
Make
a chart of the elements of a quest story
·
Have
the students fill in the chart, using the story of East of the Sun, West of
the Moon.
·
Repeat
the exercise using other familiar quest stories.
(Be sure to look at Quest Programs on the computer
or video game systems, and compare them to the quest in East of the Sun,
West of the Moon)
·
In
small groups, have them choose and combine elements from the chart to create
their own quest story.
·
Write
and illustrate their stories
Write-In-Role
·
Write
in role as characters from the story (e.g. Lillie writing home, the sisters
writing to Lillie; a newspaper interview with bear/prince after the event.)
The Arts 
Primary
- Have the children
move to different music selections, based on how the music makes them feel
- Have children move as
if they are characters from the play, feeling different emotions, and in
various circumstances. (in the wind, when happy, afraid etc.)
- Ask the children to
draw in the air, to the music, as Lillie did with her special paint brush.
Repeat the exercise as they paint or draw on paper.
- Have children draw
and cut out pictures of one of the characters from the play, East of
the Sun, West of the Moon. Attach the picture to a stick, ruler, or
straw.
Use these stick puppets to perform scenes from the
play, in groups of three.
Junior
Dance a Scene
·
In
small groups, choose a scene from East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and make a list of the
characters involved.
·
For
each of the characters, decide how that character will move. (fast/slow,
heavy/light, direct/indirect)
·
Use
movement and narration to act out the scene.
·
Make
masks to represent the various characters
·
Use
bits of fabrics to create costumes, props, and sets for the scene. (e.g. blue cloth for river)
·
Rehearse
and perform the scene through dance and storytelling, for the rest of the class
Create a Board Game
- In small groups, create
a Board Game, based on East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Create the
board, the playing pieces, and the activity cards. Write the rules of the game, and
exchange with other groups to play. Note: this could be a
computer activity, depending on equipment and skill level.
Specific Curriculum
Expectations
The following are some of
the Curricular Expectations relevant to the performance and follow-up
activities.
Language Arts:
Primary
- communicate ideas
(thoughts, feelings, experiences) for specific purposes
- listen and react to
stories and recount personal experiences;
- retell stories,
demonstrating an understanding of basic story structure and including
information about characters, action, and story ending;
Junior
- write materials that
show a growing ability to express their points of view and to reflect on
their own experiences
- produce pieces of
writing using a variety of forms ( letters, newspaper articles etc.)
- Read and respond to
folktales from a variety of cultures.
- ask questions on a
variety of topics and respond appropriately to the questions of others;
- communicate a main
idea about a topic and describe a short sequence of events;
The Arts: Dance
Primary
·
demonstrate
an understanding of a character's point of view through writing and speaking in
role, and through using body movement in role
- explain the
importance of symbols used in specific stories and dances;
- create works of drama
and dance, using appropriate elements
Junior
- create, rehearse, and
present drama and dance works to communicate the meaning of poems,
stories, paintings, myths, and other source material
- identify the significance
of symbols in dance explorations, and use various props appropriately.
- evaluate drama and
dance performances, with reference to their own experiences in daily life
Additional Curriculum
Connections 
Geography
Research the countries of
Scandinavia, where the story takes place.
Find out about the history
and geography, and how this compares to the Canadian North
Map Lillie's journey,
adding legend, terrain, stops along the way.
Science
Learn about Polar Bears
and their habitat
Research the Northern
Light- what are they? When do they appear?
Guidance
Explore:
- Family
responsibilities
- Loyalty and keeping
promises
- Striving for goals in
spite of obstacles
☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼
RESOURCES 
Print: all books
available from Amazon.ca
Apples from Heaven:
Multiculture Folktales About Stories and Storytellers
by Naomi Baltuck 1997
Straw into Gold: Books
and Activities About Folktales/Grades Prek-3
by Jan
Irving (Author), Robin
Currie (Author), Susie
Kropa (Illustrator)
Peace
Tales: World Folktales to Talk about
by Margaret Read MacDonald (Author) (Paperback - December 31, 1992)
Annotated Classic Fairy
Tales
by Maria
Tatar (Author): contains tales from Scandinavia
