Ballet

From the First Plie to Mastery, An Eight-Year Course

Anna Paskevska

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136612978
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Dance

First published in 2002. A step by step guide to ballet technique for the beginning dancer, perfect for dancers aged five to fifteen years old or for the adult beginner, this book is designed as a to compliment to a beginning student's ballet training. It opens with a brief description of the benefits of ballet training to young dancers and then introduces fundamentals and precepts of the technique. Clear photographs show exactly how to execute each movement. Then an eight-year course is presented taking the student from age 5 or 6 to teen years, outlining exactly what is to be taught and how it is to be performed. A glossary, bibliography and discography close the book. Young girls and boys are drawn to ballet training as a way of developing healthy musculature and bones, building an aesthetic awareness and enhancing body image. Paskevska believes that- when perfumed correctly- ballet can provide a life-time of artistic and physical pleasure. Shunning flashy technique, this book offers a solid grounding in the basics of ballet movement that will serve the student well, whether or not they continue training. Through her comprehensive examination of the how, why and when of performing basic ballet techniques. Paskevska offers a concise and easy-to-follow regimen for everyone. For ballet students, their parents and their teachers, this book is an invaluable first step toward enjoying dance and excelling as a dancer.

PART ONE

Use and Benefits of Classical Training

INTRODUCTION TO BALLET TECHNIQUE

This book is intended as a resource guide for teachers and would-be teachers of ballet, and modern dancers/teachers who want to gain a deeper understanding of the process of classical training.

While the relevancy of this work to ballet teachers is obvious, it may not be quite so clear in the case of modern teachers. All too often ballet is perceived primarily as a style, a perception that becomes a barrier to full appreciation of the technique. Before style, there is technique. Ballet is a system of physical education that fosters control, awareness, flexibility, and strength. It develops the musculature and maintains the physique in such an efficient and all-encompassing manner that all dancers can benefit from an involvement in the form. Indeed, a growing number of modern dancers take ballet classes and find them helpful in improving and maintaining their technique.

When stylistic differences are put aside, it is possible to look at all of today's dance disciplines in terms of their common contribution toward a specific goal: development of a supple musculature that will be responsive to choreographic demands. A thorough mastery of one idiom allows a dancer to adapt to a wide variety of different styles, as Nureyev and Baryshnikov have demonstrated by performing in works by José Limón, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp.

Contemporary choreographers no longer work within the narrow confines of a single idiom, but use steps and configurations from all disciplines. Although it cannot be denied that the classical technique imposes a unique style, it is possible to transcend style and gain the physical benefits that ballet training offers.

The process through which ballet training achieves its goal is simple, albeit long in duration. The early years address control over the large, superficial muscle groups, like the quadriceps, but as training continues it calls into play the deeper muscle groups. The development of the inner musculature allows for an ever-increasing refinement in execution; the motions originate close to one's center and radiate outward through the limbs, rather than being initiated by the surface musculature. The classical technique provides the means to achieve subtle weight transference, centering, and managing the weight mass around the center of gravity when in motion. It also enhances the illusion one creates with movement—making the body appear light or heavy, or prolonging the time at the apex of a jump. Because these concerns are shared by all dancers, I hope that this book will prove useful to the modern dancer and teacher.

TERMINOLOGY

Before addressing the question of how the material in this book can be used, certain terms that are used throughout the text need to be defined. Terms not found here can be found in the glossary.

General

Craft and Technique. These two terms are often synonymous. They describe the totality of dance training. As students progress through the curriculum, they acquire proficiency in the technique or they learn the craft. Additionally, technique can refer to the correct execution of the steps and exercises of ballet, while craft presumes a broader knowledge, one that includes a familiarity with the history of dance as well as an appreciation of anatomy and kinesiology.

Style. The classical technique imposes a certain generic style because it requires a specific stance. The lengthening of the spine, the uplifted carriage of the head, and the turn-out of the legs all contribute to the “ballet look.” In these pages, I use the word “style” to contrast with “technique.” Style in this sense becomes a choreographic choice. We can talk about the Romantic style, characterized by a softness in the use of the arms and an emphasis on the ethereal. We can also contrast the Kirov and the Bolshoi styles. The former tends toward a lyrical interpretation, while the latter is broader and more athletic in its expression. Closer to home we have the Balanchine style, which distinguishes the dancers of the New York City Ballet from, for example, the dancers of the Joffrey Ballet. Thus, a style is not a method of training, but a particular interpretation of the classical technique, which usually emphasizes or exaggerates certain aspects of the technique.

Line. Like the term “conformation,” which is used by breeders to describe dogs and horses, line attests to the training a dancer has received. The classical line requires a balance between body and limbs that conforms to the aesthetics of the technique. This subject will be discussed in greater detail in “Precepts of the Technique.”

Principles. The underlying reasons that govern all classical movements. Generally, a principle is based on two considerations: aesthetic and physical. For example, head positions were devised with the audience as the focal point. Thus, the head turns this way and that in order to preserve the contact with the public—an aesthetic consideration. Additionally, the placement of the head helps to maintain equilibrium; therefore in many positions the head is tilted toward the supporting side—a physical consideration.

Vocabulary. All the steps of the technique. A glossary that defines all the vocabulary used in the book is provided.

Placement and Alignment. Although they may appear to describe the same thing, I use the word “placement” specifically to denote the balletic stance, whereas “alignment” refers to the configuration of bone upon bone in a more general way.

Form. Used not only to describe the shape of the movement, but also to define idiom. We are moving toward a homogenizing of dance techniques. It makes sense to discuss specific forms or idioms rather than compartmentalize ballet into sharp categories, such as classical, neoclassical, contemporary ballet, and so on.

Specialized

Arms. I have numbered the positions of the arms and port de bras in a manner that seems logical. The term “allonge” is used to describe lengthened positions in which the palm of the hand faces downward. The term is always followed by a further qualification, as in allongé devant or allongé in 3rd position, when both arms extend toward the front, the upstage arm originating in 5th position and the downstage one in 1st (which represents the 3rd position).

Arabesques. Three arabesques are referred to in this book. These positions are further qualified by the terms croisée (crossed) and ouverte (open). In first arabesque, the same arm as the supporting leg is extended forward. In second arabesque, the opposite arm to the supporting leg is extended forward. In third arabesque, both arms are extended forward.

Coupé and cou-de-pied. Often mistakenly interchanged, they actually mean very different things. Coupé describes a cutting motion. Its path of travel is downward, like the blade of a guillotine. The purpose of coupé is to free the nonworking leg for motion. The weight of the body transfers to the leg that executed the coupé and the other leg opens in whatever direction is necessary to execute the step that follows.

By contrast, cou-de-pied is merely a position. It indicates a place on the supporting leg where the working leg is held, heel resting on the ankle of the supporting leg.

Fondu and plié. Sometimes interchanged, these terms lose their specific character. I always use fondu in its primary definition: a composite movement that includes a plié and a développé. On the other hand, plié refers to a bending of the supporting knees or knee.

THE PROGRESSION OF BALLET TRAINING

This course of study covers eight years. Each chapter lists the vocabulary for the year, discusses the focus or emphasis for that particular year of study, and provides a sample lesson. The course can be roughly divided into three levels: elementary for years one – four, intermediate for years five and six, and advanced for years seven and eight.

The first four years are the most critical in establishing good habits and setting the foundation for all future progress. At the intermediate level the focus shifts slightly to the acquistion of vocabulary. During the final two years of study, execution of the vocabulary is perfected. Many students never reach the advanced stage because of their physical limitations, although they may be familiar with the entire vocabulary. This is not to say that they are not very fine dancers. After intermediate level has been mastered, subsequent individual progress is conditioned by ability and talent.

The progression of ballet training parallels the physical and intellectual development of growing children. Before age seven, children perceive and can cope with only gross motor movements. They have neither the physical ability to hold a position nor the concentration to follow through in a series of motions. Although creative movement and preballet classes for children are useful in teaching rhythm, a degree of control, and use of imagery, no attempt should be made to teach ballet technique or introduce movements that could be injurious to the joints.

Between ages seven and ten, the body gains in strength as the mind acquires the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time. While the seven-year-old will probably forget to stretch the knee while thinking about pointing the toes, the eight-year-old will be able to do both, and the nine-year-old will further be able to correct the position of the arms. Instilling correct habits is the principal goal of the early years of training. In time, turning the head or placing the arms in a specific position in relation to a leg movement becomes automatic. Accordingly, positions are taught before transitions, single steps are mastered before they are linked in combination with other steps, the en face positions front, side, and back are clearly established before croisé, effacé, and écarté are introduced, and the first port de bras (from bras bas to 1st position, opening to 2nd, and returning to bras bas) is repeated to ensure correct basic use of the arms.

Through the years of training that are required to make a dancer, the acquisition of vocabulary is only one aspect of the total education. More importantly, the student builds musculature and develops a specific neuromuscular response, which make it possible to accelerate the acquisition of vocabulary after the initial four years of study.

APPLYING THE MATERIAL

Each sample class shows one instance in the use of the vocabulary slated for that year. During the first year or two, there will not be much variation in the individual lessons. Young children seem to respond well to routine and actually enjoy predictability. And, of course, the vocabulary is very limited, which precludes many “variations on the theme.” Nevertheless, if the teacher demands attention to detail and praises correct execution, the students soon accept the teacher's priorities and take pleasure in striving for correct form.

As vocabulary for performance incr...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• Preface
• Part One Use and Benefits of Classical Training
• Part Two Lessons
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography
• Selected Discography