The Ballet Companion: Ballet Companion

ISBN-13: 9780743264075

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Touchstone

Publication Date: 10-11-2005

Pages: 352

Product Dimensions: 7.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.20(d)

Eliza Gaynor Minden is the President of Gaynor Minden, the dancewear company. She is known as the "new face of dancewear" for her commitment—spread through her company's ad campaign—to helping dancers stay healthy and respect their bodies.

Read an Excerpt

The Ballet Companion

Fireside

Introduction

When Anna Pavlova was a young dancer in Russia, she faced stiV competition from a bevy of imported hotshot Italian ballerinas. With their tricked-out shoes and their formidable technique they performed marvels on full pointe: endless balances, dazzling pirouettes, even an unheard-of thirty-two fouettes. Pavlova toiled to make herself into a virtuosa in their mold.

Fortunately her teacher Pavel Gerdt advised her to leave oV the tricks and turns and focus on developing her own innate qualities: delicacy, lyricism, expressivity. In the end Pavlova triumphed as a Romantic dancer at a time when hard-boiled classicism was all the rage, and she went on to foment balletomania the world over. Of course, she never stopped working on her technique; she even got the greatest Italian ballet master of all, Enrico Cecchetti, to give private lessons to her and no one else. And she did adopt the newfangled Italian shoes (albeit doctored in her secret way), but not just for Xash or bravura. Pavlova did the opposite: she used pointework to convey achingly beautiful vulnerability.

Pavlova became a legend by tapping into her genius for self-expression rather than by technique alone. She cultivated her own eloquent "voice." And you can do the same even if you never set foot on a stage. Certainly executing steps well provides tremendous satisfaction. But ballet's joy lies not just in doing steps; it's in dancing them -- in the pleasure of expression through movement, of union with music, of singing with your body. I hope this book helps you not only in developing proficiency but also in discovering your voice.

The Ballet Companion offers a discussion of technique that is not just how to, but why. You already know what tendus are because you do them in class. But you may not realize why you do so many, or that the meaning of the word in French ("stretched") deWnes the quality of the movement, or that a famous choreographic passage, the opening of Balanchine's Theme and Variations, is based on them -- or how by perfecting your tendu you can improve your technique overall. Throughout the book, I connect the work you do in class to the bigger picture.

That picture, of course, includes performance. Looking as much as doing sparked my own love of ballet. My Wrst impressions were formed watching Fonteyn and Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Fracci, Makarova in Swan Lake, Kirkland in Giselle, and the opening night (a school night at that) of Balanchine's 1972 Stravinsky Festival with its landmark premieres. Granted, that's a hard act to follow, but every generation has its own superb dancers. Let today's inspire you.

In the back of this book you will Wnd a collection of choreographic "greatest hits" along with some of my favorites that are less well known. Go to the ballet as often as you can. If you can see a work repeatedly, that's even better. A second or third viewing reveals the craftsmanship in the choreography and lets you compare different interpretations. In deciding what you admire and what you don't, what you allow to influence you and what you reject, you will shape your own character as a dancer.

Sometimes the first step toward finding your voice is to realize that it's okay to have one. This book is generously sprinkled with nuggets of ballet history that show how often a distinctive choreographic or performing personality has inXuenced and enriched ballet. Things we take for granted today -- the one-act ballet, the tutu, the overhead lift, the blocked pointe shoe, even women dancing professionally -- all were innovations in their time and sometimes bitterly resisted. Dance history is full of skirmishes between rebels and traditionalists, but ultimately dance embraces new voices and rewards those who take risks.

As a student I was captivated by ballet history and contrived to write every school term paper I could on a ballet subject. An assignment on great Americans became an essay on Ted Shawn, an art history project a study of Diaghilev's collaborations. My poor logic professor asked for an example of a well-constructed argument and got a scathing critique of the dance program at Yale. I took great pleasure in using my obsession with dance as a means of enlivening schoolwork; you might, too.

Ballet history is delicious -- it's rich and glamorous and fun. It's also important for your dancing in a serious way. You develop an informed artistry when you understand why the Sylph holds her arms diVerently from the Sugar Plum Fairy, or why a Bournonville allegro must bounce along the way it does. Petipa and Ivanov's Swan Lake and Fokine's Dying Swan were choreographed only ten years apart and both feature swan-women in white, feathered tutus. But to dance Fokine like Petipa would be to miss the point. Fokine loathed -- among other things -- classicism's stale verticality and lack of expressivity, so his reforms included a liberation of the arms and upper body. This isn't a stylistic nicety; it's a wholly diVerent approach. We know about it from history: from his own manifesto and from the accounts of the dancers he trained.

I hope the historical tidbits in this book intrigue you enough so that you read more. Dancers' autobiographies are often delightful and engrossing. It's fascinating to read about your own familiar exercises and routines as they were in other times: in Imperial Russia or with the Ballets Russes or under Communism or for Balanchine. Some of the dancers' stories will surely resonate with you and contribute to the creation of your own dancing personality.

Ballet training rightly focuses on technique and artistry, but dancers are not indestructible, and they ignore their health at their peril. Ballet has become more overtly athletic. Although dancers still pretend not to sweat on stage, and still conceal their exertions under serene smiles, their bodies are being pushed and pulled as never before. Fortunately, there is now far more awareness and knowledge of dancers' health.

A whole new field of medicine has sprung up, and its practitioners have much to oVer on the subject of injury prevention and safe training. Eating disorders, once a shameful secret, are now brought into the sunlight for compassionate confrontation and cure. Cross training is widely recognized as a complement to class that can speed the process of building strength and flexibility. I have devoted an extensive section of this book to the healthy dancer.

Like a strong and flexible dancer, ballet itself is hardy. It phoenixed out of the aristocratic pomp of the Baroque age. Powdered wigs and snuV boxes are long gone, but ballet has endured and maintained its traditions -- vestiges of its royal origins -- while resiliently absorbing new ideas. From a boys-only club to the cult of the ballerina, from six-foot hoop skirts to nudity, from courtiers elaborately curtsying to the king to performances that incite antigovernment protest, throughout its rich history ballet has repeatedly remodeled itself and survived.

So go ahead: cultivate your technique, your voice, and your ideas. No great choreographer ever picked a boring dancer for a muse. Ballet needs distinctive personalities to inspire new choreographic genius, to make the classics fresh, and to keep the audience interested. Your self-expression may lead you beyond ballet to other forms of dance, or to the theater. You may become a choreographer, dance teacher, dance historian, dance doctor, dance critic, dance notator, dance photographer, dance administrator or, as I did, a pointe shoe designer. You may decide to be the next Martha Graham and invent a whole new dance language. In all these endeavors your ballet technique, along with your knowledge of ballet's traditions, is the foundation on which you build. And even in nondance pursuits, qualities you develop in the studio -- physical intelligence and confidence in your own voice -- will serve you very well outside it. I hope this book helps you in joyfully creating your foundation. I hope it encourages you to soar.

Getting Started

Selecting a Ballet School

Your mother says you danced in the crib. You love moving to music. Perhaps you want to perform. Perhaps performing is not for you, but the exhilaration of a well-executed tour jete in class is. Perhaps you've been advised to try it for medical reasons, to make you strong or improve your posture. Or maybe, like Alexandra Ansanelli, principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, you were knocked out cold on the soccer Weld and your parents wanted you in something safer. Whatever draws you to ballet, Wnding the right school will make all the diVerence to your experience.

In the United States anyone can hang out a shingle and call him- or herself a ballet teacher. There is no organization or governing body to license teachers and maintain standards. But there are many indicators of a school's merits. Here are some things to look for when considering where to study, many of which are described in more detail later in this book:

1. Teacher's Credentials

The instructor with the most glamorous and prestigious performing credentials may not be the best teacher. The ability to dance brilliantly is diVerent from the skills that make a great teacher: the ability to analyze, to break down steps, to explain, to inspire. Some people possess both performing and teaching abilities; some don't.

In France no one is allowed to teach without a state diploma. In the United States, the Cecchetti Society, the Cecchetti Council of America, and the London-based Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) are highly respected institutions whose founders cared deeply about how ballet is taught. Teachers who have been trained through these organizations have learned a well-established syllabus -- a known commodity with a proven track record of providing safe, solid, classical training. These are by no means the only good choices. There are other major training systems (see Major Schools of Ballet, page 63) that certainly produce excellent teachers, too. Don't be shy about asking about your teachers' backgrounds.

2. Pure Classical Ballet Technique

A school that oVers nonballet classes such as jazz, modern, or tap is a plus, but if you want to learn ballet, the school's focus should be on classical ballet technique. Your classes should be pure ballet, not a hybrid.

3. Progressive Training and Syllabus

Before attempting the thirty-two fouettes in Swan Lake you must master the single pirouette, but before you can do that you must be able to balance in retire on demi-pointe, and to do that you must have developed control of your turnout. In the best schools, students progress from one level to the next by mastering skills in a logical order. Ideally your school follows a graded syllabus that is informed, at least in part, by the philosophy of one of the major training systems. A syllabus helps ensure that nothing is left out and that there is a solid foundation of strength and technique on which to build in a safe, sensible way.

Some schools divide students into many levels; often each has its own leotard color, and the higher levels usually require more frequent attendance. The R.A.D. and Cecchetti systems oVer examinations that students pass before moving up to the next grade. Other schools are more informal, have looser attendance requirements, and simply designate students as beginner, intermediate, or advanced. The important thing is careful, progressive training in a pleasant environment in which you are comfortable.

4. Attitude

A ballet school should exude a disciplined and serious but cheerful atmosphere. (See What Class Expects of You, page 11.) Students should be well groomed, neatly dressed, and display good studio etiquette. Sweatpants and other loose, concealing garb should not be allowed. (See Studio Attire, page 11.)

5. Forcing Turnout and Extension

Rotation of the leg in the hip socket so that the knees and feet point out to the side rather than to the front is essential for classical ballet. A turnout of 180 degrees is most desirable but rarely achieved. Forcing it can damage knees, hips, or ankles. A careful teacher will try to help her students achieve the desired Xexibility by working within the range of a student's potential turnout and without putting the joints at risk. If students are struggling to achieve a perfect heel-to-toe-toe-to-heel fifth position, and are unable to straighten their knees or hold the knees over the toes correctly, they are forcing turnout. (See Alignment, page 78.)

6. Pointe Shoes

At what age are the girls allowed to go on pointe? Starting too young can cause injury; a lot of very little girls in pointe shoes is a red Xag. Ideally pointe class is not an option but, at the appropriate level, part of the training. (See When to Begin Pointework, page 17.)

7. Facilities

The ideal space is large, open, airy, well ventilated, with high ceilings, a good Xoor, no obstructing pillars or pipes, and plenty of mirrors. The best studio Xoors are "sprung" (meaning there is air space underneath) wood and covered with a nonslip surface. Things should be clean and neat, especially the dressing rooms. A piano indicates a real accompanist instead of recorded music. This can be a tremendous enhancement, though not a requisite; plenty of schools do just Wne with recorded music.

8. Health and Safety

Good ballet training improves your body and your self-esteem. Bad training can have the opposite eVect. Beware of a teacher who pooh-poohs health and injury prevention; she may well have a long, sad history of injured pupils. If most of the class has tendinitis at the end of term, think twice about what's going on. Sick or injured dancers can neither create art nor experience the joy of dancing.

9. Weight

When assessing the health and safety-consciousness of a school, ask yourself whether the students look happy and healthy. Are they lean, bright-eyed, and eager, or are they frighteningly thin and joyless? How much emphasis is being placed on being thin? (See Body Esteem, page 214.)

10. Competition

Is the emphasis on progressive training or on competitions? Performing experience is valuable and should be encouraged, but in the long run an overemphasis on rehearsing for a competition can be a distraction from building solid technique.

Choosing Your Level of Commitment

You get out of ballet what you put into it. Ballet rewards both the ballerina who basks in a standing ovation at Lincoln Center and the ardent amateur who is thrilled to have just done her first double pique turn. If your ambition is to become a professional dancer, your training will follow a certain exceptionally rigorous path -- especially if you hope to dance classical ballet roles with a major company. If you are reconciled to not dancing Swan Lake at Covent Garden but still entertain the idea of a dance career, then you have a little more Xexibility in the number and in the types of classes you choose. If you are lucky enough to study ballet for the sheer joy of it, and because there is nothing like the satisfaction of having had a terrific class, then you have more options still.

Many schools offer performance opportunities in recitals, workshops, or, often, a production of The Nutcracker. These can be great fun, and wonderful experiences. But be warned that auditions, rehearsals, and performances add signifcantly to the amount of time that you devote to ballet. Sometimes there are extra costs, too, such as costume rentals or new pointe shoes. Some schools require that you attend a minimum number of classes each week in order to participate. And if you do, you will be expected to be at every rehearsal and every performance.

Girls with professional aspirations, at about age twelve, usually in the third or fourth year of training, take class Wve or six days a week, often more than one class a day. Or they may put in the same number of hours with longer classes over fewer days. That's a lot of time and still more if there are rehearsals, too, plus the daily trek to and from the studio. Serious preprofessional training is also expensive. In addition to tuition there is the cost of practice clothes, shoes, and perhaps summer programs as well.

To make it to the highest levels in professional ballet, you should be dancing full time during the years when most people finish high school and go to college. Ballet careers are short, and those years are formative and crucial: your youthful vigor, resilience, and strength are at their peak, your body can best absorb advanced ballet technique and you can most easily adapt to an artistic director's vision and a company's style. This presents a diYcult choice for dancers' parents (usually the dancer knows that there is nothing in the world she would rather do than dance).

Forgoing or postponing higher education is not always a requisite for a professional career. Many colleges and universities oVer excellent dance programs, some with prominent choreographers in residence. Conservatories such as Juilliard produce world-class dancers who also have solid academic backgrounds. Modern dancers can often start later than ballet dancers, as can musical theater dancers. Plenty of companies require that their dancers have a good command of ballet but not that they be virtuosi -- either because the repertory is not the most technically demanding or because it is not limited to ballet. Being a charismatic performer who can also handle modern or jazz sometimes counts for more than pure ballet technique.

Top-notch training and all the other benefits of ballet are available even to dancers without professional ambitions. Many schools, including some professional conservatories with "open divisions" (programs that do not require you to commit to the preprofessional track and allow you to enroll in fewer classes), oVer excellent classes for students who want to dance for the sake of dancing. Most schools don't turn away the once-a-week dancer; just know that it isn't realistic to expect progress beyond the basics if that's all the time you can allow. To improve your technique, you must take at least two classes a week. Three is better. Most schools require regular attendance at several classes a week in order to begin pointework.

Even if you don't intend to dance professionally, there are reasons to make the commitment to frequent if not daily classes. Ballet class gives your day structure and focus. Patient, daily study pays oV not only in what it does for your technique. The applied discipline it takes will help you tackle other tasks in other areas of your life. It makes you stand out on college applications, too. But watch out: ballet class can be addictive. You may Wnd that your problem isn't taking too few classes but wanting to take too many.

Ballet Moms and Dads: Sine Qua Non

Behind almost any successful dancer are devoted, supportive people who sacriWce to make ballet dreams come true. Your parents and family pay for all those classes and for all that special ballet gear. They drive you to lessons and rehearsals whether they're around the block or in another state, and they often wait in the lobby while you get to dance. They give up weekends and family vacations, sew costumes, and sell tickets for school performances. Their holiday celebrations have to accommodate your Nutcracker rehearsals, and they never miss the show. Mom's the shoulder you cry on and Dad's your biggest fan. It's a ton of work, and your commitment becomes theirs as well.

What to Expect of Class

Ballet classes last from one to two hours and are divided into two parts, barre and center. Exercises at the barre warm up and strengthen your muscles and help you practice the basic movements of ballet. Center work usually starts with stationary exercises, progresses to combinations that travel, then moves on to leaps and turns "across the Xoor," often along the diagonal from a back corner to a front one. The exercises vary from lesson to lesson, but always follow the same general order and build logically.

Levels

Ballet students are grouped in classes according to skill level and/or age. In large schools, they are sometimes grouped by sex. When enrolling at a new school, tell the registrar where you've studied, for how long, and how often. "Advanced Beginner" may mean different things at different studios. New students are often obliged to take a placement class to determine the appropriate level.

There is a good reason for this. Technique can only build progressively. If you're in a class over your head, you won't improve and you may be in the way. It's okay to challenge yourself with a harder-than-usual class, and it's tremendously inspiring to work alongside really good dancers, but the class is meant for the students at that level and you should defer to them. If you're an advanced student in a more elementary class, do demonstrate the steps if the teacher asks you to, but keep in mind that it's the beginning students' class.

Learning Combinations

Combinations can be tricky for beginners. Learning them has less to do with intelligence or a good memory than with concentration and focus. You don't learn steps with your mind alone; your muscles must learn them, too. Deliberate and continuous repetition ingrains movement patterns into your body and develops "kinesthetic memory." Be patient: mastering steps takes time and practice. The best way to pick up a combination is to mark it as the teacher gives it (see page 16). Certain steps are frequently combined. For example, sissonne tombee often precedes pas de bourree, glissade, and grand jete. The more you do these steps in familiar sequences, the more you can think of them as phrases that come automatically rather than as individual words.

The Teacher

Your teacher observes and offers corrections, sometimes as you are dancing, sometimes in between combinations. To keep the class moving and students' muscles warm, pauses between exercises are kept to a minimum. Don't interrupt the teacher. If you're lost when everyone else knows the steps, try to learn them by watching the others dance. In your regular class with your regular teacher, it's okay to raise your hand and ask a question if the answer would beneWt the whole group; it's not okay if the question pertains only to you. See your teacher privately after class if you need help or advice.

Expect physical contact in ballet class. It's often helpful for a student to feel an instruction as well as to hear it, so don't be surprised if your teacher touches you to correct your placement or your line: it's essential and it's absolutely professional. It is inappropriate, and never necessary, for a teacher to touch breasts or private parts. But your arms, hands, feet, ankles, knees, ribs, shoulders, abdomen, and even your jaw or hip bones may all be adjusted. One of my teachers favored a stick for this purpose, as do many others.

What Class Expects of You

In today's world of instant informality and less than perfect manners, ballet class provides an oasis of true courtesy and dignity, a remnant of the royal decorum of the Baroque age. Studio etiquette may seem mysterious at Wrst, but its importance soon becomes apparent. You are creating an environment conducive to learning, and you are physically demonstrating the esteem in which you hold your art, your teacher, and your fellow students.

Considerate, respectful behavior is expected. Courtesy is especially important for performing artists; putting a show on stage requires cooperation among directors, managers, performers, technical crew, and front-of-house staff. A performance is a complicated machine with a lot of moving parts, and politeness is the essential lubricant.

Be on time. Arriving late disturbs other students. Your teacher has carefully planned the class so that it builds on the exercises done at the beginning. If you must be late, ask permission to enter (you can do this with eye contact and a hopeful and contrite look). Locate a spot at the barre before walking into the room, and take your place quickly and quietly. Do a few plies on your own to warm up. It's especially important that you not try to sneak in unobserved after roll call. If the teacher does not note your presence, your attendance record looks bad and that can make all the diVerence in when you are allowed to go on pointe or how you are cast in a production.

Be neat. Keep your hair off your face and neck. Hair that moves is a distraction. It should be tight against your head so that you can spot freely. If it's long, fasten it securely in a bun or French twist. (See Ballet Bun, page 28.) Ponytails and long braids are hazardous; they could smack you or someone else.

A general rule: Don't wear jewelry in the studio. It could Xy oV or stick someone, especially in a partnering class. Small stud earrings are allowed in some studios, but never dangling earrings, bracelets, large necklaces, or a wristwatch. Dark or bright red nail polish looks creepy on stage and for that reason it is often prohibited in class as well.

Be clean. Respecting others means wearing clean clothes and sweet-smelling shoes, and attending to your personal hygiene. Air out your shoes between classes. Shower before class and use antiperspirant or deodorant; keep some tucked in your bag as well. Avoid strong perfumes or cologne. What smells Wne to you may be overpowering to someone else.

Dress the part. Follow the dress code. The intention is not to quash individuality but to enable the teacher to see clearly. Even if there is no uniform, don't wear wild outWts or hide under layers of clothing. Wear clothes that show you are ready to take class. This not only sends a message to the teacher about your seriousness, it also sends a message to yourself. You will dance better if you are properly dressed for class.

Mind your manners. Dancers are ladies and gentlemen. They are polite. They don't lean against the wall or on the barre, and they don't sit down unless directed to do so. They wouldn't dream of chewing gum in class.

It is a privilege to have live piano or other instrumental accompaniment rather than recorded music. Treat the accompanist with the utmost respect, and never lean on the piano, use it as a barre, or place things on it.

Rudeness to teachers or the accompanist is unthinkable in ballet; you could be dismissed from class or even expelled from the school. Yawning, talking, whispering, or having private giggles with your friends counts as rudeness.

Pay attention. You're there to work, so watch and listen, especially when the combination is given. Some teachers may not show it twice.

Stash your stuff. Your school may well be so honest that you can blithely leave your dance bag unattended in the dressing room. Sadly, that's not the case everywhere. Especially in big cities, your dance bag goes with you into the studio. Look for the pile of dance bags and place yours with it, making sure it is safely out of the path of dancers. In crowded, unfamiliar studios put it where you can keep an eye on it.

Do the combination as given, and do it in its entirety. If everyone is doing one thing and you've decided to "improve" it, it's not only a distraction, it's downright disrespectful to your teacher. There are exceptions: a teacher might ask more advanced students to do a combination on demi-pointe or to add beats. If there are steps you must modify because of a physical condition, speak to the teacher beforehand so it isn't a surprise to her.

Always finish every combination. Even if you Xub it completely, the discipline of ballet requires that you Wnish it, and Wnish it with as much poise as you can. Sighing, making faces, or otherwise showing your frustration or other emotions is inappropriate.

Know where to stand. If you're new in class, notice whether the other dancers have set places at the barre. Dancers are as territorial as lions, so try not to displace anyone. The teacher may suggest a spot for you. Otherwise, Wnd an empty place, ask your neighbors if there's room, and settle in. You need to be able to extend your leg in grand battement as far as it can go both front and back without whacking the person next to you. If there isn't enough room, angle out when doing extensions.

If there are portable barres in class, help set them up and remove