Victoria Leigh

I don't know the origins either, but I call it Cecchetti 3rd arabesque to differentiate it from Vaganova 3rd arabesque, which we also use, actually a lot more than the Cecchetti. The arabesques get confusing because they are different after 1st and 2nd. Arabesque à deux bras makes sense to me, but I'm not sure, as it does not show up in my book as either the French School or the Russian School. The French School seems to have only the croisée arabesque (like Vaganova 4th) and the arabesque ouverte, and the Russian, or Vaganova arabesques show 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. None of them have the two arms front except the Cecchetti 3rd and 5th.

I don't really believe in "the" greatest anyone, but because I voted "Other", I must say Tudor!

How lovely, Ed! Thank you

Thank you! Yes, I agree that she is definitely a most positive advertisement for the good effects of ballet training! However, I would stress that it was also her own work ethic and exceptional intelligence that made the difference...along with good training, of course

Chelsea was an excellent student. Her progress in the years at WSB was in direct relationship to her intelligence, focus, and commitment. She made major changes in her physical appearance, and I think the training contributed greatly to her overall grace and aplomb as she matured into a very elegant young woman. She achieved the Release Time program and danced in Waltz of the Flowers in the WB's Nutcracker, in addition to her role as the Favorite Aunt. While she knew she did not have the physical facility for a classical dancer, she worked at it with the same determination and intensity as those who did, and her progress was quite amazing. In addition, she was always a total delight to work with and to know. She was extremely popular with her peers as well as with the faculty, and it was because of who she is as a person, and not because she was the President's daughter. I had enormous respect for her, and feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to teach her and to know her.

Thank you, Joe We are all very proud of her!

It might be because he is busy choreographing something for WB right now

Ah, yes, it was on B'way after that. The one back in the 60's was 57th St.

The school was on 57th street, west of 8th Ave., not on a corner.

There is a review in the Houston Chronicle. I just put the link on the March 13 Links forum.

Amen to that, Mel, and I also agree totally with Alexandra's list. Dancers today are asked to go from a classical pas de deux to works of Forsythe or Taylor in the course of a single day. They are pushed for more and more, as Mel said, and some push themselves endlessly for the same thing. I'm certainly not against working for improvement, but question the constant push just to do more pirouettes and everything else with more quantity than quality. Another thing I have seen is principal dancers being overused, dancing too many works in one night, or too many works in one rep, while others are underused. The overworked get injured from overwork, and the underworked get injured from suddenly working a lot after not working enough. And, then there is the problem of too much too soon. A young talent pushed into big stardom in roles that are too demanding before they are ready for that much work, not to mention pressure. I loved reading, in Alymer's review of the Fred and Mr. B gala, about the wonderful dancer who was brought along to principal through the ranks and given the time to mature and develop, even though he was a gold medal winner while still in the corps.

Maryland Taxi, the Ballet Talk for Dancers forum is where these kind of questions should be asked. There is a parents forum there, which Mel and I moderate, along with some very experienced parents. thedriver, the performing experience in ballet will happen a bit later, but it will happen. While some of these lyrical, hip hop, etc., dancers may have more performing confidence, they very rarely have much technique, and none in classical ballet. These things are, IMO, a total waste of time, money, and energy. Put it into the classical training in a VERY GOOD SCHOOL.

Blond hair, when pulled back in a bun, or even in a "classical", like for Les Sylphides and lots of other ballets a while back, tends to look darker than when it is loose. Also, blonds often have to darken their hairline in order to make their faces look right on stage. The lights drain the hairline out with blonds, and makes them look bald, especially if they have a high forhead. I always had to do this when using a bun, but not with a "classical", where the hair comes forward over the ears and is not pulled straight back off of the face.

Variations from the classical repertoire were created for professional soloists and principal dancers. They are very difficult. Advanced students should learn them. Children should not. They are not ready technically to do that kind of work, and it is, for me, very painful to watch a young child trying to get through this kind of performance. I have no problem with advanced older teens who are ready for scholarship and work opportunities performing these works. But watching kids who probably should not even be on pointe, or who have been there for a very short time, trying to perform the works created for dancers of the caliber of top professionals is just not something that should be encouraged. Students of 11, 12, 13, and older need to be very busy learning to dance, not performing these works and spending most of their time in coaching and rehearsals for things they are not ready to do in the first place. And again, it's about winning. It's not about the art. Is this what we want to instill? How positive would you be about these things if your child had never won anything, including a scholarship? The Prix de Lausanne and YAGP do give scholarships, and that is a good thing. My objection is the very young ages of many of the contestants and the type of work they have them doing. My objection to competition in general has been stated many times on these boards, so I won't go into that any further.

Sounds like another version of YAGP. How in the world do they schedule classes for 11 year olds in the same category as 14 year olds? How do they expect to have 11 year olds doing classical variations? If this had been limited to seniors, especially those 16 and up, pehaps it might, IMO, have some validity. When you include children, it's just another competition, which means it's about winning, and that is just not what ballet is about. The only reason I can condone it for the older teens is that it might provide the potential for a job, and that is always valid. The idea of 11, 12, 13, and even 14 year olds doing classical variations made for soloists and principal dancers in professional companies is, to me, totally appalling. Think carefully about these competitions, parents. It would be lovely if they were a performance opportunity, to be seen by directors, for dancers ready to enter the professional world. Or perhaps even scholarships for study for those in the middle teens. But when there is an 11 to 19 year old age category, they are about making money. Period. Ballet is a performance art, not a sports competition.

Flo, you can park there at the KC, underneath. It is $15 now though. :angry: There is another garage up a little ways on Virginia Ave. which has a free shuttle to the KC. Not sure what they are charging now, but it has always been considerably less expensive, though certainly not as convenient. There is a nice restaurant upstairs in the KC, and also a cafeteria type restaurant up there which is not bad at all.

Silvy, they dance Giselle using the style of technique of the period when it was created, which is quite charming and wonderful! I loved it.

Thank you both for your kind comments. We are here for the purpose of helping and even teaching, and it is always really nice when it is appreciated

It is also HIGHLY recommended that all serious ballet students obtain a copy of Gail Grant's Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet, and/or Gretchen Ward Warren's magnificent book Classical Ballet Technique. The Gail Grant is very inexpensive, the Warren book relatively expensive but well worth it! They are both available through Amazon, and if you click on the link to Amazon, above, and order by going there from this site, the site receives a little tidbit of help!

Okay, Ed. Yes, I would focus on History for an academic course. Either the History of Dance or limit it specifically to the History of Ballet.

Ed, I don't quite understand. Are you going to teach them ballet, or just ABOUT ballet? History? Stories of ballets? Famous dancers and choreographers?

Saw it tonight and loved it! Charming, happy, wonderful music, GREAT sets, and some very fine dancing, especially by the men and one of the soloists, Silja Schandorff (who is a principal dancer, but was doing a soloist role tonight). She is doing the Sylph on Saturday night in La Sylphide and I so wish I was going to be in town to see it.

Well, that certainly never occurred to me, and I saw a lot of productions of West Side Story, including the original!

WHEN is it opening in the DC area??? :rolleyes:

Yes Rachel, they do make them. I purchased a new Sony dual tape deck just last year which has Pitch Control. (That is what you look for.) Not sure about CD players on the market now, but pretty sure they do exist. Try Circuit City, and ask for a machine with Pitch Control.