Company Class

[Helene]

On a New York City Ballet thread, there was a discussion about how not taking company class (at least all the time) might have affected Sophie Flack's career. When doing a Google search, I found this interview in Time Out New York with Tom Gold, just before his retirement, and he comments on company class:

When did you stop taking company class?

When I first got in, I would take it all the time and Stanley’s on top of that. I think after seven years. The company class is so large. I feel bad for anyone who has to teach that class. Everyone comes in in the morning; they’re tired and it can be a free-for-all. It’s a social hour. People come in and they want to catch up with their friends, and they’re not always very focused and it’s hard for the teacher to find each person in the room to give corrections. It’s very loud, and I just felt like I couldn’t concentrate anymore. I needed something more one-on-one, more personal, more direct. I needed a place where I could take my work to the next level and to keep my integrity intact. That’s when I started to explore a little bit. Maggie Black made a point of going to each person, of stopping the class to correct you. There’s something very refreshing about going back to when you were a child, when you had that attention because when you’re in a large company, it’s sink or swim. You’re thrown out there—you’re given an opportunity and you have to make something of it. Sometimes all you get is one chance. I always want to be prepared, to look my best, so for me it really made sense to study with someone like Willie [burmann]. I needed some new information.

Do you think Balanchine’s classes were similar to Willie’s?

I don’t think so. From what I understand Balanchine’s class was more of his choreographic playground. Most of the dancers from that time said you had to do a class before you went into his class. I can’t even imagine that!

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/dance/...d-all-that-jazz

I found this a fascinating read. Given the limited number of hours in a dancer's day, especially at the end of the season when dancers are overworked and replacing fellow dancers who are injured, it makes a great deal of sense for them to invest that time in a daily class that keeps them at their best, which is not the same thing as being politic.

[bart]

Assuming Gold is accurate: What advantages are there for the COMPANY in having such a large, unwieldy, out of control and uneven "company class"? Why would they continue such an institution?

[Pointe1432]

Thanks for posting that Helene!

When I first read Sophie's interview I thought nothing of her not taking company class all the time. Of all companies that don't count company class as mandatory I would think nothing of a dancer in New York seeking out any number of the great classes there. It can be an entirely different situation in cities where those classes were not available and you felt like you needed something more, or simply different.

It also crossed my mind that often times, spoken and unspoken, dancers in company class stand somewhat according to rank. In any company class I've taken, if a principal dancer wants to stand in front - they stand in front. Not because it's a power trip, but because ultimately more people are watching them for any little mistake. Though I won't lie, I've definitely seen it as a power trip too!

And these were companies with a third the number of dancers NYCB has, I can only imagine navigating a class that size and after years of it needing to seek out something else.

I for one applaud those who can function in that environment as well as those who recognize that they can't and find an alternative.

[volcanohunter]

It never even occurred to me that a company as large as City Ballet would have a single company class.

When I visited some opera houses in the waning days of the Soviet Union, what struck me was the strongly hierarchical structure of the ballet companies, which extended to class. Principals and soloists would take class first, and dancers deemed soloist material seemed to be placed in this class almost immediately, and after them the corps would come and do their class. Furthermore, other teachers would lead additional classes simultaneously, for example, a mixed-rank class for women only or an analogous class for men. Certainly there was nothing free-for-all or social-hour about any of them.

Granted these companies were even larger than NYCB, but I can't imagine 70-80 dancers in class at the same time.

[duffster]

It is so true that dancers in a company class, stand somewhat according to rank. I remember in the center, starting with the adagio some principals, would take the same spot for years. Also some dancers would stake their claim, as to where they would stand at the barre. Pity the new dancer looking for an unclaimed spot there. I think every dancer goes through this, almost as a rite of passage. These things seem so trivial now but at that time,they were very important!

[Hans]

Some NYCB dancers also take the advanced classes at SAB. They don't really get corrections there as the teachers are focused on the students, but it isn't as crowded. It's also an opportunity for the men and women to have classes appropriate for their technical needs.

[Helene]

I used to donate $25/year to the school, which allowed me to watch one class a year. The first time, I watched Stanley Williams' advanced boys class, and there were several NYCB men there -- I remember Christopher Fleming -- and so was Darci Kistler, who was coming back from an injury. A lot of NYCB men have said in interviews that they returned to Stanley Williams' class; Gold notes that he once took Company class and Williams' class.

[bart]

The more I read, the more counterproductive the kind of classes described by Gold seem.

One would presume that a world-class company would want to get the most out of such classes. When the repertoire is extensively Balanchine, with its requirement for so much speed and detail, why wouldn't NYCB would want to make their classes the best possible?

Or is "company class" more in the line of a corporate ritual, a social event, a rite of passage, or something to be experienced for its own sake rather than for its results?

[Pointe1432]

I can't speak for NYCB's company class, as I have never taken one or watched one. But in my other experiences and discussions with dancers from various companies, company classes vary greatly and the tone and purpose is set by artistic administration.

I've worked with companies where class was simply a warmup and nothing more. It rarely involved anything challenging (though you could modify combinations for more of a challenge ie adding beats etc...), and rarely were any corrections given out let alone personal ones.

Then there are those like the few I took with Ms. Farrell where the whole class was a challenge both mental and physical. It was about pushing your limits and bounderies. Sometimes I was simply proud of myself for executing a mentally combination at all, but I am sure I looked wretched doing it!

Then of course there are a few company classes that operate as though you are still constantly training your body. In classes like these I would regularly get personal corrections.

Overall I think they all have their place. Lord knows there are times I would really like the help personal corrections can give you, but there are always those days where you just want to warmup and move on!

[cinnamonswirl]

The more I read, the more counterproductive the kind of classes described by Gold seem.

One would presume that a world-class company would want to get the most out of such classes. When the repertoire is extensively Balanchine, with its requirement for so much speed and detail, why wouldn't NYCB would want to make their classes the best possible?

Or is "company class" more in the line of a corporate ritual, a social event, a rite of passage, or something to be experienced for its own sake rather than for its results?

Company class is absolutely a rite of passage for young dancers, as duffster said. For example, Baryshnikov sometimes takes class at City Ballet, and he always stands in the same place at the barre. It's also a thrill/inspiring to watch the more experienced dancers and know that you are in the same company as they are, taking the same class.

Perhaps at NYCB class has become more of a ritual now that Balanchine is no longer using it it try out steps and dancers, but at other (American) companies, especially smaller ones, company class remains extremely important.

I have the impression (perhaps wrongly) that in Europe it is somewhat unusual for dancers to seek out classes from outside the company. I seem to remember reading an interview with Roberto Bolle in which he said the class he took at Steps when he came to partner Alessandra Ferri for her farewell was the first ballet class he'd paid for since becoming a professional.

I do wonder how NYCB's class could realistically be improved. The most obvious answer is to make the class smaller, which would allow for the teacher to give individual corrections and to tailor the combinations to what the dancers need. But I expect that would be extremely challenging scheduling wise, both in terms of dancers and studio space. How to divide the classes would also be a question. NYCB is less hierarchical than most of the big European companies. And from a teaching perspective, it is preferable to put dancers with similar needs in the same class.

[Hans]

NYCB has, as far as I know, more than one studio, so they could (in theory) hold several classes with different teachers--maybe a general warm-up class, men's and women's technique classes focusing on personal corrections and technical maintenance and development, and then a challenging classe de perfection at the same time, before rehearsals begin, and the dancers could choose what they need that day regardless of rank. Of course, this does not factor in things like paying more teachers and more pianists, or any other issues I may not be aware of.

[kdubzz]

I think that NYCB's philosophy of being "non-star-driven" may partially explain why they don't follow a more European model of having separate company classes for dancers of differing ranks. There is a video on the Royal Opera House website that follows Royal Ballet first soloist Yuhui Choe around for a single 'typical' work day (the video is also up on youtube, fyi) and I noticed that in the video, the company class that Choe takes in the morning is quite small - maybe only ten or fifteen dancers tops - and seems to be comprised only of soloists (Steven McRae is amongst those in the class with her, before his promotion to Principal). Also worth noting is that some companies, such as Miami City Ballet, have made company class a 'mandatory' daily activity. In the case of MCB, I think that this practice has paid off, as the company displays an impressive stylistic cohesiveness.

I remember in the late 90's reading a piece by a particular critic (Arlene Croce perhaps?) that attempted to make a connection between NYCB's more relaxed attitude towards company class following Balanchine's death and what the critic perceived to be the subsequent decline in the quality and strength of the dancers' technique -- particularly that of the corps. I personally feel that this connection may have been overstated, as by all accounts (as noted in the Gold interview and in a number of other sources including Kirkland's first book and Merrill Ashley's autobiography), Balanchine's class was not an environment in which a dancer could necessarily obtain the kind of conditioning necessary to keep up with the company's heavy rehearsal and performance schedule. On any given day or week, Mr. B's class would obsessively focus on a particular step or theory and the dancers would undoubtedly learn a great deal from the lesson. On a practical basis, though, the class failed to offer the opportunity to adequately warm one's muscles or develop/maintain the kind of strength and stamina that a professional dancer requires. This posed a challenge to many company members at the time, as Mr. B discouraged the dancers from taking class elsewhere, thus forcing them to sneak around to work with other teachers. Repeated absence from Mr. B's class could also lead to a dancer falling out of favor when it came to casting.

Still, though, I agree with the others who have suggested that today's NYCB could benefit from dividing up the daily class in some fashion, as I'm certain that Gold wasn't alone in his frustrations and that the issues he experienced have not been resolved since his retirement.

[Helene]

Melissa Hayden wrote that, to her dismay, when Suzanne Farrell was having knee problems, Balanchine dropped a number of jumps from company class, because she questioned how the dancers could maintain their technique.

Balanchine wasn't the only company director to discourage or prohibit dancers from seeking outside coaching. Fonteyn and Ashton had to sneak to Vera Volkova's class, which, luckily, they did.

[Gina Ness]

During my years at San Francisco Ballet (1972-1985), we had separate men's and women's class. We had many wonderful guest instructors during this era: Erik Bruhn, Terry Westmoreland and Brian Shaw (Royal Ballet company instructors), and Richard Gibson to name a few superb teachers brought in on a regular basis. Lew Christensen would teach rarely (I have to admit his was not my favorite class), Michael Smuin occasionally (loved Michael!), and sometimes teachers from San Francisco Ballet School would give our classes. Company class was mandatory in this way: Michael Smuin wanted his dancers to take class! He was fine with dancers taking outside classes as long as he was informed that they were taking class. I really thought this was great! Sometimes, if I was dancing something really difficult (like first movement Symphony in C principal) etc., where I really needed to be "over my leg" so to speak, I liked taking class from Yehuda Maor at Dancer's Stage. He got me where I knew I needed to be later that day! Our SFB company classes were very focused and individual correction given on occasion. Really, a very high standard was placed on class at the studios...At the theater, it was different. Before a matinee, company class would be on stage, combined men and women...the whole company plus apprentices. It was a good class, but treated as a class/warm-up for the matinee. Getting the body warmed and ready for performance! For the evening performances, a barre was always offered. I definitely felt that the management really tried their best to provide excellent training for the company dancers during this era at SFB. Professional dancers have different needs than students. Sometimes, teachers that work primarily with aspiring students can be intimidated by teaching professional dancers. I know this for a fact!