|
 Beyond
Technique
By Cheryl
Ossola
For
ballet students, learning about dance and art history builds
artistry.
“Ballet is not technique but a way of expression that comes
more closely to the inner language of man than any other.”
--George Borodin
“Who is
Rudolf Nureyev?” That’s a question that any ballet teacher
should cringe to hear from a student. What it reflects is a
disturbing gap in the knowledge of most ballet students. Dance
students today—in all genres—focus on formidable technique,
über-flexibility, and knock-’em-dead showmanship. Ballet
students know who Sylvie Guillem (the originator of the
six-o’clock second position) is and they’ve probably got
pictures of the latest heartthrob on their walls. After the
movie Center Stage came out, bunheads across North
America were sighing over American Ballet Theatre’s Ethan
Stiefel and Sascha Radetsky. But ask them who Michel Fokine,
Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, or George Balanchine is and
they’ll draw a blank.
What
today’s students lack is the deep knowledge about ballet that
forms the basis for artistry. Without a background in the whys
and whens of dance history—placed within the context of fine
art and music—students today do movement without comprehending
it. But when knowledge informs their dancing they leap to the
next level—from craftsperson to artist, if you will.
Ballet
teachers may cringe at the thought of more demands on their
time. The curriculum is tough enough; the kids aren’t
interested in history; there aren’t enough hours in the
day—all are valid arguments. But in giving students the best
training possible, the past cannot be ignored.
Think about
it like this. “I don’t think anyone who is painting doesn’t
know who Picasso or Rembrandt was,” says veteran ballet
teacher Lola de Avila. “I don’t think anybody who studies
piano doesn’t know who Mozart was. I don’t think you can
ignore Bach if you are going to be a musician. You cannot
ignore what is before— Balanchine in this country, [Maurice]
Béjart in Europe, or [Frederick] Ashton [in Britain].” De
Avila, who is serving as interim associate director of San
Francisco Ballet School (a position she held full-time from
1992 to 1999) while simultaneously directing Estudio Maria de
Avila in Zaragoza, Spain, has a foot in both ballet education
worlds—the private studio and the company-affiliated
school—and two cultures. And the problem, she says, is
widespread.
De Avila
makes another important point, emphasizing that although part
of learning about dance history is being exposed to different
styles—Bournonville, Balanchine, Petipa—that cannot happen
until a strong foundation has been laid. “In the [ballet]
vocabulary there are steps and combinations. If you teach a
language—and dance is no different than a language—you cannot
make phrases before you know
the fundamentals,” she says. “And when we are talking about
dance, our
 body
is our instrument, so we need to tune that instrument. After
that, you can teach a style.”
For that reason, she recommends that variations and styles
classes be limited to upper-level students. But should those
classes exist in every school? Absolutely.
So how can
ballet teachers fill the gap? How can they offer a complete
ballet education to their students? The options are many, and
not all of them place the burden of time and implementation on
the studio owner. Dance history can be taught in two ways: in
the course of classroom training and academically. As with
anything, teachers need to know themselves and their strengths
and recognize their limitations. Those who don’t feel capable
of discussing—not to mention demonstrating—the subtleties of
various styles need to job those tasks out to other staff
members or master teachers. When a studio owner’s goal is to
offer the best education possible, it stands to reason that it
won’t be a one-person effort. With thought and effort, any
ballet program, in any school, can make dance history part of
its curriculum.
In the
classroom
Teachers
can make dance history come alive for their students through
styles or variations classes; rehearsals of Romantic,
classical, and neoclassical choreography; and informal
explanations and comparisons during classes or rehearsals.
Ideally,
styles or variations (if you teach the classical repertory,
you are teaching styles) classes would be offered once a week,
but if that’s not possible, go to a more limited schedule.
Twice a month or even monthly is better than nothing. If
including them in the regular curriculum seems too difficult,
consider offering master classes in a particular style, taught
by guest teachers, on a quarterly basis.
Competition
teams and recitals eat up precious rehearsal time and may make
it seem impossible to expose students to the great masters’
works. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Consider
including a classical piece or two for upper-level students in
each recital. Or offer an optional dance-history workshop that
culminates in an informal performance, for families only. But
since the emphasis should be on exposing students to various
styles rather than polishing one variation to perfection, a
performance may be superfluous. The point is that the students
discover that épaulement is essential to Bournonville style;
that the head, arms, and torso are carried differently in
Giselle than in The Sleeping Beauty; and that the
fast footwork in many of Balanchine’s works necessitates not
putting the heels down as conventional teaching dictates.
Technology
has yielded one tool for passing on knowledge that is valuable
and limiting at the same time: dance videos. The documentation
they
 offer
is critical to the survival of dance works. Having students
watch a video of, for example, The
Royal Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty before
they start learning the Bluebird variation is a great idea—and
it’s an equally great opportunity to talk about how things
have changed over time, how what we consider to be Petipa
today is no doubt different from what was danced in the 19th
century. Videos can be dangerous if they are considered
gospel, if students are not taught that as ballets were handed
down from dancer to dancer their interpretations became part
of that history, and that as technique became more advanced,
changes were made to accommodate it. “You cannot start and end
with that tape,” says de Avila. “The teacher has to make her
own research and tell the students.”
In classes
and rehearsals, follow the lead of repetiteurs like the Paul
Taylor Dance Company’s Patrick Corbin (a former Taylor dancer
and now artistic director of CorbinDances), who makes a
connection to history whenever he can. “It’s important to know
where things come from. If I see a correlation between
something we’re doing and the overall Taylor experience, I
share that with them,” he says. Corbin works in the
modern-dance genre, but ballet is no different. If you set an
exercise or a phrase of choreography that derives from a
specific choreographer or style, tell your students that, and
explain why. Yes, it will take up minutes of valuable class or
rehearsal time, but it’s as important to your students’
education as being able to do a perfect fifth position.
Outside
the classroom
When
learning extends beyond the classroom, the responsibility
falls less on the school owner and more on students and
parents. For the serious ballet student who seeks artistry as
well as technique, dance training means more than taking class
and performing. The options for helping students achieve that
goal are many. Summer programs provide a wonderful opportunity
for schools to add dance history classes to their curriculum.
(Some that have done so include Boston Ballet School and
Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Others, like Walnut Hill
School for the Arts and San Francisco Ballet’s Trainee
Program, include dance history in their regular curriculums.)
In addition to the content they offer, such classes also
provide students with a much-needed break from a full day of
dancing.
Being
proactive about their own education is a valuable skill that
students who intend to dance professionally will use
throughout their careers. Many students think that once they
sign a
 company
contract all their hard work is over. Wrong. With no teachers
eagle-eyeing their every move and telling them what to do,
young dancers face taking responsibility for their own
artistic development. “Anyone who dances Aurora in The
Sleeping Beauty—the coach will give you certain things,
but you’d better do your research by yourself,” says de Avila.
“And by research I don’t mean you get a videotape of someone
else and watch. It’s more than that. You know who the music
was [by], what the story was, who did it, when— that’s your
own stuff. That is your life. As an artist you need to do
that.”
One way to
set upper- or intensive-level students on the path of
initiative is to create a ballet history bulletin board for
the school’s lobby, with content generated entirely by them.
(Perhaps post the materials on the school website, too.) Have
one student create an exhibit for each month or two-week
period. (Less than two weeks might not be adequate time for
the other students to absorb the material.) Each exhibit could
feature photographs and profiles of a choreographer, famous
dancer, ballet, or style—or a combination of elements. Don’t
forget today’s history makers—encourage the students to
profile in-demand choreographers like Christopher Wheeldon,
Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, Matjash Mrozewski, and Julia Adam.
Incorporating ballet with music and fine art influences would
be ideal. Ambitious students could create a ballet time line
that parallels music, art, or general history. Whether it’s a
mandatory or voluntary activity, all students will benefit
from having this information at their fingertips. (Be sure to
check the content for accuracy before posting it.)
Dance
history is one way to foster artistry; musicality is another.
Ideally all curriculums would include an introductory music
theory class, as some company-affiliated schools do. As with
variations classes, something is better than nothing, so
consider offering occasional hands-on music workshops or
monthly or quarterly ongoing music theory classes. Including
rhythm exercises in preschool or creative movement classes can
help youngsters develop their musicality as well. No room in
the schedule for music classes? Take a stand and recommend
that every student in your school also take some sort of music
lessons. Emphasize the importance of musical training by
saying so in writing, in your school’s handbook or on
registration forms.
De Avila
discovered yet another way to promote artistry in her
students: art history classes. She added them to the
curriculum for a group of what she called average students at
her school in Spain and saw big changes. “[They] improved so
much; it brought them to another level in a couple of years,”
she says. One school that shares de Avila’ s
philosophy is The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC,
which offers both dance and art history. Again, if there’s no
room in the schedule for such classes, make sure parents and
students know that exposure to fine art—which can be as simple
as bringing art books into the home or going to museums—will
enhance their dance training.
Concert
dance field trips allow students to see ballets they’ve heard
or read about onstage. And they offer another benefit: helping
students understand the scope of the dance world and where
they fit into it. When students are exposed to a wide range of
repertory—in the classroom and through academic classes and
concert dance performances— they glean a sense of what kind of
company they would be happiest in. (How many times have you
heard a teenager say she’s dying to join her hometown’s dance
company because it’s her favorite? In some cases, it’s the
only company she’s seen in performance.) If orchestrating such
outings isn’t feasible, you can ask a parent volunteer to
handle it. At the least, posting announcements about upcoming
professional performances in the school newsletter or on the
website or bulletin board gets the information out there so
that students can purchase tickets on their own. And it shows
that you believe that seeing dance is important to their
training.
Like any
art form, ballet today is the result of its roots and the
effects of centuries of change. As it has changed, so must we.
To educate students means first to educate oneself, and then
to continue learning throughout life. Making a commitment to
offering a complete ballet education to serious dance students
may not be easy, but as de Avila says, “You need to be
concerned about doing it. You can do so in so many different
ways. It’s very expensive in every way. But to direct a school
is no different than directing a family. You have to make
decisions and make a good balance. It’s no different than
life.”
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