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Task 1: Key ballet concepts

Learning to dance involves personal engagement with the disciplinary concepts and knowledge of the dance tradition. In this introductory task you will have an opportunity to examine key ballet concepts used in a couple of texts by Roger Tully (2011) and Anna Paskevska (2005).

This photo shows a female ballet teacher facing a male teacher while warming up holding onto a ballet bar with one hand and the other hand reaches to the side. Their faces looking away from the bar.

Activity 1.1

First of all, read a few pages (pp. 17 -19) from this text paying attention to key ballet concepts.

Tully, R. (2011) The Song Sings the Bird. A Manual on the Teaching of Classical Dance. Rome: Gremese.

1

Ballet concepts

Tully defines the following terms in a particular way. Match these concepts to these descriptions derived from the text.

This black and white photograph shows a ballet dancer on pointe at the front. Her upper body is slightly bended towards the right with her right arm arching upwards and her left arm extending to the side. Behind her a group of six dancers embrace in a tight circular shape. They are all wearing long tutus and a crown of flowers on their heads.

a)
b)
c)
d)

En place: The centre, stillness where the connection between the physical, mental and spiritual can be experienced.

Geometry: It is acquired through experience. It helps the dancer understand extension and directions.

En dehors: The physical outward direction of a movement and also an expression of classical dance.

En dedans: The physical inward direction of a movement and also an expression of classical dance.

All these are physical actions that have an emotional or expressive dimension that connects with you as a human being. Think about how you understand and would define these terms for yourself.

Check your answer

Activity 1.2

You are going to continue thinking about basic concepts in ballet reading some extracts (pp. 25-27) from a different text.

Paskevska, A. (2005) Ballet Beyond Tradition: The Role of Movement Concepts in Ballet Technique. New York and London: Routledge.

2

The centre

In these pages Paskevska speaks about the centre of the body as a point of control. According to her, where is that point exactly located?

This is a photograph of a female and male ballet teacher rehearsing in a studio. Behind them there is a wall with a mirror and a ballet bar. They are moving unison in the center of the space. Their left leg is bended forward and the left leg stretched behind with both feet on the floor. Their right arms are curved upwards while their left arms are stretched to the side.

For Paskevska the centre can be located in the pelvic area, in the point of crossing between the vertical line of gravity and the horizontal line that divide the erected body in half.

Note that Paskevska also specifies that the location of the centre "depends more on ratio between length of the torso and girth of the pelvis than on gender" and thus "varies depending on the individual physique" (p. 26). Stand upright and try to feel and locate your own centre.

Check your answer