Each classical dance lesson includes all kinds of exercises for all parts of the body. They are performed in various rhythms, tempo, compounds, combinations, the number of repetitions. Exercise, or a system of exercises to improve technology, is the foundation, the foundation of dance.
The problems of constructing classical dance lessons have been studied by many modern scholars F.Z. Meyerson, V.V. Belous, N.E. Vysotskaya, A.M. Sukhareva. An analysis of the practical and theoretical activities of a number of choreographic schools confirms that the teaching of classical dance requires the teacher to know not only the content of the subject, teaching methods, but also the composition of the lesson, the basic principles for constructing a lesson in classical dance.
The methodology of the lesson is based on the following literature: Vaganova A.Ya. "Basics of classical dance"; Tarasova N. “Classical dance”; Pisareva A., Kostrovitskaya V.S. "School of classical dance"; Bazarova N.P., May V.P. "The ABC of classical dance." Kostrovitskaya V.S. "100 Lessons to Classical Dance."
In 1701, the Frenchman Raul Feye created a system for recording elements of classical dance. These terms are recognized by experts in the field of world choreography at the present time. Choreographic terminology is a system of special names designed to indicate exercises or concepts that are difficult to explain or describe briefly. Knowledge of special terms speeds up the learning process.
The meaning and sequence of the exercise.
Classes of classical dance develop the skills necessary for the competent and expressive performance of dance elements: eversion of legs, big dance step, flexibility, stability, rotation, easy high jump, free and plastic hand control, precise coordination of movements, endurance and strength.
Classes in classical dance are a long, multi-stage process that requires patience. Each classical dance lesson includes all kinds of exercises for all parts of the body.
Classical dance lesson - a set of exercises that develop the ability of dancers. The lesson consists of several parts:
- Exercise y of the machine;
- Exercise in the middle of the hall;
- adagio;
- allegro;
- exercises on the fingers (in a female dance).
Parterial exersis is also often used. This is a set of auxiliary exercises in a sitting position and lying on the floor, which contributes to the development of physical data.
Exercise begins at the stick, then, as you master the movements, it is transferred to the middle of the hall. The exercises in the middle of the room are followed by adagio and allegro. The skills acquired by students in the exercise should be supported by ongoing training based on strict methodological rules.
The load during the lesson should be distributed evenly in all exercises. If the teacher finds it necessary to increase the number of repetitions of any movement, then the next exercise should be reduced, since any physical overload is harmful: it leads to relaxation of the muscular system and ligaments, as a result of which the legs are easily damaged.
It is recommended that you first use simple movements in their structure that do not cause particular stress of attention and memory, gradually increasing, however, the physical difficulty of performing. Then you can move on to more complex movements, which require a greater degree of attention and expenditure of physical strength, and, finally, apply the most difficult exercises in a coordinating sense.
The sequence of the exercise should not be random. Depending on the degree of difficulty, a useful and logical combination of movements should be taken into account, not combining them in combination only for the sake of drawing exercises.
When teaching, it is important to consider the methods of studying movements. In the methods of studying movements, there are three stages:
Stage 1 introductory initial learning;
2 stage of in-depth learning and the transition to the stage of improvement;
Stage 3 of improving, strengthening the skill, the formation of skills for optimal use in various conditions.
It is necessary to take into account the sequence of learning the movements and not begin to study new material until the learned movement is learned.
A separate point is the construction of a classical dance lesson with students who had not previously been involved in choreography. In the first lesson, the teacher conducts an organizational conversation, in which he talks about his requirements for students: form, behavior culture in the classroom, schedule. Then the teacher acquaints the students with the hall, with the rules for the arrangement of students in the dance hall, and talks about staging the corps.
In the same lesson, students get acquainted with the elements of musical literacy, they explain the importance of music in choreographic art.
After this, the teacher begins to get acquainted with each student, with his professional data - checks posture, foot lift, eversion and flexibility
It is in the first lessons that it is advisable to conduct a ground exercise. First, exercises are performed on the tension and relaxation of the muscles of the legs, then on the eversion of the legs.
During the first few weeks of classes, the teacher acquaints students with the five leg positions, three arm positions and the preparatory position of the hands and the correct position of the body in the first half-turn position of the legs.
Staging
The spine is always kept in a certain position with the help of the back muscles, abs, buttocks. The body is above the legs and pulled up. Such holding gives the body an organized, strong-willed look, inspiring a sense of constant readiness for movement, internal strength. In the classics, the position “4 points” is adopted - two shoulders, two hips are always in the same plane.
The study of the position of the legs.
Five inverted positions of the legs - the main provisions in the performance of movements in classical dance.
First position: the feet are deployed with the socks to the sides in one straight line, inverted, the heels are connected.
Second position: the feet are also deployed in one straight line, but the heels are spaced one from another at a distance of the length of the foot.
Third position: the feet are facing one another, the heel of one foot is firmly adjacent to the middle of the foot of the other.
Fourth position: the feet are parallel to one another at a distance of the length of the foot. The toe of one leg falls against the heel of the other.
Fifth position: the feet are inverted, one in front of the other, and firmly adjacent to each other. The toe of one leg should be at the heel of the other.
The initial study of the position of the legs takes place facing the stick. The student stands up to the stick, put his heels together, slightly toe the socks (not inverted). The leg muscles are tensed, the knees are extended, the hands are on the surface of the stick, opposite the shoulders, and do not grasp the stick, but lie freely on it (the thumb attached to the others also lies on the surface of the stick). The fingers touch each other. The elbows are freely lowered and are somewhat in front of the body against the hands. The head is held straight, shoulders are lowered, chest is open. The blades are not compressed, but are in a calm state.
Having prepared the correct position of the whole figure, stand in I position. To do this, without moving the heel and not separating it from the floor, take the foot of the right foot and then the left foot back to the eversion position.
Moving from I position to II, the right, working, 1 leg with an extended lift and fingers should be taken to the side in a straight line, while passing the center of gravity of the body to the left supporting leg, which at the moment of movement remains stationary and inverted.
Moving to III position, extend the lift and the fingers of the right foot, transfer the center of gravity of the body to the left foot and advance the hands on a stick, putting them against the shoulders. The working leg moves in a straight line to the supporting one.
After mastering the III position, the V position is studied (also facing the stick); The IV position, as the most difficult, is introduced in the last turn, and only when I, II, III, and V positions are learned face-to-stick and students continue to study them, holding on to the stick with one hand.
After acquainting students with the positions and with the change of legs in the positions, you should introduce musical accompaniment into the exercise. The pace is slow. Each position has four measures of 4/4 or eight measures of 2/4. In the future, such a number of measures will be required for squats in all positions. The change of foot to the next position occurs on the opening bar 4/4.
After mastering the positions of the legs, the preparatory position and positions of the hands are studied. Further leg movements in positions are accompanied by arm movements.
Learning hand positions.
The setting of the hands begins with a preparatory position and positions. The preparatory position in the educational work is mandatory, from it the hands begin to move in position and in various positions.
Preparatory position. Hands are lowered down in front of the body and do not touch it all along. The elbows are directed to the sides, slightly bent, form an oval. The hands and fingers are also rounded, palms pointing up. The brushes almost touch: the distance between them is approximately two fingers. Fingers are grouped; the thumb is directed towards the middle one advanced, but does not touch it. The shoulders in the preparation position and in all positions should be lowered down, you can not extend them, pull them back or lift them up.
The first position gives the direction of the hands forward, the second - the direction to the side, the third - the direction up.
First position: hands are raised in front of the body at the level of the diaphragm, slightly bent at the elbows and wrists, forming an oval, as in the preparatory position. The palms are turned to themselves. Elbows and fingers on the same level. The shoulders are lowered (make sure that they do not rise and do not move forward). Brushes are close to each other. The distance between the fingers and their position is the same as in the preparatory position.
Second position: arms open to the sides at shoulder height. The shoulders, elbows and hands are on the same level. The elbows are turned back, the line of the arms is arched, the palms are turned towards the viewer. The position of the fingers is the same as in the preparatory position and in the I position. It is necessary to ensure that the arms do not go back, but are slightly ahead of the shoulders.
Third position: arms raised up and form an oval above the head. The brushes are drawn together, both in the preparatory position and in the I position. The palms are facing down. The position of the fingers is the same. The teacher needs to ensure that the elbows do not go forward, and the hands do not fall. Hands should not be above the head, all the more unacceptable that the hands go beyond the head.
Head position
Of great importance in dance is the position of the head and facial expression. Different head positions - tilts, turns - give poses a finished look, and movements, - a different character, different features. The expressiveness of the face, eyes, gaze spiritualizes movements and postures.
In addition, head movements are one of the important techniques. So, for example, during rotation, the head initially lags behind the rotation of the body, and then ahead of it, the point in front is fixed with a look, and thus conditions are created for orientation in space. Before you take a step and take the desired pose, you should look in the direction of the upcoming movement of the body.
Preparation
When performing an excercise at the machine before the start of the exercise, a preparatory movement of the hand is performed - preparation (French. preparation - training).
The right hand (the movement with the left hand is performed similarly) gradually rises from the preparatory position to the I position. In this case, the right shoulder should not move after the hand. The head leans slightly to the left, the gaze is directed to the palm of the right hand. Then the hand is smoothly transferred from I position to P, the look accompanies the movement of the hand.
At the end of the exercise, the hand lowers into the preparatory position, with the hand turning the palm down. The fingers are not tense and are directed to the side a little up. When lowering the hand, the hand goes slightly slower than the hand itself, and the movement of the hand seems to lag behind the movement of the rest of the hand. At the same time, the head leans slightly down and then rises. After that, the head remains slightly turned to the right shoulder
The setting of the hands plays a huge role in classical dance. Hands are one of the most important expressive means, they give a finished drawing to various dance poses. In addition, the hands actively help in performing movements, such as spins, jumps.
Exercise at the stick.
Exercise is the foundation of the dance, so training begins with it. In the exercise, the musculature of the legs, their eversion, step and plie (squat) are diversified; staging of the body, arms and head, coordination of movements. As a result of constant training, the figure becomes smart, stability is developed; the future performer is accustomed to the correct distribution of body weight on two and one leg.
Exercise movements at the classical dance machine include:
1) squat
2) batmans,
3) circulation of the legs.
Squat
Plie- The common French name for the movement of the legs, which in Russian is indicated by the word "squat."
Plie is performed in five positions; first it is done in half size - demi-plie, and then they switch to a large squat or grand-plie.
The body, arms, and head are involved in this exercise; the muscles and ligaments of the legs stretch and contract in calm, slow movements. The dancer’s body is prepared for more complex movements (“warming up”), and therefore it is rational to start the lesson with squats.
Half squat - demi plie and deep, big squat - grand plie develop the Achilles tendon, knee and ankle ligaments, elasticity and strength of the legs. In the squats, especially deep ones, the back is actively involved, where it maintains a straight (vertical) position, which contributes to the development and strengthening of the lower back muscles.
Half-squatting (demi plie) is an inseparable companion of jumps: any jump starts and ends with an elastic and restrained half-squat, so he should pay special attention not only in positions, but also in various combinations of movements
Batman
The word battement (batman) means in dance terminology abduction and adduction of the foot. In classical dance, this abduction and reduction resulted in diverse forms.
Battements tendus -ethis is the basis of the whole dance. The exercise of this section is the basis of the whole dance. Legs are not only warmed up by this movement, but they are also brought into a state of complete “upbringing” for the activity ahead of him
Double battements tendus (battements tendus pour le pied) is a variation of battement tendu. Performed with lowering the heel to the floor in II position (less often in IV position). Double battement tendu can be performed with a single, double, triple or more lowering the heel to the floor. The execution of doubles battements tendus, especially with multiple lowering of the heel, promotes the development of the foot, strengthens the ligaments, develops elasticity of the Achilles tendon, lifting and fingers.
Battements tendus jete - movement of the leg forward, sideways and backward from I and V positions with a throw to a height of 45 °. Battements tendus jetes are organically linked to battements tendus, therefore they are performed directly behind them. The pace of execution, in comparison with battements tendus, is accelerated twice.
The French designation of this batman - jete (abandoned) - conveys the nature of its movement. This batman has enormous educational significance, and it must be executed very accurately, monitoring the implementation of the rules. The throw and return of the extended leg occurs evenly, without an accent. At the end of the movement, the emphasis is on the moment the working leg returns to the supporting leg, after an energetic and sharp throw
Battements frappeand doubles frappesthat are executed sharply and energetically. This teaches muscles and tendons to quickly (contrast) switch from soft, smooth movements to sharp (staccato).
It develops quick, free flexion of the lower part of the leg (from knee to toe) on sur le cou-de-pied and its extension. It is performed with an inverted and motionless hip.
Petit battement sur le cou de pied- movement develops mobility of the knee and ankle. It consists of a quick and clear alternation of position sur le cou de pied front and rear.
Battement battu- The movement completes the group of percussion battements. develops mobility of the knee, lower leg with an immovable hip.
Battements fondu-develop soft squats and elasticity needed in jumping. These movements can be compared with stretching and restrained contraction of a tight rubber band.
Battement fondu (melting, flowing) - a complex movement consisting of bending the working leg to the condition sur le cou-de-pied while simultaneously demi plie on the support and opening the working leg in any direction while straightening the support of demi plies.
Battements developpes- this is the most difficult excercise movement; it is performed 90 ° and above and requires comprehensive training.
Developpes develop stride and hip strength, which helps keep the foot at maximum height.
Developpes prepare the body for complex adagio in the middle of the hall, as well as for jumping, where the thigh strength is needed when pushing from the floor and soft half-squats after the jump.
Grand battements jete- These are large battements, performed from I and V positions in the forward, side and back directions with a throw of the leg 90 ° and higher.
They develop a step much more actively than developpes: a large, energetic throw of the leg contributes to the development of the internal femoral muscles and tendons, enhances the functioning of the hip joint, which is the main thing in the development of the step.
Grand battement jete pointe-is a complementary exercise to grand battements jete. This is a light foot touch (extended at the knee and lifting) of the earth at the extreme point of the battements tendus, after the leg rises again and continues to move, only with the last movement it returns to the V position.
Acceleration of the pace develops the speed of throwing the legs to a great height.
Grand battement jete (soft)then big soft battements; they are executed from the V position in the V direction forward, sideways and backward 90 °. A working leg is thrown up through developpe. Despite the energetic throw, the developpe technique gives the movement a softness that determines the performance of these battements.
Grand battement jete balance. Battements balances (swinging) are performed in a forward and backward direction 90 ° through I position. To the side they are made only in the middle of the hall in I or V position alternately with one and the other leg.
Circulation of the legs.
Rond de jambe par terre- describe the circle with the toe of the working foot on the floor in the directions en dehors and en dedans. Circulatory movement of the hip joint strengthens it and develops an eversion.
Rond de jambe en l "air-. circular leg movements in the air at heights of 45 ° and 90. Develops mobility of the knee joint and gives its ligaments strength and elasticity.
It is recommended to perform rond de jambe en l "air and at 90 °: they develop the force of the thigh, and prepares the leg for long work (with inverted thigh) at this height.
In addition, a well-developed (in the part below the knee) leg, obedient and flexible, gives expressiveness to each movement of the leg in the dance.
Grand rond de jambe jete - This is a complicated continuation of the rond de jambe par terre, performed by an energetic throw of the leg by 90 °. Both of these movements, the most effective in the whole exercise, perform common (but varying in degree of difficulty) functions aimed at developing rotational mobility of the hip joint, on which the range of eversion of the legs depends.
Grand rond de jambe jete develops mobility in the joint, covers the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe hip.
At the end of the ronds de jambe combinations, port de bras are performed, preparing the body and arms for the next exercises, where their participation becomes wider and more active, as the movements are complicated, tours and turns are introduced.
Each exercise brings a new addition to the work of the muscles of the hip and knee joints: the rise to the half-fingers is introduced, the combinations become more complex, the pace is accelerated in a number of movements (for example: ronds de jambe en l "air, petits battements sur le cou-de-pied and etc., first performed in quarters, then in the eighth and sixteenth parts).
A large load falls in the exercise and on the supporting leg, very elongated, inverted and taking on the weight of the whole body.
The body in all exercises is in a vertical and taut position, with the exception of the moments when its combination requires bending, bending or turning.
In the movements of the hands in positions and in poses, softness is developed. The setting of the hands and the fastening of the correct form occur mainly in the II position.
All kinds of tilts and turns of the head accompany all the movements of the exercise, starting with the first exercise at the stick.
Exercise in the middle of the hall
Exercise in the middle of the hall has the same meaning and development as the excercise of a stick. Its sequence is basically the same. In the middle of the hall, it is much more complicated, since it is necessary to maintain the eversion of the legs and the balance of the body (especially at half-fingers) without the help of a stick. The correct distribution of the center of gravity of a taut body on two and one leg, even hips and especially the tucked and inverted thigh of the working leg are the main conditions for mastering stability.
When working in front of a mirror, one should not focus on any particular part of the body - it is necessary to cover the whole figure with a look, watching for the correct shape and position of the legs. But besides visual perception, there should also be a sense of the whole body, its concentration and fit.
In the first year of study, the exercise in the middle of the hall is in a strictly sequential program order and is fully executed. On the second - in the same sequence as the stick, but with the addition of plie in all positions the simplest developpes.
In the third year, demi rond de jambe developpe and large poses are added to the plie in positions.
From the fourth year of study before exercise it is recommended to make a small adagio of simple form (no more than eight measures in 4/4), combining it in combination with battements tendus and jetes and ending with small tours sur le cou-de-pied.
In middle and high school, the number of exercises can be reduced by combining movements. Combinations are becoming more complex and diverse.
The main movements of the Exercise in the middle of the hall, which should be performed daily, can be considered battements tendus, jetes, fondus and large battements.
Rond de jambe par terre, rond de jambe en 1 "air, battements frappes, doubles frappes and petits battements sur le cou-de-pied can be combined with the main movements.
In the middle of the hall there is an acquaintance with the provisions of anfas, epaulement, efface and croise, determine the positions and poses of classical dance, familiarization with the provisions of anfas, epaulement, efface and croise. Under the pose in classical dance, we mean a stop in movement, during which the dancer's body is in equilibrium on one leg, called the supporting one. At this time, the other leg (working) is laid forward, to the side or back.
Dance poses are divided into:
- small poses - the working leg is on the floor,
large postures - working leg raised.
Adagio.
The dance phrase, consisting of various types of developpe, slow turns in poses (tours lent), port de bras, all kinds of renverse, grand fouette, tours sur le cou-de-pied and tours in big poses, is called adagio.
Adagio movements are studied gradually. In the lower grades, adagio consists of the simplest forms of releve lent at 90 °, developpe, port de bras, performed at a slow pace and throughout the foot.
In the middle classes, adagio is complicated by turns in large poses; long-term stability on half-fingers in 90 ° poses, preparation for tours and tours in large poses; tours sur le cou-de-pied, transitions from pose to pose, etc. Tempo adagio, compared with the lower classes, is somewhat accelerated.
In high school, the concept of adagio takes on a conditional character, since it can be executed not only at a moderate pace, but also at an accelerated pace and differs in construction by the fact that it includes more rotational movements, tours, renverse, fouette and some jumps.
This is no longer a typical adagio: accelerated pace and dynamism bring it closer to allegro, prepare the body for pas allegro. The value of adagio is extremely large: it combines a number of movements into one harmonious whole, develops and strengthens the correct form of movements of classical dance.
While in the lower and middle grades adagio develops stability, free body skills (when moving from posture to posture) and smooth expressive hand movements, in high school adagio uses technically difficult movements, usually performed at half-fingers, which are difficult and diverse combination, summarizes the comprehensive technical training.
Of all sections of the lesson, adagio includes the largest number of heterogeneous movements and is particularly difficult for proper musical and choreographic construction. Little adagio is built on a musical phrase for at least four measures of 4/4 or eight and twelve measures. Large - from twelve to sixteen measures. To build adagio you need a clear meter, rhythm, pace and compliance with the clock square.
Strong movements (tours in large poses, grand fouette, renverse, tours sur le cou-de-pied, and a number of other movements that should be highlighted in adagio) begin in strong beats of a measure, in the first or third quarter of a four-part size. With other musical sizes, it also has strong proportions. If the listed movements fall on the weak beat (second and fourth quarters), they violate the unity of the musical-choreographic construction.
Bond and auxiliary movements: pas de bourree, all types of passe, etc., should fall on weak shares.
In the middle of the hall, adagio uses various twists, such as tours lents and renverse
etc.................
Classical dance
Term"classical dance" the whole ballet world uses it, denoting it as a certain type of choreographic plastic.
Classical dance is the basis of choreography. In this lesson, the intricacies of ballet art are learned. This is a great harmony of combining movements with classical music.
Indispensable conditions of classical dance: eversion of legs, big dance step, flexibility, stability, rotation, easy high jump, free and plastic hand control, precise coordination of movements, endurance and strength.
The main principle of classical dance is eversion, on the basis of which the concept of closed (ferme) and open (ouvert), crossed (croise) and not crossed (efface) positions and poses, as well as movements outward (en deors) and inward (en dedans). The division into elements, the systematization and selection of movements served as the basis of the school of classical dance. She studies groups of movements, united by common features for each group: group of rotations (pirouette, tour, fouette), group of squats (plie), group of body positions (attitude, arabesgue) and others.
Why do you need a classic dance?
In the current variety of styles and directions of choreography, it is not always easy to decide which one will become exactly your most direct language of feelings. As a rule, I want to express the most hidden movements of the soul in different lexical interpretations, the elementary skills of “dancing” and owning my body, even with a good teacher, rich in dance vocabulary, I’m not enough, and we dance what happens.
It would seem that we are teaching a new “modern”, why should we learn what was before us, but all innovations are essentially deeply and subtly connected with traditions. It must be remembered that all new trends are nothing more than a synthesis of the choreographic heritage of different times and peoples of past years. Everything new is certainly great, but you should not lose what is called the "power of the Soviet choreographic school", but you should know it like an alphabet without which the art of choreography is impossible. You should insure yourself against inevitable losses and losses, which over the years become more and more significant. A lot of money is being paid abroad to study in a Russian classical school. They don’t waste time there, don’t miss a single opportunity and take off everything that they can see: lessons, rehearsals, performances, and we often act unknowingly, frivolously, and do not value the values \u200b\u200bwe possess. I am not saying that every plot, every theme should be expressed exclusively in classical dance forms. The movement of the thinker is not as an abstract sign that “approached” the given dance-semantic context, but as a unique, solely justified figurative-plastic way of expressing this content.
“I’m very saddened by some kind of indifference, sometimes even the neglect of young people towards the classics, underestimation of it as a colossal factor in shaping the dancer’s personality, in the growth of his professional skills. The most important thing for them is tricks, and the style is made up of just small connecting movements "They make the dance a dance, give it a unique special aesthetic aroma." Alesia of Prussia.
"When on any particular action
a person affects the least number of movements - that’s grace "
Anton Chekhov.
About the classical dance.
This system of movements, designed to make the body disciplined, mobile and beautiful, turns it into a sensitive instrument, obedient to the will of the choreographer and the performer himself. It has been developed since ballet became an equal genre of musical theater, that is, starting from the 17th century. However, the term “classical” itself, which distinguishes this type of theatrical dance from others - folk-characteristic, everyday, etc., arose relatively recently, and there is reason to believe that it arose in Russia.
To establish this, a brief digression into history is needed. While ballet as an art has not yet been self-determined, dance in the image has been an important component of a synthetic spectacle. Like many modern arts, he appeared in the Renaissance. Even then, the dance played a significant role in the performances of the folk theater and in the religious mysteries, in areal processions and ceremonial trips of mythological characters at princely feasts. At that time, even before its terminological consolidation, the concept of ballet appeared, from the Latin ballo I dance. As part of the musical and dramatic court performance, ballet entered France in the 16th century and took a prominent place in the court genre of the English “mask”. In the 17th century, when the Royal Dance Academy was founded in Paris (1661), ballet left the palace halls on a professional stage and there, finally, separated from opera and became an independent theater genre.
Around the same time, the type of dance, which is now called classical, began to crystallize. This the new kind was complicated, for, on the one hand, the dance was cleansed of the clogged influences of the court ballroom danceon the other - this professional dance little by little, they began to saturate the elements of the virtuoso technique of dancers and acrobats of the folk theater. The selection and synthesis of such elements was carried out by abstraction; the goal was a dance that, like music, was able to embody the most diverse states, thoughts, feelings of a person and his relationship with the outside world.
At first, such a dance could be addressed only by portraying the “noble” characters of gods, heroes, and kings. In the 19th century It was called “noble”, “high”, “serious”, in contrast to the “demi-character” (that is, a dance of serious, but allowing for a certain touch of character), “pastoral” (that is, ennobled peasant) and “comic” (usually grotesque and sometimes quite free).
The era of romanticism was a turning point in the fate of classical dance. But even then, practitioners and theorists have not yet attached the term “classical” to it.
Thus, it can be assumed that it was the need to protect the nobility of content and the academism of the forms of Russian ballet art from the effects of the cancan introduced from the West that brought to life the term “classical dance” and gave it universal recognition. At the same time, it was, as it were, a protective diploma of the Russian ballet, which became the citadel of world choreography in the second half of the 19th century. The guardian of her canons was in the theater of M.I. Petipa, at school - H.P. Johanson.
On the Russian stage and in the Russian school, the abstracted system of plastic expressiveness, behind which the name of classical dance was firmly established, also found the most complete aesthetic expression.
Petipa's ballets completed the long process of forming classical dance as a system of expressive means. All the searches of the 19th century in the field of this dance are collected, ordered and elevated to a high artistic rule. At that time, the French terminology of classical dance, which has been adopted to this day, was finally entrenched. It was created by filtering out optional temporary elements and selecting constants, which determine the very nature of classical dance. This terminology, despite its conventionality, almost always allows you to discover the roots, establish the genetic origins of a particular movement, pose or position.
Most of the names determine the nature of their designated movements associated with the work of muscles. These are various batmans who represent a significant part of the classical dance lesson and, like many other exercises, are modified in stage dance forms.
CLASSIC DANCE - This is the basis of all types of dances, the main system of expressive means of choreographic art.
Classical ballet can be called the foundation of all stage types of dance. In addition to the very statement of dance as a high art and an independent type of theatrical action that can develop the plot without the help of singing or recitation, the ballet has developed a dance terminology and a system of training dancers, with minor changes used in other styles. Therefore, dancers are encouraged to start with classical dance classes, even if they later specialize in modern dance, show ballet or jazz dance.
The basics of classical dance are so universal that even experienced dancers of others dance directions Do not stop classics.
Classics are very useful for children. From an early age, correct posture is laid, and various cases of spinal curvature are gradually corrected. In a classical dance lesson, children develop responsibility for the work they do, as well as respect for art.
Classical dance training includes: the study of the basic positions of the arms, legs and body positioning, familiarization with professional terminology, the history of the development of ballet, staging of small classical forms: sketches, adagio, variations, etc.
All movements of classical dance are built on the basis of eversion. In the theory of classical dance, the doctrine of closed (ferme) and open (ouvert), crossed (croisee) and unbaptized (efface) positions and poses, as well as movements inward (en dehors) and outward (en dedans) was developed.
Eversion - A term denoting one of the most important, professional qualities of a ballet dancer. Eversion is necessary for the dancer to perform any stage dance (especially the classical one). In addition, the eversion contributes to the cleanliness of the plastic lines of movement of the legs, makes invisible the angles formed by the heels when lifting the legs, etc.
In the classical dance, five positions of the legs are adopted, performed in such a way that the legs are turned outward as it were (hence the term “eversion”). This is not about turning only the feet with the socks in different directions, the whole leg should be turned, starting from the hip joint. Since this is possible only with sufficient flexibility, the dancer must exercise daily and for a long time in order to learn without effort, to take the necessary position.
Back - This is not only stability during the dance, but also the whole beauty of the vertical lines. Without a strong back it is impossible to complete turns.
Ballet - The art is quite young, he is a little over four hundred years old. Ballet was born in Northern Italy during the Renaissance. The Italian princes loved the magnificent palace festivities in which the dance occupied an important place. The robes and halls of court ladies and gentlemen were not suitable for rural dances; not allowed unorganized movement. Therefore, special teachers - dance masters - tried to restore order in the court dances. Gradually, the dance became more theatrical.
The term "ballet" appeared at the end of the 16th century (from the Italian balletto - to dance). But then he did not mean a performance, but only a dance episode that conveys a certain mood. Such "ballets" usually consisted of little-connected "exits" of characters - most often heroes of Greek myths. After such "exits" a general dance began - the "big ballet".
The first ballet performance was the Queen's Comedy Ballet, staged in 1581 in France by the Italian choreographer Balthazarini di Belgioioso. It was in France that the further development of ballet took place. Initially, these were masquerade ballets, and then pompous melodramatic ballets for chivalrous and fantastic plots, where dance episodes were replaced by vocal arias and recitation of poems.
During the reign of Louis XIV, the performances of the court ballet reached particular splendor. Louis himself liked to participate in ballets, and received his famous nickname “The King-Sun” after playing the role of the Sun in “Ballet of the Night”.
In 1661, with the aim of preserving and developing dance traditions, he created the Royal Academy of Music and Dance. The director of the academy was the royal dance teacher Pierre Boshan.
Soon the Paris Opera was opened. At first, her company included only men. Women on the stage of the Paris Opera appeared only in 1681.
The theater staged the opera-ballets of the composer Lully and the comedy-ballets of the playwright Moliere. At first, courtiers participated in them, and the performances almost did not differ from palace performances. The already mentioned slow minuets, gavotts and pavans danced. Masks, heavy dresses, and high-heeled shoes prevented women from performing complex movements. Therefore, men's dances were then distinguished by greater grace and grace.
Moliere as Caesar in the play by P. Cornell “Death of Pompey”
By the middle of the 18th century, ballet gained great popularity in Europe. All the aristocratic courts of Europe sought to imitate the luxuries of the French royal court.
Soon, under the influence of fashion, women's ballet costume became much lighter and freer, under it the body lines were guessed. Belly dancers abandoned high-heeled shoes, replacing them with light, light-free shoes. The men's suit became less bulky. Each innovation made dancing more meaningful, and dance technique higher. Gradually, the ballet separated from the opera and turned into an independent art.
At the end of the 18th century, a new direction in art was born - romanticism, which had a strong influence on ballet. In a romantic ballet, the dancer stood on pointe shoes. Maria Taglioni was the first to do this, completely changing her previous ideas about ballet. In the ballet La Sylphide, she appeared as a fragile creature from the other world. The success was overwhelming.
Many wonderful ballets appeared at this time, but, unfortunately, romantic ballet was the last heyday dance art in the West. From the second half of the 19th century, ballet, having lost its former significance, turned into an appendage to the opera. Only in the 30s of the XX century under the influence of Russian ballet did the revival of this art form begin in Europe.
In Russia, the first ballet performance - “Ballet about Orpheus and Eurydice” - was staged on February 8, 1673 at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Ceremonial and slow dances consisted of a change of graceful poses, bows and moves, alternating with singing and speech. He did not play any significant role in the development of stage dance. It was only another royal "fun", attracted by its unusualness and novelty.
Only a quarter century later, thanks to the reforms of Peter I, did music and dance enter the life of Russian society. Compulsory dance training was introduced into the noble schools. At the court, musicians, opera artists and ballet troupes discharged from abroad began to perform.
In 1738, the first ballet school in Russia opened, and children from the palace cloisters became the first professional dancers in Russia. At the beginning of the XIX century, Russian ballet art reached creative maturity. Russian dancers introduced expressiveness and spirituality into the dance. This invariably attracted the largest choreographers in Europe to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Nowhere in the world could they meet such a large, talented and well-trained troupe as in Russia.
A new stage in the history of Russian ballet began when P. Tchaikovsky first composed music for ballet. It was Swan Lake. Prior to this, ballet music was not taken seriously. Thanks to Tchaikovsky, ballet music became a serious art along with opera and symphonic music. Previously, music was completely dependent on the dance, now the dance had to obey the music.
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Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova (1879 - 1951) - ballet dancer of the Mariinsky Theater, choreographer and teacher, author of the book "Fundamentals of Classical Dance" (1934), which became fundamental to the Russian ballet school of the XX century. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1934). Laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1946).
Agrippina Vaganova was born on June 14 (June 26), 1879 in St. Petersburg, in the Semey Capeldiner of the Mariinsky Theater]. Her father - Akop (Yakov Timofeevich) Vaganov - moved to St. Petersburg from Astrakhan, where an Armenian community has existed since Ivan the Terrible; however, he himself was from Persian Armenians and did not make capital in Astrakhan; served as a non-commissioned officer, and after retirement he moved to Petersburg.
In 1888 she was admitted to the Imperial Theater School. Among the teachers of Vaganova were Evgenia Sokolova, Alexander Oblakov, Anna Ioganson, Pavel Gerdt, Vladimir Stepanov (dance record). In the elementary grades, for two years, Ulva Ivanova studied, calling this time “two years of idleness”, then moved to the class of Catherine Wazem. The first role of Vaganova was the mother of Lisa, the main character, in the school play “The Magic Flute”, staged by Lev Ivanov for middle school students.
In 1897, after graduating from college, she was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, a few years later received the status of a soloist. Vaganova brilliantly succeeded in individual solo variations, for example, in the ballet Delibes “Coppelia”, for which she was called the “Queen of Variations”. In the 1910s, shortly before the end of her career, she began to play the main parts. Marius Petipa, however, did not appreciate her performing skills. In his diaries, one can find such entries: “Ms. Vaganova is terrible. I don’t go to ballet ... ”
She made some changes to choreographic techniques, which at first might have seemed inappropriate to strict zealots of academism, but later occupied a worthy place in the technique of leading dancers [ source not specified 1474 days ] .
Leaving the scene in 1916, she began teaching, after the revolution - at the Petrograd Choreographic School. She developed her own pedagogical system based on the clarity and meaningfulness of technology, the rigor of setting the body, the positions of the arms and legs.
The “Vaganova System” played a decisive role in the development of ballet art of the 20th century. Among her students are Olga Mungalova and Nina Mlodzinskaya (1923), Natalya Kamkova (1924), Marina Semenova (1925), Olga Iordani, Elena Shiripina (1926), Galina Ulanova and Tatyana Vecheslova (1928), Tatyana Shmyrova, Fairy Balabini, Natalya Dulalina (19) 1935), Alla Shelest (1937), Nonna Yastrebova and Byubyusar Beishenalieva (1941), Ninel Petrova (1944), Olga Moiseeva, Lyudmila Safronova and Ninel Kurgapkina (1947), Alla Osipenko (1950), Irina Kolpakova (1951) and many other outstanding centuries.
From 1931 to 1937, Vaganova was the artistic director of the ballet troupe LATOB named after S. M. Kirov.
Vaganova’s book, Fundamentals of Classical Dance, in which she sets out her pedagogical views in detail, was first published in 1934, has survived six reprints, and has been translated into many languages \u200b\u200bof the world.
Agrippina Yakovlevna died in Leningrad on November 5, 1951. She was buried on the Literary bridges of the Volkovsky cemetery.
The book by A. Ya. Vaganova “Fundamentals of classical dance” was published in 1934. Even then, it became apparent that its significance went far beyond the textbook. The methodology of teaching classical dance set forth in it was an outstanding contribution to the theory and practice of ballet art, the result of the achievements of Soviet choreographic pedagogy.
The Vaganova system is a logical continuation and development of the traditions of the Russian ballet school. The creativity of many Russian choreographers, teachers, dancers was aimed at improving the technique and expressiveness of classical dance. Many well-known foreign teachers also worked on the Russian stage. The skills they instilled were creatively absorbed by the performers and sometimes significantly changed in stage practice. The vast experience gained by Russian ballet, and in Soviet times critically meaningful and systematized, became the basis for the innovative activities of the next generations of dance teachers. This ambitious work was headed by A. Ya. Vaganova, professor of choreography and People’s Artist of the RSFSR, teacher of the Leningrad State Choreographic School, now the Academy of Russian Ballet, which now bears her name.
The book “Fundamentals of Classical Dance” is known and appreciated by the whole choreographic world. Translated into English, German, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian and many other languages, she crossed the borders of all countries where ballet art exists. It is safe to say that the translations of this book contributed to the establishment of the world fame of Russian ballet no less than the foreign tours of outstanding ballerinas, students of Vaganova, and the country's largest choreographic groups. The authors of contemporary foreign textbooks of classical dance rely on the experience of Vaganova. The popularity of her pedagogical system in our country is all the more great. The five editions of The Fundamentals of Classical Dance, published in Russian, were not enough to satisfy the needs of modern ballet masters. In recent years, in connection with the expansion of the network of choreographic education, the emergence of many ballet troupes, the need for a new edition of Vaganova’s book has become felt.
In the creative life of Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova (1879-1951), two periods are distinctly distinguished. She remembered the first of them - the stage career of a dancer with bitterness, the second - post-revolutionary pedagogical activity - brought her world recognition. Yet these periods are interconnected. Dissatisfaction with the artistic career hides the origins of subsequent achievements. From the pages of Vaganova’s memoirs, the image of a man who persistently seeks from a young age rises.
The brilliant dancer of the Mariinsky Theater, who became famous as the “queen of variations” in ballets, where the main parts were performed by Pavlova and Karsavina, Preobrazhenskaya and Kshesinskaya, Vaganova received the title of ballerina only a year before her farewell performance and in 1916 she left the stage activity forever. Left deeply disappointed ... The reasons for this were rooted not only in the routine conditions of the imperial scene. Extremely demanding of herself, Vaganova felt the flaws of her dance technique. “It was obvious that I was not progressing. And that consciousness was terrible. This is where the torment of dissatisfaction with myself and the old system of teaching began for me, ”she wrote in rough drafts of her memoirs. Vaganova did not miss the opportunity to learn from senior comrades in the scene, but the main thing was to work independently, to search for her own approach to dance based on the critical development of contemporary experience.
The first conclusions were born from a comparison of two dance teaching systems that existed on the Russian stage at the end of the 19th century under the code name of French and Italian schools. Representatives of the so-called French school were the famous Russian dance teachers N. G. Legat and P. A. Gerdt. In the ballet school or in the theater, Vaganova took lessons from them. Through the teacher Gerdt H.P. Johanson, who also studied Vaganova, the traditions of “noble” classical dance go back to the Danish teacher and choreographer August Bournonville, and then to the famous French choreographers and dancers of the 18th century, including Jean-Georges Nover. This is where the French dance school comes from.
The traditional lesson of the French school at the end of the 19th century produced soft and graceful, but overly artsy, decorative plastic. Subsequently, Vaganova, not without irony, recalled the remarks she had heard from her teachers: “Leg, leg! Flirtatious! ”Consciously emphasizing the archaic features of this dance style, Vaganova writes about her sweetness, lethargy of her poses, hands with sagging or pinched elbows, fingers spread out“ gracefully ”. As a result, disregard for the energy production of the arms and body, a calm, measured manner of conducting the exercise limited the virtuosity of the dance.
The Italian school, which reached its peak in the last quarter of the 19th century and represented in the pedagogy of Enrico Cecchetti, and on the stage by the guest performers Pierina Legnani, Carlotta Brianza, Antonietta Del Era and several others, sharply differed from this old manner of teaching and performing. The masterly mastery of Italian dancers, who sought to impress the audience with the most difficult pas, for example, for the first time demonstrated by thirty-two fouettes, was not unconditionally accepted in Russia. Behind the brilliant technique of Italians, Russian ballet figures often felt a lack of poetry and content.
During the years of work on the Petersburg stage, Enrico Cecchetti, the authority of the Italian school has risen significantly. Particularly convincing were the quick successes of his Russian students. The advantages of the Italian exercise, which brought up reliable aplomb (stability), rotation dynamics, strength and endurance of the fingers, became apparent. The thoughtfulness of the lesson was also attractive: Cheketti had a solid lesson plan for every day of the week, while most teachers worked without a clear program. The enormous benefits of studying with Cecchetti are evidenced by many Russian ballerinas, including Anna Pavlova, who for many years systematically came to Milan to study with a renowned teacher.
Respects Cheketti and Vaganova with deep respect. She calls Cecchetti's activity “an event that played a huge role in the history of our pedagogy, and at the same time, of Russian ballet.” But the advantages of the Italian school did not stop Vaganova from discerning in her tendencies alien to the Russian ballet: excessive angularity of plasticity, strained posing of arms, either too elongated or sharply bent at the elbow, sharp bending of the legs in a jump.
However, not only Vaganova noticed this. Just as the outstanding Russian ballerinas and dancers creatively translated the principles of the French school into their national style even earlier, the Italian school was also significantly transformed in Russia. “The students of Cecchetti smoothed out the harshness of his manner and the Italian pas pattern (for example, bending his legs while jumping), and the undoubted advantages of the Italian influence did not leave indifferent any of the talented representatives and students of the French school,” says Vaganova.
The remarkable masters of the Russian ballet theater Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Preobrazhenskaya and their predecessors possessed a deeply national dance style: poetic spirituality, purely Russian “cantilevered” dance movements, richness and expressiveness of plastic shades. But the Russian school in the broad sense of the word has not yet been fixed in pedagogical practice. This became the work of Vaganova’s life. Remembering the lessons of one of the beloved teachers - E.O. Wazem, who knew how to develop the strength and softness of plie in her students, using the tips and explanations of the Italian exercise O. I. Preobrazhenskaya, looking at the ballet mastery of the young Fokine, who achieved a rare spirituality of dance in his performances, the freshness of poses, laid-back and poetic plastic hands, Vaganova gradually took away the characteristic features of the Russian dance style. The desire to understand the “science of dance” and find effective means of educating a classical dancer became more and more conscious.
The second period of creative activity of Vaganova began immediately after October. In 1918, she began to teach at the Baltic Fleet School, led by a ballet critic and ardent propagandist of classical dance A.L. Volynsky, and three years later she moved to the Choreographic School.
Vaganova’s pedagogical method developed in the twenties, a time difficult for the Soviet ballet when the classical heritage was subjected to the onslaught of pseudo-donators. The formalistic “left” press called ballet greenhouse art, entirely due to the feudal system and doomed to die in the new conditions. “... And the ballet dancer’s tartan tunic, and other wisdom - all this is from the Hot Air Balloon, from the balloon.” “Classics, rooted in the gallantry of the era of Louis ... organically alien to our era” - such peremptory statements were full of letters on the pages of magazines and newspapers. Following the classical repertoire, the foundation of the ballet, classical dance, was attacked. Instead of the classical education system of a dancer, the apologists of the “new” art offered “theafiztrainage”, gymnastics, dance “eccentric”, “mechanical”, “acrobatic” ...
If the theaters suffered a lot from biased criticism, which pushed the path of formalistic experiments, then the situation of the ballet school was no better. The school was accused of conscious conservatism, routine, backwardness, creative impotence, and demanded reform from top to bottom. And at that time, the pedagogical system, strictly verified by practice, was emerging within the walls of the Leningrad Choreographic School, which later became known to the whole world as the system of A. Ya. Vaganova.
The results, of course, were not immediately noticed, although already in 1923 Vaganova released excellent dancers O. Mungalova and N. Mlodzinskaya, in 1924 - N. Kamkova and E. Tangiev. The next 1925 year is inscribed in the history of Soviet ballet as the year of an unprecedented triumph of Marina Semenova and her teacher. Contemporaries were struck by the virtuosity of a seventeen-year-old dancer, the consonance of her plastics, the swiftness of the rounds, and the extraordinary expressiveness of “melodious” hands. Semenova was recognized as a complete ballerina, but at first the essence of her talent was misunderstood. It saw the “flower of ancient art", an exceptional but random occurrence, while she was the forerunner of the new Soviet choreographic school.
The next year, Vaganova released Olga Jordan, then Galina Ulanova and Tatyana Vecheslova, then Natalia Dudinskaya and Fairy Balabin ... Criticism noted the deeply individual nature of the talent of young ballerinas. And at the same time, in Ulanova’s dance they found “a lot of Semenovsky ... grace, the same exceptional plasticity and some kind of captivating modesty of the gesture”. It became obvious that these are the features of an emerging school. Demands “to renew the theater starting from the school” still flashed in the press, and meanwhile, the wonderful ballet generation brought up by A. Ya. Vaganova and her associates, V. I. Ponomarev, M. f. Romanova, E.P. Snetkova-Vecheshlova, A.V. Shiryaev and others.
The Vaganova system was established in close connection with theatrical practice. If in the twenties, the leaders of the Soviet ballet defended the classical heritage from the pseudo-donators, in the thirties the main task was to create a modern repertoire. From 1931 to 1937, Vaganova led the ballet group of the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. During this time, the performances “Flames of Paris”, “Bakhchisarai Fountain”, “Lost Illusions”, “Partisan Days” were created. The new versions of Swan Lake (1933) and Esmeralda (1935), carried out by Vaganova, corresponded to the general direction of the search for Soviet choreographers of the 30s, who sought to sharpen ideological conflict, the effectiveness of dance, and truthfulness in conveying human feelings.
In new ballet performances, the dancers' performing style was approved and polished. The foundations of this style were laid by a choreographic school, which can be called Vaganovskaya. Starting from the 30s, the artistic homogeneity of the Leningrad ballet troupe became apparent. “You don’t need to be a special expert in the field of ballet to notice at the performances of our theater for everyone - from corps de ballet dancers to leading ballerinas - something common in the manner of performance. A single style, a single style of dance, manifested most clearly in harmonious plasticity and expressiveness of hands, in obedient flexibility and at the same time steel aplomb of the body, in a noble and natural fit of the head - these are the distinguishing features of the “Vaganova school”, - writes in her memoirs about her teacher N. M. Dudinskaya. "Resolutely rejecting excessive decorativeness, posing, which occupied a considerable place in the choreography of the past, Vaganova sought from the students emotional expressiveness, strict form, strong-willed, energetic manner of performance The dance of Vaganova graduates corresponded to the very essence of Russian ballet as an art of great content, high lyrics and heroics.
Vaganova’s method had a huge impact on the development of male dance. The dancers, who never directly studied with her, acquired a purely Vagan “steel” aplomb, the ability to find support in the body, to take force (power reserve) with their hands for tours and jumps. Vaganova’s experience was recognized and accepted by other teachers, and her students gradually spread this experience throughout the country. Finally, the publication of the book “Fundamentals of Classical Dance” made the Vaganova method the property of the entire Soviet ballet theater.
New in this remarkable method was the rigorous thoughtfulness of the educational process, the significant complexity of the exercise aimed at developing masterly techniques, and most importantly, the desire to teach dancers a conscious approach to each movement. The students of Vaganova not only firmly mastered the pas, but were able to explain how to properly execute it and what its purpose is. Forcing them to write down individual combinations, suggesting to find the reasons for the unsuccessful execution of pas, Vaganova developed an understanding of the correct coordination of movements.
The most important prerequisite for free body ownership in the dance, Vaganova considered a strong statement of the body. From the initial plie, which she recommends studying necessarily from the I position, more difficult for beginners, but accustoming to the collected body, her efforts were directed towards the development of aplomb. Subsequently, aplomb becomes the foundation for tours and difficult jumps in allegro.
In her book, Vaganova often emphasizes that the movement must begin “from the body”, because the dance “from the body” provides reliable support and artistic color pas. The special attention paid to the epaulement (turning the shoulders and the body) is evidenced by the fact that in her lessons it was impossible to see two pas in a row, performed with the same body position. Having developed the necessary stability and flexibility in the students, she then boldly introduced various forms of fouette, hepuegei and other movements based on body turns into an exercise.
The subject of tireless care Vaganova was also the correct setting of hands. Of course, there is no need to talk about legs, because any school of classical dance primarily seeks the development of eversion, big strides, and finger strength. Vaganova paid no less attention to her hands. According to her method, hands should not only complete the dancer’s artistic appearance, be expressive, light, “melodious”, but also actively help the movement in big jumps and especially tours, sometimes performed without a preparatory springboard push — here force depends entirely on the ability to wield the hands . It is no accident that the technique of all kinds of rotation was improved by Vaganova.
Ultimately, Vaganova’s system is aimed at teaching how to “dance with the whole body,” achieve harmonious movements, and expand the range of expressiveness.
In the book, movements are grouped by main type. Such a composition limited the ability to dwell on the lesson. In this regard, it is worth recalling some of its remarkable features. All students note the extraordinary richness of Vaganova’s lessons, the complexity and swiftness of the pace of the exercise, the variety of choreographic combinations. If for beginners Vaganova considered it necessary and necessary to repeatedly repeat the movements in order to better develop the elasticity of the ligaments, then in high school she endlessly varied the lesson. Being an opponent of mechanical assimilation of times, Vaganova offered them in diverse, always thought-out combinations by her - she did not recognize the improvisation of the teacher in the lesson. Such a lesson kept the students in a state of concentrated, intense attention, increased their activity, brought the greatest benefit. Developing the creative initiative of students, Vaganova often instructed them to come up with a small adagio or allegro on the material passed.
Never stopping there, Vaganova over the years more and more complicated, enriched the lessons. The talented finds of the choreographers did not pass by her attention. Without hesitation, she introduced more and more movements to prepare artists and school youth for work on contemporary productions.
Vaganova wrote in one of the last articles:
“Pupils who have not seen me for a long time, find a shift, progress in my teaching.
Why is this happening? From close attention to performances of a new order.
Indeed, life is all around, everything is growing, everything is moving forward. Therefore, I recommend ... to observe life and art. ”
Vaganova left this important testament to her followers.
Now the pedagogical method of Vaganova has become the leading and fundamental method of the entire Russian choreographic school. It is creatively developed by Vaganova's followers working in various ballet schools of the country.
Already during the life of Vaganova, her associates at the Leningrad State Choreographic School A. Shiryaev, A. Bocharov and A. Lopukhov for the first time in the history of ballet art developed the technique of characteristic dance, outlining it in the book “Fundamentals of Characteristic Dance” (1939). In the next decade and a half, textbooks by N. Ivanovsky, L. Yarmolovich were published, covering various areas of dance teaching at the ballet school. Especially, the study of the experience of the famous Leningrad “dance academy” has been intensified since the mid-60s, when valuable manuals came out one after another, the authors of which, taking into account the accumulated, develop the pedagogical system of Vaganova. Among them, the book of students of Vaganova on the pedagogical department of the school N. Bazarova and V. May, “The ABC of Classical Dance” (1964) - a methodological development for the extremely responsible three junior classes of the school, the fundamental work of A. Pisarev and V. Kostrovitsky, “School of Classical Dance ”(1968), a textbook by N. Serebrennikov“ Support in duet dance ”(1969), where the experience of teaching duet dance was systematized and described for the first time. A number of valuable manuals were issued by the Moscow State Choreographic School.
Vaganova herself did not at all consider her pedagogical system as unchanged, once and for all established. Based on her extensive experience, the students of Vaganova enrich and correct this pedagogical system with their creative practice. So, in a number of ballet classes, exercise is now successfully applied on the high, not low half-fingers. In recent years, in connection with the expansion of cultural ties, the opportunity has arisen for the international exchange of creative experience in the field of choreographic pedagogy. The achievements of foreign dancers in the field of ballet art technique did not pass by the attention of the Russian ballet figures, especially in tours and virtuoso arrivals. Particular attention is now paid to these sections of ballet exercises.
Improving the method of teaching dance, enriching the vocabulary and emotional expressiveness of movements, teachers, the successors of Vaganova, strive to ensure that the choreographic school meets the modern level of Russian ballet art, enhancing its fame.
The book of A. Ya. Vaganova “Fundamentals of classical dance” is reproduced in the fifth edition.
Trying to emphasize the peculiarities of the Russian ballet school, Vaganova in her book often compares it with the French and Italian schools. These concepts cannot be connected with modern foreign ballet, although in some cases the techniques described by Vaganova still exist in choreographic practice. The easiest way was to remove these sections when reprinting the book, but since the use of examples from the French and Italian exercises helps the author clarify the nuances of the movement, they are saved as having practical significance.
Finally, the new edition of the book, as in the previous one, takes into account Vaganova’s amendments, prepared by her after the publication of the third edition of her work.
Some additions, corrections, and also an example of a lesson with musical design are added to the third edition of my book “Fundamentals of Classical Dance” that is being published.
The French terminology adopted for classical dance, as I have already indicated in all discussions on this subject, is inevitable, being international. For us it is the same as Latin in medicine - it has to be used. The Italian Cecchetti, who taught the last years of his life in England, used the same terminology in a language alien to him and his students - in a word, it is absolutely international and accepted by everyone. Although now I will make a reservation: not all of our names coincide with the names adopted by the French. For many decades, our dance has been developing without a direct connection with the French school. Many names have disappeared, some have been modified, finally, new ones have been introduced by our school. But these are all variants of one common and international system of dance terminology.
In terms of the department that describes the forms of classical dance, I have adopted a sequence of presentation that is convenient, it seems to me, for those who want to get acquainted with classical dance in general. Therefore, I combined the description according to general specific concepts, such as batmans, jumps, tours, etc., in an order that completely does not correspond to the training order, but which makes systematization easier to cover all the material. In each chapter, descriptions are provided from their easy form to the most perfect and difficult, which, however, will not impede their use in teaching in accordance with the class program.
Those who want to get acquainted with the sequence of the lesson, with my combinations of pas and so on. they will find this information in the section on building the lesson and in the attached examples.
In the description of the various pas, I say that ahead is or begins to move right leg without stipulating every time that you can start with the left. I do this for brevity and not to overload every description with unnecessary phrases. But, of course, we must firmly remember that this is done for the convenience of presentation and has no other meaning.
I also try not to repeat the descriptions of the once set forth technique when it appears in the description of another pas.
The reader who comes across an unfamiliar expression should find this term in the alphabetical index and read its description in the indicated place.
In most cases, I give a description of pas in its full form, in the middle, with hands; if pas is shown on the stick in the corresponding figure, the hands are easy to complement according to the description of the text.
To indicate the degree of rotation of the body, I take the designation method from the “Alphabet of movements human body”Stepanova, but I give his scheme a more general interpretation.
It seemed to me more convenient to change the numbering, and I adopted the following scheme: 1 - the middle of the ramp, 2 - the corner to the right in front of the dancer, 3 - the middle of the right wall, etc. (fig. 1, B).
The method of anatomy to measure the degree of abduction of the arms and legs, indicating the degrees of the angle that the arms and legs form with respect to the vertical axis of the body, I took from the above book by Stepanov. We use this designation for the legs and speak in general terms about the abduction of the leg by 45 °, 90 ° and 135 °, although in each individual case, of course, there are deviations in the magnitude of the angle in one direction or another, depending on the individual addition of the dancer; in other words, “90 °” is not always mathematically equal to 90 ° - this is a symbol for the position of the leg in a horizontal position, with the toe at the level of the thigh.
I hesitated for a long time whether to take from Anatomy and Biomechanics their exact terminology for designating parts of the body, legs, arms, for indicating directions and planes of the body, so concise and convenient. In the end, I nevertheless abandoned this idea, knowing that these names are too uncommon in the dance environment. No matter how much I stipulate that I will use anatomical words such as hip, lower leg, shoulder, forearm, frontal plane, etc., I will never be sure that the reader will understand me that way, and not will give these words their everyday or completely arbitrary meaning. Therefore, deliberately going on the roughness of the phrase, I prefer to write every time: “upper leg from hip to knee”, “lower leg from knee to toe”, etc. The presentation is heavy, but the possibility of misunderstanding is eliminated.
It must be added that the achievement in the dance exercise of the full coordination of all movements of the human body makes us further inspire the movements with thought, mood, that is, give them the expressiveness that is called artistry.
I do not go into the development of this issue in this textbook, but I resolve it in the lesson, developing in detail daily in the upper grades and improvement classes.
LESSON BUILDING
Many times I will have to point out how we gradually approach the study of any pas from its schematic form to expressive dance.
The same gradualness in mastering the whole science of dance - from the first steps to the dance on stage.
The lesson itself does not immediately unfold in its entirety: first, the exercise on the stick, then on the middle, adagio and allegro.
Children who begin to study, at first do only an excercise at a stick and in the middle in a dry form, without any variation. In the subsequent exercise, simple stick combinations are introduced, they are repeated in the middle. Pass the main poses. Further, a light adagio, without complex combinations, aimed only at acquiring stability.
Complications are made by the poses into which the work of the hands is introduced, and so gradually we get to the combined, complex adagio. All the movements that I have described below in their simplest form, then pass on half-rails.
In conclusion, jumps are introduced in the adagio combination, leading the students to the ultimate improvement.
Adagio also assimilates body and head rotations. Started with the lightest movements, adagio is infinitely more complex and variable over the years. In the last classes, difficulties are introduced one after another. To perform these complex combinations, students must be thoroughly prepared in the previous classes: to master the strength of the case and stability, so that when faced with new great difficulties, do not lose their temper. Such a sophisticated adagio develops agility and mobility of the figure; when we encounter big jumps in allegro, we don’t have to waste time mastering the hull.
I want to stop at allegro and emphasize its very special meaning. It contains the dance science, all its complexity and the key to future perfection. The whole dance is built on allegro.
Adagio is not enough indicative for me. The dancer helps here the support of the gentleman, drama or lyricism of the stage situation, etc. Now, adagio, however, introduces a lot of virtuoso movements, but they all depend more on the skill of the gentleman. But to go out and make an impression in the variation is another matter: this is where dance education will affect. But not only the variations, but also most of the dances, both solo and massive, are built on allegro; all waltzes, all codes - this is allegro.
All the previous work, before the introduction of allegro, is preparatory for the dance: when we come to allegro, then we begin to learn to dance, here we are exposed to all the wisdom of classical dance.
In a fit of fun, children dance and jump, but their dances and jumps are just an instinctive manifestation of joy. To bring it to art, to style, to artistry, you need to tell him a certain form - and this design begins when studying allegro.
When the student’s legs are set correctly, there is already an eversion, the foot is developed and strengthened, elasticity is given to it and the muscles are strengthened, you can proceed with the allegro. Jumps begin with the study of temps leve, which are done pushing from the floor with two legs in I, II and V positions, then changement de pied and, finally, echappe, to make them easier, first do it at the stick, turning to face it and holding with both hands.
The next jump usually takes assemble, which is quite complex in structure - this tradition has deep and compelling reasons.
Assemble makes you immediately right to take all the muscles to work. It is not easy for a beginner to assimilate it; one must carefully monitor every moment of movement; doing this time, eliminates the possibility of licentiousness of muscles. A student who has learned how to assemble correctly not only learns this pas, but acquires a foundation for execution and other pas allegros - they will seem easier for him and will not be tempted to make them loose if the correct setting of the corps was learned from the initial pas and became a habit .
It would be infinitely easier to teach a child to do, for example, balance, but how to instill in him at the same time the correct manner of holding the body, controlling the muscles? Involuntarily, due to the lightness of this pas, the legs open, relax, and the eversion of assemble is not acquired. The difficulties laid in assemble lead directly to the intended goal.
After assemble, you can go to glissade, jete, pas de basque, balance, the last one, I repeat, it is advisable not to enter until the muscles are underdeveloped in the main jumps and the jump is given the correct basis.
Then, knowing how to make a jete, it’s not scary to switch to one-leg jumping (when the other leg remains after sur le cou-de-pied or opens), such as sissonne ouverte. Along the way, you can go through the pas de bourree, although it is done without separation from the ground, but it is necessary that you feel firmly set legs in it.
At this stage of development, the student can already be given some kind of light dance.
In high school, they study the most difficult jumps with a delay in the air, for example, saut de basque. Of these, the most difficult - cabriole - completes the study of allegro.
I repeat, I speak more about allegro, I dwell on it, because allegro is the basis, the whole dance is based on it.
In high school, when the lesson becomes more and more complicated, all pas can be done en tournant, with turns. Starting from simple battements tendus to all complex pas adagio and allegro - everything is done en tournant, giving more difficult work to already developed and strong muscles.
I will not give any solid schemes and no solid norms for building lessons. This is an area in which the experience and sensitivity of the teacher play a decisive role.
Nowadays, during the period of rapid construction, life is in full swing in the theater - the pace has nothing to do with the former. Previously, each student and artist performed in performances 3-4 times in a month. Now the number of performances is significantly increased. You have to be very careful here.
If a given class or group of dancers is overworked, if I know that they are loaded with work, sometimes for two weeks I give only light work in the lesson and conduct the students very carefully. But now - some kind of relief, less work, or some event shook the energy, you feel the possibility of more energetic efforts, then the lessons become stressful - you take time and fill them with difficulties in a short time. In a word, one must be very sensitive to working conditions in order not to harm the lesson. If a program dictates to me, I would like not only to execute it, but also to overfulfill it. Nevertheless, my duty is to take into account the load of the students, not to break away from life.
The same principle must be followed in relation to students when they are given production work. Our students, as a student at the factory, improve their knowledge by practice in the theater. You also can’t set any norms here. Depending on the needs of the performance, students sometimes do on stage what the class has not yet learned, which is higher than the program of this class. No prohibitions and no prohibitions in this area should be put. The theater makes demands on the school, and they can be satisfied without harm to the students, if even here the teacher will show sensitivity and knowledge of his students: what is difficult for one in this class, then the other can do it. The choreographer in this matter should reckon with the observations of the teacher and engage students according to his instructions. If you practice the students on stage dryly, according to the program, this can slow down their artistic development and the formation of talented individuals.
In view of the foregoing, I consider it impossible to give any solid outline of the lessons — this is a matter requiring absolute individualization and taking into account many circumstances.
I will say the same about the work of the artists, their daily lesson and preparation for the performance. It is necessary to approach the exersis, how we approach our treatment in life: we get the doctor’s prescriptions, but in general, everyone knows how he should apply them to himself, how to heal himself.
Occupational diseases of the legs are extremely common among dancers, which force them to combine the exercise for themselves in a different order, so as to best bring the sore spot into work until it “warms up” and the performance can be painlessly performed.
Here I think it is not out of place to mention that I completely share the belief among dancers and dancers about the benefits of practicing in the summer during the heat. I warmly recommend that my students do not stop the daily exercise in the summer. In these short months, great strides can be made that those who have practiced in the summer have seen themselves many times. You don’t have to waste time “warming up” your legs, they are already “warmed up” before the start of the lesson, more susceptible and gaining more benefit from any effort - you can immediately begin the more difficult work, which will have a very beneficial effect on the development of ligaments, joint flexibility.
I will limit myself to a few general directions for conducting the lesson, and at the end of the book the reader will find examples of my lessons adapted for high school students.
The daily exercise from the first year of study until the end of activity on the stage is made up of the same pas. True, by the end of the first year, the student does not yet perform an exercise completely, but the smallest child who begins to study is already making those movements that subsequently enter the dancer's full exercise.
Once these are the following (only for the first year of study - in a different order).
Exercise begins with plie in five positions.
Then I will make a small digression. The fact that plie begin to take place in the order of positions, that is, from position I, is not at all a random and not stupid tradition. Although voices were heard suggesting to start plie from II position, but I can’t join them. It would seem easier to initially study plie from the II position, as more stable, but this approach also has its drawbacks, because thanks to a more stable position of the legs, when studying plie from this position, the body easily opens and there is no proper concentration of the whole body of the dancer. Therefore, it is more correct to start studying plie from I position, where a less stable position of the legs makes you make some efforts from the very beginning to stay on that vertical axis around which all the dancer's balance is built. This makes you restrain your muscles, crouching, not sticking out your buttocks, the whole figure is more concentrated, the position is correct, and the basis for any plie is given.
It is much more difficult to achieve this in the II position even for more advanced students, especially since we risk it with beginner children - it is easy to accustom them to the licentiousness of muscles, while we achieve restraint of the whole figure when spreading legs for the initial demi-plie.
After the plie comes the battement tendu. He must work out from the youngest classes such a reliable and solid eversion that later, when jumping, his legs themselves will take a distinct, correct V position, since then it will no longer be time to correct. To do this, from the first steps you need to require that the foot is placed neatly and tightly in the V position.
For the battement tendu go: rond de jambe par terre, battement fondu, battement frappe, rond de jambe en l "air, petit battement developpe, grand battement jete.
All these pas can be combined and complicated depending on the class, approach and method of the teacher.
I will only point out that in the lower grades children should not be filled with various combinations. Exercise may be boring in its monotony, although this monotony can be violated by making movements in various divisions (by 1/2, by 1/4), changing them so that children do not do anything mechanically, but follow the music. In these classes, the foundation is laid for the development of muscles, elasticity of ligaments, the foundations of the initial movements are introduced. All this is achieved by systematic repetition of one movement a significant number of times in a row, for example: it is better to make pas eight times in a row, and not to do two or four combinations in eight measures. Scattered and small movements will not reach the goal. One must be absolutely sure that the student has worked out the movement and it will go through correctly in any combination in order to complicate the lesson without harm. Otherwise, we may achieve the student’s quick wits, but not a single pas will be learned to the end.
In a word, if you impose a lot of posing on children to the detriment of the technical development of movements, their development will move tight. In the middle classes (V and VI) combinations are permissible, but even that with great care;
we must not forget that these middle classes must develop the great strength that a dancer needs and will allow in high school to concentrate all attention on the development of her dance education.
Dance skills should be developed equally by working on the movement of the arms and legs. If attention is paid only to the legs and hands, body and head are forgotten, a complete harmony of movements will never be achieved and a proper performance impression will not be obtained. It happens that the performance is too designed for a cheap effect and when posing for the hands they forget about the legs - then also complete harmony of movements will not work.
In high school, stick exercises seem relatively short in time, but this is a misleading impression. In high school every day the whole exercise is done, which is also done in the lower grades. But thanks to the developed technique, it is taken at a fast pace, and therefore takes less time, still managing to tell the muscles the required elasticity.
Exercise in the middle is combined from the same pas as the stick, then go to adagio and allegro.
Here I have to make one general comment.
In recent years, a number of fundamental changes have occurred in the distribution of educational time in our school, caused by new settings that require the future Soviet artist to have a broader outlook and versatility in the field of studying his specialty.
From the school bench, we give the opportunity to try our strength not only in the lesson, but also in a little practice - participation in ballets and in performances at the school. Students do not feel isolated from artistic life; from early experience, they learn what can and should be learned from the lesson, so they learn consciously and seriously.
A significant role is played by the general development that is now being given in our school. The general program cannot be compared with the previous one both in general subjects and in special ones.
In my time, characteristic dances almost did not take place, they were assimilated from various dance numbers. Exercise of characteristic dances was developed in detail in the 20s of this century by A. V. Shiryaev, who systematized the movements of characteristic dances and thereby greatly facilitated the work in this area.
I’m not talking about such subjects as the history of theater, the history of art, the history of ballet, the history of music, etc.: in my time, these subjects were not in the program, since the theoretical training of the dancer was not considered necessary.
To all of the above, it should be added that for improvement in choreographic art, a visual display of movements is necessary. In textbooks, our “silent” art is difficult to convey accurately.
More than once I thought about Pushkin’s poems:
With one foot touching the floor
Another slowly circling, -
in our language, it’s as if one foot is playing rond de jambe en l "air, while the other foot is on the toes (that is, the foot is sharp at the tip of the fingers). Or maybe it’s not playing rond de jambe en l "air, but is circled by the leg of the grand rond de jambe 90 °, because it says - slowly circle. And further:
And suddenly a jump, and suddenly flies, -
where it flies - up or rushing into the distance? It was written beautifully, but, unfortunately, it is difficult for us to depict these poems by Pushkin in movements - everything will be in a state of fantasy.
To preserve the posterity of all our achievements, it is necessary to resort to the services of cinematography, this will be a great contribution to the perpetuation of our art. Years will pass, and we hope that our achievements, captured on film, will help future generations to learn and improve.
In the near future, our first experience in this area will be shown to the general public - these are pictures of the classical dance methodology of Moscow and Leningrad choreographic schools. This film will be a scientific tool for the periphery.