July 1, Styles of Ballet

I can't believe it's July already.

Anyway, I thought it would be cool to describe the different types of ballet. I do Cecchetti and Vaganova.





Royal Academy of Dance (English Ballet):

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) was established in 1920 by a group of professional dance artists brought together by Philip Richardson, editor of the Dancing Times and including:
Adeline Genée -
Denmark Tamara Karsavina -
Russia Lucia Cormani -
Italy Edouard Espinosa -
France Phyllis Bedells -

EnglandRepresenting the principal dance training methods of the time the group formed the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing in Great Britain. Over the next fifteen years the Association grew in size and influence and which lead to the granting of a royal charter. At the last Privy Council Meeting of King George V in 1936 the Association became the Royal Academy of Dancing.In 1997 The Benesh Institute, international centre for Benesh Movement Notation, was amalgamated with the Royal Academy of Dancing.With over 15,500 members in 82 countries the Royal Academy of Dance is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. Members receive a monthly magazine "Dance Gazette". It is the largest classical ballet examining body in the world. Over 200,000 candidates take RAD examinations each year.The annual Genée award has been made since 1980, for dancers aged 18 or 19, organised by the R.A.D. It is usually held in London. In 2004 gold medals were awarded to Alexander Jones and Ayako Ono. In addition gold medallists receive 7,500 Euros. Many gold and silver medallists go on to join the Royal Ballet, London.

French School(French Ballet):

The "École Française" (French school of ballet, French style), is characterized by an emphasis on precision, elegance, and sobriety.The French are known for their complex beats, and their rigorous technical cleanliness, called "placement", which is more important to them than virtuosity.Mega-star dancer & choreographer Rudolf Nureyev choreographed re-worked versions of the great academic classic ballets (such as "La Bayadère", "Swan Lake", "Romeo & Juliet", "Raymonda", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", & directed Paris Opera ballet. His artistic direction was extremely strong, and he formed and named a whole generation of young principals ("Étoiles"), called the Nureyev Babies. (Manuel Legris, Laurent Hilaire, Kader Belarbi, Isabelle Guerin, Elisabeth Maurin, amongst others). Since that time the French school has turned into the Nureyev school, with his very idiosyncratic style, based on all the steps that Nureyev himself excelled at. Great speed and quantity of steps, necessitating the music to be played slower are characteristic of this style. This influence lasts from the 1980's to the 2000's, when it is just starting to wane, as the Nureyev Babies retire.

From (http://dancethoughts.blogspot.com/2005/10/great-ballet-styles-article-taken-from.html)

That's all for now....stay tuned for part two.