British ballet
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British ballet is most recognised for two leading methods, those of the Royal Ballet School and the Royal Academy of Dance. The identifying characteristic of British ballet is the focus on clean, precise technique and purity of line that is free of exaggeration and mannerisms. The training of dancers in Britain is noted for its slow progression, with a great deal of attention paid to basic technique. British ballet methods operate on the principle that establishing correct technique and strength slowly makes it much easier for the student to adapt to more difficult vocabulary and techniques later on.
Technique
Cecchetti influence
The Cecchetti method was vital[citation needed] in the development of classical ballet in the United Kingdom and contributed heavily to modern day British teaching methods. Enrico Cecchetti and his wife opened a ballet school in London in 1918, and his pupils included some of the most influential names in British ballet, many also influencing ballet throughout the world.
The British writer and dance historian Cyril W. Beaumont was a close friend of Cecchetti and in 1922 he collaborated with Cecchetti to codify the technique into a printed syllabus, The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet, which has become the foremost reference for Cecchetti method teachers worldwide.[citation needed] Cecchetti also gave Beaumont permission to establish the Cecchetti Society to maintain the method and ensure that it would be passed on to future ballet teachers in its original form. Branches of the Cecchetti Society were subsequently established around the world, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the USA. The original Cecchetti Society still exists in Britain, although it was absorbed into the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, which continues to maintain the Cecchetti method as a separate entity from its own Imperial Classical Ballet syllabus.
It is in the tradition of classical ballet that technique is passed on directly Enrico Cecchetti having been taught by Giovanni Lepri who was taught by Carlo Blasis and the line can be traced back to Beauchamp, the first ballet master at the court of Louis X1V. So too was the Cecchetti method been passed on directly by his former pupils like Laura Wilson.[1]
Vaganova influence
Britain became one of the first Western countries to be influenced by the
Notable companies & schools
- Rambert School of Dance, based in St Margarets, Twickenham founded in 1920, the oldest ballet school in the UK.
- Birmingham Royal Ballet, sister company of the Royal Ballet, based in Birmingham
- Elmhurst School for Dance, Birmingham-based ballet school with links to Birmingham Royal Ballet
- English National Ballet, leading rival of the Royal Ballet companies
- English National Ballet School, official associate school of the English National Ballet
- Northern Ballet, ballet company based in Leeds, specialising in theatrical dance productions
- Northern Ballet Academy, associate non-residential school of Northern Ballet
- The Royal Ballet, widely regarded amongst the leading classical ballet companies in the world
- Royal Ballet School, official school of The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Scottish Ballet, the national ballet company of Scotland
Some notable British dancers
- Vic-Wells Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. She was co-founder of various touring ballet companies and today's English National Ballet
- University of Durhamfrom 1981 to 1990
- Dame Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, later becoming Prima Ballerina of The Royal Ballet. Currently serves on the board of Directors for Sydney Dance Company and as a Patron of the International Dance Teachers Association
Some notable choreographers
- Royal Ballet, and collaborated with de Valois to establish a distinctive British ballet repertory. Was later appointed Artistic Director of the company. Notable works: Les Rendezvous (1933), Sylvia (1952), Ondine (1958), La Fille Mal Gardée (1960) and A Month in the Country (1976).
- ,
- Job (1931), The Rake's Progress (1935) and Checkmate (1937).