Confessions of a 28-year-old Grade I Grad: A Look At Cecchetti’s Method

As mentioned yesterday on the blog, Dance Advantage welcomes Lauren Warnecke as a new contributor to this site. Her column Art Intercepts will provide tips for teaching ballet and modern dance technique, discuss injury prevention and dancer wellness, help you sift through current dance research about the body, motor-learning, and developmental psychology, and (as in the post below) cover Lauren’s journey through the Cecchetti method certification process.

Wendy is my friend, former college roommate and fellow dance major, and the quintessential ballet teacher. I’m not exactly sure how she roped me into the teacher’s certification program through the Cecchetti Council of America. I’m not teaching. I’m not dancing. Shucks, I had a ceremonial burning of my leotards a couple of years ago.*  I’m a barefoot dancer who got injured and can’t dance barefoot anymore. By whatever means, my deeply buried inner bunhead was revealed and after nearly 5 years away from dancing and a brief hiatus from teaching while I went to graduate school, last Friday morning I found myself standing in front of a committee of fierce ex-ballerinas in a black leotard, pink tights, and a hairnet.

What Wendy probably knew, but didn’t bother to tell me, is that this was actually the perfect move for me. I had been working on Art Intercepts throughout graduate school, but was otherwise so far removed from dance that everything I was thinking and writing about was, kinesthetically, in my head. Maybe this sounds a bit dramatic, but when I did that first plié it was like every plié I had ever done flashed before my eyes. I was back. Moreover, I was plié-ing with a fresh perspective and a newfound respect for ballet.

What is the Cecchetti Method?

Enrico Cecchetti is among the most influential historical figures in ballet. His method is analytical, systematic, and anatomically sound (given the knowledge of the time). He was Marius Petipa’s right-hand man at the Imperial Ballet and served as Ballet Master at Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. During his time at the Ballets Russes, Cecchetti established seven lesson plans (one for each day of the week) and by the end of the week the Cecchetti dancer had spanned the entire breadth of the ballet vocabulary.

Inspired by these lesson plans are seven graded syllabi created by the Cecchetti Council of America for students training in the Method in the United States. Each student must test out of his/her grade before moving on to the next one and each grade also has a corresponding teacher’s grade. The teachers must go through the same process as the students, standing in front of two tough broads from the Council, demonstrating the exercises in the syllabus and passing each grade before moving on to the next. The teachers’ exam is more comprehensive in the fact that you have to be able to demonstrate physically and verbally that you also can effectively teach the syllabus to students of the particular age range for that grade. I thought I knew ballet until I was standing in front of the examiners rambling on like a bubbling idiot searching for that one word they are looking for (like salient, or render, or rotation…).

What I’ve Learned:

I probably learned the most from the teachers around me. It’s great to have fresh energy, new analogies, and alternative approaches thrown at you. The two other teachers in my class are actively teaching beginners and so they see first-hand the common mistakes that students in this age group tend to make. I can benefit from the incredible attention to detail paid by the Cecchetti Method and from the meticulous nature of the placement of every centimeter of the body from the tip of the index finger to the pinky toe. It’s tempting to throw out the details and simply say “So what? Who cares if the toe or the heel leads down the back of the leg when closing from a retiré?” Apparently my examiners cared because I bombed this question big time.**

I learned the ins and outs of so many positions and movements and analyzed them in ways I’ve never thought of before. I’ve never paid much attention to the working foot in a frappé or thought about which way works better or how it impacts other steps. I mean, I consider myself a thoughtful teacher, but this program is really hitting it home that the whole of ballet is interconnected. All steps and positions are preparation for bigger steps and more advanced positions. I now more carefully consider the through-line of a class and the importance of carrying certain objectives consistently through the lesson plan–and this is a lesson that applies not just to ballet but to all forms of dance.

I learned that ballet is pretty much awesome. Don’t knock it. It IS possible for ballet, contemporary (whatever that is), and modern dance to co-exist harmoniously. I don’t have to disregard all of my ballet training to be a modern dancer, and vice-versa. They are mutually beneficial in creating a whole dancer–and to advancing and evolving concert dance. I’d like to see a modern dance with a story, and I’d like to see ballet have more emotional content and more body types dancing together. But those changes will never happen if the two forms don’t collaborate. I don’t believe that Isadora Duncan’s objective was to entirely abandon pointed toes and épaulment and nice lines–I think she just didn’t like tights and pointe shoes….I digress.

What I Already Knew:

Training in ballet makes you part of a rich history that includes direct and indirect lines back to the greatest of ballet masters, including Enrico Cecchetti. His Method is one of the most prevalent and perhaps misunderstood styles in classical ballet. Much like Graham technique in modern dance, most of what you find is really “Graham-based” training or “Cecchetti-based” training. By going through this program, the method and syllabus are coming straight from the horse’s mouth–that is–the Cecchetti Council of America. Most dancers (especially American dancers) are trained in ambiguous combinations of techniques that generally come from whatever their teachers learned from their teachers. The fabulous thing about this program is that there is no ambiguity. There are answers for everything, no shades of gray, and very little room for interpretation. Since some of the greatest dancers in history passed through Cecchetti’s own hands, he was obviously doing something right. So from my perspective, if you’re going to train your students in the Cecchetti Method, why not go all the way, teach the syllabus, and send your dancers for examinations to be recognized and endorsed by the Council?

What I’ll Take and What I’ll Discard:

For my own purposes, I am not in a position to teach syllabus classes, nor do I have any direct say over the curriculum of other teachers in my program. That said, there are things that I can take from this experience that benefit me as a teacher and choreographer, such as the phenomenal attention to detail and anatomical harmony of the Method. I’m not sure that Enrico Cecchetti exactly knew how the femur rotates in the acetabulum, but he studied the movement of the body and made very deliberate technical choices based on his observations. What I love about this method is that the exercises are perfectly tailored to be sequential in both warming the body and as a preparation for future steps. I get so nervous that my class isn’t going to warm someone up properly and put them at risk for injury, and this program has given me a lot more consciousness and confidence with regard to sequence and selection of exercises.

The unfortunate truth about the graded syllabi is that Cecchetti himself didn’t make them up. In fact, he never taught student-aged dancers. The meat and potatoes of his work are contained in the seven advanced lesson plans he established at the Ballet Russes. The seven grades were devised by the Cecchetti Council of America who make up the presiding body over the content and preservation of the Method. I was a bit disappointed to hear this and curious to know if syllabi are different in other countries that participate in training students in the Cecchetti Method and have Councils of their own.

Continuing Education For Dance Teachers

There aren’t a lot of options for continuing education in dance. Dance teachers, in particular, have limited choices in graduate school programs, and there is no overriding governing body in charge of training teachers to ensure the highest quality in dance education. For teachers especially interested in ballet, this program has a lot to offer. Whether you are searching for some guiding principles and a fundamental technique to draw from or looking to validate and supplement your own ideas and teaching practices, this program is a relatively affordable and beneficial process.

More than anything else, it is a humbling and emotional experience to perform the same exercises to the same music that were being performed 150 years ago in the greatest of theatres by the greatest of dancers of all time. That feeling is the essence of my love for dance and why dance matters to me most–not the costumes, or the stage, or the accolades and applause, but the simple act of bringing music to life through movement and playing a minuscule part of the rich and glorious lineage of dancers. Thanks, Wendy.

* True story, not just for literary effect.
** For those of you who DO care, the toe leads both up and down the supporting leg and draws a diagonal line from fifth position to the notch at the side of the knee. The foot does not stop in cou de pied because doing so causes the foot to sickle as it closes to fifth.

Interested in the Cecchetti Method? Check out their website and search for the committee in your specific region. Communication tends to be a bit antiquated, so you are best off making phone calls to the members in your region to seek out a coach to train you.  Examiners visit each region approximately twice per year.

Teaching Tap Improvisation: Exercises for Beginners

After years of slightly embarrassing moments in front of peers and master teachers, I decided the time had come to develop a thorough improvisation syllabus based on advice from as many great hoofers as possible. I’ll be sharing some of that work with you. Here are the first exercises I present to my students.

Beginning Improvisation Exercises

(Appropriate for students of all ages and levels, unless otherwise noted)

Exercise 1: Group Nursery Rhymes

Goal: Get feet connected to brains, and get students moving!

Choose a song that everyone knows. My suggestion is “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for the first time you try this. Remind them that there are no rules except to dance one sound for each note in the song. Sometimes this will take more than one try, especially if you notice dancers adding extra sounds. Encourage them to leave space during the silence in the song.

If you have very young students (I start them at age 3 with this exercise), have them sing and dance at the same time. If you have intermediate dancers or adults, they can dance without singing.

Exercise 2: “Fancy Dancing”

Age/Level: Beginning Students, ages 3 to 7
Goal: Learn how to dance in an improv circle

All dancers begin in a circle. Choose a fun song that the kids can relate to, with a steady tempo and a good beat. One by one, dancers enter the circle and “show us their best moves” and dance as long as they want! Encourage them to do ANYTHING they want, not just tap dance. This gets them thinking about moving things other than their feet!

Exercise 3: Toes Only, Heels Only

Ages/Levels: Beginners of all ages
Goal: To eliminate the pressure to come up with impressive footwork when a beginner doesn’t have a big vocabulary

Once again, make a circle. You have two variations that you can try with this exercise, both of which help relax self-conscious beginners.

Variation A: Repeat Exercise 1 as a group, but using only toe drops or heel drops. This can also be done one at a time so they can hear their taps, though you’ll need to pay careful attention to their self-consciousness and be sure to encourage them!

Variation B (ages 6 and up): Have each student choose their own nursery rhyme and tap it out with toes or heels. Make the rest of them guess! This is challenging, but fun.

Exercise 4: Pass the Buck

Goal: To learn how to “pass” to the next person

All dancers begin in a circle. Choose a fun song with a steady tempo and a good beat. One by one, dancers either enter the circle (young kids and advanced dancers) or dance in place in the circle (ages 6 to adult) and “show us their best moves” and dance as long as they want! Encourage them to do ANYTHING they want, not just tap dance. This gets them thinking about moving things other than their feet!

When they are finished, they must gesture with a foot, hand or eye contact to the person they choose to go next. If the “passing” is too complicated for your little ones, you can verbally prompt them to pass it to someone, or simply progress one at a time around the circle.

Exercise 5: Bars, Meters & Counts

Goal: To create music awareness while dancing and practice structured improvisational trades around a circle

Begin with a very structured 4/4 song that does not have any strange segues or extra measures. Have all students beat their hands on their legs, clap or snap to the beat. Continue their time keeping, but have them now count out loud – “1..2..3..4″. Be sure you do not have them count “5..6..7..8″. This is a cardinal sin in the music world, as you’ll find out if you dance with live musicians! Explain to your students that each set of four counts is a measure, or a bar. I often use this with my elementary students who are learning addition and/or multiplication. They love when they know the answer to “How many counts are in four measures?”

Once you have explained the concept of bars/measures and counts to them, try dancing four measures. If this is too tough, they can even use toes and heels like before. Have them help each other by counting out loud and holding up fingers for the number of measures that have passed. Everyone loves a little help from their friends!

Note: Remember that each student should begin on count 1 of their first measure and end on count 4 of their last. This will help with students transitions to one another. You can also require them to “pass the buck” once they’ve finished their turn.

–

I hope these beginning exercises give you some ideas for your own classes, or even your own individual improvisation work. Let’s find that creative genius hidden inside your students (and maybe even you)!

For more information or to purchase a complete copy of the syllabus, please feel free to comment below or email me at sarah.mason@PennAcadArts.com.

Class Planning Part One: Developing a Curriculum Outline

When I visit forums or other areas online where dance teachers congregate, I find many questions regarding how to plan lessons and design curriculum. There are certainly a variety of methods for doing both and many teachers work from a codified syllabus. For those of you who may be searching for new ideas or needing some pointers in outlining your own lessons or program of study, I am sharing my methods for doing so.

Lesson Plans will be discussed in Part Two of this series.

Designing Curriculum

Approach for Young Children

There are many approaches to teaching young children, in all methods the objectives are generally the same: To introduce and practice age-appropriate movement skills, to prepare students for working and functioning within a classroom environment, and to instill a love of dance. Though it can vary, young children generally reach similar levels of motor skill, muscular, and cognitive development at or around the same time. If you are planning a curriculum for these younger age groups it is essential that you have some familiarity with childhood development. Pushing students to perform skills that are beyond their muscular control can damage their bodies.

Mastery Approach

After age six or seven, age-appropriateness on many levels is no longer as crucial (exceptions would be pointe work or other extreme physical activities prior to growth maturity, appropriateness of choreography and music subject matter). Instead, development is better measured through prerequisite skill mastery. Though advancement may occur at different speeds, a new student at 15 begins and progresses in much the same way a seven-year-old who is new to dance does. Designing a curriculum, then, becomes more about appropriate sequence of learning.

Moving Backward

When designing short-term curriculum, I generally work backward. In other words, I begin with the goal, the endpoint, the ideal, and then decide how to get there. If I am designing curriculum for a workshop the aims may be fewer and less grand than if I’m planning curriculum for a full year of study.

Let’s say one of my final goals is to present a dance, I try to decide which skills I’d like to include or which performance qualities I’d like to see, and give special attention to these in the classes leading up to the performance. In fact, for ease in preparation, I often create entire phrases or combinations of movement for class with the intent that these (or something very similar) will go directly into a final performance work. I do the same in lesson planning, making sure to include exercises featuring movements found in the final combination.

This backward method of planning is not that original. After all it is difficult to figure out how to get somewhere until you know where you are going. The whole idea may even seem obvious but it is a process that I’ve neglected myself at times (regretfully). If you’ve ever found yourself trying to pound a skill into your students and wondering why they are not improving, this is a good time to reassess your goals and determine if perhaps they’ve missed some key building blocks along the way!

To build curriculum for a class or course of study, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What do I want the students to be able to do by the end of the year(s)/month/semester/session?
2. What skills are necessary to reach each of the above goals? (List them all, even obvious ones)
3. What skills must the students have familiarity with (if not mastery of) to accomplish these goals?

The above image contains samples of various goals. Your opinions and experiences may often dictate what is considered necessary, though some skills have inherent prerequisites.

Moving Forward

When I’m working on curriculum that spans multiple years of training, I often work in a more progressive manner, though the end goals are always in the back of my mind:

1. I list skills in the order I think they should be learned (including variations like facing barre, then one-hand on barre, then from 5th position, then in center, etc.)
2. Then, I place these skills in two columns, according to level: Essential and Overlap. Essential Skills are those requiring mastery in order to move on to the next level. Overlap Skills are those of which students are developing a working knowledge. Overlap usually appear in the Essential column of subsequent levels.

Abstract Skills

Some skills are more abstract than others (for instance musicality, performance quality, etc.) but I like to consider these when focusing on curriculum planning – setting a few goals in these areas which I will strive to incorporate into daily/weekly classes. I do this simply because I don’t want to forget them. They may seem obvious to me but not to a less experienced dancer. “They” say that certain things can’t be taught – but I believe even these less tangible skills can be improved through thoughtful practice and encouragement.

*These tables are not intended to be used as curriculum. They are just rough examples of how a chart might look. Your curriculum would be more thoroughly planned and would probably make more sense!

Have you ever designed your own curriculum? How did you go about it? Can you think of other methods or tips to share with readers?