The days of directors just instructing beginning talent are gone. The level of sophistication and ability demonstrated by the dance/drill team member continues to increase. Drill team members often have previous dance experience and may perform with more than one team. In the 21st century dancers are eager to supplement their training with technique classes at the local studio, and do not hesitate to enroll in preparation classes to strengthen audition skills. Within the last decade dance companies have begun to include more technique classes along with the regular curriculum. Although this year’s favorite pump leap will be forgotten for next year’s switch leap, one aspect of training will never go out of style. For hundreds of years ballet has been considered the most important method in which to train dancers. The tradition and foundation offered by ballet instruction assures greater strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Elaine Armfield Guffey, Professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, answers a few of the most commonly asked questions of those interested in ballet training. For example, how will a student benefit from a ballet class? Which method of ballet training is the best? What is the importance of a plie, tendu, and frappe?

Gina: What is the importance of a student training in ballet?

Elaine: Every dancer, no matter what his/her performance style, should take ballet class because ballet is the underlying technical basis for jazz, modern, character pointe, pas de deux, etc. . . Ballet barre not only serves as a safe and thorough warm-up for the muscles and mind, but it also builds correct alignment, posture, and placement, all of which are necessary if a dancer is to look "good" while moving in any dance style. The dance fundamentals of ballet provide all other dance forms with body placement and technique for leaps, spotting for turns, and carriage of the arms, head, and upper body (epaulement) for all dance moves. A technical, correctly-taught ballet class also builds body strength and muscle memory as well as helping the brain memorize dance combinations more rapidly. Learning to work in a corps de ballet builds teamwork, cooperation, musicality,and a realization of the dance space around each and every dancer. All of these dance concepts are vital to any dance form: drill, ballet, jazz, modern, whatever.

Gina: One of the most common movements that a dancer can benefit from is the plie. It is needed before and after every leap and turn. What is the purpose for the plie and other ballet movements?

Elaine: Plies warm the leg muscles and align the body (if done correctly with turn-out originating from the hip sockets and the knees directly over the toes.) Battement Tendus stretch the feet, teach pointing of the foot, strengthen the foot muscles, and build articulate, strong, beautiful feet which can point in even less than flexible footwear such as jazz sneakers of pointe shoes. Battement frappes are done for foot strength as will as to build speed for beats. All of these concepts are important for dancers, so they should be included in each and every class.

Gina: With so many dance studios advertising different methods of training, how do you know which method is valid?

Elaine: First of all, there are five training methods: French, Italian/Checchetti, Russian/Vagonova, English/Royal Academy of Dance, and Danish/Bournonville are taught in their respective countries and schools leading into those companies as well as being taught in other countries. Dancers performing in those specific companies present their classical ballets overlaid with that particular style. There are some authorities who say the Balanchine technique should be considered a sixth school of ballet style.

Gina: What is the difference between all these styles of training?

Elaine: Each school of ballet style has unique qualities. The French are known for

extension and lovely epaulement; the Italians have incredible speed and turns; the Russians are noted (and one of the most popular trends now in the U.S. with the influx of Russian dancers migrating here) for perfect turn-out, extension, and leaps; the English are famous for clean execution of the corps de ballet; while the Danes are admired for their ballonne and quick batterie. Among the five school styles there are both small and large differences. A few of the differences include: ballet terminology used in class (for example battement jete, battement degages, or battement glisses), head and arm positions, number of arabesques, and other areas.

Gina: How do I know which method is best for me?

Elaine: As with any training program, there are pros and cons of each school. An individual dancer would have to study carefully to determine which style best suits her/his individual ballet style presentation, keeping in mind any physical limitations and/or weaknesses. A ballet dancer planning to enter a specific company should train in the style of that specific company, while, in my opinion, a serious ballet dancer should opt for clean, correct technique that has been trained in several different schools of style so that the ballet dancer can dance any style on stage as the choreography demands.

For most dance students, learning correct ballet technique should be more important then learning a specific school of ballet style. In order to achieve this, it is of utmost importance, that a student find a teacher who is a correctly trained dancer/ex-dancer with good teaching skills and teaching experience. These can be found in any of the schools of ballet style, or even outside all of the schools. Above all, students should make sure that they find good teachers.

Gina: The next time a student asks you how they can improve their technique suggest a ballet class. At first it may seem foreign, but with each class the dancer will experience a tremendous amount of growth. Greater turn-out, speed, extensions, along with leaps, and turns will all be the product of good ballet training. Go out and try a class.

Written by Gina Sawyer