En Avant - TLFCB Student Magazine - Jan Feb 2022

I S S U E 2

JAN - FEB 2022

SAUTÉ

INTO 2022

Yo uc too a n b ! Se e a id e n d g p a r t a s, ro u o f E c a n o n s t r s in c e n d b n A v yth r an uc t t iv r e r e e a k in g e ls e f e e q u e s in g to eE en t d s ba , n ava n t@ A v a n c k o r tlfc t r e l a b .o rg ted

Hello and Happy New Year to you all! We hope you all had a great holiday! We would like to start the year off with a fun, jumpy and exciting new issue, themed 'Sauté into 2022'!

Yes! Along with this exciting theme of a new beginning, we’d like to introduce our first contributor for En Avant Aradhana Kiran! She has helped immensely in putting together this issue of En Avant.

Hi! I’m Aradhana. It’s been a lot of fun working on the second issue of En Avant and writing about my experience of watching ballets during lockdown. I hope that all of you enjoy this magazine as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Yes! While Aradhana is our first contributor she is definitely not going to be the only one. YOU can be one too! Write to us with your ideas for the magazine at enavant@tlfcb.org and watch them come to life in the upcoming issues!

Absolutely! In this issue we also have an article about the different styles of ballet that are used all across the world, as well as a timeline of the milestones TLFCB has accomplished over the years.

edito rial

There are lots of new and exciting things for you to explore in this issue. It’s a new year and a new beginning for all of us at TLFCB. So, to kick off the year, jump right into the magazine!

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announcements 2|

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JAN

JAN

Tiler Peck's Birthday Tiler is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Click here to watch a piece by her

George Balanchine's Birthday Click here to find out more about this choreographer

27|

Mikhail Baryshnikov's Birthday Click here to find out who he was

31|

To 6 Feb Prix de Lausanne!

Click here to see how you can watch it

JAN

JAN

FEB

27| FEB

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World Tutu Day Click here to watch how a tutu is made

Anna Pavlova's Birthday Click here to read about her life

World NGO Day Click here to have a look at the NGOs we work with

Ballet screenings starting soon!

Yay! We get to watch ballets soon!

s t e l l a B g W a tch in n w o d k c o L in

It was the first lockdown in 2020. Everything had suddenly come to a standstill and we were all left at home, with just the people we lived with. No chance to meet other family members, let alone friends. There was no school, no homework or classes. The only regular routine I had was the few ballet classes that I attend each week. Aside from that, there was nothing to do. I was bored and frustrated because there was nowhere to go.

Then I made a discovery that would help me pass time easily and happily. The whole world was in lockdown. Theatres in all parts of the world had closed their doors. Ballet companies no longer had performances. Prospects of live shows were far away. Since there was no way to perform for audiences, many ballet companies announced on their social media platforms that they would stream some of their recorded performances for free. I had, all of a sudden, found a channel into the world of ballet.

I searched for and kept track of upcoming streams hungrily. Many times I stayed up to watch ballets while they premiered. I was completely enchanted by the dancers. I was absorbed by the music, the costumes, the lighting and the choreography. All these aspects came together to create magical and fantastical worlds. For the first time, I was seeing the full grandeur of a ballet performance from the perspective of the audience.

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Until then, the only ballets I had really seen closely were the ones we performed every two years at TLFCB. I had seen this more from behind the scenes, as a student and an active participant in the show rather than as an audience member. This change in viewpoint was really impactful – in many LE IS PART C I T ways it was pleasant OF AR to see just the final performance without STUDENT SCOOP being witness to the SERIES countless hours of Send your own articles/ideas effort that go into to enavant@tlfcb.org and you can be featured getting it on

G WATCHIN N ON HOW A IR K A E N IN ARADHA NS ONL RODUCTIO BALLET P PECTIVE HER PERS CHANGED RMANCE ON PERFO SWORK AND CLAS

stage. The ease and lightness of ballet came across very powerfully as there were no signs of the preparation that had gone into it.

It was interesting to see a performance without all the backstage effort.

All the productions that I had seen before lockdown, I had been a part of. Every time I watched a recording of one of our shows, I was conscious of the work that had gone into bringing it to life. This time, I was able to see the link between the effort that we put in in class and the result on stage in a much larger frame. I could see how the steps and combinations we practiced could be refined further to finally become something that could go on stage in a professional show.

I could relate how the time that each of us spent in the studio (and now at home, for the last year and a half) was working towards creating an elegant and graceful set of movements that could, at any point, in any combination, be used in some choreography. There were many different ballets that companies from all over the world streamed.

here too!

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Many classical and traditional ballets were broadcast – Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet… Many contemporary and unconventional ballets were also available – The Cellist, Dust, Woolf Works... I watched both types.

The styles of the two kinds were quite noticeably different, but both brought different aspects of dancing to my awareness. The contemporary ballets required a different set of movements and qualities that built on classical technique. I had not watched too much contemporary dance until these ballet companies made their performances available to the whole world. I was able to understand how flexible ballet technique could be and how easily it could be adapted to suit a slightly different style of movement.

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I was much more sensitised to what happens when a head is tilted or turned a little or arms are moved with a slightly different quality. I was able to understand the detail of technique and remember it more easily because I could see the effect it was having on the entire piece. I started to see how crucial performance quality was in bringing a variation together, and I believe that I have worked more consciously on performance quality than in the past.

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Now that we are learning variations in class, the impact that watching these ballets has had on me is even more visible. We all had to learn the choreography on our own, before we could work on the technique in class. While I was watching the videos to learn the choreography, I picked up on more subtle points that I might otherwise have missed if I had not watched all these ballets. I was able to pay more attention to placement and eyeline.

I was able to see how the seemingly rigid and tight ballet technique could be made more personal. Choreographers had changed small parts of the technique to create their own styles.

Some were more angular, some more fluid, but they were all related to each other by the classical ballet technique that they were all based on. Though whatever I knew of ballet was the classical style, I was more than happy to watch these performances that were different. I especially enjoyed performances that used mostly ballet movements but chose to let go of turnout! Even though there was no turnout, which is one of the most basic parts of ballet, these dances were still recognisable as deriving from ballet.

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Watching all these performances has undoubtedly changed me as a dancer. I have been able to connect class work to how it can be expanded into a full-length ballet. It definitely inspired me to continue working on my technique and see how much more I can push myself to achieve better dancing. Most importantly, I understood how essential it is to focus on performance quality. That really is the fun and captivating part of ballet, even though it rests on technique and precision of movement. I was able to feel how much better my ballet was when I was able to watch and learn from professional dancers as they enjoyed themselves and danced purely for the joy of dance.

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What a Sauté! A hopping mad quiz about jumps -

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This jump is a a) Grand jeté b) Grand battement c) Glissade

All jumps start and end a) With pointed feet b) On a plié or a fondu c) In first position

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This jump is a a) Pas de basque sauté b) Jeté ordinaire c) Pas de chat

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_______ means to cut. a) Sissonne b) Couru c) Coupé

Click here to play this online Flip over for more!

When you jump and change legs in the air, it is called a a) Changement b) Soubresaut c) Chassé passé

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When you jump from third position to second or fourth, it is called a) Cabriole b) Échappé c) Assemblé

Answers

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This jump is a a) Temps de flèche b) Russian pas de chat c) Brisé

1a | 2b | 3c | 4c 5a | 6a | 7c | 8b

5| 6|

In a petit jeté derrière a) The back ankle touches the front leg b) The toes of the back leg touch the front leg c) The toes of the back leg touch the ground

With a history that spans centuries and across multiple countries, ballet has had years and years of experimentation and artistic inspiration to A brief look at some of the different methods of arrive at the methods that dancers ballet that are practiced around the world and are taught today. Each method has its own specific nuances that add differhow they vary in aspects such as origin, ent layers to its technical and artistic technique, and more... features. The Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet is an ISTD affiliated ballet school that holds biennial ISTD examinations in Imperial Classical Ballet. That being said, what is the Imperial Classical Ballet method? What makes it different from other methods of ballet? What are the other methods of ballet?

These are all questions that we had and now, after quite a bit .

E of research, we want to share our discoveries with you.

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The Vaganova Method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Russian dancer Agrippina Vaganova. After retiring as a dancer, Vaganova spent her time teaching at the Leningrad Choreographic School. She developed a ballet technique that combined elements of French, Italian, and earlier Russian technique. The training system is designed to involve the whole body in every movement, with equal attention paid to the upper body, legs and feet. Vaganova believed that this approach increases consciousness of the body, thus creating a harmony of movement and greater range for expression. Terminology used in the Vaganova Method often differs from other methods. For example, the Vaganova grand pas de chat is commonly called saut de chat in the US. Click here to watch an excerpt from The Pharaoh’s Daughter, a quintessentially Russian ballet. It is a regular part of the Bolshoi Ballet’s repertoire but is not performed anywhere else is the world.

Hips and shoulders are open

High front arm with controlled wrist and fingers

Emphasis on very high leg lines

Upward eyeline

Back arm pulls back, almost touching raised leg

VAGANOVA (1st Arabesque)

George Balanchine was a choreographer who had a strong influence on the world of classical ballet in the United States. His choreographies are known for their speed and lightness of movement. As the son of a composer and having studied piano from a very young age, Balanchine considered music to be the basis of dance, saying, "I am just a simple choreographer that learned how to read music." When working on choreography Balanchine was more interested in the musical plot, rather than the story. Having an extensive musical knowledge he would thoroughly study the scores of the music, and would try to create movements that would correspond to the music. This is one of the defining characteristics of this method of ballet. The Balanchine Method is characterized by intense speed, deep plié, and a strong accent on lines.

The method has many distinct arm positions and distinct and dramatic choreography.

Click here to watch a piece from George Balanchine’s Jewels. Jewels is made up of three sections: The courtly, romantic styled Emeralds, the vivacious, jazzy Rubies and the imperial, classical Diamonds. This is a piece from Rubies, performed here by the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Hips and shoulders are open Claw - like fingers (typical of the Balanchine style) and sharper lines with arms

Eyeline more vertically upward

Back arm parallel to raised leg

BALANCHINE (1st Arabesque)

Dancer, choreographer and ballet master August Bournonville directed the Royal Danish Ballet for nearly 50 years. His ballets reflect the 18th century French style of his training with typical Danish charm - warm and cheerful depictions of ordinary people. The Bournonville method is characterised by expressive mime and a quality of effortlessness and lightness - a softer upper body, contrasted with buoyant jumps and quick footwork. The port de bras (carriage of the arms) is low and rounded, gesturing toward the audience to welcome and involve them in the production. In Bournonville’s ballets, the transitions between steps are smooth and even, and no step is given more emphasis than the others.

Click here to watch a dance from the ballet that August Bournonville is best remembered for - La Sylphide, performed here by the Paris Opéra Ballet.

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Open shoulders

Lower leg line Eyeline diagonally upward

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Soft wrists, fingers slightly dropping

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BOURNONVILLE (3rd Arabesque)

Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928) was one of the most important influences on the foundations of modern classical ballet training. He evolved a method of training in the 19th Century, working with professional dancers including Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky, that is as relevant today as when it was first created.

His influence on British ballet has been far-reaching. Cecchetti trained under Giovanni Lepri, a pupil of the great Carlo Blasis who had codified the technique of classical ballet in 1820. Blasis’ ideas were developed further by Cecchetti who grouped the vocabulary into six sets of exercises, one for each day of the week.

These exercises are performed on both the right and the left sides, starting with one side one week, followed by the other side the next week. Classes are regimented and planned, not improvised or dependent on the feelings of the teacher. Ultimately, the Cecchetti method trains its dancers to think about ballet as an exact science. More than other types of classical ballet, the Cecchetti method teaches the flowing of arms between the various positions. Cecchetti students are taught to think about the movements of their appendages, such as legs and head, as one unit in relation to their full body. The rigorous technique also focuses on quick feet, crisp lines and seamless transitions between positions.

The Cecchetti method also advocates natural turnout, based on a natural range of motion, rather than teaching dancers to force the turnout of their feet. Anna Pavlova is one of the many famous ballerinas who was influenced by the method.

Squared hips and shoulders

Lower arm line

Eyeline straight forward in line with front arm

Softer wrist and fingers

CECCHETTI (1st Arabesque)

ISTD, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a London based examination board that conducts dance exams worldwide for a range of dance methods, from Ballroom to Bharatnatyam. Imperial Classical Ballet is what we learn at TLFCB. Imperial Classical Ballet is based on the teaching of the French School at the Paris Opéra. The syllabus, first written in 1913, has evolved to promote the English classical ballet method and to address the changing needs of ballet dancers today. Focusing on encouraging a sound basic technique and an understanding of musical interpretation it provides the essentials of a pure classical training. ISTD also has another method of ballet known as the Cecchetti Classical method. The other main facet of the English method is the Royal Academy of Dance or RAD which was founded in 1921. It is also an examination board.

Click here to watch Lise’s Solo from Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardée. It is a classic English ballet and is a regular part of The Royal Ballet’s repertoire.

Squared hips and shoulders

Softer wrist and fingers Eyeline straight forward in line with front arm

IMPERIAL (1st Arabesque)

All in all, we find that it is the coming together of many small, diverse details that bring uniqueness and a special something which leaves you feeling something different each time you watch a ballet performance.

Explore the history of

TLFCB, from its

of Classical Ballet is

officially registered as a

JAN

2006

The Lewis Foundation

conception in 2006 all

the way to, 16 years later, 2022.

DEC

2006

company

Enchanting Extravaganza TLFCB's first foundation production with students from pre-primary to Yana Lewis Dance Company (YLDC)

Dance Company performs at numerous corporate shows

20062009

and art festivals

20062009

YLDC Shows - The Yana Lewis

Movie Awards - YLDC performs at national television award ceremonies, such as Udaya TV and AsiaNet

The Moonlit Nursery, Coppélia

2010

and YLDC performances

SEPT

show including Gulliver's travels,

2009

Fantasy and Fairytale - A medley

SEPT

Diversity - A show highlighting

2013

SEPT

ballet

DEC

Christmas tale is TLFCB's first full classical

the performing arts

2011

Nutcracker - The lovely

the diversity within dance and

Magnificent Medley - A medley of stories, including the Little Mermaid

TL FC B

TI M EL IN E

Miss Yana has been teaching in India since 2000! More on that in our next issue.

TLF CB

TIM EL IN E

DEC

2013

Cinderella - The world's favourite fairytale,

performed to Prokofiev's

20 15

score

JAN

The first class is held at

DEC

201 5

SEPT

circus is brought on stage

Ulsoor!

2015

The Spectacular Circus The fascinating world of a

TLFCB's own studio - HQ

to life!

OCT

2016

Festival

Wizard of Oz, comes

FEB

the Bangalore Literature

timeless classic, The

2016

National Youth Ballet perform their first show at

Oz the Ballet - The

2017

DEC

show debut

and our students pass with flying colours!

SEPT

Library is performed.

It is also NYB's TLFCB

Ballet exams are held at TLFCB

2017

The Loopy Living

Our first ISTD Imperial Classical

Belle and the Beast Our ballet adaptation of the familiar fairytale

TLF CB

SEPT

2019

not better, than last time

show full of toys coming to life!

MAR

202 0

production yet

performed, a wonderful

DEC

ballet is our biggest

A Night in the Toystore is

2019

Sleeping Beauty Marius Petipa's classic

2021

OCT

lockdown

online we receive recorded video classes from TLFCB

APR

Zoom classes commence during

As the world goes

2020

Fun and interactive

TIM EL IN E

students do just as well, if

NOV

are held at TLFCB and our

2018

The second ISTD exams

The first issue of En Avant is published. You can expect more exciting issues as we leap into the future!

Did you spot our Executive Director in one of the timeline photos? (Don't be fooled by the makeup!)

Jokes and fun facts Why did the ballerina end the discussion?

Because she did not understand the pointe

By Vriti, Grade 1 - Whitefield.

The word leotard alludes to the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard , who performed in such a garment and made it famous. It was many years after Léotard's death that the first known use of the name leotard was used.

What do you call a sheep that dances?

A baa-lerina

There are 4 levels of dancers in a ballet company. At the bottom is the largest group, called the ‘corps de ballet’, then the ‘coryphées’ who lead the corps de ballet and sometimes dance the smaller parts, the ‘soloists’ who dance alone, the ‘principals’ at the top who dance the lead roles.

A friend told me that he stays alert because of his ballet classes. They keep him on his toes.

The birth of the modern pointe shoe is often attributed to the early 20th-century Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who was one of the most famous and influential dancers of her time.

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B atard o n

The Prix de Lausanne is an international dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The competition is for young dancers seeking to pursue a professional career in classical ballet, and many former prize winners of the competition are now leading stars with major ballet companies around the world.

The 2022 competition is due to start on January 31st. Click here for their website. And here for a TLFCB blog on the Prix 2018.

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THE NUTCRACKER

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THE WALTZ OF THE HOURS A delicate piece from the Bolshoi Theatre's Coppélia

GISELLE ACT 1 VARIATION

Featuring The Royal Ballet and principal dancer Yasmine Naghdi

DANCE OF THE LITTLE SWANS A fascinating documentary about life at the Vaganova Academy

BALLET GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Get inspired and improve your dancing by setting some of these goals this year!

Tejas Venkatesh as the Bluebird, Sleeping Beauty 2019 Photo by Meghana Sastry