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15 1.4 Components of a Balanchine Class As I have stated before, anyone studying these classes will have found that each exercise uses only one or two basic steps. There are few longer combinations and almost no grand allegro. I firmly believe that these classes can only be beneficial to dancers who are thoroughly trained in the entire syllabus . They should have done long adagios, many forms of turns, and grand allegro. Balanchine always had the Sleeping Beauty, Bayadere, and Paquita variations and adagios taught at the school. Teachers and choreographers who study his ballets may surmise that Balanchine taught fast, jazzy, syncopated classes. This may be the look that his dancers achieve onstage, but it misses the essence of Balanchine’s teaching. Since he liked to compare the different movements to various culinary specialties, his approach may be considered in this way: Ballet is a feast prepared for an audience. It consists of a delicate appetizer, a delicious soup, a magnificent main course, and an incredible dessert accompanied by the best wines and champagnes. However , the preparation of this feast requires many hours in the kitchen and is made up of the finest ingredients, each separately prepared to perfection. The onions must be chopped finely and the parsley cut perfectly, with just the right amount of salt and pepper and the eggs separated perfectly. The yeast must rise to the perfect height, etc., etc. Each ingredient must be dealt with separately and understood as to exactly what it will contribute to the whole and how much to add so as not to dominate the taste. Each element of this feast is explored totally before being added to create the whole. Balanchine’s classes are the exploration of each element, allowing his dancers to experience exactly how each step is to be done. His classes take you back to the beginning of how a tendu or a relevé should be done, how it will feel and look, and how it should be approached, done slowly or quickly. How do we begin or execute a step so that the audience will be led to perceive the movement as he designed it to be seen? His classes were explorations in the coloring and texture of the most basic movements in ballet. ...

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