Balanchine the Teacher: Fundamentals That Shaped the First Generation of New York City Ballet Dancers 9780813032528, 2008014473

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DANCE/BALLET

—Ann Hutchinson Guest, recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Dance Research award from the Congress on Research in Dance

Walczak and Kai

“What a wealth of material this book provides! Descriptions of Balanchine’s exercises are very clear and easy to follow. I have exhausted myself by going through—mentally, if not physically—most of the examples. A blessing to all of us; nothing like this exists.”

“Presents us with far more than any other ballet technique book—a rare look into Balanchine’s studio from its earliest days to the time of his company’s pinnacle years. A major contribution to the preservation of the Balanchine legacy.” —Tamara Tomic-Vajagic, correspondent, Orchestra Dance Magazine

Balanchine the Teacher is a technical explanation of the stylistic approaches that George Balanchine taught in New York City between 1940 and 1960, as recorded by two prominent dancers who studied with him at that time. This phenomenal resource replicates moments in the studio with the influential teacher, vividly and meticulously describing his instructions and corrections for twenty-four classes. Barbara Walczak studied with Balanchine and appeared as a soloist with the New York City Ballet. She has served as a guest instructor at the School of American Ballet. Una Kai, a founding member of the New York City Ballet, worked closely with Balanchine as a student and later as assistant ballet mistress and ballet master for the company.

the teacher

—Vida Brown Olinick, former ballet mistress, New York City Ballet

Balanchine

“The most compelling aspect of the book for me was the detail of the classes that George Balanchine taught! It’s all there! This book is invaluable for all dancers!”

Balanchine the teacher

Cover drawing by Barbara Walczak

Fundamentals That Shaped the First Generation

University Press of Florida www.upf.com

of New York City Ballet Dancers

upf ISBN 978-0-8130-3252-8 $25.00

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Barbara Walczak and Una Kai

Balanchine the Teacher

University Press of Florida Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers Florida International University, Miami Florida State University, Tallahassee New College of Florida, Sarasota University of Central Florida, Orlando University of Florida, Gainesville University of North Florida, Jacksonville University of South Florida, Tampa University of West Florida, Pensacola

Balanchine the Teacher • Fundamentals That Shaped the First Generation of New York City Ballet Dancers

Barbara Walczak and Una Kai

University Press of Florida Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota

Copyright 2008 by Barbara Walczak and Una Kai Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper All rights reserved Balanchine is a registered trademark of the George Balanchine Trust. 12 11 10 09 08 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Walczak, Barbara. Balanchine the teacher : fundamentals that shaped the first generation of New York City Ballet dancers / Barbara Walczak and Una Kai. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-8130-3252-8 (alk. paper) 1. Balanchine, George. 2. Ballet dancing. 3. New York City Ballet. I. Kai, Una. II. Title. GV1785.B32W35 2008 792.8'20929-dc22 2008014473 The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida. University Press of Florida 15 Northwest 15th Street Gainesville, FL 32611-2079 http://www.upf.com

Contents Acknowledgments xi Part 1. Barbara Walczak Introduction to Part 1 3 1.1. Suggestions to Teachers 7 1.2. Teachers 9 1.3. Dancing in the Early 1950s 12 1.4. Components of a Balanchine Class 15 1.5. Introduction to the Music 16 1.6. Terminology 20 Basic Port de Bras 23 Barre Exercises 24 Plié 25 Port de Bras 26 Tendu 26 Frappé 33 Rond de Jambe par Terre 35 Battement Fondue 37 Grand Battement 42 Développé 44 Adagios at the Barre 46 Rond de Jambe en l’Air 51 Petit Battement 54 1.7. How Center Exercises Are Done 57 Fondue 57 Passés 57 Arabesque 57 Piqué Arabesque 58 Pirouette 59 Glissade 59 Jumps 60 Breathing in Jumps 61 Assemblé 62 Jeté 62

Grand Royale 62 Pas de Bourrée 63 Chaîné Turns 63 Arm Positions in Basic Exercises 63 1.8. Corrections That Recur 64 1.9. Classes from the 1950s 66 Class One 66 Class Two 70 Class Three 76 Class Four 86 Class Five 92 Class Six 97 Class Seven 102 Class Eight 106 Class Nine 111 Class Ten 116 Class Eleven 120 Class Twelve 125 Class Thirteen 130 Class Fourteen 133 Class Fifteen 137 Class Sixteen 141 Class Seventeen 147 Class Eighteen 153 Class Nineteen 157 Class Twenty 161 1.10. Classes from the 1960s 165 Class One 165 Class Two 173 1.11. Classes from the 1970s 180 Class Three 180 Class Four 184 1.12. Music Suggested for Balanchine Classes 191 Barre Exercises 192 Class One 210 Class Two: Centre 212 Class Three: Centre 215 Class Four: Centre 220

Part 2. Una Kai Introduction to Part 2 227 2.1. In the Beginning 228 2.2. Balanchine’s Way 230 Turnout 230 Jumping 231 Glissade 232 Turns 234 Arms and Feet 234 Signature Steps 235 “More Is Better” 237 Choreographic Devices 238 Changes and Versions 240 Restagings 241 2.3. Basic Principles of Balanchine’s Method 244 Standing 246 Walking 246 Running 246 Tension 247 Dynamics 247 Five Positions 248 2.4. The Barre 249 Purpose and Use 249 Construction of Exercises 250 Demi-Plié 250 Grand Plié 251 Coordination of the Arm with Grand Plié 251 Coordination of the Arm with Bending Down and Back 252 2.5. Exercises with Straight Leg Sliding Away from Supporting Leg 253 Battement Tendu 253 Battement Tendu Plié 256 Battement Dégagé Jeté 256 Grand Battement Dégagé 257 Grand Battement Jeté 257 Grand Battement Rond de Jambe 257 2.6. Exercises Bending the Knee and Lifting the Foot from the Floor 259 Cou-de-Pied 259 Pas de Cheval 260

Battement Frappé 261 Battement Frappé Battue 262 Ballonné and Frappé 262 Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied 263 Petit Battement Piqué 263 Petit Battement Serré 264 Grand Développé 264 Passé la Jambe, from Full Extension to Other Positions en l’Air 265 Nuance 266 Pivoting 267 Fouetté 267 Fondue 268 2.7. Rotary Movements 269 Rond de Jambe par Terre 269 Grand Rond de Jambe Jeté 269 Rond de Jambe en l’Air 270 Grand Rond de Jambe en l’Air 271 2.8. Poses 272 Attitude 272 Arabesque 272 Épaulement 272 Basic Positions Used by Balanchine 273 Épaulement When Advancing or Retreating 274 2.9. Port de Bras 276 Basic Positions 276 Head and Eyes 278 Hands and Fingers 278 2.10. Jumping 280 Glissade 281 Glissade Précipité 282 Glissade from Fourth Position for Big Traveling Jumps 283 Assemblé 283 Assemblé Porté 283 Jeté 284 Grand Jeté 284 Sissonne 284 Posé 285 Brisé 285 Entrechat Six 286

2.11. Pointe Work 287 Relevé 287 Relevé Retiré 288 Piqué 289 Piqué Jeté 289 2.1 2. Turning 290 To Conclude a Pirouette 290 Arms and Head in Pirouettes 291 To Turn with the Arms en Haut (au Couronne) 292 Chaîné Turns 292 Grand Tours 293 Tour Piqué 293 2.13. Balanchine Pointe Class, 1960 295 2.14. Balanchine Company Class, October 1975 298 Summary 301

Acknowledgments I am grateful to so many friends who have made this work possible. Marybeth Horton did all the drudgery of helping me start to put these classes down. Evan Horst has been wonderful in deciphering my off-tune singing into something readable and usable. Randee Ragin has stood by me throughout the entire process, creating a format that is easy to read and aesthetically beautiful and putting up with the many changes along the way. Una Kai went over every step and made wonderful suggestions, adding greater clarity to the whole. Above all, I want to thank Louis Schaw, who spent innumerable hours asking important questions, prodding me into greater clarity and depth of understanding, and helping me to verbalize what I felt intuitively. When I was searching for the right words, he would find just the specific phrase to put my concept into the written word. Finally I thank the people who contributed to the final portion of preparing this work: Dolores Cotten and Grace Mary Cerrone-Ojeda for their design ideas and transcription and Paul Savior and Valerie Savior for the understanding and sensitivity they brought to the proofreading of the manuscript. An additional note of thanks is due Grace, for being a crucial liaison between the authors and the publisher during the editing and production phases. And, of course, I thank Mr. Balanchine for having taught me so well.

1 20 Balanchine Classes from the 1950s 4 Classes from the 1960s and 1970s Commentary and Corrections Barbara Walczak

Introduction to Part 1

As a young dancer, I had the need to notate Balanchine’s classes and corrections in order to better assimilate, remember, and understand what he wanted us to achieve. I have collected these lessons into a manuscript because I believe that these notes should not be lost but could be used as one more voice attesting to how Balanchine enriched and changed the world of dance. I write what I experienced. Mr. Balanchine gave different corrections to different dancers depending on what he wanted to accomplish with them. It seems to me that there are few absolutes. Balanchine was famous for changing his choreography depending on the dancers he was working with. Some of his concepts, however, remain unchanged over the years. In 1949 and 1950, when I first attempted to write down Balanchine’s classes, I had no idea that Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine had opened the School of American Ballet in 1934 and had created the American Ballet in 1936 and Ballet Caravan in 1941. Nor did I know that Balanchine had worked in Hollywood and on Broadway, let alone what he had done in Europe. I danced in the first Ballet Society performance of the Spellbound Child, on November 20, 1946, and in several other Ballet Society performances. However, at this time the students rarely saw Balanchine at the school and knew little about him. I remember being in the advanced class, which was held, as it is today, at 10:30 am. The students heard that Balanchine was to teach a week of master classes, to be scheduled at the same time as ours. This gave us the opportunity to observe who was in the class, and since Balanchine did not teach very often at this time, this was truly a special occasion. It seemed that the whole Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was there. Alexandra Danilova, its ballerina, was wearing a lovely flowered tunic and matching head scarf. Tamara Toumanova arrived with her mother, both all in black. Vera Nemtchinova, Anatole Oboukhoff ’s wife, was taking class dressed all in white, and the wonderful Marie Jeanne, on whom Balanchine had set the original Concerto Barocco, was there as well. The room was filled with dancers from all over the world. To us as young dancers this was a great inspiration and certainly ample proof that this quiet, elusive man had a remarkable magnetism which lured all these dancers to him.

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I believe that every dancer who studied under Balanchine perceived his work from his or her own perspective. I certainly did. Nonetheless, I have made every effort to present these classes as clearly and objectively as possible. In going over my notes it became apparent to me that we all came to Balanchine with our own “baggage,” so to speak. We all had family, heritage, ballet teachers, and many influences, as well as our individual body types. Consequently, we each heard what he had to say in a slightly different way. I did not have a perfect instrument, so I tried to absorb as much as I could of what Balanchine taught. However, I did have a love and passion for dance that was shared by many of my generation. Mr. Balanchine, especially in those years, never raised his voice. He never showed any great emotion or lost his temper. His main tool was his mischievous humor and sarcasm. All he had to do was level me with his eyes and say, “No, dear, wrong!” for me to wish that a trapdoor would open and make me disappear. So we students really listened when Balanchine’s voice took on an edge of anger or disdain as he talked about style. He would be specific: “Style is not something you put on like a costume over technique.” Style was dancing the given movement to a given count, fully and absolutely correctly. By fully, I mean totally. All we seemed to hear was “bigger,” “fuller,” “pow,” “explode.” He did not want us to even consider personalizing our response to the music to which we were dancing. He said, “No, dear, don’t listen. Just count!” Years later he said, “Don’t count. Listen to the music!” He knew that by then he had finally broken the old-fashioned form of dancing from pose to pose. He had eliminated the static, picture-perfect romantic look of dance. The more his dancers danced bigger and faster, the more often they had to be off-center and off-balance, and the more they had to use and execute the in-between preparations and steps perfectly and above all musically. Balanchine had a photographic memory of his first impression of every dancer in his company, and he knew how moldable they would be. He was very honest with me. He would say, “Dear, you think too much. Just dance!” I would observe his favorite dancers and try to see what it was that inspired him. I believe what inspired him was a very unusual, personal God-given physical response to rhythm and music. He was inspired by something just a little bit different. The dancer came at the beat a little early or late. It was a phrase within a phrase, and it was the unexpected. Again, it was not the classical holding of the pose on the perfect count in the music, but rather moving through the music as another dimension. Balanchine loved to say, “Surprise me!” These dancers did. To the rest of us, who were trying to get 4 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

our arms and feet in exactly the positions he wanted in class, and he was very specific, it could be frustrating. These dancers danced his choreography in a special way without reinterpreting or changing his vision in any way. Balanchine compared his favorite dancers to agile spider monkeys or cats. These animals are excellent role models in imagining the execution of some steps. He liked a small head, long neck, short torso, and long arms and legs. The length of the thigh as well as the length from the knee to the ankle were very important. He demanded not a huge instep but a foot as articulate as a beautifully gloved hand. This said, Balanchine was a realist. In his long career as a choreographer, he used whichever dancers were available, such as his first generation of New York City Ballet dancers. I can attest to the fact that it was his teaching that shaped us into dancers who could dance his choreography so well.

Introduction to Part 1 / 5

1.1

Suggestions to Teachers

In writing down these Balanchine classes, and in conversing with dancers of my generation, I am now convinced that Balanchine’s classes should not be given to most dancers. Balanchine was not concerned with warming up the muscles gradually, or giving classes that were “dancey,” or using combinations that slowly prepared the body for more difficult movements. His classes were often experiments, studies in how slowly or quickly a movement could be done. Often a class would involve numerous variations on one given step. Slow, difficult extensions were followed by jump combinations and many slow and fast fondues, with no transitions in between. Teachers who depend on students attending their classes for their livelihood, or who have a following of less than totally dedicated serious advanced dancers, should not embark on giving these classes as Balanchine gave them. They are more for professionals who want to discover the basic purity of each movement and step. They are hard on the body. One must approach them as explorations of the numerous forms of a given theme. What Balanchine’s steps give the dancer is an awareness of exactly how a movement should be done musically and physically. Consequently these combinations are of great value to teachers and to dancers who may be performing Balanchine’s ballets. Elements of these classes could be given while ensuring that the dancer is well warmed up and prepared to do this type of work. Balanchine never gave exercises with flexed feet, and there were never any stretching exercises in class. As a matter of fact, port de bras (bending front and back) was never to be done as a stretch but always as a beautiful dance movement. Balanchine preferred simple, uncomplicated tunes. He also liked the music of Minkus and Glinka. There are several wonderful pieces for class in both the Minkus and Glinka Pas de Trois. I repeat that these classes and steps may seem to be deceptively simple. The difficulty lies in the fact that they must be done with utmost precision

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and clarity, yet not dryly. The essence lies in the musicality of how each movement flows over into the next, meaning that a movement may not end or begin squarely on a given count but may overlap into the next count. This gives the movement nuance, much like a surfer catching the wave. The movement must catch the upbeat in the music.

8 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

1.2

Teachers

Remembering the difficulty of some of these classes and the physical fatigue we felt from the previous evening’s performance, I tried to remember what motivated us to get up each morning and into the studio. Undoubtedly, one main factor was Balanchine himself. The visceral excitement and pleasure that Balanchine projected upon entering the studio was palpable. It was obvious that he would rather be teaching than doing anything else in the world. It didn’t matter what the weather was or the season or what problems the company might be having. It was this moment that mattered to him, that he lived for. He was always perfectly groomed. If he was wearing his black string bowtie, he would untie it and either leave it hanging or remove it. He would unbutton the top button of his western shirt and sometimes roll up his sleeves, showing the Indian turquoise bracelet that he wore. His eyes twinkled, and with a pixie smile, a pun, or a dreadful play on words, he started the class. He would rub his hands around each other or gently clap, and with a “Let’s begin,” he would start our class. If in a really bubbly mood, he would do his shuffle off to Buffalo tap step. If Kolia (Nicholas Kopeikine) was playing for class, Balanchine would walk over to the piano and they would exchange a few words in Russian. It seems to me that for Balanchine, teaching was like laying a feast before his dancers, choosing the perfect dishes for the day. He often compared steps to different foods, and occasionally he got carried away describing how to prepare a given dish. One particularly curious combination I remember clearly was ham with marshmallows. He would take us on a journey of discovery into how far our bodies and minds could be taken toward expressing his musical concepts and rhythms. We were appendages, resonators, tools—and he wanted us to be the best tools possible. The feeling he exuded was that of a little boy anxious to please, filled with excitement and surprises. When Balanchine said, “But first a school,” he chose several unique teachers. They gave us the technique on which Balanchine could build his company. Their classes were demanding, and although they were trained in the same tradition, their classes and strengths were very different from 9

each other. Two special teachers were Anatole Oboukhoff and Pierre Vladimiroff. Oboukhoff ’s classes were mini-marathons, and just surviving them was an accomplishment. He had been a favorite student of Nicholas Legat, who had studied under Christian Johanssen, who was in turn a student of Auguste Bournonville. He gave a barre of a minimum of eight of a given step in each direction, and more often it would be sixteen and sometimes thirtytwo. The dégagé exercises were terribly fast, and the fondue and adagio were slow and sustained. His center was unusual, and the adagio was very long, starting with a lovely tendu or a rond de jambe par terre combination and then going directly into grand plié and a difficult adagio full of slow promenades at the conclusion of which there came a mini coda of pirouettes, fast pas de bourrées, and small jumps ending in a grand pose. We then did the entire exercise to the left. The second group of students did it, and then it was repeated. The petit allegro was very Bournonville, with arms held low unless specifically placed. The jumps started out slowly and accelerated in speed and complexity, adding beats and moving forward and then reversing. The last combinations were larger, but Oboukhoff did not give grand allegro across the room. The solo role in the first movement of Scotch Symphony and the Glinka Pas de Trois have qualities reminiscent of Oboukhoff ’s steps. Pierre Vladimiroff must have been a wonderful dancer. Apparently he replaced Nijinsky whenever Nijinsky was unable to dance, and no one was the wiser. He evolved a series of combinations and a concept of placement, musicality, and phrasing that were magnificent. He rarely corrected, and his English was so poor that it took a good deal of observation and the repetition of his classes, day in and day out, to get what he was trying to give us. But once you got it, it made grand allegro and basically all movement incredibly easy and fluid. One step simply flowed into the next, and the placement was centered solidly over the standing leg. The steps in Balanchine’s Waltz of the Flowers are reminiscent of Vladimiroff combinations. Vladimiroff often ended his classes with a combination of fouetté, then a fouetté through attitude back and fouetté into third arabesque croisé and a turn in second position, done thirty-two times to the right and then to the left. Balanchine used this step for the Dew Drop, and Tanaquil Le Clercq, who was brought up on Vladimiroff classes, did it effortlessly. Balanchine always said that a student had to have excellent training in the Russian technique before attempting his classes. By Russian technique, I do not mean the technique that the Russians are teaching today, but rather more as the Paris Opera teaches, which comes down directly from the generation of 10 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

dancers who danced under Diaghilev and then taught both in Europe and America. This is the training that Balanchine and our teachers received at the Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg. The early tendu combinations remind me of the arrival of Felia Doubrovska at the School of American Ballet. Balanchine talked her into coming to teach, and he told us that she was a tall Anna Pavlova. It was obvious that he thought highly of her. I think it probably took a bit of persuading on his part, because she was quite shy and would write down the steps she was going to give so as not to forget them if Balanchine came to watch. His arrival seemed to make her as nervous as it made us. I will never forget the first time she taught class. Into the studio walked, or rather floated, this statuesque woman dressed in navy blue chiffon, with pink ballet slippers tied with ribbons around the ankle. When she demonstrated the tendu combination at the barre, it was as if everything Balanchine had been teaching us had been brought to life. When she did tendu front, looking over her skirt at her foot, she seemed amazed and delighted at its beauty. This delicate leg and beautifully arched foot were on display. It wasn’t what she did or her physical ability, it was how she did it. Her foot was the jewel of all jewels. The same was true of her développés. They were magnificent. Her classes were filled with long adagios, and her pointe classes were very difficult and very beautiful. In watching her, I understood more clearly what Balanchine’s vision was. Alexandra Danilova taught classical variations. However, she was still performing at this time, so we had her only sporadically. She wore a flowered chiffon skirt to her knees, which she tucked up under her leotard in front to show her beautiful legs. She wore high heels in which she demonstrated entrechat six, which she did impeccably. We also had Muriel Stuart, a British protégée of Pavlova. Character classes were taught by Yurek Lazowski, and modern dance by Dorothy Bird.

Teachers / 11

1.3

Dancing in the Early 1950s

Balanchine’s barre did not follow the usual format, which would warm the muscles up gradually. We may have done innumerable versions of tendu and battement followed by grand développé holding the leg up for several counts at a time. Sometimes, while our legs were still up, he would “forget” and start a discourse on how the step should resemble some delicious culinary extravaganza, and that certainly made the muscles less than comfortable. We also had to deal with the fatigue from the previous day’s rehearsals and performances. The union had not yet established the rule that twelve hours had to elapse from when the curtain came down to the beginning of the next day’s work. We heard stories about the Ballet Russe and other companies having to rehearse late into the night after performances and having to get up the next morning to catch a train to the next city where they were performing. Sol Hurok wanted to sign up the New York City Ballet and have us join his roster of artists. The company needed money very badly, but Balanchine refused, saying that he would never let his dancers be worked that way. To give an example of an average workday, I will describe a day on our first tour in Europe in 1952. We had performed in England only during the summer of 1950. We opened in Barcelona, where the performances did not start until 9:00 pm. Balanchine was an early riser, and he seemed eager to get into the studio and start working. Class was scheduled for 9:30 am every day in the basement studio or on the stage of the Opera House, and we rehearsed all day. Balanchine had a lot on his mind because he had a very young company and was taking it to Paris to perform at the Paris Opera. Most of his dancers had almost no experience dancing on a raked stage, and so he chose the steepest rake in all of Europe to break us in. This was the Liceo in Barcelona. The floor was old with holes and trapdoors, and between avoiding them, staying in line, and going up- and downhill, we were exhausted. Being young, we were also hungry after the performance, and we longed to see the gypsies dance flamenco, so we didn’t get to bed until the wee hours. We literally fell out of bed and, still half asleep, showed up for class and another full day of rehearsals and then performance. No 12

matter where we were—on tour, during layoff, or in New York rehearsing—Balanchine would give class, and we were expected to attend, and we did. It seems to me that the earliest classes were crash courses in getting this group of young dancers (many of us were teenagers) to look like a company. Sometimes the classes were experiments in combinations to be used in some of the ballets that he was choreographing at the time. At other times he would focus on what a given dancer needed to improve. The classes were undoubtedly geared to the female technique, and I imagine that they must have been very difficult for the male dancers. Balanchine’s choreography for men could be incredibly beautiful. Orpheus, the male variation in the “Divertimento from Le Baiser de la fée,” and Square Dance, as well as the male variation in the first Pas de Trios in Agon and the Melancholic and Phlegmatic variations in Four Temperaments, are a few examples. However, for Balanchine, “Ballet is woman.” His classes were geared for adagio, speed, and petit allegro and less toward the male technique. Above all, his approach to movement was very logical and musical. Throughout Balanchine’s classes, we did the tendu, with its many variations, more often than any other step. A correct tendu is the key to such steps as grand battement, grand jeté, piqué to arabesque, piqué turns, brisé, and jeté, to name only a few. Throughout the 1950s, Balanchine would say, “Don’t listen to the music. Just count.” All of his ballets were exactly set, step for step, and there was no doubt as to how each step was to be done. No embellishments, no extra style, no personal phrasing. Don’t think so much; just do. He urged us to do more. “Make it bigger,” “explode,” “expand,” and “reach higher” was what we heard constantly. Later he no longer needed to stress this as much. He had dancers who could take his movement and his steps beyond the boundaries of convention. They could take risks, dancing so full out, so off-center, so beyond what was naturally comfortable for the human body, so on the brink of disaster of possibly looking awkward or ridiculous, that the movement became a vortex that never seemed to reach a repose: pure, spontaneous, once in a lifetime, totally exhilarating movement. I would like to give an idea of what the logistics of our lives were like in the 1950s. We were a poor company, and our allotment of toe shoes was three pairs a week. At that time we were a smaller company, and consequently it was almost unheard of to have a free evening during the season. I was dancing many solo roles and corps roles simultaneously. An easy evening was one in which one danced a ballet in ballet slippers. We danced eight performances a week. On a weekend I might have done a solo in the Dancing in the Early 1950s / 13

first movement of Scotch Symphony and the lead in the third movement of Bourrée Fantasque. Then in the evening I was in the corps in Concerto Barocco and danced the demi solo in the first movement or the last fourth movement lead of Symphony in C. The following day would be an equally difficult matinee and evening. Our summer seasons were the hardest on the toe shoes. There was no air-conditioning, and as I stood onstage for the opening of Concerto Barocco, the breeze caused by the curtain going up was the last cool air I would feel that evening. Our shoes melted in spite of our darning the tips, pouring spirit gum into the shoes to harden them, and sometimes sticking them in the oven to dry. Sometimes we ended up with brown toe shoes. We wore them so much that we would carefully wash the ribbons when they got dirty and place them at the edge of the makeup table with the ribbons hanging down to dry. We could have set the theater on fire with our cleaning fluids and rags, trying to keep the satin looking clean. We also used quantities of brown wrapping paper, which we wrapped around our toes for more padding. We dyed our own toe shoes, and since we were allotted so few toe shoes each week, the shoes dyed for Fanfare and Scotch Symphony had to last a long time. I remember we were in Vienna in 1956 when a delegation of four of us went to Mr. Balanchine and asked whether we could please have four pairs of toe shoes a week. I believe that the money for the extra toe shoes came out of his pocket. We did our classes in old toe shoes with the shanks still in, and we put our good toe shoes on occasionally at the end of class for several toe combinations. We really learned how to roll through the positions, and I think that it gave us a greater control of demi-plié than if we were wearing hard shoes all the time. In any case it allowed Balanchine to give very slow, sustained fondues, with balancing on half-toe, which required a great deal of control, as well as very fast fondues. One gets a glimpse of this in the lead dancers’ fondues in the Pas de Neuf in Swan Lake.

14 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

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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1.5

Introduction to the Music

I have put a considerable amount of thought into how to write down what my body has done instinctively because of Balanchine’s training. Perhaps a good way of explaining the difference in approach between Balanchine’s use of music and the more traditional way of moving musically is to consider how Fokine’s Prelude from Les Sylphides is danced. In the Prelude the dancer does not move until she hears the music; in other words, the movement begins with the music and actually ends slightly after the phrase or note so that the dancer almost moves into the next step after the music begins. With Balanchine, the movement almost always begins before the music or note and actually ends on the note. The innate qualities of movement are such that no matter what type of movement one is doing, when hitting the note or count perfectly, the dancers are not stopping, because some part of the body is just getting there, another is there, and yet another is moving onto the next movement. It may be subtle, but it is there. There is constant flow between the notes or counts. The linkage occurs between two steps, the transition of “And” into the floor, out, “And” into the step. In Balanchine’s work, the “And” is extremely important. If done correctly, the step will ride over the music, and there will be nuance as well as perfect timing. If we observe a cat preparing to spring, we can see all the muscles grouping together and releasing, and that is exactly what occurs on the “And.” Three separate conditions must occur in a single preparation: down into the floor, push away, and move into the next position. An obvious example of the difference between the traditional timing and Balanchine’s can be seen through the simple steps of glissade, assemblé, and two changements. For the traditional music, I have chosen the second act of Swan Lake, the male variation. Table Music.1

16

TA-TA

TA-TA-TA

TA-TA-TA TA-TA

glissade [CT1-2]

assemblé [CT3-4]

2 changements [CT5-8]

Demi-plié on fourth count of introduction Table Music.2 TA

TA

TA-TA

glissade [CT1]

start assemblé [CT2]

stay in air [CT3]

TA

TA-TA

TA-TA

land 5th position in the air and and takeoff for come down changement and start push for 2nd changement [CT4] [CT5,6]

in the air 2nd changement land and begin leg opening for glissade left [CT7,8]

or using totally different music, which Balanchine would have preferred. I Want to Be Happy I

Want to

Be Happy

glissade [ON&] glissade [ON&]

assemblé [CT1-2] assemblé [CT1-2]

2 changements [CT3-4] 2 changements [CT3-4]

A further breakdown of counts appears in this combination from Class Two Step 8: (8) Starting on the left side of the room, facing the left front corner, pointing right leg back in tendu effacé position: [ON&] chassé [CT1] step out on right foot toward right back corner [ON&] spring up and cabriole fouetté [CT2] land in fourth arabesque croisé [ON&] pas couru toward left front corner [CT3] step forward onto right foot [ON&] start grand jeté effacé to first arabesque [CT4] land in first arabesque demi-plié [ON&] going into first jeté with the right leg out facing left front corner [CT1&] land on the right foot and start jeté with the left foot [ON&] land and start the third jeté [CT 2] landing on the right foot [CT3] relevé in 3rd arabesque croisé [ON&] begin to fall back [CT4] start chassé, etc. This example demonstrates the transitions that the body does naturally, Introduction to the Music / 17

going from one step to another. In other words, a great deal of the preparation and integral movement happens between the counts. If I were to break down each step in this way, the deciphering of each step would become tedious. It is essential that we keep all of this in mind as we study each step, for without this understanding, the steps will become dry and cannot be executed correctly. In order to do this, the weight must be held forward over the ball of the foot, rather than back into the heel. Although hitting the count, we must be aware of that extra moment, as the movement tops and overflows into the descent, like a gong being struck and the reverberation that ensues. Balanchine’s knowledge of music was an integral part of his teaching and choreography. The instrument he chose was soundless. It was the human body. He enabled countless audiences to experience music visually. To understand his teaching, it must be approached through the many possibilities of variety within a given phrase of music. It is to dance seamlessly. The best way to envision seamlessness is to observe the work of Fred Astaire, whom Balanchine and most other dancers admired. One is suddenly aware of the fact that he is in the air, but not how he got there. Then he is in the midst of another movement, and one is unaware of any of the landings and transitions. That is what Balanchine demanded in class: hidden takeoff for jumps and pirouettes, and quiet, effortless landings, leading immediately to the next movement. The idea was to show not how difficult the movement was but how beautiful. When we were rehearsing or learning a new ballet, we danced to the accompaniment of a pianist with a transcription of a given score for piano. It was, in a manner of speaking, like working with a skeletal framework of the music. This became difficult when working with a new Stravinsky score such as Agon, which had not yet been recorded. We assimilated the music along with the steps. We did not hear the full orchestra until the stage rehearsal. To be onstage and suddenly be exposed to the full palate of sounds, textures, and vibrations and to feel all of this in your body while doing the steps, which always fit so perfectly and often worked as an added dimension to the music, was to be an integral part of the present moment. By learning the ballets in this way, we did not run the risk of trying to interpret the music or to color the steps. We trusted Balanchine’s vision and were the tools by which it came to life. The musicians respected Balanchine, and it was a wonderful orchestra. As young dancers we were exposed to a vast variety of music, and without knowing it we assimilated it into our very core. We were constantly absorbing Balanchine’s musicality from the 18 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

counts in class at the beginning of the day to the last ballet we performed at night. I’m attempting to set tempi on a metronome for the fastest and slowest that a step might be given. I must stress, however, that less advanced students should do the steps at a more moderate tempo. Balanchine’s steps in class were often simple repetitions of one given movement. The music should have simple rhythms that will not intrude but will support and connect the movement. Almost all of Balanchine’s steps begin on the last counts of the introduction. I think that giving the musical introduction for several steps will help to make this point clear. In most tendu combinations, the introduction is [CT1&2&3&4]. The [CT4&] is the tendu out. The [CT OF 1] is already the closing to fifth position. In fondue relevé, the introduction of [CT4&] is the plié with the foot on the ankle, and on [CT1] the working foot arrives in the extended position and the supporting foot arrives to toe. In changement [CT4] is the demi-plié, [ON&] is the spring up, and [CT1] is the demi-plié at the end of the jump. For tour jeté (using a waltz) the introduction would be [CT1,2,3] [CT2,2,3] [CT3,2,3] [CT4,2,3]. The [CT4,2,3] is the preparation, and chassé and the jump are on the [CT1,2,3] of the opening phrase of the music. Balanchine usually worked without an accompanist. At first perhaps it was to save the company money, but also he did not have to waste time explaining to a pianist what it was that he wanted. When our dancing became sluggish or monotonous, he would say, “Do you speak this way?” and he would speak in a monotone, neither raising nor lowering his voice. “No, you speak like this!” and he would accent words, speaking faster, slower, louder, softer. In presenting the foot through sur le cou-de-pied and lifting it out to tendu, his voice would rise to a higher register and be abrupt for the sur le cou-de-pied, and on the first count he would take on a slower, lower, and more luxurious tone. He would display his foot with his hand showing it in front of himself in the tendu position. The foot coming in and starting to come up was all one movement. Musically we were learning to borrow from one note and extend another. This was one of his tools for hiding preparations for pirouettes and jumps. For the barre and the first few classes I have given a metronome setting, a barre of music, and musical suggestions to give an idea of what suits the steps best. For the remainder of the classes I have given metronome settings and counts. Introduction to the Music / 19

1.6

Terminology

Balanchine did not use terminology often; he would simply indicate what he wanted by marking it out for us. There are many schools and systems of teaching, each with its own positions and port de bras, and to avoid confusion I have chosen the simplest way to indicate positions. Where I have not been specific about a step such as croisé front, I mean it to be done in Balanchine’s version. Our teachers at the School of American Ballet—Balanchine, Oboukhoff, Vladimiroff, Doubrovska, and Danilova—all left Russia after the 1917 revolution. They used the same terms and names of steps used by their teachers at the Maryinsky as well as by teachers who had studied under Bournonville. Cecchetti was teaching company classes at this time. In Oboukhoff ’s case, his port de bras came from his teacher, Nicholas Legat. Consequently, it seems that there was no one school as far as terminology was concerned. Una Kai has pointed out several terms that may be unfamiliar, and I am attempting to clarify them. The arabesque positions are a mix of several schools. The first, second, and third arabesques are Cecchetti Technique. First arabesque is right leg lifted in open arabesque position, with left arm forward, looking past the hand. The second arabesque has the right leg lifted, in the open arabesque position (ouverte), with the right arm forward and the head looking front. The third arabesque has both arms forward. The third and fourth arabesques croisé are from the Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg. The third arabesque has the right foot pointed back croisé and the right arm forward, with the head looking toward the front arm. The fourth arabesque is with the right foot pointed croisé back and the left arm forward with the head tilting left looking front. Attitude effacé with the leg lifted in back is Cecchetti Technique, the head looking in the direction of the lifted arm with the chin up. Attitude croisé with the leg lifted in back is from the Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg, the head looking toward the side arm (not up to the lifted arm), although sometimes this pose was also used. The arms were indicated, not named, so I am simply describing the pose and not giving it a number. The only teacher who taught us the arm posi20

tions by number was Oboukhoff, and his port de bras came from Legat and was different from the other schools. There seemed to be no terms for a pose that I chose to call B+, referring to me and the closest form that I could find for the position that one arrives at by standing in fifth position and raising the heel of the back foot so that only the big toe touches the floor. This is the position that the corps de ballet stands in most of the time. Danilova was emphatic that the knees in this position should touch, crossing the foot slightly more behind. She wanted no space between the knees because, as she pointed out, in a tutu the space between the legs was ungainly. B+ can also be referred to as “attitude a terre” (see Gretchen Ward Warren’s Classical Ballet Technique). Our teachers called assemblé with beats entrechat cinq, and Gail Grant’s Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet calls it entrechat six de volé, or cinq de volé. Our teachers also used coupé for both the movement and the position. Coupé (meaning “to cut”) is the movement. The French dictionary calls this position “conditional” cou-de-pied. Fondue, meaning “melted,” applies only to the plié but has come to imply the entire exercise. What we call passé, as both movement and pose, the French call pose retiré. In the opening exercises, I describe how Balanchine would have wanted a given step to be executed. It would be too repetitious to describe this for every step, so I suggest that if there is any doubt about how a movement should be done, refer back to the opening descriptions of steps. Balanchine rarely used terminology. He indicated the step by marking it out for us. Musically, unless specifically noted, all steps begin [ON&] so that the first movement arrives at the position on count one. Preparations and in-between movements are just that and not to be emphasized but danced through, such as a preparation for a jump or pirouette. For the purpose of direction, as to where a step should face, the dancer should imagine that he or she is standing in the center of a box drawn on the floor, so that the right front corner pertains not to the room but to each dancer’s right front corner. It is difficult to describe movement on a written page, but I will try to be as clear as possible as to Balanchine’s head and arm positions. Naturally when standing en face, the head is directly aligned over the center of the body. When standing in croisé tendu front, with the right foot pointed front, the head inclines to the right. The dancer looks forward, but Balanchine would have us look in the mirror, either admiring our left earring or extending our left cheek to be kissed. The overhead arm has to stretch so that the hand is directly over the head, which is slightly tilted to the right, meaning that the arm is stretching toward the right upper corner of the Terminology / 21

box (not directly up to the ceiling). This means stretching the entire left side of the body so that the position is never static but very elastic. The side arm must be really held toward the right front corner in a very open position; otherwise, it extends out over the audience, obscuring the body. Of course, the extended foot must be crossed and turned out. A line running through the body from the upper hand through the extended foot would stretch from the upper right hand corner through the foot to the lower left hand corner. In effacé, pointing our right foot front, Balanchine told us to imagine sitting in a high-back rocking chair, facing the right front corner with our back supported by the chair and our head looking left, the rocking chair tilted slightly back. This gives us the upper position of the body, with the chest lifted and the head tilted to the left. Again, the left hand must be lifted directly over the head, which means that it is reaching up and to the left and not straight up. The eyes look forward and slightly to the left. The side arm must be in exactly the correct side position, which in this case would be slightly toward the right back corner. In écarté front, the shoulders and body must be in an exact line from the right front corner to the left back corner. The right shoulder is slightly forward, with the head held very high but not tilted back, the eyes looking behind the right elbow to the right front corner, the right foot pointing to the right front corner very turned out, and the left arm extended to the side toward the left back corner. This is a very demanding pose. Ecarté derrière is with the head looking slightly down to the side arm. In croisé derrière, again the body is stretched so that the upper arm is over the top of the head. It is the exact opposite of the front position, with the chin lifted and the side arm really to the side and not slightly forward in the audience’s face, and of course the back foot is totally crossed. There were classes in which we spent a lot of time just on port de bras. We would stand in fifth position croisè and bring our arms forward and out to the sides and down. However, the arms remain below waist height. Starting with our arms low, as the hands come together, the palms face the body, the thumb joints come together, then the hands turn, but not totally, and open. This last movement is done a little faster, and Balanchine would use the French word voila. Occasionally but not often, we would use the more bravura character port de bras, opening with the palms up. In one class, Balanchine, in order for us to understand the movement more totally, asked us to imagine giving him a small gift in the palm of the hand. In doing the movement of turning the palm up toward him with the gift, we realized that we inclined our body very graciously, slightly toward him, and that the palm of the hand that was offering the gift had to be held with 22 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

the elbow lifted, and that if the wrist were to be relaxed, the gift would fall to the floor. By keeping the elbows lifted in the correct position, the chest remains up so that the palm never opens totally to face the ceiling, nor do the fingers drop to the floor. The movement comes from the heart to the receiver. We did innumerable tendus and fondues in all of these positions, which is probably why this young company was able to execute the tendus in the finale of Symphony in C with such precision. We knew exactly where every part of our body should be for each position.

Basic Port de Bras There has been disagreement as to how Balanchine formed the finger position of the hand. He wanted the fingers more separated and visible than the classical hand positions of the time. The person sitting in the last row of the top balcony should see fingers and not a paw. In looking at Balanchine’s hand, all the joints in each finger were delicately rounded. No finger was straight out. If one put the middle finger and thumb together, creating a circle, and then expanded them at least three inches apart, it formed the inner petals of a flower. The first finger and pinky were the farthest out, and the fourth finger was slightly more rounded than the first. Each petal had its own place in this open flower. Sometimes he would wad paper into a ball and put it into a dancer’s hand, between the middle finger and thumb, and have her hold it throughout the entire barre. Generally, it meant that the dancer was tensing the hand and fingers. As to the position of the arms to the sides, he would tell us to look straight forward and open our arms to the sides until we could just barely see the fingers out of the corners of our eyes. The arms should not be any further back or further forward. Starting with our arms down, as we lift the arms forward, they form a perfect circle with middle fingers almost touching. Hands are held slightly below waist level so that the people in the orchestra can see the face. As the arms open to the side, they are expanding the circle. The elbows remain rounded, and the palms continue to face forward. To help us feel the position, he would have us lay our arm on the barre and feel that the elbow and the wrist bone were resting on the wood. Neither the elbow nor the wrist would hang below the barre. When the arms are held correctly, one immediately feels the muscles in the back, shoulders, elbows, and wrists. A side effect is that it keeps the chest lifted but not tensed. Balanchine suggested at one point that as the arms continue to open to the sides, they become like two lovers who have Terminology / 23

to part, and as they move away from each other to the sides, they continue to look back until they can no longer see each other. The wrists then turn up ever so slightly with the fingers down, and the elbow begins to bend slightly as the wrist turns down and the fingers trail upwards, as if touching a velvet curtain with the tips. As the hands reach hip level, the palms turn inward with the thumbs facing each other. If this is the end of the movement, the fingers again turn to face each other in the classical rounded position. What Balanchine did not want was for the arms to descend in the rounded position with the fingers facing down. He would say that it looked like scooping water from a bucket. If the arms were to continue up from the waist position, the thumbs would remain facing each other with the fingers trailing slightly down, resembling seaweed. The back of the wrists would lead up, and then the fingers would begin to turn toward each other as they passed into the overhead position, ending in a perfect circle. It must be said that there are several versions of port de bras, and Balanchine used them all, depending upon the step or the ballet he was doing. In his earlier ballets, such as Concerto Barocco and Serenade, the fingers remain facing each other as they come up. In Serenade, when the corps de ballet does a staccato port de bras, the arms start in a low circle on the first count and come sharply up to the waist on the second count, overhead on the third count, out to the sides in three sharp movements, and across the chest in three more movements. All of these movements are done in the classical rounded way. However, in Allegro Brilliante, the arms are brought up with hanging fingers and crossed wrists. Balanchine also did pirouettes en dehors with the arms coming up well crossed to the opposite elbow (like taking off a sweater). This made the turns much easier to do.

Barre Exercises As many dancers have noted, Balanchine’s barre was never intricate in the sense of steps being strung together or a great use of head and arms. It was not choreographic. Each step had a specific purpose, and it focused on one step that was repeated in different positions at various tempos. We often did sixteen front, turned and did the step to the left, then sixteen side, etc. We did it slowly, then faster, and then impossibly fast, or with specific accents out or in, depending upon what he was working on. I am starting with a description of how Balanchine wanted each step to be done at the barre. This will also pertain to how the step will be done in

24 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

the center. Balanchine did not use terminology. He would simply indicate what he wanted by marking out each step for us. There are many schools and systems of teaching, each with its own positions and port de bras, and to avoid confusion, I have chosen the simplest way to indicate positions. Where I have not been specific about a step such as croisé front I mean it to be the usual position used in all schools. Readers who have not worked with Balanchine might want to keep referring back to these explanations as they study the steps.

Plié From the first moment at the barre, Balanchine was a showman. The dancer had to announce her intention of starting the movement the same way that a conductor would raise his baton. It was a very subtle movement: the slight raising of the wrist, the slight lifting of the arm, and then like an exhalation the arm beginning to lower at the start of demi-plié to show that the movement had begun. To teach us to use the muscles in plié and not to sit or bottom out, Balanchine would hold us up by putting his hands at our waists and lifting as we pressed down. Just before we reached the full plié, he would put his hands on our shoulders and press down as we pushed up, slowly lowering our heels. The tempo is faster than conventional pliés are done. It can be done to a count of three or simply down on one and up on two. [CT&1&] Plié and come up into demi-plié. [CT2] Straighten the knees and open the arm. The arm does not come down immediately, but slowly lowers, with a relaxed elbow and gently flexed wrist, moving not too close to the body but a good five inches away, only reaching bottom as the dancer begins to come up and straighten the knees. The arm comes forward and out; the head moves slightly toward the barre on the way up and slightly out as the arm opens. The arm should not bend excessively but remain classically rounded as it comes forward and out. The width of second positions for plié is determined by doing tendu side and dropping the heel. This makes for a small second, and the plié will not be as deep. However, the heels should remain down, and one should go down as low as possible without raising them. Fourth position should be envisioned like a box. The feet must cross so that if a line were drawn from the back of the heel of the front foot to the tip of the toe of the back foot it would form a straight line or side of the box. In fifth position, the front of the back heel should meet the little toe of

Terminology / 25

the front foot, creating a perfect fifth. The feet should be well crossed so that no more than about a half-inch of the back toe is allowed to be seen from the front. In checking the various classes, I find that the pliés at the barre were often simply done two in first position, two in second, two in fifth and tendu side closing fifth back, and two in fifth again, plié with the left foot front. (See tendu exercise below for how fifth position is to be done.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 56

Port de Bras In port de bras (bending forward and back), again the arm lifts barely two inches up with the wrist flexing a little like an inhalation before the movement begins. As the body extends forward, the arm remains to the side. When the head rounds at the bottom of the port de bras, the arm slowly comes down, and as the body starts up, the arm reaches the bottom without touching the floor. Balanchine would tell us to think of Narcissus reaching out to see himself in the water but never touching the water to disturb the reflection. As the body reaches its standing position, the arm comes up over the head. As the arm comes up, the fingers trail like seaweed, but again not too close to the body, forming a classical arc and ending overhead. There is an invisible lift in the body, and one continues to arc back as if one were stretching over a barrel. The arm remains overhead without any added gesture. As the body comes up, the arm simply opens to the side, remaining rounded. TEMPO: 6/8  = 56

Tendu Volumes can be written about tendu. To Balanchine it was one of the keys to mastering technique, and we did many versions both at the barre and at the center. As I have said, his original company had few seasoned dancers who had worked with him before, and so he was starting from scratch. Consequently, he explained a great deal and devised exercises that would mold our bodies and our technique to his vision. One of the exercises was to stand with our backs to the barre in fifth position, arms extended softly on the barre on either side. Very slowly on the 26 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

first count, slide the entire front foot out (like a snowplow), the foot moving to fourth (but only moving out three or four inches). Then, without twisting the hips and keeping the heel completely forward on the second count, move to pointe tendu front, which has to be exactly opposite the center of the supporting foot. (In other words, if looking from the front, the working leg is crossed, covering the supporting leg.) Although the foot is fully pointed, the feeling is to try to have only the tip of the big toe touch the floor, forming an arch. On the third and fourth counts, the little toe twists back, the foot slides through fourth completely turned out, and the entire outside of the foot comes back to fifth position. The heel should never come in before the toes. This exercise is done sixteen times to the front and then sixteen times with the left foot. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63

When this exercise is done to the back, we face the barre with our hands in the usual position opposite the shoulders. With the right foot back, and again not twisting the hips or shoulders, slide the back foot back, leading with the small toe out to about three or four inches, to a small fourth. Continuing to lead with the small toe, tendu back again, crossing the leg so that it is opposite the center of the supporting leg. (The knee and thigh are to be completely turned out and facing side. Only the inner tip of the big toe is to lightly touch the floor.) The heel leads the way back, and the entire foot comes in simul-

taneously, never toes first and then heel, again done sixteen times with the right foot and then with the left. Sometimes, but less often, we would face side and, starting in fifth position, right foot front, slide our entire front foot past third position and tendu side with the heels completely forward, then close back in the same way, continuing sixteen times, using the same principles as before. Once the muscles have absorbed this exercise, tendu will always be done correctly at any speed. A variation on this exercise is to stand in fifth position, right foot front, and slide the toes back around the supporting ankle, bending the knee and moving up. As the knee bends, move up to a perfectly rounded sur le cou-de-pied, with the heel in front of the supporting foot, and the toes wrapped virtually around the neck of the foot. The foot then lifts in an arch and is placed on the floor in a tendu front, again remembering to cross opposite the center of the supporting foot. The foot returns to fifth position. In this version of the exercise, the leg is never to extend straight out above the floor before coming to tendu. The feeling is as if your toe were circling the outside of a globe. The reverse starts with the right foot back in fifth position, the heel remains, and the toe slides back as the knee begins Terminology / 27

to bend. The feeling should be like wrapping your foot around an invisible foot behind you. The knee moves around and back as if in a small circle. Do not lead with the heel; instead, lead by pulling the knee to a tendu back, crossed in a direct line opposite the standing foot. The knee faces side, and the heel should never show from the side. This exercise may be done four times in each direction from very slow to very fast. It can be a waltz with a sense of continuous movement or a 2/4. The first part of the exercise is done [ON&] and the coming to fifth on [CT1]. It seems that Balanchine’s preference for the first tendu combination was to do eight straight front without demi-plié, quite slowly, and then eight side, eight back, and eight side. The same corrections are given many times, and they are to make sure that the little toe pulls back and comes to fifth position first, and on tendu back, the heel returns first. Also remember to hold the elbow rounded, the upper arm rounded and lifted, and the palm of the hand forward. Open the foot with impact (excitingly) immediately after having squeezed fifth position. Don’t settle into fifth position, and don’t put weight on the working foot. All tendu exercises are done [ON&] for the extending of the foot and on [CT1] for the closing into the position, unless specifically noted otherwise. Exercises (1) Fifth position, right foot front, done very slowly: Sixteen tendus front, turn and do the left side, then sixteen side, etc. [ON&] The foot extends out into the position; on the count it returns to fifth. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80 (2) Fifth position, right foot front: Thirty-two tendus side only TEMPO: 6/8  = 100 (3) Fifth position, right foot front: Three tendus dégagés, hold fifth position for the fourth count, done sixtyfour counts in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 132 28 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

(4) Fifth position, right foot front: Repeat combination 3, done faster. TEMPO: 2/4  = 80 (5) First position: Thirty-two tendus dégagés to the side. TEMPO: 4/4  = 138 (6) Fifth position: Tendu side only, done quickly with the accent out, sixteen in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 80 (7) Fifth position, right foot front: Two slow tendus and three faster, done en croix. TEMPO: 6/8  = 56 (8) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu is done medium fast, four each way, thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 (9) Fifth position, right foot front: Two tendus each way, medium fast tempo, sixteen in all. Do left side, and then repeat very fast, one each way, sixteen in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 (10) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu at medium tempo, sixteen front, then do left side, sixteen to the side, turn left, and sixteen left, and back and side same. TEMPO: 3/4  = 60

Terminology / 29

Battement Tendu, Dégagé (11) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé, with the accent out, three front, the third one ending in demi-plié in fifth. Then do the exercise to side, back, and side. On [CT4] hold. Thirty-two counts in all, medium fast tempo. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 (12) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé, eight each way, medium fast tempo. Thirty-two counts in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 116 (13) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé, one each way, two sets, and eight side only. Repeat the combination. TEMPO: 4/4  = 116 (14) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé, side only, closing fifth front and first, fifth back and first. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 116 (15) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé side only, closing back and front. Four to fifth position, four to first position, very fast, sixteen in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120

30 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

(16) Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagés side only, seven closing to fifth position front. [CT8] Hold, seven to first position. [CT8] Hold and repeat to fifth closing fifth back, and eight to first position. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120 (17) Fifth position, right foot front: Same combination, done very fast. TEMPO:  = 132 (18) First position: Tendu dégagé to first. (So fast that my notes say, “No one can do it”; just think, “Point, point, point.”)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 168

I described this combination earlier. (19) Fifth position, right foot front:

Wrap the right foot around in sur le cou-de-pied, and lift in a small arc, bringing the foot down to tendu front, on the floor, done in [4CTS]. [CT1,2,3] from fifth and wrap around the ankle, and [CT2,2,3] to tendu front, and slide to fifth, done eight each way. (This step is similar to pas de cheval).

TEMPO: 3/4  = 132 (20) Fifth position, right foot front: Same combination, [CT&1] done with relevé as the foot comes up to the ankle (cou-de-pied). As the supporting heel lowers, the working foot comes to tendu on the floor (without demi-plié). [CT&2] Pull leg to fifth while rising on toe. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120

Terminology / 31

(21) Fifth position, right foot front: Same combination. Relevé as the foot wraps around the ankle, remain on half-toe as the foot opens to tendu, and lower both heels simultaneously to fifth position. Musically, the leg extends to tendu on the second count. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120 Sometimes Balanchine used the following exercise: (22) First position: Do the tiniest demi-plié and straighten the knees (and up, and up, and up), sixteen in all, and do the same in fifth position. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72

Starting in the late 1950s, Balanchine explored counterpoint in some of his tendu combinations. The dancers did four tendus front, two to the side, four to the back, and two to the side [12CTS] while the pianist played a continuous 2/4 ending after thirty-two or sixty-four counts. Or the dancers would do one tendu front, one side closing front, one side to first, one side closing back, and one to the back, adding up to [CT5] while the pianist played an even eight counts. The dancer doesn’t listen to phrasing of the music, but just keeps the beat going until the music stops. In all tendu combinations, whether with accent out or accent in, the closing position must be passed through without any rest of the working foot. There is a slight lift in the working leg until the end of the combination. The tendu is done [ON&], the squeezing of fifth position on [CT1] (out [ON&], squeeze in [ON1], out [ON&], squeeze in [ON1]). The presenting of the foot through sur le cou-de-pied and the tendu combinations were often done with accent out, and one each way, and Balanchine’s voice would intone, “And show.” Although the musical beat is even, the movement has elasticity. It reminds me of a cat getting ready to pounce on a mouse. The “and” is long and quiet, the “show” is louder, luxurious, and a little faster. The “show,” which is the placing of the foot on the floor, must be done so as to focus the attention on the arrival of the foot perfectly placed in the position. Balanchine demanded perfectly turned out positions. Fifth position must be completely closed, with the outside of the entire front foot touching the inside of the entire back foot. The tip of the big toe of the back foot can be seen by about a half-inch, so that the position is crossed but not overly crossed. In sur

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le cou-de-pied, the supporting leg is completely turned out; the wrapped foot, heel in front and toes wrapping back, is totally turned out. The knee is facing side, and if seen from the side, there is to be no space between the legs. As I remember, Balanchine rarely spoke of muscles and placement. His voice, imagery, and musicality were the essence of the movement.

Frappé I am surprised to find few corrections for frappé other than that the foot must be well wrapped around the ankle, hit the floor with the bottom of the toes, halfway out, and then extend to a very strong position. The accent is out, and the leg must hit the outstretched position strongly and quickly. Sometimes Balanchine would give us the tempo and snap his fingers for the first four frappés, and then listen as we beat out the rhythm, with each brush of the foot in unison. If we did not hit the floor hard enough and all together, we would have to repeat the exercise. In frappé, the movement is done [ON&] and the position is hit on the count. Exercises Frappé is always begun from the preparation with tendu side. (1) Start in tendu side position: Frappé done one each way. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 (2) Tendu side position: Frappé side only, eight single, eight double (double frappé, alternate touch ankle once back and front—then front and back). Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 108 (3) Tendu side position: Thirty-two side, and thirty-two side on half-toe.

Done in the same class.

TEMPO: 4/4  = 126

Terminology / 33

(4) Tendu side position: Four frappés side, four double front and back, very fast. TEMPO: 6/8  = 80 6/8 The following three exercises were done in the same class, one after another. (5A) Tendu side position: Thirty-two frappés to the side, accent on every second frappé. First frappé is [ON&], the second frappé is [ON1], and you hold the extended leg a tiny bit longer. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66 6/8 (5B) Tendu side position: Same exercise, double frappé. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66 6/8 (5C) Tendu side position: Double frappé done front and back with relevé and plié when the leg is extended on the floor in tendu. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66 6/8 The following four exercises were done in the same class, one after another. (6) Tendu side position: Three frappés side, and [CT 4] hold with the leg extended. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 (7) Tendu second position: One frappé each way, sixteen in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 34 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

(8) Tendu side position: Double frappé side, sixteen in all. (The beat around the ankle is done [On&]. The extending of the foot is done [ON1].)

TEMPO: 4/4  = = 88 (9) Tendu side position: Thirty-two frappés side done so fast that the foot cannot reach the ankle. (Flex a little on the brush, and then point very hard.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 160 In 1952, Balanchine introduced this passé exercise at the barre. (1) Fifth position, right foot front: Quickly lift the right foot to sur le cou-de-pied, then slowly bring the toes up the front of the leg, ending in a high passé, with the toe slightly in front of the supporting knee, very well turned out, without digging the toes into the supporting leg. Slide the foot around the back of the leg, and lower the heel down the back of the leg, closing in fifth position back, keeping the knee totally turned out and the heel forward as the foot closes back. Then reverse. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120 (2) Fifth position, right foot front: Demi-plié [CT1] quickly passé relevé [CT2] demi-plié closing fifth back [CT3] passé relevé [CT4] demi-plié fifth [CT5] passé relevé [CT6] and balance in passé [CT7&8] and continue to balance for [8CTS] letting go of the barre. Coming into demi-plié, the heels must touch the floor simultaneously. TEMPO: 6/8  = 152

Rond de Jambe par Terre Rond de jambe par terre was to be done in a specific way. Balanchine made it clear that when starting in first position, the working leg was not to cross over to the side of the supporting leg. He would put his New York Times Terminology / 35

between our heels, forming a wall, so that the working leg had to open out. The movement (when going en dehors) led with the heel still on the floor, and then with the bottom of the toes sliding along the floor, almost to effacé (in other words, the front corner), then pointing very hard, making a circle to second position, as if pushing a marble away, on a very lifted supporting leg. The peak of the movement is the tendu in second, which must be very turned out and stretched, and then keeping the heel forward, the leg continues to the back corner, and slowly the heel leads to first position. The supporting thigh remains totally turned out and lifted. When done properly, the dancer feels the muscles in the inner thighs. The timing is uneven, the quarter rond de jambe from front to second is done faster, and there is a slight retard as the leg moves from second to the back and to first. When done en dedans, the toes lead back first, the heel coming forward before the foot gets to second position. In 3/4 tempo, the coming through first position and moving out is done on the [CT1]. [CT2&3] are the foot moving side and back and from the back through first. The foot opening out was again [ON1]. The same is true for grand rond de jambe. As the foot leaves first position, the knee begins to bend. It is not to cross over to the standing leg, but the knee is to arc out to the front corner, extending to an enormous second position battement, and lowering with the knee very turned out toward the back corner and then brushing through first. When done en dedans, the knee, very turned out, moves from the open back corner, heel coming forward, to an enormous à la seconde, and still very turned out lowering through effacé front and to first. The accent is on the swoosh, up and out. We did not do many rond de jambe par terre exercises at the barre, and sometimes Balanchine left them out all together. They were usually done very fast with the accent out. Exercises (1) First position Eight ronds de jambe par terre to the front with accent out, and then eight back (work the whole leg from the hip). Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 126 (2) First position: Same step faster. Three to the front, stopping on [CT 4] tendu front, and reverse. Do the step eight times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63 36 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

(3) First position Four par terre and three grand ronds de jambe to the front ending in tendu front and then reverse. TEMPO: 6/8  = 58 (4) First position, done very quickly with the accent out to second: Very small rond de jambe par terre. Sixteen front and sixteen back. TEMPO: 4/4  = 138

Battement Fondue We did battement fondue in every possible position and speed. I need to establish two slightly different versions, both used by Balanchine. In the first, the working leg moves away from midcalf and out. In the second fondue développé, the working leg comes through passé and attitude and extends much higher. Starting from a tendu side position, the toes lift slightly, and as both knees bend, the feeling should be as if a wide elastic were holding the knees and one resists it (so as not to just squat). As the little toe of the working leg touches the front of the midcalf on the supporting leg, [ON&] there is a tiny flick out (as if a slingshot were being released), and then the working leg moves a little bit faster because both knees should straighten on [CT1] simultaneously. If the movement is done [ON&], the position is reached on [CT1]. As I have mentioned before, the term fondue applies only to the demi-plié with the foot on the ankle, but our teachers used the term for the entire exercise. The first basic fondue at the barre was done to 45 degrees, but it had to be very turned out. The foot travels forward, and we must be conscious of the continuous lift in the foot so that when the knee straightens, the foot is still lifting, not allowing the knee to drop. The feeling should be of placing the foot out on the air. Then with a slight reaching out, like a rubber band, we return the leg as we move into the demi-plié position. Balanchine would say that when the leg was extended to the front, he should be able to put a glass of water on the heel and it should not drop off. (In the case of the men in the class, it became a shot of vodka.) The return of the leg must virtually fold back, with the heel very forward when doing the exercise front and side and the heel coming in first from the back. When opening to the side, the leg must be absolutely side with the heel as much forward as possible, Terminology / 37

but without sacrificing the position of the supporting leg. The elbow of the extended arm is to be held slightly in front of the extended knee. When opening to the back, the feeling is that the heel remains and the knee opens back, first in a turned out position but not sacrificing the supporting side of the body. As we will see, this is only one version of fondue. No matter what tempo the fondue was done at, and this held true for développé as well, the last second of the final extension of the foot was delayed invisibly so that the leg was never thrown into position but was elegantly placed. The moment the foot touches the supporting leg, it springs away to start the next movement. Exercises Unless specifically noted, fondue to relevé is done more as a rolling up than as a springing movement. (1) Fifth position: Demi-plié with right foot in preparation position for fondue, little toe against shin. Relevé as the leg passes through passé, plié as leg does développé to side, and close fifth position back on half-toe. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80 (2) Fifth position, this exercise is done in six counts: [CT1] Demi-plié with foot as in exercise above. [CT2] Fondue front. [CT3] Demi-plié with the leg still extended, [CT4] and straighten. [ON&] Carry the leg side. [CT5&6] Demi-plié and straighten, carrying the leg to the back. [CT7&8] Demi-plié, and as supporting leg straightens, the working leg comes through passé. Repeat the combination four times to the right, repeat to the left, and then do it in reverse both right and left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 (3) Fifth position with right foot pointing side in preparation for fondue: [ON&] Demi-plié (as foot comes to shin). [CT1] Fondue relevé on pointe, hold [3CTS], and continue en croix. TEMPO: 3/4  = 100

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(4) Fifth position: Done in [8CTS] demi-plié, simultaneously lifting right foot to midshin, relevé fondue front on pointe, and slow grand rond de jambe to arabesque, arm remaining side, bringing leg through passé. Repeat combination four times, do left side, then do right and left in reverse. TEMPO: 4/4  = 96

This exercise can be done on half-pointe or full-pointe. (5) Fifth position: [IN 1 CT] Fondue side with relevé with the right arm coming up to écarté position (looking side with the head looking directly behind the elbow). Hold this position for [CT2,3&4]. Do the exercise four times and then do left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120

This fondue combination was given after the adagio, done slowly. (6) Fifth position: [CT&1] Fondue preparation in demi-plié with the right foot lifted to the midshin (in a very turned out position). Relevé, taking leg to attitude back (with the knee moving back first and the supporting foot very turned out). [CT2&3] Demiplié, relevé two times. Do not extend the leg to arabesque, [CT4] but bring it down to fifth position in back, still on half-pointe, and passé to fifth front. Repeat combination. TEMPO: 6/8  = 84 (7) Fifth position: [CT&] Fondue to [CT1] tendu front on the floor and continue en croix, and then reverse the exercise, keeping the supporting leg straight as the working leg comes up to the calf, and demi-plié as the foot stretches out to tendu. TEMPO: 2/4  = 63 (8) Fifth position: Slow [CT&1] Fondue front with relevé. [CT2] Demi-plié, the leg remaining straight front. [CT3] Relevé, carrying the leg side. [CT4] Demi-plié. [CT5]

Terminology / 39

Relevé, carrying the leg back. [CT6,7&8] Plié relevé, coming into a low passé with the knee very turned out. (This was a constant correction. Keep knee totally turned out and back as foot comes into passé.) Bring foot to front of the calf, repeat the combination four times, do the other side, then do in reverse, right and left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 76 (9) Fifth position: Fondue to 45 degrees, very turned out, one each way, four times. Do the exercise to the left, and then with relevé right and left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 (10) Fifth position: Fondue développé side with relevé with the leg as high as possible (done in four slow counts), [CT&1] fondue relevé to attitude back, and [CT2,3,4] hold position. Repeat the exercise four times.

TEMPO: 4/4  = 63 (11) Fifth position: [CT&1] Fondue front with straight knees, [CT&2] carry the leg to the side, [CT&3] fondue side, [CT&4] take the leg back, [CT&5] fondue to the back, [CT&6] carry the leg side, [CT&7] fondue side, and [CT&8] take the leg front. Repeat with half-toe with the leg held higher. TEMPO: 4/4  = 60 (12) Fifth position: [CT&1] Fondue front with relevé to 45 degrees and remain on half-toe. [CT2] Bring working leg to cou-de-pied (very turned out and knee coming back first). Repeat doing fondue side, etc., en croix. Repeat exercise two times, and then two times more, but with leg very high. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72

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(13) Fifth position: Fondue very quickly to half-pointe (done waist high or higher), one each way, sixteen in all. (Remember not to throw but to show the last second of its straightening before the foot arcs down to start the next fondue.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 132 (14) Fifth position: [CT&1] Plié relevé with toe on shin, [CT&2] demi-plié and fondue relevé front, and [CT&3,4] hold, done en croix (waist high or higher). TEMPO: 3/4  = 104 (15) Fifth position: [CT&1&2] Fondue relevé front two times. Now, holding the outstretched leg, lower the supporting heel without plié. [CT3&4] Relevé two times, done en croix quite fast. (Leg at waist level.) TEMPO: 4/4  = 56 (16) Fifth position: [CT1,2,3&2,2,3] Fondue front without relevé to 45 degrees. [ON&] Demiplié. [CT3,2,3&4,2,3] Relevé, lifting the extended leg as high as possible. (Correction for this exercise was to point the foot very hard.) This exercise is done en croix two times. TEMPO: 3/4  = 84 (17) Start in tendu side: [CT&1] Fondue relevé to the side but with a definite spring, almost a jump, to half-toe and hold [CT2,3,4]. Repeat with the arm in écarté. Repeat four times and do left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72

At this point, Balanchine’s barre became a little unpredictable. Often grands battements followed the fondue combinations. This was also the case in Pierre Vladimiroff ’s barre. Doing grand battement at this point in the barre releases and stretches the muscles. However, in Balanchine’s classTerminology / 41

es there were times when we did not do any grands battements at the barre but went directly into développés and grands ronds de jambe en l’air, and if Balanchine gave several développés exercises and spent time on explanations, he would omit these exercises and go directly to petite battements. In these classes, we often did these exercises in the center.

Grand Battement In grand battement, Balanchine wanted the leg to shoot up very fast and very high. He would hold his hand up as high as our heads and ask us to hit it with the toe as fast as possible. The descent was to be very controlled, and there was absolutely no rest in fifth position. The foot was to almost brush through going to the next battement, and the foot was to be very pointed. The battement side was to be directly side, very turned out, and the arm was to be held so that the leg kicked just behind the elbow. (Battement is always done [ON&], and the return to the position is on the count unless otherwise stated.) We did this first combination often. (1) Fifth position, right foot front: Eight grands battements to the front. Turn and do eight with the left foot, turn to the right and do eight to the side, turn to the left and do eight to the side, and do the same back and to the side. TEMPO: 6/8  = 88 (2) This exercise follows the first one: One battement each way, fast, two sets around. TEMPO: 6/8  = 54 (3) Fifth position: Grand battement, four each way TEMPO: 6/8  = 88

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(4) Fifth position: Grand battement side, three closing front, back, front, and a very big grand rond de jambe en l’air. Close back and repeat from the back. TEMPO: 3/4  = 138 (5) In fifth position, this exercise followed the one above: Four grands battements front and four side, repeat front and side, do the exercise to the left, then reverse back and side. TEMPO: 6/8  = 88

This exercise is in 3/4 time. It is basically a quarter grand rond de jambe with a straight knee. (6) Start in tendu front: [CT1,2,3] Battement front and take the leg side, lower to tendu side. [CT2,2,3] Battement side and take the leg front, lower to tendu front. Do four times. Do the step to the left, and then reverse back side and side back. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 (7) Fifth position: [CT&1&2] Grand battement front with the arm up, rising to half-toe, as the battement leg goes up. As you battement, arch the spine slightly back, hold the position, lower the supporting heel, and brush through first. [CT1&2] Relevé as leg brushes back to penché, arm back, and hold. Do eight times. TEMPO: 2/4  = 108 (8) Fifth position on half-pointe: Grand battement done all on half-toe or on full-toe, done two each way and then with passé like a thrown développé. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116

Terminology / 43

(9) Fifth position: One grand battement to tendu front and one to fifth, rather fast. Do all front eight times and then to the left. Now face the barre (making sure that the shoulders remain square and the leg moves directly behind) and do the same combination to the back. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 (10) Fifth position: Grand battement done so fast that the foot can barely make it to fifth. Do front and side and front and side eight times. Do the combination to the left and then reverse back and side. TEMPO: 4/4  = 88

Développé It seems to me that to Balanchine, développés were the gemstones of female technique. They were meant to be sensuous, silken, unfolding flowers. No matter what tempo, développés were never meant to be thrown; they were meant to be displayed. To begin the développé, Balanchine would stand us with our backs to the barre, and we would brush to sur le cou-de-pied and close fifth front, eight with the right foot and eight with the left. Then, facing the barre, we would reverse the exercise to the back. Standing in fifth position with the right foot front, as the working knee relaxes, the toes slide out around the ankle, and with the knee very turned out, the heel comes out in front of the ankle bone. The toes wrap around the ankle to the back. (One can imagine a boa constrictor wrapping itself around the ankle.) If we hold our foot in this wrapped position and move the heel around the ankle, to the back of the ankle, pointing a little harder, we have sur le cou-de-pied in back. Facing the barre with the right foot in back, as the right knee relaxes, the toes brush back on the floor, and as the knee bends, the heel comes up to the ankle. The toes reach back, the heel must never move back, and when closing to fifth the heel must remain forward. In the 1950s, Balanchine wanted the passé to coordinate with the direction of the développé. An ideal développé front, starting in fifth position, right foot front, requires the dancer to be totally and firmly on the sup44 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

porting leg, freeing the working leg so that on the count of one there is a quick flick of the foot to the wrapped sur le cou-de-pied position. (This is to focus attention on the beginning of the movement. The foot should give the impression of being as pliable as a swan’s neck.) The little toe now continues to the front of the ankle and up the front of the leg, ending in the usual passé position at the side of the knee. There is to be, however, absolutely no pause in the movement and, in a manner of speaking, no pose. The foot is to come up the leg as high as possible and then begin to unfold. Lift the knee as high as possible in attitude and continue the movement in a very turned out position, imperceptibly slowing the movement at the last second to show the climax of the foot unfolding even higher. Imagine a needle being held under the knee, forcing the knee not to drop on the needle, but remain lifted as the foot continues the climb to the peak of the movement in a very pointed and turned out position. After resting on the air for a moment, continue to arc down to the tendu position. Coming to fifth is already the beginning of the next développé, and there is no rest, only a brush through fifth and again a flick up on the first count. For développé side, the foot comes up the side of the supporting leg, and again there is no stop at the knee level. The toes come up the leg as high as possible, and the hip remains down with the knee lifted as closely to the shoulder as possible, and then unfolds out to the side. For développé back, we sometimes faced the barre. With the right foot back in fifth position, on the first count, the toes flick back, the heel touching the ankle with the knee turned out. The heel moves up the back of the leg, coming to the usual passé position, and with the heel remaining forward, the knee begins the movement back in a completely turned out position and remains turned out throughout the entire développé. The ribs and shoulders are to remain square, and the supporting hip must be lifted (not sit on the supporting hip). The foot at the end of the movement is pointed, but just as in tendu back, where Balanchine demanded that only the tip of the big toe should gently touch the floor, that same line of the foot is continued in développé, giving the foot an arched line at the end of arabesque, but not a winged foot. In attitude, Balanchine would get directly behind us so that the working leg was wrapped around him. He would hold the knee directly behind us so that the thigh would not show from the front, and he would lift and lock the leg in place by pulling the left shoulder back and demanding that the lifted foot be parallel to the knee forming a straight line. The head was slightly lifted toward the left shoulder. And he would insist that we hold the position as he let go. The feeling in the body is like the spiral of a seashell. The Russian attitude is more open with the foot lifted slightly above the Terminology / 45

knee. We almost never did this type of attitude. When doing développé on pointe, the foot usually does not go through the wrapped sur le cou-de-pied but simply moves straight up to passé. On all développés, the foot moves quickly to sur le cou-de-pied [ON&]. The extended leg front and back must be crossed to the center of the body.

Adagios at the Barre (1) Fifth position: [ON&] Flick foot up to sur le cou-de-pied. [CT1&2] Développé right foot side. [CT3&4] Moving only the heel of the supporting foot, turn toward the barre, leg going to arabesque. [CT5,6,7&8] Relevé to half-toe, turn back away from the barre with the leg ending in second position, and balance and lower the leg as you come down from half-toe, ending in fifth position. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 (2) Fifth position: [CT1–4] Développé front and carry the leg in grand rond de jambe to arabesque. On [CT5–8] penché, with the arm remaining at the side. On [CT1–4] bring the body back up, ending in attitude. [CT5–8] Relevé and balance with the arms up. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 The following three adagios were done one after another in the same class. (3) Fifth position: [CT1&2] Développé front. [CT3&4] Passé développé side. [CT5&6] Passé développé to arabesque, arm at side. [CT7&8] Demi-plié, relevé, and carry the leg rond de jambe to the side. [CT1–4] Passé, développé to attitude back, hold the position. [CT5–8] Demi-plié and open to second arabesque, hold, and then do a small, very fast pas de bourrée under yourself, ending in fifth, right foot front, and repeat the whole adagio. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80

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(4) Fifth position: [CT1&2] Développé front. [CT3&4] Immediately do grand rond de jambe to arabesque. Passé, and repeat the movement four times. The arm goes forward with the leg, opens side, and remains side throughout the exercise. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63 (5) Fifth position: [CT1&2] Développé à la seconde. [CT3&4] Hold the position. [CT5–8] Carry the leg front and into passé. [CT1–8] Développé to arabesque and hold, closing fifth position back. Repeat the exercise, then do it in reverse. Do the left side, and repeat the entire exercise on half-pointe. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 (6) Fifth position: [2CTS] Développé to a very high à la seconde with the arm up, eyes looking behind the elbow. [CT3&4] Hold the position. [CT5–8] Relevé and continue to hold. TEMPO: 6/8  = 100

This adagio followed the previous one.

(7) Face the barre, fifth position right foot back, right arm up: [CT1–4] Développé to arabesque (upper body square, leg totally behind you and turned out). [CT5–8] Bend the knee to attitude, forming a perfect right angle, with toes well pointed. Relevé and balance. TEMPO: 3/4  = 104 (8) Fifth position: [CT1&2] Fast développé front. [CT3–8] Grand rond de jambe to arabesque, passé, and repeat the exercise. Do the left side, then do the exercise in reverse and do the left side, then do the entire exercise on half-toe. TEMPO: 6/8  = 104

Terminology / 47

(9) Fifth position: [CT1–4] Développé à la seconde slowly. [CT5–8] Passé, relevé, and hold. [CT1–4] Remain on half-toe and développé à la seconde again, arm coming down forward and up to écarté. Hold [4CTS] and repeat the whole exercise. TEMPO: 6/8  = 104 (10) Fifth position: [CT1–4] Développé front and hold. [CT5–8] Relevé, hold, and lower the leg to fifth position. Feel the muscles lengthening and a long arc as the leg comes down. Do not rest in fifth position but immediately repeat the combination. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63

This adagio follows the previous one in the same class. (11) Fifth position: [CT1] Very fast développé à la seconde. [CT2,3&4] Hold. [CT5–8] Relevé and hold. Quickly lower the leg and repeat. TEMPO: 6/8  = 96 (12) Fifth position: [CT1–4] Développé the right leg into penché second arabesque and hold. [CT5–8] Bring the body up, arm opening side. [CT9–16] Relevé and hold the arabesque. Do the left side, and then repeat. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 (13) Fifth position: [CT1–4] Développé front and hold. [CT5–8] Relevé, hold, and then lower leg and, with no rest in fifth position, continue the exercise en croix. TEMPO: 3/4  = 112

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(14) Fifth position: [CT1–8] Very slow développé front, carry the leg side, close fifth position, and repeat. Do the exercise to the left and in reverse. TEMPO: 3/4  = 84 (15) Fifth position: [CT&1–4] Développé front, hold. (Done only waist high, but it is to be perfectly turned out.) [CT5–8] Passé, développé, arabesque, and hold [ON&]. Bring the foot down and flick through sur le cou-de-pied back, and reverse the exercise. Do four times. TEMPO: 3/4  = 84 (16) Fifth position. This adagio follows the previous one: [CT1–4] Développé side and hold. [CT5–8] Flick sur le cou-de-pied and développé side again. Repeat four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 (17) Fifth position on toe. This adagio also followed the previous two: [CT1] Dégagé front. [CT2] Fast grand rond de jambe to arabesque. (I have a note here very turned out arabesque.) [CT3&4] Hold the position and come down [ON&] through petit battement, and repeat the exercise eight times. Do the left side, and then repeat the exercise in reverse. TEMPO: 4/4  = 50 (18) Fifth position on half-toe. This is the fourth adagio in the same class: [CT1&2] Développé front and hold. [CT3&4] Fast grand rond de jambe to arabesque. [CT5–8] Penché with the arm remaining side. [CT1–8] Take supporting arm off the barre and balance. Close fifth position back coming off half-pointe, and repeat the exercise four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 144

Balanchine must have wanted us to really get those legs up in this class! In a barre with this many adagios, rond de jambe en l’air and grand battement were done in the center. Terminology / 49

(19) Fifth position: [CT1&2] Développé front. [CT3] Hold. [CT4] Relevé and hold [4CTS]. In [4CTS] lower leg to fifth position, and demi-plié in [4CTS] done en croix. TEMPO: 3/4  = 12 (20) Fifth position, right foot front. This adagio followed the previous one: [CT1–4] Développé the right leg to attitude back rising to demi-toe. [CT5– 8] Promenade to face the barre, changing the arms, left arm coming up, the right arm coming down to the barre. [CT1–4] Continue promenade to face the left side. [CT5–8] Penché in arabesque and come up. [CT1–4] Bend the knee to attitude again [CT5–8] and promenade back to the right side [CT1–8] opening the right arm side and the leg to arabesque, head looking to the ceiling and a very arched spine, and hold. TEMPO: 4/4  = 88 (21) Fifth position on half-toe: [CT1&2] Fast développé front with the arm coming up. [CT3&4] Hold the position. [CT5&6] Passé développé écarté [CT7&8] and hold. TEMPO: 4/4  = 88

This adagio follows the one above. (22) Fifth position:

[CT1&2] Développé side. [CT3&4] Hold. [CT5–8] Demi-plié, relevé, and hold. TEMPO: 3/4  = 112

This exercise was also done in the same class. (23) Face the barre, fifth position, right foot back: In [8CTS] développé to arabesque and hold. Close fifth and repeat on halfpointe. (Balanchine lectured us at this point on quickly lifting the foot off the floor as if picking up pencils and bringing attention to the beginning of the step. Since the foot was

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opening back, the passé coming up the back of the leg must be done with the knee very turned out.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 104

Again, this exercise follows the previous one. (24) Face the barre, fifth position, right foot back: Done in [16CTS]. Développé the right leg to attitude back, very high. (The knee leads out, and the position of the leg is a perfect right angle.) Relevé with the right arm up, change arms, the left arm coming up, and change again, the right arm coming up, and balance. TEMPO: 4/4  = 88

This is not really an adagio, but we did this exercise at this point in the barre. (25) Facing the right side, but with the left foot front in fifth position, left hand on the barre: Demi-plié, and with a very large spring, jump forward to arabesque on pointe (sissonne) and close fifth, and the same to attitude. TEMPO: 4/4  = 92

Rond de Jambe en l’Air I’m always in awe of how thought-out Balanchine’s concepts were. Before giving the exercises, let me explain how he wanted rond de jambe to be done. Imagine facing flat against a wall in first position, with someone holding you from behind so that you will not fall back. In this position, bring the right foot up to sur le cou-de-pied. Naturally, the right knee cannot come forward, so it will have to go to the side. Raise the knee with both hipbones touching the wall and open to second position. With the inner part of the heel still touching the wall, bring the toe to the knee of the supporting leg. This coming directly in is the first part of rond de jambe en dehors. Standing at the barre again, the heel of the extended leg comes forward, making the oval without moving the knee. The reason that Balanchine did not want the foot to come behind the supporting knee is that it would allow the hip and knee to turn in slightly. In rond de jambe en dedans, the leg

Terminology / 51

does exactly the opposite. Starting in à la seconde, the heel moves forward at the beginning of the rond de jambe. Begin making an oval, bringing the toe to the knee of the supporting leg, and go straight out to the side. The foot should come close to the supporting knee but not touch it. On all rond de jambe, the pulling in and the circle with the toes are all done [ON&]. Extending of the leg is done on the count. Sample Exercises (1) Face the barre, fifth position, right foot front: This exercise is done facing the barre to make sure that the hips and leg are held in a straight line. [ON&] Dégagé the right leg to second position, 45 degree angle. [CT1–4] Three rond de jambe en dehors and close fifth back. [CT5–8] Dégagé side again, three ronds de jambe en dedans, and close front. Repeat the exercise four times, then do the left side, and then do on half-toe. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116 (2) Fifth position, facing side again: Dégagé the right leg to second position. On preparation, [CT1–4] four ronds de jambe en dehors. [CT5–8] Four ronds de jambe en dedans and roll up to half-toe and repeat on half-toe. TEMPO: 6/8  = 54 (3) Fifth position: On [CT1] dégagé side and [CT2–8] do seven ronds de jambe en dehors. Flick through fifth position. On développé to second position and [CT3–6] hold, [CT7&8] lower leg, and then reverse. TEMPO: 2/4  = 72

This is done in the same class. (4) Fifth position:

[ON&] Dégagé to second position. [CT1,2,3] Three ronds de jambe en dehors, hold the leg out on [CT4].[CT5–8] Reverse. Do the exercise four

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times and continue four times on half-toe. (Balanchine’s correction was to show the third rond de jambe as if it were a small développé by slightly slowing the extension.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 (5) Fifth position Eight ronds de jambe en dehors, and eight en dedans, and roll up to half-toe and repeat. (This exercise was given often.)

Given in the same class.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 154

(6) Fifth position: Again, dégagé the right leg to second. [ON&] Sixteen small, very fast ronds de jambe en dedans, and sixteen en dehors. (Leg at 45 degrees.) TEMPO: 2/4  = 132 (7) Fifth position: [ON&] Tendu right foot side. Four frappés side, and four ronds de jambe en dehors and reverse, thirty-two times in all. (Leg at 45 degrees.) TEMPO: 4/4  = 96 (8) Fifth position: On [CT1] Small développé side waist high, [CT2] hold, [CT3] three fast ronds de jambe, the third of these ronds de jambe, ending in a very high développé side. On [CT4] lower the leg to tendu and begin to lift again, and do the exercise in reverse, four times in all. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120 (9) Fifth position, right foot front, preparation, dégagé to 45 degrees side: Sixteen simple ronds de jambe en dehors, then do left side, and then do reverse. (Leg held waist high.) TEMPO: 3/4  = 138

Terminology / 53

(10) Fifth position: [ON&] Dégagé the right leg to second. [CT1&2] Three fast ronds de jambe en dehors [CT3&4] and not coming to fifth but a flick to the ankle and a small développé side and do in reverse, four sets in all. (Leg at 45 degrees.) TEMPO: 6/8  = 69 (11) Fifth position: [ON&] Demi-plié and relevé as right leg brushes dégagé to second position. On [CT1,2,3] three fast ronds de jambe en dehors. [CT2,2,3] Lower heel of left foot and bring right foot down to tendu side, relevé on the left foot as right foot closes fifth back, and demi-plié to repeat exercise in reverse, done sixteen times. Musically, the introduction would be [CT1&2&]. Start demi-plié relevé on [CT3&]. TEMPO: 4/4  = 66

Petit Battement As I have mentioned earlier, petit battement must be a wrapped position around the ankle with the heel in front and the toes wrapped to the back. Even though the movement goes back and front, it must be done in a completely turned out position with the foot actually moving slightly out to the side and then into the position. The heel both front and back never moves above the ankle. The arm is usually held low but slightly out over the knee. In petit battement, the movement around the supporting foot is done [ON&] with the position on the count. Exercises (1) Fifth position: [ON&] Bring the right foot up to sur le cou-de-pied front, sixteen petit battements, and then sixteen on half-toe, and thirty-two serré in front with a strong accent front. (For serré, the toes should hit the supporting foot just under the arch slightly in front of the heel.) The right arm comes up for the serré.

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TEMPO: 2/4  = 104 (2) Starting in sur le cou-de-pied: Bring the foot to the back [ON&], and on [CT1] coming front, do eight sets and then sixteen sets double time in eight counts, and eight on half-toe, and eight counts serré front. TEMPO: 2/4  = 100 (3) Starting right foot front sur le cou-de-pied: Thirty-two, accelerating in speed to the impossible. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 An excellent exercise for entrechat six that Balanchine gave after the petits battements: (1) Face the barre with the right foot front and keep the entire right foot flat on the floor: [ON&1&2] Slide it around first position with the heels touching, and close fifth back and then front and back and [CT3&4] tendu side again, closing front. (This exercise is done very quickly with the legs held together as much as possible and perfect fifth position.) Do sixteen times with the right foot starting from the front, and then do the left side. This exercise can also be done as a grand royale, which would be to move the right foot very slightly out and return to the front again in fifth, and then slide it around to the back in fifth and the front in fifth and tendu side, closing front again. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100

Another exercise given at the end of the barre. (2) Face the barre: Starting with the right foot sur le cou-de-pied front, do eight slow relevés without demi-plié and quickly take the foot around the ankle to sur le coude-pied back. Repeat and then do other side. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100

I realize that to someone who has not experienced Balanchine’s classes, Terminology / 55

the steps may seem easy. What made these classes so difficult was what Balanchine wanted done with these steps. As I have said, adding style was taboo in the sense that one did not personally decide how to interpret the music or a position. However, there was a definite style of movement and a variety of possibilities that Balanchine’s ballerinas, each very different from one another, were able to display. The simplest and driest of exercises, when done properly, had “juice.” The steps had to be done with total commitment, honesty, graciousness, and above all a passion for music and movement. Perhaps Balanchine’s Slavic blood did not allow for dullness or dryness. When Balanchine danced the title role in Don Quixote, he gave the audience a glimpse of the deep emotions of love and spirituality that were usually hidden from view. He did offer his dancers insights into his musings with such statements as “I spoke to Tchaikovsky last night and he said that he liked what I was doing with his music.” Dr. Louis Schaw put it very well by saying that Balanchine wanted his dancers to be fundamental, expressive of profound motive, and impersonal with clean, absolutely direct phrasing. What he did not want was elaboration, schmaltz, and shi-shi. He understood that dance is perishable, ephemeral, and of the moment. He said, “When I go, it goes.” And yet choreography and dance have been and continue to be passed down from one generation to another in an oral tradition, and we must trust in this tradition. Readers who did not work with Balanchine should keep reviewing how the basic movements are to be done.

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1.7

How Center Exercises Are Done

Fondue When doing fondue in the center, Balanchine had a very imaginative description of how he wanted the step done. If one is doing fondue to écarté front with the right foot, on the preparation in coupé, the head and body are turned slightly left and the eyes look slightly down. The hands come together toward the left side of the body with the fingers slightly up, and as the fingers drop, as if picking something up, one imagines a magician with a little table on the left side upon which there sits a top hat. One reaches into the hat and, voila, as the fondue unfolds, one pulls a rabbit from the hat and lifts it to show the audience. The leg shoots up into the extended position, and the whole body hits the pose simultaneously as if for a photo. But the leg is never thrown; it is placed in the air as if it were a precious jewel.

Passés When going to passé relevé, the toes brush along the floor as if to cross into a sous-sus, and then the knee lifts, giving a continuously crossed lifting position. The foot does not lift out and up. When returning to fifth, the small toe slides down the front of the leg as if to finish on pointe in fifth position, and at the last moment the toes slide out into demi-plié. Although the step is slow, do not concentrate on the demi-plié. Make the plié faster, giving the step a slow, sustained quality of accent on the relevé. Also, the lifted leg must arrive in passé at the same moment as the supporting foot reaches half-toe. The same crossed foot concept holds true for pirouettes from fifth position. Both heels must touch the floor simultaneously in demi-plié.

Arabesque Balanchine had an exercise for doing arabesque correctly. Begin in fifth position, left foot front: [CT1–4] En face tendu the right foot directly behind 57

you, very turned out but keeping the shoulders square. Bring the left arm down and forward until it is directly in front of your nose, fingers stretched forward. Take the right arm to the side and slightly back as far as possible, keeping the shoulders square. [CT5–8] Lift the leg up behind you so that the leg is totally hidden behind the torso, and extend your left arm forward. (Depending on the dancer, Balanchine would suggest that one was reaching for an ice cream cone or a martini.) The shoulders and ribs remain as square as possible, but the line is extended and creates a long position almost like a bird in flight. [CT2,2,3,4] Take arms out to the sides and remain en face. [CT5,6,7,&8] Penché arabesque and come up. [CT3,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Bend the leg behind you to attitude, making sure that the leg from the hip to the knee remains hidden behind the torso. The foot and knee are parallel to the floor, in a direct straight line (unlike the Russian version, with more extended leg and foot slightly above the knee). Now bring the right arm down and up, keeping the right shoulder forward, chin up, and looking toward the left front corner. [CT4,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Relevé and close fifth back. Arabesque can be done in many ways, depending on where it is used. It can be done with the arm very high and the head looking up to the hand, or with the head looking forward to the audience, etc. The beautiful arabesque in Serenade comes to mind, when the partner hidden under the skirt twists the leg around so that the dancer appears to float like a statue turning on a pedestal.

Piqué Arabesque Piqué arabesque can be thought of as a seesaw, a plank of wood that does not bend in the middle. When stepping out into piqué first arabesque, Balanchine wanted the extended leg not to drop down but to extend out almost like a jump as the dancer pushes off or springs from the supporting leg and steps out as far as possible onto the piqué foot, which must be very turned out and crossed and placed like a tendu leading onto the big toe, raising the back leg simultaneously and quickly. One can imagine an arrow being released from a bow. Danilova always demanded that the arms be perfectly rounded in front of the body on the preparation, and as the legs spring into position, so do the arms. She claimed that this would always place the dancer into a perfect arabesque, and she was right. A variation of the concept of springing out onto an extended leg is one of Balanchine’s versions of piqué turns done across the room, springing onto the toe into a small grand jeté and spotting front.

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Pirouette Unless Balanchine specifically asked for a different position, the passé foot for pirouette was placed at the inside of the knee in the natural hollow at that spot in the leg. Only the little toe of the passé foot touched, without resting or pressing, with the heel well forward against the supporting leg and the arms crossed just at the chest. (Balanchine said that the audience sitting in the orchestra should see your face when you turned.) This position makes perfect sense for the female dancer because it makes pirouettes en dehors much easier to partner. The first arm on the preparation (the front arm) does not open out, because it would be very likely to hit the partner; instead, it comes directly into the chest. The second arm comes slightly around and forward, giving great force. Balanchine favored the back leg straight in fourth position and the front arm straight forward with the fingers slightly lifted as if admiring a ring on the finger. The chin is held high, and there is a definite twist in the upper torso. The front shoulder reaches slightly forward, and the side arm reaches slightly back. The toes of the back foot are all on the floor, not rolled over. The chest must be lifted. Actually Vladimiroff used this position in some of his pirouettes, but Balanchine lengthened the fourth position at the beginning and end of the turn. The preparation became part of the dance, an inherent part of the pirouette rather than a static part of the preparation. The width of fourth position should be to tendu back and drop the heel in that position or possibly at times a little wider.

Glissade Balanchine’s glissade is generally done rather fast to allow a sense of height and repose to the jump that follows. The “gli” is the dégagé out and the tiny hovering above the floor with the legs in second position. The “ssade” consists of both legs coming together almost simultaneously in fifth position or the front foot sliding slightly past fifth almost to fourth. One can almost imagine that in doing glissade to the right side, the right toe is slightly injured and that one doesn’t want to put any weight on it, and so the left foot comes in very quickly to support the weight of the body. This in turn gives the perfect push for the jump. Balanchine demonstrated what he meant by walking diagonally across the room from left to right and dragging his left leg behind him. He would say, “You don’t walk like this, so why do you do glissade like this?”

How Center Exercises Are Done / 59

In trying to teach glissade to children I found that this exercise was very helpful. Face the barre in fifth position with the right foot back. Starting in demi-plié, brush the right foot out in dégagé side, then move toward the extended leg so that you are on half-pointe in second position. Then pull the left leg to the right in fifth position, with both feet simultaneously rolling down through the metatarsal and knees beginning to flex as the heels roll down. The second leg in glissade does not lift or stay out, but the feeling should be as if a large rubber band were holding the ankles together. When the right leg opens, the rubber band is stretched, but it is already pulling the left leg in. Glissade is done facing front, even if the next step is grand jeté to first arabesque. This ensures that the heels are always forward, especially the foot from which the following jump is to come. Here is another way of describing the elements of glissade: Start left foot front, fifth position. Demi-plié dégagé the right foot to the side, jumping. The legs should hover in second position just off the floor, with the feet very pointed and turned out (but with a definite tension between the legs, not a wide second). This is all done [ON&], and you should try to keep the right foot up as the left quickly closes on [CT1] so that both feet touch the floor (through half-toe with the knees releasing as the toes touch the floor) and almost simultaneously ending in demi-plié in fifth.

Jumps There are several opinions as to what Balanchine wanted in his jumps, especially the landings. To begin with, it seems to me that there is a difference between saying, “Keep your heels up” and “Don’t put your heels down.” Keeping your heels up seems to mean never putting them down. Being told to not put your heels down can imply that they may touch the floor when necessary, especially on slow jumps with held deeper plié. The concept implies that the weight should always be kept on the ball of the foot when jumping, especially fast jumps that change direction, and the heels when used are a last-minute extra push. In Bronislava Nijinska’s book about her brother Vaslav, she speaks of the effect of constant flight that Nijinsky developed in Bluebird by barely putting his heels down at all so that he appeared airborne all the time. I imagine that the young Balanchine must have observed this. In this context I think of André Eglevsky. He was a tall, big-boned dancer. Most dancers with his physique would have trouble moving quickly, but he was amazing. He wore his ballet slippers rather tight so that his foot reminded me of a lion’s paw. When he needed a deeper 60 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

preparation, such as for a double tour, at the end of the sous-sus preparation, he would almost imperceptibly take the weight off his front foot and then quickly press it down very firmly for the takeoff for the tour. In ballets such as Scotch Symphony he could do the fastest entrechat quatres, skimming the floor without his heels ever touching at all. It was amazing to see this large man move so quickly and effortlessly. The variations that Balanchine created for him, such as in the Sylvia Pas de Deux, are wonderful examples of the various possibilities of how to use demi-plié. Balanchine’s concept of plié and sauté is very logical and musical. In a preparatory position, a dancer’s body must be lifted and forward like a cat’s, ready to spring. The weight must be on the ball of the foot. The length of any given plié depends on the tempo and the movement. Just as in music, there is fast, slow, pianissimo, forte, silence, and sound, so also there is in dance, which is movement in response to music. I believe that Balanchine taught, “Don’t put your heels down,” knowing perfectly well that in certain movements the heel would naturally touch the floor. However, the effect of landing through the toes and metatarsals undoubtedly gives the movement an airborne quality. It slows the ending down and enhances the takeoff. And when jumping very quickly with changes of direction, the heels will simply not touch the floor.

Breathing in Jumps These breathing exercises can also be found at the end of Class Six. Fifth position, slightly croisé, right foot front: With the arms out to the sides, inhale. [CT&1] Exhale while doing a fairly fast grand plié, going three-quarters of the way down, and from here [CT&2] do a large changement ending on the balls of the feet. Inhale. [CT&3] Exhale, rolling through the foot into a grand plié. [CT&4] Changement from the grand plié. Repeat the exercise eight times. Fifth position, slightly croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié sous-sus, arms moving quickly to slightly above shoulder height and the head held slightly toward the right. Inhale. [CT&2] Demi-plié, arms lowering slightly, wrists down, fingers up a little. Exhale through the mouth so as to be heard. [CT&3] Big changement, arms opening sides like a bird in flight. Rest on [CT4] and straighten the knees. Repeat the exercise eight times. How Center Exercises Are Done / 61

Same step, but done with entrechat six: [ON&] Sous-sus. [CT1] Demi-plié. Feel the air leave the lungs. [ON&] Jumping through the balls of the feet, entrechat six. [CT&2] Land on the balls of the feet, knees out over the toes, and demi-plié. Repeat the combination eight times.

Assemblé Starting in demi-plié in fifth position with left foot front, brush the right foot out in dégagé to the side. On the ascent, move, as quickly as possible, the left foot out to meet the right in a perfect fifth position with the legs out to the right side in the air and both legs returning to the opening spot in fifth position, ending with the right foot front. When done with a glissade preparation, the drop of the left foot at the end of glissade and the dégagé of the right should be done simultaneously. Land through the half-pointe and slowly lower the heels.

Jeté Jeté reminds me of two birds flying in formation, one behind the other. Starting left foot front fifth position, demi-plié and dégagé the right leg out to the side. On the ascent, while jumping, bring the left leg to meet the right out to the right side (as in assemblé) and begin to bend the left knee. Coupé with the left heel at the back of the right leg, ending with the right leg in demi-plié on the same spot from which the jump originated. Leave as little space between the legs as possible.

Grand Royale Balanchine was fond of giving grand royale, and he often gave sous-sus grand royale and sous-sus entrechat six. He also gave many versions of beats. A jump that he favored was sous-sus in fifth position, demi-plié in fifth, spring up into the air with legs opened to medium wide second position a good foot apart, and then beat royale on the way down. The same step is also done with entrechat quatre. This step was given in a series of beats, all done one after the other. The step appears in many of his ballets. We often did split sissonne in place in many positions. Jump and split in the air in third arabesque croisé, in second, and in first arabesque, etc. This step appears in the variation, which is no longer done, in Swan Lake, in the

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female dancer’s variation in Stars and Stripes, and in the throw lift in the third movements of Symphony in C and Western Symphony. I remember the young Allegra Kent springing up in one split after another and looking as if she were on a trampoline.

Pas de Bourrée Balanchine wanted pas de bourrée done with no opening to first position. If doing tombé pas de bourrée, one would step out on the right foot, bringing the left foot to fifth position on toe behind the right, and keeping the heels touching, barely opening the right foot out, and immediately bringing the left foot front in fifth position.

Chaîné Turns This should be done on a diagonal across the room, spotting front, and, like the pas de bourrée, with no space between the legs. On the stepping out, the heels should continue to touch in what may be called a very tight first position, and on the turn, the feet are in fifth position.

Arm Positions in Basic Exercises In the introductory position for all exercises, the arms are held down (bras bas). On the first count of the introduction, they come up to the waist; on the second count, they move to the sides. Balanchine would often say, “Nice arms.” This did not always mean the same thing. Generally, he was referring to dancing without undue tension and with a gracious, expansive use of head and arms. At the end of all steps, as the heels lower, the arms also return “bras bas,” curved low in front of the body.

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1.8

Corrections That Recur

Here are corrections that recur in many of Balanchine’s classes: (1) Don’t look like a dwarf. Pull up, look up and out, and straighten knees completely. (2) Women should always keep their legs together on changement and entrechat quatre. (3) On cabriole fouetté, from effacé front to first arabesque, remember to keep the back up on the landing, and plié softly with the knee over the toes of the supporting leg. (4) On all arabesques, the head must be up. Don’t drop the chin. On such steps as cabriole fouetté or tour jeté, change the head to arabesque position at the top of the jump. (5) On sissonnes, open both legs and hold the top of the jump. Be aware of the arms and head for a pleasing position. (6) Be aware of arms and head on entrechat six. When starting with the right foot front, use the right leg very strongly and pull the body slightly forward. (7) Be aware of holding the underarm area of arms. (8) On assemblé and jeté battu, cross the legs well with no space left between and hold the legs together until the landing. (9) Plié is a preparation or a finish for a given step and not an end in itself. All steps must be done musically, correctly filling the given counts and making the head and arms as pleasing as possible. As an example, tendus are not done for the sake of a classroom exercise. They are a preparation for moving the feet quickly. For instance, opening the foot to effacé front, the body must face the direction of the foot, but the head is left behind, so only the leg opens. Use all your pliés and tendus for fast changes of direction and not for an exercise in themselves.

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(10) On arabesque, the front arm should be a little crossed opposite the center of the face. The back arm should be pulled back, but not so far back that the shoulders twist. The head should be held up. Pull the front arm forward, turn the supporting leg out, and hold the back straight. (11) Don’t make the glissade more important than the jump that follows. Jump straight up and not out, and don’t use too much force on the preparation. (12) On assemblé battu, stay in one place. Do not move from side to side, and after beating, don’t open the legs wide. Keep the legs close and land through the balls of both feet simultaneously. (13) Balanchine stressed that the accent must be on the outstretched leg, which holds its position as the second leg comes to it to do the beats, and they must land together. (14) One of Balanchine’s favorite finale steps was sauté in second arabesque, slide across, and jeté battu. This step should give the effect of hanging in the air in the jeté. I always think of Jacques d’Amboise in this step because he did it so well. The step out in arabesque is a slow, skimming movement, like a sea gull skimming over the ocean. And the jeté battu is a takeoff high into the air, arms stretched out like wings, and the legs well out to the side of the body before swooping down into an invisible landing and out to arabesque to the other side, the head always looking front. Jacques was amazing because he went so low and so high and covered so much space. (15) The same feeling of suspended movement should be used in grand jeté, “rest on the air,” moving toward the front leg and landing through the ball of the foot with the knee over the toes. (16) On changement, use “catlike toes,” and then land softly through the ball of the foot without letting the heels touch the floor.

Corrections That Recur / 65

1.9

Classes from the 1950s

Class One This first class is taken from my earliest notes, dating back to 1949. 1. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [ON&] One grand battement directly front. [CT1] Closing fifth. [ON&] Grand battement to the side. [CT2] Closing fifth. [ON&] Grand battement to the back. On [CT3] end in demi-plié in fifth. [ON&] Outside soutenu. (Really sous-sus, turn right on half-toe.) [CT4] Come down fifth position, right foot front. Repeat this exercise eight times to the right and then to the left. (“And” is a very strong thrust through tendu to a very high battement. “One” is the coming down, very controlled and with no pause in fifth. The arms are kept side, and the legs must be well crossed in soutenu.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 2. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] One grand battement to croisé front with the left arm up. [CT&2] One grand battement to effacé front, and immediately [CT&3] brush through first position into third arabesque croisé demi-plié and close fifth back. [CT&4] Do an outside soutenu as in the exercise above. Do eight times, and then do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 69

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3. Rond de Jambe en l’Air and Fouetté Standing in B+ on the right foot: [CT&1] Piqué under on the left toe, simultaneously opening the right leg to second position and do two fast ronds de jambe en l’air en dehors. [CT&2] Bring the right leg through passé and into a low développé straight front in demi-plié, with the right arm up. [CT&3] Relevé on the left foot as the right leg comes through passé and open side and do two fast ronds de jambe en dedans, and on [CT4] carry the right leg through passé and end in first arabesque in demi-plié. [CT&5] Slide the right leg through first position to croisé front, step down on the right foot in demi-plié, and coupé the left foot under. [CT&6] Demi-plié on the left. [CT&7] Open the right leg front and fouetté to the right, with the right foot behind the knee (double turn). [CT&8] End in demi-plié on the left, ready to begin the step to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 138 4. Rond de Jambe en l’Air This is the same step but a slightly different version. Starting B+ on right: [CT&1] Piqué under on the left toe, right leg opening side. [CT&2] Two ronds de jambe en l’air en dehors. Bring the right foot down through first to croisé front, coupé the left foot under. [CT&3] Fouetté to the right with the right foot behind the knee, two turns. [CT&4] Plié on the left and prepare to do the step left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 138 5. Pirouette Fifth position en face, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié, double pirouette en dehors, remain on half-pointe. [CT&2] Open right leg to a low second position [CT3] and pull into a double pirouette, with the foot behind the knee, and close fifth back on [CT&4]. Straighten the knees and prepare to do the step to the left. Do eight times. (These turns were preparing us for the turns in the last movement of Symphony in C.) TEMPO: 3/4  = 116 Classes from the 1950s / 67

6. Fondue Fifth position croisé, left foot front, waltz: [CT&1,2,3] Step out to the left side on the left foot, bringing the right foot to shin front in demi-plié, and fondue relevé with the right to croisé front, left arm up. [CT2,2,3] Fall forward on the right foot, glissade to the left keeping the right foot front, ending in demi-plié fifth position with the head looking left. [CT3,2,3] Big fondue développé with the left foot relevé to first arabesque. Slide the left leg through first to croisé front. [CT4,2,3] Glissade to the right, keeping the left foot front ending in a slightly crossed position because you will bring the right foot to sur le cou-de-pied front. [CT5,2,3] Fondue relevé to effacé front. Bring right foot down to fifth position. [CT6,2,3] Fondue relevé with left leg to first arabesque and slide the left across to croisé front [CT7,2,3] and coupé right foot back. [CT8,2,3] Pas de chat to the left ending with the right foot front ready to do the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 60 7. Petite Allegro Fifth position en face, left foot front, arms low sides: [CT1–6] Six jetés battues (brush out [ON&] and land on the count), and [CT&7] assemblé back. [CT&8] Entrechat six, and immediately do the step going backwards and then to the other side. TEMPO: 4/4  = 84 8. Petit Allegro, Brisé and Volé Balanchine wanted the beats done on the way up and out to the side of the body (not under you). The landing must be through the ball of the foot, and like Danilova requested, B+ with as little space between the legs as possible. Fifth position, left foot front: [CT1&2] Two brisés front traveled to the right in éffacé position. [CT&3] Brisé volé front. [CT&4] Brisé volé back, [CT5&6] two jetés battues. [CT7] One cabriole straight back fermé ending in fifth. [CT8] Entrechat six, and

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do other side. (Brisé must travel. The first leg is thrust out strongly in dégagé, and the second leg must meet it instantly with the legs beating as far out as possible in what I would call an open effacé, and both legs must land simultaneously. Volé can either be done with the rond de jambe movement or else passing though first position ending in coupé. In this step the arms are kept fairly low in the Bournonville style except for the volé in which the arms are held in a diagonal.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 63 9. Petit Allegro, Cabriole Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Cabriole straight front fermé. [CT&2] Left foot cabriole fermé straight back. [CT&3] Right foot brushes out to the side, ballonné battu ending right foot up sur le cou-de-pied back, and step down on the right foot. [CT&4] Assemblé front with left foot, and do step to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 112 10. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé sauté to second position. [CT&2,3,&4] Three sautés in second position. [CT&5] Jump to fifth position with the right foot front. [CT&6] Soubresaut. [CT7&8] Entrechat six. (This step should be bounced with very little demi-plié, and the arms should have the feeling of opening to the sides like a parachute for the entrechat six.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 138 11. Petit Allegro, Assemblé and Beats Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] Assemblé battu side with the right leg. [CT&2] Entrechat cinq ending with the left foot up coupé in back and do the step to the left, eight times coming forward and eight times going back. TEMPO: 4/4  = 138

Classes from the 1950s / 69

Class Two 1. Plié First position: [CT1–4] Two grands pliés in first position, tendu the right foot to second position. [CT5–8] Two grands pliés in second position, tendu the right foot to fifth position front. [CT9–12] Two grands pliés in fifth position, tendu the left foot side, closing left foot front fifth position. [CT13–16] Two grands pliés. (The plié is done [ON&], and the straightening of the knees and the opening of the arms is done on the count.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé (out [ON&] closing [ON1]). Four front with the right foot, four side, closing front and back, four with the left foot front, and four side with the left foot, ending with the left foot back, then left to the back and side and the right foot to the back and side (quite fast, arms held low side). TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 3. Frappé and Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front, arms low side: [CT&1] Three frappés to écarté front (head looks to right front corner). [CT&2] Fondue to écarté 45 degrees, arms remain low, done four times and then to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72

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4. Frappé and Fondue Same exercise: But the fondue is done very high with the arms going to the écarté position. (On the preparation for fondue, the head tilts slightly down to the left, and the hands meet also slightly down to the left before the explosion of the fondue.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 5. Rond de Jambe en l’Air Fifth position, left foot front: [ON&1] One dégagé right foot side. [CT2&3] Rond de jambe en l’air en dedans. [CT4] Rond de jambe ending in first arabesque facing the left side of the room, but with arms out to the sides, head and eyes looking up to the ceiling. [CT&5&6&7] Two relevés. [CT&8] Slide the right foot across to the left side and do the step to the left. (Balanchine was exploring movements that he later used in the arabesque turns in the Berceuse in Firebird.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 63 6. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: Arms open low side [CT&1] (on exactly the first note) sharp wrapped sur le cou-de-pied with the right foot, arms coming down. [CT2,3&4] Leg comes up through very turned out passé with no pause and continues to développé croisé front, right arm up. [CT5,6,7&8] Grand rond de jambe ending in fourth arabesque left arm front. [CT2,2,3,4] Deep penché and come up. [CT5,6,7,8] Demi-plié and step back, pointing the left foot croisé front, arms open side. [CT3,2,3,4] Lift the left leg and come through a very turned out passé, open to first arabesque, arms coming together and out to the sides. [CT5,6,7&8] Deep penché as arms come together crossed at chest. [CT4,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Come up from the penché, and both arms go forward in third arabesque, and keeping leg very high, bend back and come up and close fifth position. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76

Classes from the 1950s / 71

7. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: [ON&] Demi-plié. [CT1&2] Three small fast changements. [CT3&4] Two slower soubresauts, arms down. Do step four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 8. Grand Allegro Starting on the left side of the room, facing the left front corner, pointing right leg back in tendu effacé position: [CT&1,2] Chassé diagonally back to the right back corner, step on the right foot, battement left leg to right back corner, and sauté cabriole fouetté ending in fourth arabesque and small sauté off the right foot. [CT3&4] Pas couru forward toward left front corner. Grand jeté effacé to first arabesque. [CT&1&2] Three very small jetés. [CT3&4] Relevé left leg up in third arabesque croisé. [CT1&2] Chassé facing the back of the room, toward the right back corner, with the left leg front and sauté fouetté ending in first arabesque and small sauté off the left foot. [CT&3&4] Pas couru forward toward left front corner, and grand jeté croisé with the left arm up. [CT&1&2] Three small jetés. [CT3&4] Relevé in first arabesque, and repeat the step. See a more detailed breakdown of counts for this combination in chapter 1.5. TEMPO: 3/4  = 132 9. Grand Allegro Start pointing right foot front croisé and moving toward left front corner: [ON&] Two large steps right foot, left foot. [CT1–3] Cabriole right foot front croisé, right arm up, looking out from under arm. [CT4–6] Put right foot down, arms opening side, palms up, head right. Turning to the left shoulder, chassé facing back of room, diagonally to right back corner. [CT2,2,3,4,5,6] Step out on left foot to right back corner pas de chat with développé. (Sauté battement right leg to right back corner, and bring it through passé facing front and bring left leg through passé ending in développé effacé front in demiplié with right arm up.) [ON&] Moving toward left front corner, step on left

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foot and then on right. [CT3,2,3] Cabriole écarté with left leg and left arm up. [CT4–6] Come down on left foot, bringing right foot to coupé back, opening arms, palm up, head left. (Balanchine said, it is “like saying hello with a slight incline of the head.”) Chassé diagonally back, turning front, toward right shoulder to the right front corner with the right foot front. [CT4,2,3,4,5,6] Step to right back corner with right foot, pas de chat with développé. (Sauté battement left leg to right front corner, remaining in the air, and come through passé as you face the back of the room. Bring the right leg through passé and développé into croisé front, facing front, left arm up on landing.) Repeat the step.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 54 10. Small Variation Done on pointe, left foot front fifth position: [ON&1] Step forward on left foot and cabriole with right to écarté, legs very high with the left arm up and the right arm front. [CT&2] Slide the right foot across and cabriole écarté with the left, changing arms. [CT&3] Do to the right again. [CT&4] End in fifth position, right foot front in demi-plié, and sous-sus arms coming down and up sharply. [CT&5,6,7&8] Repeat the step to the left. [CT1&2] Step out on the right foot, and do two sauts de basque to the right. [CT3&4] Step out on the right foot, and cabriole with the left foot to croisé front with the left arm up, demi-plié fifth position and sous-sus left foot front, right arm up, left arm front. [CT5–8] Repeat the step to the left. [CT&1] Step out to the right side with the right foot, and relevé to first arabesque. [CT&2] Slide the left foot across, and as you relevé, brush right foot through first to effacé front and fouetté, ending in first arabesque facing left side. [CT3&4] Bring right foot down and across, and step out on left and do relevé arabesque and fouetté on left side [CTS5– 8]. Repeat right and left again, ending in fifth position right foot front on pointe [CTS1–12] and small jumps on toe, alternately raising the right foot front and the left foot back in passé, like emboîté traveling to the right, very sharp, twelve in all. [CT13,14,15&16] Come down on left foot back, and pas de chat to the right, right foot coming up first and then the left, ending with the left foot front. Slide front on the left foot to fourth position, and relevé in attitude on the left foot, left arm up and right front. (Versions of these steps can be seen in the Scotch Symphony, Divertimento #15, and Bourrée Fantasque.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 168 Classes from the 1950s / 73

11. Échappé If there is an introduction of four counts, the demi-plié before the échappé is on [CT4] and the [&] is second position on toe. [CT1] is the demi-plié in fifth. Fifth position, right foot front: On [CT4] of the introduction, demi-plié in fifth. [ON&] Échappé out to second on toe. [CT1] Return to fifth left foot front, and repeat three more times. [CT&1] Sous-sus and demi-plié. [ON&] Échappé out to second on pointe. [CT2] Demi-plié in second. [ON&] Relevé in second. [CT3] Demiplié again. [CT&4] With a small spring, jump to toe, fifth position left foot front, and do step to the left. (Aspects of this step can be seen in first movement of Symphony in C.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 12. Petit Allegro on Toe Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Dégagé right leg out to the side in demi-plié, lower the right leg in second, demi-plié relevé on the right as left foot comes up sur le cou-depied back. [CT&2] Demi-plié relevé on the right again. [CT1&2] Slide out with the left and repeat the step to the left, ending in fifth position, right foot back. [CT&1&2] Passé relevé with right foot up closing fifth front, and second passé relevé closing with the right foot back. [CT1&2] The left leg does passé closing back and passé closing front. [CT1–4] Repeat the first part of the step, starting left and then right. [CT5–8] Eight passés relevés right and left, coming forward, double time. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100

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13. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Entrechat quatre. [CT&2] Passé relevé with the right foot, closing back. [CT3&4] Repeat the step with the left. [CT5–8] Four échappés on toe to second. [CT1–8] Repeat the step again. Now repeat the entire step, but let the passés come from the back to the front. TEMPO: 4/4  = 96 14. Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front: [ON&] Demi-plié. [CT1] Sous-sus fifth position right foot front. [ON&] Demi-plié. [CT2] Entrechat six done slowly, repeat eight times. On the sous-sus, the arms rise slightly above the waist and out to the sides. On the demi-plié, the wrists drop and the arms lower. And on the entrechat six, the arms rise up and out to the sides. (It reminds me of sails on a sailboat.) TEMPO: 4/4  = 120

When there are no specific arm movements given, the arms are probably held out to the sides or used as is generic to the movement.

Classes from the 1950s / 75

Class Three 1. Plié First position, en face: [CT1–4] Two grands pliés in first position, two slow counts per plié. [CT5– 8] Relevé and hold, arms coming down and up, and come down demi-plié, arms coming out and down, and point right foot to second position. Same exercise done in second position and fifth position, right foot front, and fifth position, left foot front. TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front en face, arms side slightly below the shoulders: (The accent is into fifth position.) [CT&1&2] Two tendus front, out [ON&] to

fifth on [CT1]. [CT3&4] Two tendus side, closing right foot front and then back. [CT5–8] Repeat the step with the left foot. [CT2,2,3,4,5,6,7&8] Starting to the back with the left foot, do the exercise in reverse and repeat. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80 3. Tendu Fifth position en face, right foot front, arms side slightly below the shoulders: Eight tendus dégagés side with the right foot, closing front and back, and eight with the left foot. Repeat four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104

4. Frappé Fifth position en face, right foot front:

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Without any preparation immediately from fifth, four frappés side with the right foot. And very quickly [ON&] close fifth back and immediately do four frappés side with the left foot. Do four sets moving back and four sets moving front. (Meaning that the foot closes fifth front before the next set of frappés. This step is a good example of shortening the end of one movement so as to be able to fit in the beginning of the next movement.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 5. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Right foot lifts through sur le cou-de-pied, the knee lifts, and foot extends to tendu croisé front on the floor (Balanchine’s famous “present and show” the foot). Right arm is up, looking out from under arm. [CT&2] Bring the foot through fifth, and repeat the exercise to effacé front with the left arm up (making sure that the foot is well crossed in front). [CT&3] Close fifth, and left foot does same exercise to tendu effacé back. [CT&4] Close fifth, and right foot does the same movement directly front, arms out to the sides. [CT&5] Brush through first position to fourth arabesque tendu back croisé, head tilted well out to the left side. [CT&6] Close fifth back, and right foot does same exercise to effacé back in second arabesque tendu. [CT&7] Close through fifth, and same movement directly back with the right foot, with the arms up. Close fifth. [CT&8] Demi-plié right foot tendu side, soutenu left, arms down, ending fifth position left foot front. Do the exercise to the left. (This must be a very smooth movement. Fifth is to be passed through, not held, and the accent is on the tendu and showing of the foot. Balanchine would chant, “Aaaand SHOW!”)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 63 6. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The same exercise still done with no demi-plié. Relevé as the foot comes through sur le cou-de-pied, and drop the supporting heel as the working foot comes down in tendu on the floor. TEMPO: 2/4  = 63 Classes from the 1950s / 77

7. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Same exercise, but done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80

In all of these exercises, it is very important to remember that after tendu front, the little toe must lead coming into a perfect fifth position, which is really a passing through so that almost no weight is placed on the working leg. 8. Tendu Fifth position en face, right foot front: [CT&1] With straight knees, relevé as right foot comes through sur le coude-pied and knee lifts, and as the working leg comes down in tendu straight front, the supporting leg does demi-plié. Arms come together and present opening sides low. [CT&2] Right foot comes to fifth position on half-toe, pas de bourrée moving slightly left and back (feet constantly touching each other with no space between, ending left foot front). [CT1&2] Do the exercise with the left foot. [CT2,2,3,4] Reverse the exercise to tendu back croisé, and pas de bourrée coming forward done left and right. [CT&1&2] The same exercise done to effacé front, present arms through front and open side, and pas de bourrée over. [CT&3&4] Same step with other leg. [CT&1&2&3&4] Same exercise done effacé back. (Correction given for this exercise was cross legs effacé, present foot, and tiny quick legs together for pas de bourrée.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 56 9. Fondue Fifth position en face, right foot front: Done slowly. [CT&1] Fondue relevé, right leg à la seconde, very high. [CT2] Hold. (The leg must arrive in second exactly on [CT1].) [CT&3&4] Demi-plié on the left foot and relevé, turning to first arabesque. (The leg remains totally turned out and gently swivels. It does not jerk to arabesque.) [CT&5&6] Demi-plié in arabesque, extending the line, and raising the leg. [CT7&8] Small pas de bourrée over the right leg front and back (crossing forward with the right heel very turned out, and the heels never separating in the pas de bourrée).

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[CT5–8] Do the step to the left. (Preparation in demi-plié for fondue, the head and hands are a little left, and looking down on the fondue the arms are side, with head held high. The fondue should explode. It reveals itself, but the foot must be placed in the air. The toes must arrive at the position, not be thrown.)

Second part of step: [CT&1&2] Développé right leg to arabesque croisé back in demi-plié, left arm rounded in front. [CT3&4] Grand rond de jambe through second, straightening supporting knee and ending in croisé front, right arm coming out and up. [CT5&6] Passé to first arabesque demi-plié and [CT7,8] pas de bourrée. Do the step to the other side. Repeat entire step four times. (The correction given was on fondue to second, feel suspended from the arms. When going from croisé front passé to first arabesque, round the arms on passé, before opening them to the arabesque position. In pas de bourrée, the feet remain in a very crossed fifth position, with the weight shifting to the foot that opens, but with heels remaining together, closing the second foot quickly to fifth front. The entire step is sharp and quick.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 58 10. Attitude Fifth position croisé, right foot front, attitude done very slowly: [CT&1] Sous-sus slowly. [CT2–4] Passé the right leg and take to attitude back croisé, remaining on half-toe, close fifth back, and demi-plié. Repeat step with the left leg. Repeat four times. (Do not stop the movement in passé, but pass through the position.)

TEMPO: 4/4  q= 60 11. Petit Allegro Fifth position en face, left foot front: [CT1&2] One soubresaut and one changement. [CT3&4] Repeat left foot. [CT5–8] Three soubresauts moving forward croisé, arms forward, and one royale. Repeat step four times, then repeat with entrechat six instead of royale. (Do not move the front foot before starting, heels forward.) TEMPO: 4/4  = 66

Classes from the 1950s / 79

12. Échappé The following steps are done on toe in six counts. Fifth position, right foot front en face: [CT1] Demi-plié in fifth. [CT2] Échappé to second on toe. [CT3] Return to fifth. [CT4] Échappé out to second on toe. [CT5] Demi-plié in second. [CT6] Spring up ending on toe to fifth position with the left foot front. Repeat the step. TEMPO: 3/4  = 84 13. Pirouette Fifth position en face, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié fifth position and sous-sus turn to the right (meaning hold the fifth position on toe, and leave the right toe slightly off the floor while turning), end

in fifth en face. [CT&2] Demi-plié and pirouette en dehors with the right foot in sur le cou-de-pied front, and end in fifth position with the right foot front. Repeat the step sixteen times, and then do left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 14. Échappé to Toe Fifth position, right foot front en face: [CT&1&2] Two échappés side to toe. [CT&3] Sous-sus. [CT&4] Entrechat six. TEMPO: 4/4  = 116

I believe that it was in 1950 that Mary Ellen Moylan left to join Ballet Theatre. Apparently, she left with Balanchine’s blessing, because she came to him to coach her in the role of the Queen of the Willis in Giselle. I remember watching a rehearsal and realizing that some of our classes were sprinkled with versions of some of the steps from Giselle.

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1. Grand Allegro Starting from the right side of the room, B+ on the right foot: [CT1–4] Step out on left foot moving diagonally toward left front corner. Do four temps levés in first arabesque. [ON&] A very fast pas de bourrée, legs kicking a little bit forward, [CT1–4] and continue four temps levés on the right foot in fourth arabesque. [ON&] Pas de bourrée. [CT1–4] Repeat with left leg again. [ON&] Pas de bourrée ending in fifth right foot front. [CT1–4] An outside soutenu to the left, arms coming up. (Simply rise to toe in fifth and turn left ending left foot front croisé.) Repeat the step traveling right. (Balanchine liked the arms in arabesque relevé or sauté not to be static but to breathe with the step. On the plié, the wrist drops slightly, and on the sauté or relevé, the wrist lifts. It’s a subtle movement that brings the whole upper body into play.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 58 2. Grand Allegro Starting from the back of the room, left foot pointed in croisé tendu front: [ON&] Drop the left heel, glissade. [ON1] Step out on the right foot en face. [ON&2] Grand jeté to attitude croisé. [ON&3] Assemblé back. [ON&4] Entrechat six with the arms up. Repeat with glissade diagonally forward to the left. (Glissade is done almost as a small hitch-kick forward, with the arms out to the side, and then a quick deeper demi-plié on the reparation before the battement for grand jeté. The head and body must be well over the takeoff leg, the arms coming together. The upper body is over the supporting takeoff leg, and it unfolds to the croisé position for the grand jeté.) For glissade, refer to chapter 1.7.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 3. Grand Allegro Fifth position en face, left foot front: [CT1&2] Glissade entrechat cinq (assemblé with beats, beating the right foot front back front; the French definition is entrechat six de volé). Done in effacé front position, arms to the sides slightly above the shoulders, looking up to the right front corner. [CT3&4] Two passé fermé with relevé and plié with right foot closing back and front, and then two with the left closing front and back. Do step to the left, repeating eight times in all. (The arms in glissade do the same Classes from the 1950s / 81

movement as the legs. They open slightly out to the sides and come together as if scooping up on the preparation before the jump. The entrechat cinq must be done like the simple assemblé with a very strong dégagé and the legs meeting in the air immediately. The feeling is that the beats are done on the way up as you hover in the air, and the landing must be through the toes and half-toe.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 The next series of jumping steps were sketches of steps Balanchine tried in class, and there are variations of these steps in the Glinka Pas de Trois and Divertimento #15. These steps are the most choreographic and complicated of all the classes I have recorded. 1. Petit Allegro, Jeté Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Two brisés to the right. [CT3&4] Brisé volé front and back (done brushing through first in coupé). [CT&5&6] Two jetés battu right and left, moving slightly forward. [CT&7] One cabriole fermé directly back, arms side. [CT&8] Entrechat six, arms up. Do step to other side. (Arms right front, left side for brisé. Right low, left high, for brisé volé front, and reverse for brisé volé back. Low sides for jeté and cabriole fermé.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 2. Petit Allegro, Cabriole Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Cabriole fermé straight front with right foot. [CT&2] Cabriole straight back with left foot, ending in coupé back. [CT&3] Ballonné battu with right leg, ending right foot up in back. Drop right heel. [CT&4] Brisé fermé back to the left side with left leg ending left foot front. Do step left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 3. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé sauté to second. [CT&2&3] Two sautés in second. [CT&4]

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Sauté closing right foot front fifth position. [CT&1,2,3] Three soubresauts in fifth. [CT&4] One entrechat six with arms side. Repeat left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 69 4. Petit Allegro, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] Right foot assemblé battu side, ending right foot front. [CT2] Entrechat cinq. (Beat right foot back and front, and land on the right foot with the left foot up in back in coupé.) Repeat left, and continue eight times. Arms remain low to the sides. TEMPO: 2/4  = 66 5. Variation First part: Start B+ on right foot. This entire step is done in 4/4 tempo: [CT&1] Step under yourself onto left toe and développé right leg to effacé front, remaining on toe, close right foot fifth position front. [CT&2] Développé left leg to first arabesque and demi-plié on right, bringing left foot to coupé back. [CT&3] Come through fifth position left foot back. [CT&4] Pas de chat to the right, right arm up, left arm front, ending with the left foot front in fifth position and coupé right back. Do the step to the left, and repeat right and left again. Second part: [CT&1&2] Piqué out to right toe effacé front and fouetté to first arabesque. (Battement left leg low croisé front, and turn to first arabesque facing left back corner.)

[CT3&4] Come down on left foot, facing front, with the right foot in coupé front. Repeat the piqué out to effacé to the right side and fouetté. [CT5&6] Moving toward left front corner, four emboîtés in attitude front, left foot up, then right. (Left arm up right side.) [CT&7] Fall across to croisé on the right foot, coupé left back. [CT8] Grand jeté to the right side ending in first arabesque. Repeat the entire step to the left side, ending right foot front fifth position.

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Third part: [CT&1&2&3&4] Two échappés sauté. [CT&1&2] Slide left foot out to the side in demi-plié, and relevé as right foot comes to coupé back. Arm low front. [CT&3&4] Dégagé right leg out to the side, and demi-plié relevé as left leg comes into coupé front and demi-plié on the right foot, and from this position start the échappés step to the left. Repeat this section four times, ending with left foot up in coupé front. [ON&] Very quickly close fifth position. Fourth part: [CT1&2] Sous-sus and demi-plié in fifth position. [CT3&4] Entrechat six. [CT5–6] Step out on right foot effacé front and fondue relevé croisé front, with left leg and right arm front. [CT7–8] Come down on left foot bringing right foot to coupé front, and fondue relevé with right leg to effacé front. [CT1–4] Repeat fondue with left leg and right, ending with right foot front in fifth position. [CT5–7] Two passés relevés, right leg and left leg closing in fifth back, moving back. [CT8] Second passé ends in fifth on pointe. Repeat the entire fourth section to the left. Fifth part: [CT1&2] Fondue relevé croisé front with right leg, right arm up. Come down in fifth position. [CT3&4] Fondue relevé to écarté front with right leg up. [CT5–8] Bring right leg down through first position, stepping back through fourth position, and relevé on right with left foot brushing up to attitude back effacé. Bring left leg down to demi-plié brushing through first, and relevé with the left leg up in attitude front, right arm up. [CT1–4] Quickly bring left foot down and right foot up in coupé front. Fondue relevé on the left as the right leg opens to arabesque effacé back with the left arm up overhead. Coupé with the left foot up in front. Fondue relevé on the right foot, the left leg going to arabesque croisé back. Right arm remains up as you look out from under the arm. [CT5–8] Repeat the arabesque and starting from fondue relevé croisé front, and fondue écarté, etc. Repeat step to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 66 6. Variation First part: Fifth position croisé, right foot front:

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Small emboîté in place in coupé (no turn). [CT&1] Left foot up in back. [CT&2] Right up in front. [CT&3&4] Repeat left and right. [CT5&6] Spring up, shooting right leg out to second in a small split jump in second, ending left foot coupé in back. [CT&7&8] Drop left heel and assemblé to the right side with bent knees ending right foot back. [CT1–8] Repeat the step to the left, and then again to the right and left. Second part: Moving diagonally to the left front corner, [CT&1&2&3&4] emboîté in attitude front, left leg up then right. [CT1] Arms across the chest, [CT2] over the head, [CT3] out to the sides, [CT4] and to the waist. Continue the step to the right ending with the right foot up. [ON1] Plié in fifth position. [CT2] Échappé to second position on pointe, arms crossed at the wrists, low in front of the body. [CT&3] Demi-plié in second position, opening arms. [CT&4] Pull feet together, ending in fifth position on toe, with the right foot front. [CT5] Demi-plié in fifth. [CT&6] Changement to toe, ending with left foot front on toe in demi-plié. [CT7] Straighten knees in fifth. [CT8] Demi-plié, and repeat the step to the left. (The emboîté in attitude front appear in a slightly different rhythm in the Minkus Pas de Trois. Variations on the échappé step appear in several ballets, including the first movement of Symphony in C.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 72 7. Grand Allegro Starting from left front corner, pointing the right foot back in effacé, and moving diagonally toward the right back corner: [ON&] Chassé. [CT1,2] Tour jeté ending in fourth position effacé, arms remaining up. [CT3,4] Relevé in fourth position, arms opening to the sides and demi-plié preparation. [CT5,6] Triple pirouette en dehors with the arms up, [CT7] ending in a deep penché second arabesque demi-plié. [CT8] Hold this position. [CT&1,2] Chassé to the right side, and relevé first arabesque on the right foot with the left arm up looking forward. [CT3,4] Repeat chassé relevé arabesque to the left, roll off pointe as right foot passes around ankle, step out to right side on right, [CT5–7] and point the left foot in effacé back in preparation [CT8]. Start the chassé to the other side. Repeat the entire step four times, and then do to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 126 Classes from the 1950s / 85

Class Four 1. Plié First position: [CT1–4] Grand plié. [CT5–8] Relevé. On relevé, arms come down and up. Tendu the right foot to second. Repeat the exercise in second position, fourth position, and fifth position. Repeat the entire exercise with the left foot in front. (The correction given was to keep the elbows up, no pointed elbows, and chin slightly up on relevé.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Tendu dégagé, only side, fast with right foot closing back and front eight times. [CT&1&] Continue the dégagé with the right foot side, but after the third dégagé [CT2] hold in fifth position. [CT&3&4] Repeat. [CT1–4] Tendu right foot side, take the leg back to fourth position, preparation for pirouette and triple pirouette en dehors, ending by closing the right foot fifth front. [CT1–4] Repeat tendu side and fourth and triple pirouette ending with the right foot closing fifth position back. Do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 60 3. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front, done very slowly: [CT&1] Fondue relevé side with the right foot, arms down forward and out to the sides. [CT&2,3,4] Continue three more fondues relevés to the side. [CT&1] Fondue relevé side again. [CT&2] Quick rond de jambe en l’air, finish on [CT2] coupé in back, in demi-plié. [CT&3&4] Repeat fondue and rond de jambe en dedans, ending in coupé front, and repeat two more times, then do the step to the left side. (Balanchine would intone, “Aaaaaand HOLD! Aaaaand HOLD!” He would remind us to straighten the supporting knee and

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hold the arms to the sides slightly in front of the lifted leg.) This combination is done

very slowly.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 4. Fondue Same combination, done quickly. TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 5. Fondue Fifth position right foot front, slow fondue to demi-toe: [CT1–16] Fondue one to croisé front with the right leg, and one to effacé front with the right leg, done eight times in all. (Correction: Head should go slightly left on demi-plié when the right foot is in coupé front, and then move to the position of the fondue. Be sure that the supporting knee is well turned out, as the working leg comes down to coupé. The legs must be crossed on effacé front. Hold the chin up on the effacé fondue, and in this particular step do not hop up to half-toe but roll very slowly.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 6. Fondue Same combination, done a little faster, with the arms remaining low and out to the sides. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 7. Fondue Starting right foot front, croisé: [CT&1] Medium slow fondue relevé croisé front with the right leg and right arm up, looking out from behind the arm. Coming down to coupé, the right arm opens side, and arms and head go left. (Pull a rabbit from a hat and surprise the audience on the next position.) [CT&2] Fondue relevé to écarté (head looking out from behind the elbow to the right front corner). Repeat the step eight times. (Correction: Don’t try to hold the position, but hit it definitely and go on.) Repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63

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8. Fondue Fifth position croisé right foot front: Repeat the combination very fast, leaving the right arm up in position for the entire step and only changing the head position (like a can-can). TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 9. Fondue Same exercise but in between each fondue come down to fifth position (not coupé), done very fast. TEMPO: 4/4  = 96 10. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Slow développé side with right leg. (Knee does not stop in passé, but continues up as high as possible and then unfolds.) [CT5–8] Keeping leg up, turn to first arabesque. [CT9–12] Turn back to second. [CT13–16] Keeping the leg up, relevé and hold. Close fifth position back, and repeat the step to the left, four times in all. (When moving from second position to arabesque, the leg should feel as if pulled out farther, creating a totally smooth movement. The hip remaining slightly open in arabesque, but the body, especially the rib cage, remains square. There should be no jerking or dropping of the hip during the transition. The ball of the supporting foot never moves; only the heel pivots forward.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 11. Petit Allegro, Glissade Assemblé Fifth position, right foot back: In [3CTS] glissade assemblé side to the right, soubresaut. (Correction: Don’t leave the second leg behind in glissade. Don’t put heels down. Both legs must be straight in the air for a second in glissade, and the legs must meet immediately in assemblé. The arms are held low in the soubresaut, with a slight épaulement right shoulder front and head toward right shoulder.) The step is done four times moving forward and four

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times moving back, alternating right and left. (When going back doing glissade assemblé to the right, ending with the left foot front, the head is to the left shoulder, etc.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 72 12. Petit Allegro, Brisé Fifth position, left foot front: In [CTSOF3] two brisés to the right and one royale. Repeat left. Do the step eight times. (Correction: Travel forward, relax the arms, and leave no space between the legs in brisé and land with both feet simultaneously.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 80 13. Petit Allegro, Glissade Entrechat Cinq Fifth position, left foot front, at the back of the room slowly moving forward: [CT&1] Glissade. [CT2] Entrechat cinq (cinq de volé) right. [CT3&4] Repeat to the left, arms out on the entrechat cinq, leading arm higher and head up to the corner. (Correction: Bring second leg up immediately in for the beats, and roll through the ball of the foot.) Do step eight times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 126 14. Petit Allegro, Jeté Fifth position, left foot front, done very slowly: [CT1&2] Jeté temps levé with the right foot [CT3&4] with the left foot, eight times, arms held low to the sides. (Correction: There must be no space between the legs on jeté. The second leg must cross immediately before landing, and don’t put heels down. Make no noise.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 126

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15. Grand Allegro Starting in the left back corner of the room, fifth position croisé, right foot front: [ON&] Failli (but almost like pas de poisson, the legs held together as long as possible with the head held up to the left corner with the left arm up). [CT1] Entrechat cinq (cinq de volé) with the right arm out high, done across the floor, and then do the step to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 168 16. Grand Allegro Pointing the left foot front croisé, from the left back corner of the room: [CT&1] Glissade done almost like a hitch-kick and step out on the right foot. [CT2] Grand jeté to attitude croisé with the right arm up, done across the floor. (Correction: The battement leg must be very high and turned out, and the jump must be as high as possible, actually as high as the leg that just kicked up, landing with the heel forward, softly with the knee over the toes.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 63 17. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé jumped to second, the body remains facing right front corner écarté position, head to the right front corner, arms low to the sides. [CT2] Sauté back to fifth position, ending left foot front with the body in croisé left position. [CT3&4] Repeat échappé to the left. [CT5&6] Two slow changements. [CT7] One entrechat six done slowly, landing on [CT8], and straighten the knee. TEMPO: 6/8  = 112

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18. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Same step, faster. TEMPO: 2/4  = 116 19. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Seven entrechat quatres and one entrechat six, arms held low. (Make sure to beat both legs, done very quickly so there is almost no time for plié.) Four sets. TEMPO: 4/4  q= 92 20. Petit Allegro, Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Very fast changement (almost not leaving the floor. Just point the toes and hardly bend the knees on demi-plié; the heels do not touch the floor. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 152

The above class was given on April 27, 1952, in Barcelona on a very raked stage, and it was followed by a whole day of rehearsals.

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Class Five 1. Développé This step is done waist high and very turned out. Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Développé front and hold. [CT&2] Carry the leg to the side and hold. [CT&3] Continue to the back and hold. [CT&4] Carry the leg back to second position. [CT&5&6] Lower the leg through first position to fourth position back croisé. [CT7&8] Double pirouette en dehors ending in fifth position, right foot back. Do the step to the left, and repeat right and left. The arms are held out to the sides. TEMPO: 4/4  = 60 2. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1,2] Développé waist high to croisé front and lower leg, brushing through fifth position, head and arms coming down. [CT&3,4] Développé croisé again with the leg higher. [CT&5,6] Repeat with the développé even higher. [CT&7&8] Hold the position and relevé and come down to fifth. (Correction: Do a very high passé, but do not pause. The legs must be well crossed when the leg is up. Head and chin up, and arms held beautifully.) Repeat the step to the left,

and repeat the entire combination to croisé back. When the right leg is up in back, the right arm will be up overhead. TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 3. Frappé Right foot pointing side in tendu position:

[CT1–4] Four frappés side. [CT5–8] Slide the right foot through first position to fourth position back. Double pirouette en dehors, ending in a tendu position side with the right foot. Do eight times, and then do the step to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 92 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

4. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1,2] Slow grand plié. [CT&3&4] From the bottom of the plié, one single slow pirouette en dehors, ending with the right foot up in passé front in demi-plié. [CT&5,6] Lifting the leg to attitude back, do an attitude turn to the right. (Snap the head so that you really spot.) [CT7&8] Try to stop on halfpointe in attitude and close the right foot back in fifth position. Repeat the step four times. (Correction: There must be no stop at the bottom of grand plié, but a smooth transition into the pirouette.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 58 5. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Very slow pirouette en dehors in a high passé, arms coming down and up crossed to the elbows and opening and [CT2] demi-plié in fifth with the right foot front. (Be sure it is a fifth position and not a third position and very turned out, and the ball of the supporting foot should relevé up and come down to demiplié in the same spot.) Do the step eight times, and then to the left.

TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 6. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1,2] Slow pirouette en dehors with right foot up, ending right foot front demi-plié fifth position. [CT&3&4] Double pirouette en dehors opening to croisé front at 45 degrees, demi-plié. [CT&5&6] Single fouetté en tournant. [CT&7,8] Double fouetté en tournant ending with the right foot front in fifth position. Repeat eight times. Do the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 69

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7. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: The same step done faster. TEMPO: 6/8  = 126 8. Développé, like a slow renversé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Low développé to croisé front in demi-plié, arms together in front. [CT&2] Relevé as leg goes through second position to attitude back. (Right arm out and up). [CT&3] Demi-plié in attitude. [CT&4] Pas de bourrée, turn right under yourself with very high passés. Repeat four times. Do fairly slowly and then do the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 56 9. Piqué Arabesque Left foot B+ with the right in back: [CT&1] Piqué out in effacé to first arabesque on right foot. [CT&2] Softly demi-plié in arabesque. (Remember that the knee must release over the ball of the foot and the supporting heel must rotate forward.) [CT&3] Relevé with a soft movement of the wrists. [CT&4] Demi-plié, bringing left leg through passé, pivoting through to face to the left, arms going out and up, and bringing the arms forward. Repeat the step to the left. (My notes say very slow and hard. For instructions on how to do piqué arabesque, see chapter 1.7.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 88 10. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Fondue relevé with right leg to second position, with the leg as high as possible. [CT&2] Leaving the leg up, demi-plié on the left leg and relevé arms coming down and up. [CT&3] Demi-plié relevé again, arms

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opening side. [CT&4] Demi-plié relevé as the right leg comes into passé, arms coming down and up. And close right foot fifth back, arms opening. Do step left. Repeat four times in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 116 11. Petit Allegro, Soubresaut Fifth position, right foot front (done slowly): [CT&] Demi-plié sous-sus. [CT1] Demi-plié. [CT&2] Soubresaut. (All demipliés done using the ball of the foot and making absolutely no sound on landing.) Done eight times, and then to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 152 12. Petit Allegro, Soubresaut Done a little faster, seven soubresauts, one royale. TEMPO: 6/8  = 168 13. Grand Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tombé out onto the right foot, coupé the left under. [CT&2] Sauté fouetté with the right leg, right arm out and up, ending in second arabesque. [CT&3] Chassé to the right with the right foot front, step out with the right foot. [CT&4] Large assemblé front with the left leg, arms up, ending fifth position left front. Repeat the step to the left. Do four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 14. Petit Allegro, Jeté Battu Fifth position, left foot front: [CT1–4] Glissade jeté battu right and left, [CT5–8] and four jetés battu in place. (The glissade should be small and light, the legs crossed on the beats.) TEMPO: 4/4  = 58

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15. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1,2] Entrechat quatre royale. [CT&3] Entrechat six. [CT4] Demi-plié and straight knee. Do eight times, then do the step to the left, arms held low except for the entrechat six. TEMPO: 2/4  = 126

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Class Six 1. Plié First position: [CT1–4] Two grands pliés, tendu to second. [CT5–8] Two grands pliés in second. Tendu to fifth, right foot front. [CT9–12] Two grands pliés in fifth position. Tendu with the left foot closing front, and [CT13–16] two grands pliés. TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu battement. [CT&1&2] Two tendus directly front. [CT&3&4] Two tendus to the side with the right foot closing back and front. [CT&1&2] Three tendus dégagés front. [CT3&4] Three tendus dégagés side with the right foot closing front, back, front. Repeat the entire exercise to the right, then to the left, then to the back with the right foot, and then to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80 3. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu the right foot to the side and close front. [CT&2] Tendu the right foot to the side and close back. [CT&3] Glissade to the right side, changing feet, ending left foot back. [CT&4] Tendu right side, closing back. Repeat the step to the left. Do exercise eight times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 4. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu right to the side closing back. [CT&2] Tendu right foot side, closing front. [CT&3] Glissade to the right, not changing feet, ending right

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foot front. [CT&4] Tendu the right foot to the side closing back. Repeat to the left, and repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 5. Petit Allegro Glissade Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Glissade straight front. [CT&2] Glissade straight back. [CT&3] Changement. [CT4] Hold. Do left. Repeat exercise eight times. In this step the glissades are small.

TEMPO: 4/4  = 132 6. Petit Allegro Glissade Fifth position, right foot front: Done in three counts. [CT&1] Glissade straight front. [CT&2] Glissade straight back. [CT&3] Glissade to the right side, changing feet, ending left foot front. Repeat to the left. Repeat exercise eight times. (Pianist plays in 4/4, dancers move in 3/4.) On the fourth set, hold the last note in fifth position. TEMPO: 4/4  = 132 7. Piqué Arabesque Fifth position, right foot front, croisé: [CT&1&2] Développé to effacé front (legs well crossed), left arm up. [CT&3] Demi-plié. [CT&4] Piqué out to arabesque, arms opening and coming together up overhead, head looking left. [CT&5] Roll down into demi-plié, arms opening sides, ending palms up. [CT&6] Coupé left foot under. [CT&7] Step on left foot demi-toe and ballonné right foot to the side. [CT&8] Demi-plié on left foot, right foot comes into coupé back, and pass through fifth position as you begin the step to the left (done very slowly). TEMPO: 3/4  = 108

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8. Piqué Arabesque Same step done a little faster, in six counts. Two counts for développé, two counts for piqué arabesque, and two counts for ballonné. TEMPO: 3/4  = 138 9. Piqué Arabesque Same step in six counts, done a little faster with ballonné sauté. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 10. Petit Allegro, Cabriole Fifth position, right foot front (done very slowly in counts of three): [CT&1] Cabriole fermé with right straight front, arms low to the sides. [CT&2] Cabriole fermé back with the left foot. [CT&3] Cabriole with right foot to the side fermé, ending right foot back, fifth position. (The last cabriole could also be called assemblé battu.) Repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 3/4  = 76 11. Grand Allegro Starting left back corner of the room on the left foot, with the right in back in B+: [CT&1] Moving diagonally to the right front corner, with the right foot front, chassé sauté to second arabesque. [CT&2] Chassé with left foot front (croisé), fouetté sauté to second arabesque. [CT&3] Chassé continuing to the right side tour jeté. [CT&4] Chassé right foot front effacé, piqué first arabesque on the right foot to the right front corner, and repeat the step to the left. Do the exercise four times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 152

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12. Grand Allegro Starting from left back corner on the left foot in B+ with the right foot back: [CT&1] Step out sauté to first arabesque. [CT&2] Slide left foot across. [CT&3] Glissade to a small fourth position (heels front and face front). [CT&4] Grand jeté ending in first arabesque and immediately coupé the left foot under, step out sauté arabesque on the right, continuing across the floor. (Correction: Don’t let the back leg drag on glissade, and on grand jeté do not battement higher than you can jump, to avoid a buckling jerk in the air. Cover as much space as possible.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 152 13. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre, Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Two entrechat quatres. [CT&3] Entrechat six. [CT4] Hold. Done slowly. Eight sets in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 152 14. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front: Eight entrechat six. TEMPO:  = 152 15. Petit Allegro, Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Small changement done very quickly. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 138

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16. Petit Allegro, Grand Plié, Changement Fifth position, slightly croisé, right foot front: With the arms out to the sides, inhale. [CT&1] Exhale while doing a fairly fast grand plié, going three-quarters of the way down. Inhale, [CT&2] and do a large changement ending on the balls of the feet. [CT&3] Exhale, rolling through the foot into a grand plié. [CT&4] Changement from the grand plié. Repeat exercise eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 104 17. Petit Allegro, Changement Fifth position, slightly croisé, right foot front: [CT&] Demi-plié sous-sus, arms moving quickly to slightly above shoulder height and the head held slightly toward the right. Inhale. [CT1] Demiplié, arms lowering slightly, wrists down, fingers up a little, and exhale through mouth so as to be heard. [CT2] Big changement, arms opening sides like a bird in flight. End in demi-plié [CT3&4] and straighten the knees and demi-plié in preparation to repeat the step. Repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 138 18. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Six Fifth position, slightly croisé, right foot front: Same step, but done with entrechat six. [ON&] Sous-sus. [CT1] Demi-plié. Feel the air leave the lungs. [ON&] Jumping through the balls of the feet, entrechat six. [CT&2] Land on the balls of the feet, knees out over the toes, and demi-plié. Repeat the combination eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 138

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Class Seven 1. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Three grands battements straight front. [CT&4] Tendu the right foot side, closing back. Repeat with the left. Do the same exercise side, with the right leg closing front and back. The tendu closes back. Repeat left, reverse to the back, the tendu side, closing front. (Grand battement is done [ON&]. Return to the position on the count.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 138 2. Dégagé Fifth position, left foot front, arms side: [ON&] Dégagé the right leg to the side, simultaneously rising to half-pointe on the left foot with no demi-plié. [CT1] Hold and close fifth back. Repeat the right foot dégagé side, closing fifth front, and repeat with the left leg closing front and back. Repeat the exercise eight times. (This exercise is for turnout, and the dégagé leg only goes up to 45 degrees.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 80 3. Dégagé Fifth position, left foot front: Same exercise, slightly different counts. [CT1] Raise the leg to 45 degrees. [CT2&3] Hold. [CT4] Close fifth position. TEMPO: 4/4  = 152 4. Relevé in Various Positions Fifth position right foot front, mazurka: [CT1&2] Passé relevé with the right foot. [CT&3] Demi-plié on the left foot, keeping the right foot up. [CT2,2] Relevé, opening the right leg to second position. [CT3] Demi-plié on the left foot, leaving the right leg out

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in second. [CT3,2,3] Relevé, arms coming down and up. [CT4,2,3] Close the right leg back in demi-plié fifth position with the arms to the side. Soussus. Repeat the combination to the left. Repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116 5. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Open the left foot side, demi-plié and soutenu to the right, ending in fifth position (with the arms down). [CT&2] Demi-plié. [CT3] Double pirouette en dehors [CT4] ending by opening the right leg croisé front in demi-plié on the left leg with the right leg remaining up, (right arm front, left arm side). [CT&5] Fouetté turned with leg going through attitude back and into passé (arms right arm out and up) on the fouetté. [CT6,7] Come to fifth position with the right foot back, demi-plié. [CT8] Straighten the knees, and preparation for the other side. Repeat the combination to the left. Do the step eight times. TEMPO: 2/4  = 108 6. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu the right foot to the side. [CT&2] Right foot does quarter rond de jambe to fourth position back in demi-plié on the left foot preparation. [CT&3&4] Several perfect pirouettes en dehors ending fifth position back. Repeat the exercise eight times right and left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120 7. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1&2] Échappé jumping to second, and close left foot front. [CT&3&4] Two changements. (Hold legs together in changement.) Repeat step four times. (At this time we often held our legs together and did the change at the end of the jump. Occasionally we did the change at the beginning of the jump.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 84 Classes from the 1950s / 103

8. Petit Allegro, Échappé and Emboîté Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé jumped to second, and from second, very turned out emboîté in place (no turn). [CT&2] Onto the left foot with the right foot in a low crossed attitude back. [CT&3] Jump, changing legs in the air, landing on the right foot. [CT&4] One more jump, changing again, ending on the left foot. From here, spring up into an échappé, starting the step to the other side. Repeat exercise four times. (In the emboîté, both legs should be in the air simultaneously for a split second. The accent is “and up, and up, and up.”)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 76 9. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé jumped with beats, right leg back and front, and end in second position demi-plié. [CT2] Jump back to fifth position without beats, ending left foot front. Repeat exercise eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 10. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: The above step in reverse. The échappé jumped out to second without beats. On the jump back to fifth, the left foot beats front, back, front. Repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 11. Petit Allegro, Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: Repeat the exercise with beats both on the way out and the way in [CT&1&2]. [CT3&4] Hold fifth position. Repeat the exercise four times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60

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12. Grand Allegro, Cabriole Fifth position croisé, right foot front, mazurka: [ON&] Faille, arms low to the sides, head front. [CT1,2,3] Cabriole écarté front with the right leg, left arm up and right arm front, with the leg kicked as high as possible. [CT2,2,3] Slide right leg across and cabriole to the left changing arms. [CT3,2,3] Cabriole to the right, ending in fifth position right foot front. [CT4,2,3] Sous-sus arms down and up. To start the combination to the left, slide the right leg to croisé front. [ON&] Repeat cabriole starting left. Repeat combination four times. TEMPO: 3/4  = 132 13. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: Thirty-two changements. TEMPO: 6/8  = 72

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Class Eight 1. Plié First position: [CT&1&2&3&4] Two grands pliés in first position. [CT5–8] Two grands pliés in second position. [CT9–12] Two grands pliés in fifth position with the right foot front. [CT13–16] Two grands pliés with the left foot front. TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Four slow tendu side with the right foot (opening [On&] and closing [On1], etc.). [CT1–4] Closing fifth back and front. [CT&1] Three tendus side in double time. [CT2] Hold fifth position. [CT&3] Three fast tendus again. [CT4] Hold fifth position. [CT1–4] Four slow tendus side again. [CT5–8] Small demi-plié and changement (coming down through the toes and metatarsals into a soft, silent landing and straightening the knees). Repeat left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 138 3. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Arms low side. [CT&1–8] Two tendus dégagés each way (front, side, back, side). [CT9–16] One each way, two times all the way around. Repeat four times right and then left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 92 4. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Scoop up to fifth position on half-pointe without doing demi-plié by moving the front foot in and to half-toe. Immediately lift the right foot up to sur le cou-de-pied and, remaining on half-pointe, continue to a very

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high passé, but do not stop in passé. [CT&2] Développé to second position. [CT&3] Bring the leg back into a very high passé and hold. For the last passé, the arms come down and up overhead. [CT&4] Close fifth back and lower heels with straight knees. Then do left. Repeat four times. (As the leg comes back into passé, the knee should remain as high up to the shoulder as possible.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 88 5. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: Same step done faster. [CT1] The leg goes through sur le cou-de-pied and into développé. [CT2] Passé and close fifth, slow counts. TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 6. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Développé to second position, immediately to half-pointe as before, arms side. [CT2] Remaining on half-pointe, turn to first arabesque and hold. [CT3&4] Close fifth back, lowering heels. Repeat left. Do the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 7. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: Same exercise, done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 8. Slow Piqué Fouetté Left foot pointing croisé front: [CT&1] Piqué onto the left toe, dégagé the right leg to second. [CT&2] Turn to first arabesque with the left arm in a high arabesque position with the eyes looking up toward the hand. [CT&3] Close fifth with the right foot Classes from the 1950s / 107

front. [CT&4] Tendu the right foot to croisé front. Repeat the exercise to the left.

9. Pirouette

TEMPO: 4/4  = 76

Fifth position, right foot front, very slow: [CT&1] Demi-plié and pirouette en dehors with the right foot up. [CT&2&3&4] Leave the right foot up, demi-plié on the left, and continue with three more pirouettes (meaning demi-plié and relevé for each pirouette). The fourth demi-plié and pirouette is a double with the arms coming down and up. Fall out to the right leg and repeat the exercise en dedans with the left foot up, then do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 116 10. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: Same exercise as above, done faster. TEMPO: 6/8  = 132 11. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1] Demi-plié. [CT&2] Entrechat quatre, directly into a grand plié. [CT3&4] Come up and hold. (There is no pause between the jump and going into the grand plié. Also between the entrechat quatre and the grand plié, the heels do not touch the floor.) Do the exercise four times and then repeat to the left.

TEMPO: 4/4  = 56 12. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre Fifth position, right foot front: Same step done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 108 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

13. Grand Allegro, Tour Jeté Starting from the right front corner, B+ on the left foot: [CT&1] Glissade toward the right front corner into a fourth position with the left foot front. (The left front heel is very turned out, and the body faces front.) [CT&2] Piqué out on the right foot to first arabesque. [CT&3] Chassé diagonally back. [CT&4] Tour jeté. [CT5&6] Hold the arabesque position. (The heel of the supporting foot must remain very turned out.) [CT7&8] Bring the left leg forward in B+. Repeat the combination four times and then do it to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 160 14. Petit Allegro, Emboîté Fifth position, right foot front, jump on “&” and land on the beat: [CT&1–4] Emboîté in place, right leg going to a very low, very turned out attitude back, and then the left leg. Four times, arms held low to the sides (legs cross each other in the air with the accent being “up, up, up”). [CT&5] Assemblé back. [CT6–8] Entrechat quatre royale and entrechat six. Repeat the step four times, and then do to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 76 15. Petit Allegro, Sissonne Fifth position in a slight croisé right foot front, extremely slow: Sissonne to first arabesque effacé position, with the left leg and left arm up, looking front. Assemblé closing with the left foot front. (Keep the heels from touching the floor until the last second, and do not bounce the demi-plié but lower into the demi-plié very smoothly and come up from the same demi-plié into assemblé. In other words, do not add a second short demi-plié.) Do the step four times.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 76

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16. Petit Allegro, Sissonne Fifth position in a slight croisé right foot front: Same step as above done faster. TEMPO: 3/4  = 92 17. Petit Allegro, Changement and Tours Fifth position, right foot front: Eight small changement, sous-sus double tour. Rest four counts and repeat to the left. Do four times. (This was obviously done without music, and the class was done to Balanchine’s voice. And to make it easier for us, he may have gone to the piano to play some Romanian tea room music to help us along. In classes like this, he would always remind us that we should look pleasant, not “ha-ha,” and he would open his mouth and let out a laugh, but smiling gently, so as not to show the strain of doing the step.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 84

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Class Nine 1. Plié First position en face: The same opening pliés as usual, two in first, two in second, two in fifth with the right foot front, and two with the left foot front. TEMPO: 3/4  = 80 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–5] Five tendus directly in front, [CT6] one side closing fifth position back, and [CT7–8] grand plié. Repeat to the left and reverse doing it to the back. (Keep arms nicely rounded and held to the side, and feel as if your arms were a parachute in the grand plié.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 116 3. Dégagé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Dégagé side, closing with the right foot front, back, front. [CT2] Hold in fifth position. [CT3] Dégagé with the right foot closing back, front, back. [CT4] Hold. Repeat with the left leg. Repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 96 4. Dégagé First position, arms low to the sides: [CT1–6] Dégagé with the right foot to the side, six times. [ON&] Demi-plié in first. [CT7] Sauté first and immediately [CT8] demi-plié and start with the left foot. Done sixteen times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 112 Classes from the 1950s / 111

5. Circular Port de Bras Fifth position croisé, right foot front: On [CT&1] tendu the left leg back croisé and the left arm up. On [CT&2] begin a circular port de bras. (Demi-plié on the right foot, the left arm coming forward and down. The left heel remains up until the weight changes. The body circles, bending left and then back and continues to the right and up, the right arm coming down to the left, and, as the port de bras continues back, the right arm comes up and the right foot comes to tendu front, as the body comes up from the backbend, step through fourth position with the left arm coming down and up into the starting position of tendu back with the left leg.) Repeat four times. Repeat the exercise to the left.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 104 6. Circular Port de Bras Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Same exercise done faster.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 56

7. Pirouette Fifth position with the right arm front and the left arm to the side, right foot front: [CT&1] Slow demi-plié and passé with the right leg up. [CT&2] Close fifth front, demi-plié. [CT&3] Slow single pirouette en dehors with the right foot up, arms coming down and up. [CT&4] Close right foot front. Repeat four times, and then do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 8. Pirouette Fifth position with the right arm front and the left arm to the side, right foot front: Same exercise, but on [CT&1&2] two fast passés, relevés with the front leg closing front both times. [CT&3] One slow double pirouette en dehors

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with the right foot up and with the arms coming down and up. [CT&4] Closing fifth back. Repeat to the left. Repeat the exercise eight times. (On pirouette, the arms come down and up with the elbows bent, and the wrists crossed with the arms close to the chest, and then quickly coming up overhead. Do not move the foot from a perfect fifth on the preparation, and end in a perfect fifth, trying not to move the supporting foot at all.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 9. Pirouette Fifth position with the right arm front and the left arm to the side, right foot front: Repeat slow single passé and pirouette closing front, one set with the arms down and one set with the arms coming up. Four sets to the right side, and then four sets to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 126 10. Pirouette Fifth position croisé, left foot front: [CT&1] Spring out into sissonne to fourth arabesque croisé on toe with the left arm forward. [CT2] Lower the right foot to fifth position back without moving the front foot. [CT&3] Double pirouette en dedans to the left, with the right leg up, arms coming up. [CT&4] End in fifth position with the right foot front and repeat to the left. Do the exercise eight times. (In sissonne to toe in arabesque, Balanchine wanted a jumped spring to toe moving onto the front toe at least a foot away from where the jump started. The lowering of the heels in fifth must be done through the half-toe with the knees bending.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 132 11. Pirouette Fifth position croisé, left foot front: Repeat the step faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120 Classes from the 1950s / 113

12. Relevé in Arabesque and Pirouette Fifth position croisé, left foot front: On [CT&1] slide the left foot forward and relevé in fourth arabesque croisé with the left arm front. [CT&2] Lower the right leg into fifth position. [CT&3] Slide the left leg front to croisé and relevé in third arabesque with the right arm front. [CT4] Come down. On [CT5] slide out again with the left leg to croisé front. [CT6] Relevé fourth arabesque with the left arm front, and lower the right leg to fourth position. [CT&7&8] Double pirouette en dehors with the right leg up, the arms coming down and up, ending fifth position, right foot back. To begin the step to the left, slide the right leg around first and relevé starting to the left. Repeat the step eight times. This step is done to the rhythm of a march. TEMPO: 6/8  = 132 13. Développé Fifth position, right foot front, Adagio: [CT1–4] Slow passé développé to second position with the arms side. [CT5–8] Change to attitude effacé back. [CT9–12] Open to first arabesque and penché. [CT13–16] Come up and demi-plié in arabesque and pas de bourrée, ending in B+ on the right, and bring the left foot around the ankle to fifth position front. Repeat the step to the left TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 14. Petit Allegro, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] Glissade to the right. [CT&2] Assemblé right side ending with the right foot front. [CT&3&4] Soubresaut and hold fifth. (The glissade should be fast, and the legs must articulate fully.) Repeat the step eight times, alternating right and left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60

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15. Petit Allegro, Jeté Fifth position, left foot front: [CT1–4] Two jetés side right and left. One assemblé back and a big changement with the arms up. Done fast. (Bring the second leg up to meet the first on jeté, with no space between the legs.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 69 16. Petit Allegro, Jeté Fifth position, left foot front: The same step as above done very fast. The jeté done with battu and royale. TEMPO: 6/8  = 84

In writing these classes, I am not repeating the original explanations of how a step should be done. I am only adding whatever extra corrections Balanchine may have given in a particular class.

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Class Ten 1. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front, arms side below shoulders: Fifteen tendus directly front and one to the side. Repeat left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 58 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front, arms side below shoulders: Reverse fifteen back and one to the side and repeat left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 58 3. Dégagé Fifth position right foot front: [CT1–4] Four dégagés side with the right foot closing back and front. [CT5] Tendu right foot side. [CT6] Take leg back to fourth croisé. [CT7,8] Pirouette en dehors with the right leg up. Close fifth back. Repeat to the left. Repeat four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 4. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: This pirouette combination is very Bournonville. [CT&1] Demi-plié soussus, arms front. Remain on half-toe. [CT&2] Open right leg to low second position, arms open side. [CT&3] Demi-plié in second position with the right arm front. [CT&4] Pirouette en dehors with the right leg up, and then hop from the left half-toe, ending pointing with the right leg back croisé, arms opening low side, palms up and slightly in front of the body. [CT5&6] Hold. [CT7&8] Close fifth back. Repeat left. Repeat step eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 126 116 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

5. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: This step is done in twelve counts. [CT&1] Tendu side with the right foot. [CT&2] Close fifth front demi-plié. [CT&3] Pirouette en dehors with the right foot up. [CT&4] Close fifth front. [CT&5] Tendu right side again. [CT&6] Demi-plié in second position. [CT&7] Pirouette en dehors with the right foot up. [CT&8] Close fifth with the right foot front. [CT&9] Tendu right side again. [CT&10] Take the foot to fourth position back. [CT&11] Pirouette en dehors with the right foot up. [CT12] End fifth position back. Repeat left. Repeat combination four times. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116 6. Petit Allegro and Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé sauté to second. [CT&2] Sauté to fifth left foot front. [CT&3] Changement. [CT&4] Double or triple pirouette en dehors with the right foot up, ending with the right foot back. Repeat left. Repeat step eight times. (On the end of the changement, the landing is through the metatarsal. The demi-plié must be in a perfect fifth position, and the front foot does not make any adjustment before the pirouette.) Repeat step four times.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 132 7. Pirouette Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] Changement. [CT&2] Double or triple pirouette en dehors with the right foot up, ending in fifth position back. Repeat step sixteen times. Repeat step to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 116 8. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Développé straight front, arms front, carry arms and leg to secClasses from the 1950s / 117

ond and leg to arabesque directly behind. [CT5] Bend the knee to attitude so that the foot and the knee form a horizontal line behind you, arms coming down and up. [CT6] Quarter promenade to the left ending in effacé with the left arm opening side. [CT7&8] Relevé in attitude. Hold and simply close right foot back in fifth position. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 60 9. Développé Fifth position left foot front: The same adagio in reverse. [CT1&2] Développé straight back, arms together in the front. [CT3–8] Carry the leg to second position and to front croisé, arms opening side and then together and up, and then the right arm opening side. [CT9–12] Change position to effacé front with the legs straight. [CT12–16] Relevé and hold, and close fifth front. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 60 10. Petit Allegro, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1&2] Glissade assemblé side to the right. [CT&3] Échappé sauté to second. [CT&4] Sauté from second ending on the right foot with the left foot sur le cou-de-pied back with the left arm down in front, and from this position, repeat to the left. Repeat eight times. (This step is done slowly, landing on the balls of the feet.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 11. Petit Allegro, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: The same step done fast, right and left. As the step continues, the tempo accelerates and slows down again. Music: second act of Giselle. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76

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12. Grand Allegro Fifth position croisé, left foot front, starting from the left back corner: [CT&1&2] Glissade entrechat cinq (cinq de volé). [CT&3&4] Sous-sus, big changement with the arms up. (Correction: Land softly on the balls of the feet. For entrechat cinq, do big battement with the right, and let the legs meet in the air for the beats. On glissade after the perfect second position in the air, the left foot must come down almost simultaneously with the right, crossing slightly past fifth. At this point, Balanchine did not stress the changing of the feet at the beginning of changement. This came later in the 1960s. But unless he specifically wanted a split position, the legs were to be kept together.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 13. Grand Allegro Fifth position, left foot front, starting from the left back corner: [CT&1&2] Glissade grand jeté ending with the left leg up in arabesque. The left arm up, looking forward. [CT&3&4] Assemblé closing with the left foot back and entrechat six with the arms up, done very slowly. (Correction: You must give a performance. Never let the audience know that you are landing from a jump. Always use the toes and the balls of the feet.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 126 14. Petit Allegro, Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Thirty-two changements de pied. (Correction: Be sure that the feet are very well pointed.) TEMPO: 6/8  = 72

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Class Eleven 1. Plié First position, Slow: [CT&1&2] Grands pliés: one in first position, [CT3&4] one in second, [CT&5,6] one in third, [CT&7,8] one in fourth, and [CT&9,10] one in fifth. [CT&11,12] Repeat with the left foot front in fourth and [CT&13,14] in fifth. [CT15,16] Hold. (Remember that the initial movement of starting down is done faster, while the rising up is done with a definite pressing down.)

2. Tendu

TEMPO: 4/4  = 58

Fifth position, right foot front: Arms low to the sides. [CT&1–8] Eight tendus front. [CT9–16] Eight tendus side, closing front and then back. [CT17–24] Eight tendus back. [CT25–32] Eight tendus side. Do the step to the left.

3. Tendu

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60

Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu right foot to the side. [CT&2] Drop the heel in second position, weight on both feet. [CT&3] Relevé. [CT&4] Lower the heels with straight leg. [CT&5] Point the left foot. [CT&6] Close the left foot front in fifth position. [CT&7] Roll up to half-toe. (Do not bring feet together.) [CT&8] Roll down with straight knees. Repeat the step with the left foot. Done slowly.

4. Tendu

TEMPO: 4/4  = 100

Fifth position, right foot front: The same step as above, done quickly. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66 120 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

5. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: The same combination as above, but on [CT&1] tendu the right foot to the side and demi-plié in second. [CT&2] Sauté in second position. [CT&3] Tendu the left foot side with straight knees, and close left foot front, fifth position, demi-plié. [CT&4] Soubresaut. (On sauté in second position, arms are open to the sides. On soubresaut, arms are low in front and do not put the heels down. Jump very lightly.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 6. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu front, arms opening to the sides. [CT&2] Demi-plié in fourth position. [CT&3] Relevé in fourth position, arms coming down and up. [CT&4] Demi-plié in fourth position, arms opening to the sides. [CT&5] Point the front foot. [CT&6] Close fifth in demi-plié. [CT&7] A very small changement with the feet almost not leaving the floor, bringing the left foot front immediately. [CT&8] Demi-plié and prepare to left side. TEMPO: 6/8  = 58 7. Tendu with Tours Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [ON&] Tendu croisé front with the arms open to the sides. [CT1] Drop the front heel into fourth position, not moving the toe but bringing the heel forward into fourth position, creating a large fourth. [ON&] Tendu the right foot again. [CT2] Quarter rond de jambe par terre to second. [ON&] Demi-plié in second. [CT3&4] Tour en l’air to the right, bringing the left foot front immediately in the air, but ending in fifth position with the right foot front again in demi-plié and straighten. Repeat four times. Do the step to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 60

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8. Tendu with Tours Fifth position, left foot front: [ON&] Demi-plié and tendu the right foot side. [CT1] Assemblé to fifth on toe, right foot front. [ON&] Demi-plié and tendu the left leg side. [CT2] Assemblé the left foot to fifth front on toe. [CT&3] Demi-plié and open the left foot side again, and assemblé to toe, closing the left foot fifth in back with the right shoulder slightly forward. [CT&4] Repeat with the right foot. [ON&] Demi-plié tendu the left foot to the side. [CT1] Assemblé tour to the right en l’air ending with the right foot front. [ON&] Demi-plié tendu the right foot side. [CT2] Tour assemblé en dehors to the right, ending right foot front, fifth position. [CT&3] Repeat the tendu with the left foot and tour en dedans. [CT&4] Tendu the right foot and repeat the tour en dehors. Repeat the step again, and then do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 76 9. Petit Allegro, Tour Assemblé Fifth position, right foot front, starting from left side of the room going across the room: [ON&] Dégagé the left to the side in demi-plié. [CT1] Tour assemblé to the right en dedans ending right foot front. [ON&] Step out on the right foot in demi-plié, left foot dégagé side. [CT2] Double inside pirouette and fall out on the right foot again and repeat the tour, etc. Spot front. This step is done slowly. TEMPO: 6/8  = 112 10. Turns, Piqués Fifth position, right foot front, moving across the floor from left to right: [ON&] Demi-plié and dégagé left leg side. Body slightly over extended leg. [CT1] Double inside piqué spotting front. Fall out on right leg, and repeat across the floor. TEMPO: 6/8  = 80

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11. Turns, Piqués Fifth position, right foot front, moving across the floor from left to right: [CT&1] Demi-plié dégagé left leg side and double inside piqué, finishing in demi-plié on the left. [CT&2] Relevé with a very large fondue through a very high passé to écarté (head looking to corner behind the elbow of the right arm). Fall out onto the right foot and repeat the inside piqué, etc., across the floor, spotting front. TEMPO: 3/4  = 100 12. Turns, Piqués Fifth position, right foot front, moving across the floor from left to right: Same step as above done very quickly. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116

This step is a variation on one that Vladimiroff gave in class and is also in the first act variation of Giselle. However, Balanchine makes it more complicated because of the pattern in which the step is done. 13. Ballonné and Turns B+ on right foot: [ON&] Coupé the left foot under. [CT1,2,3] Three ballonnés right foot front, right arm over the leg, and step to effacé on the right foot. [CT2,2,3] Coupé the left foot under and what Vladimiroff called sauté de chat (pas de chat with développé with both the right and left legs front), with the arms coming up and opening out to the sides. [CT&3,2,3,4,5,6] Step croisé front with the left foot, and step out with the right foot and two slow single inside piqué turns on the left leg. Hold the last piqué, demi-plié onto the left foot, and begin the ballonné with the same (right) foot as before. This repeat of the step is done moving across the front of the room toward the left side and circling toward the back. The third repeat continues the circle, ending left side of the room halfway back and facing front. [CT&1] Sauté arabesque on the left foot traveling left with the right arm up, head tilted a little under. [CT&2] Slide right leg across to the front croisé. Coupé the left leg under. [CT3,4] Demi-plié relevé on the left as the right leg lifts through effacé and

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fouetté to first arabesque on half-pointe. [CT5,6,7,8] Come down on right, bring left around, step on it, and coupé right under and fouetté, then repeat fouetté step to the other side. Do entire step to the left. Mazurka rhythm. TEMPO: 3/4  = 112 14. Petit Allegro, Ballonné B+ on right foot: [ON&] Coupé the left foot under and six ballonnés sauté in écarté position. (Making sure that both legs are absolutely straight at the height of each jump and that the head looks behind the elbow to the right front corner.) [CT&7] Glissade to the right,

ending with the right foot front. [CT&8] Jeté side ending with the left foot front. Repeat the step with the left. Repeat combination four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 15. Petit Allegro, Emboîté

Fifth position right foot front, moving across the floor from the left to the right: [CT&1&2] Two emboîtés turned left foot up, then right, spotting front. [CT&3] Step out to the side with the right foot. [CT&4] Tour assemblé to the right, arms up, bringing the legs together immediately in the air, ending with the left foot front in fifth position. Repeat left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 84 16. Petit Allegro, Cabriole Fifth position, left foot front, starting from the back of the room and moving front: [ON&] Glissade to the right. [CT1] Cabriole side with the right arm in front. Right leg opening as high as possible at the end of the cabriole. [CT&2] Come down in fifth position with both legs simultaneously. Repeat left. Continue moving up the room. TEMPO: 6/8  = 144

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Class Twelve 1. Plié Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Grand plié. [CT5–8] Relevé. (Slide the right foot across as you roll up to half-pointe with the legs well crossed and the heels forward. From half-pointe the front foot slides out as the feet come down flat in fifth position, with the knees bending over the toes as the heels begin to lower.) Arms move down and up, tilt head slightly to

the right in slight croisé position, and open the arms. [CT1–4] Grand plié again. [CT5–8] Relevé again with the right arm front and the left arm side and demi-plié. Slow single pirouette from fifth en dehors with the arms coming up, closing right foot fifth back. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 50 2. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié passé relevé, right foot up, arms coming down and up. [CT&2] Demi-plié in fifth with the right foot back and straighten the knees, arms opening side. [CT3&4] Repeat with the left foot. [CT5&6] Single pirouette from fifth en dehors with the arms up. [CT7&8] Pirouette to the left. (Correction: Supporting foot must never move. The passé leg must move quickly to reach the passé position, arriving at the same moment as the supporting foot reaches half-pointe. And in the lowering to fifth position, the heel of the supporting foot should simply lower to fifth demi-plié without any hopping. The passé leg comes up with the little toe sliding up the leg until the peak of the passé. The knee must continue to open as the foot comes around the supporting leg, and as the foot is lowered, the inner side of the working foot slides down the back of the supporting leg, and both heels lower simultaneously.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 92 3. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: The same combination as above with double pirouette. TEMPO: 2/4  = 92 Classes from the 1950s / 125

4. Frappé Fifth position, right foot front. Preparation open right foot to tendu side, arms low side: [CT1–8] Frappé one front and one side eight times. [CT1–7] Seven to the side, on [CT8] close fifth back and bring the left foot up to sur le cou-depied. Repeat to the left, and then do the combination to the back. (The toes must hit the floor hard halfway out between sur le cou-de-pied and the fully extended position with great energy, and then the leg must hold the extended position. “Knock on floor and HOLD.”)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 96 5. Frappé and Rond de Jambe en l’Air Fifth position, right foot front. Preparation, tendu side: [CT&1&2] Two double frappés side. [CT&3] Three fast ronds de jambe en lair en dehors. [CT4] Hold with the leg in second. Repeat four times, and then do the combination to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 60 6. Grand Battement and Fouetté Fifth position, right foot front: [ON&] Grand battement front. [CT1] Close fifth. [ON&] Grand battement side. [CT2] Close fifth back. [ON&] Battement the right leg side again [CT3] brushing through first position and turning left. Face the back of the room, battement front to the left back corner as you relevé, the arms coming up, the leg passing through second. [CT4] End in third arabesque croisé facing front demi-plié. (In other words, fouetté to third arabesque croisé with the right arm front.) [CT1–3] Hold. [CT4] Close the right foot fifth back. Do the step to the left. Repeat four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 96

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7. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Développé with the right leg through a very high passé into a high second position, arms down and up. Hold the position. [CT&2] Demi-plié on the supporting leg, arms opening side, relevé. [CT&3&4] Fall tombé out to the right and a fast small pas de bourrée (feet very close together) ending on half-toe with the left foot front. As the right foot lowers, the left foot brushes through fifth into sur le cou-de-pied. [CT1–4] Repeat the step to the left, [CT1–4] to the right, and soutenu en dedans to the left, arms in front. [CT1–4] Demi-plié in fifth position with the left foot front, and double pirouette from fifth en dehors to the left, arms coming down and up. Starting to the left, repeat the entire exercise. TEMPO: 3/4  = 112 8. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Fondue relevé with the right foot to second position. [CT&2] Demiplié on the left leg and relevé, turning to first arabesque. [CT&3] Demi-plié in arabesque and relevé, coming back to second position. [CT&4] Lower right leg into fifth position back and straighten the knees. Repeat to the left. (As the demi-plié starts with the right foot in coupé front, the arms and hands come down with the fingers trailing. The body and head bend slightly to the left as the fingers come toward each other to finish the circle. There is a strong accent, as if pulling the rabbit from the hat, and then a fast relevé as the arms and right leg open to second. In demi-plié, with the right leg in second position, the head and wrists drop a fraction and then lift as the body turns to arabesque.)

Second Part of Step: [CT&1] Fondue relevé to second with the right leg up. Demi-plié on the left. [CT&2] Relevé as leg moves from second position to attitude back effacé. [CT&3&4] Two more demi-plié relevés in attitude back, turning to the right, en dehors a quarter turn. The last relevé ends in croisé back. Repeat the step to the left. (Remember to keep the leg well behind you in attitude.) TEMPO: 2/4  = 104

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9. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Fondue relevé with the right leg to a very high écarté position. (Correction: The right arm must be directly overhead. The head with the chin up looks to the right front corner.) [CT&2] Fall out into a first arabesque, demi-plié on the right foot. [CT&3] Fast pas de bourrée (with the feet very close together.)

[CT&4] Hold the fifth position on half-pointe and repeat the step to the left. (Remember, no matter how fast the tempo may be for the fondue, the leg is never thrown, but the very pointed foot must arrive as if hitting a bull’s-eye on a target.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 56 10. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The same step as above, done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 11. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The same step, but done slightly differently and even faster. [CT&1] Fondue développé écarté, [CT2&] fall arabesque and pas de bourrée, [CT3] slide left across into a small fourth position. [CT4] Big pas de chat with the arms up. (Correction: MOVE. Use the head and body. Remember to bend away a little on demi-plié preparation before relevé écarté and explode into the position.) Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 72 12. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The same step as above with another variation. [CT&1–3] Fondue écarté fall arabesque and pas de bourrée. On [CT&4] step out with the right foot

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to éffacé front and like a small gargouillade, meaning that as you jump, the left leg does a rond de jambe en l’air en dedans and the right leg does passé ending in éffacé pointing on the floor. Arms are open, and the right arm comes front over the right foot. Repeat the step to the left. Do the combination eight times in all. (On the tendu éffacé, the foot MUST cross to the center of the body, and it must be very turned out.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 72 13. Failli Assemblé across the Room Fifth position croisé, right foot front, starting on the left side of the room: [CT&1] Pas de poisson. (Failli with legs held together.) With the left arm up, looking forward. [CT&2] Assemblé with the legs held together, the right arm held high to the side. Look up at the hand. (Correction: Use the plié. Don’t sit in it.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 54 14. Failli Assemblé across the Room The same step as above, but moving from the back of the room toward the front in a zigzag. Fifth position croisé, right foot front, starting on the left side of the room: Both arms up on the failli. On the assemblé, the right leg remains in back, and the left foot crosses in front in fifth position in the air with the arms open. Land with the left foot front to start the step to the left. (Correction: On landing from the pas de poisson, stay in arabesque demi-plié, holding the position, and then quickly slide the foot across for a very big assemblé. The demi-plié must be only a preparation, meaning USE IT.)

TEMPO: DONE VERY SLOWLY 3/4  = 54

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Class Thirteen 1. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié sous-sus (arms down on demi-plié, and on sous-sus slight opening of palms out, low side slightly in front of the body presenting position). [CT&2]

Demi-plié and passé relevé with right leg, arms coming up. [CT&3] Lower right foot to fifth position front. Small demi-plié and sous-sus. [CT&4] Demi-plié and slow pirouette en dehors from fifth, right foot up, arms coming up and close back. Repeat left side. (See description of passés in chapter 1.7.) TEMPO: 2/4  = 60 2. Tendu and Pirouette Fifth position croisé, right foot front:

[CT&1&2] Two tendus front croisé. First one with right arm front in fourth arabesque croisé position. The second tendu in third arabesque position with the left arm front. [CT&3&4] Repeat to the back. [CT&5] One front with the right arm front. [CT&6] One back with the left arm front. [CT&7] Remain in the tendu position, drop the heel of the back foot to fourth and push left hand forward as if admiring a ring on your finger (this being your preparation). [CT&8] Slow, sustained pirouette en dehors to the left, arms coming close to the body and up, ending with the left foot front. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 3. Tendu and Pirouette Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Repeat the same exercise faster, doing four sets to one side. The pirouette closes back to fifth position. Repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 144

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4. Attitude Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] The back foot flicks up to sur le cou-de-pied quickly with the arms coming down. [CT&2–8] As the leg comes to passé, the arms open side and the leg continues to attitude, directly behind the torso. (Head very slightly tilted over the supporting leg, but looking front.) [CT1–6] Relevé and hold the position. [CT&7&8] Return to fifth position and repeat to the same side. Then do the exercise to the other side. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63 5. Attitude Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Sharply lift the front foot into sur le cou-de-pied. [CT2–8] Développé to attitude back effacé with the right arm up. [CT1–6] Relevé and hold the position. [CT7&8] Lower the leg to fifth position. Repeat the step with the left foot and repeat the combination again. (There is no stop in passé but a fluid long movement through passé and on to the given position.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 63 6. Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Slow échappé jumping to second, arms opening out and head toward the right. Finish the échappé jumping to fifth with the right foot back. Repeat with the left foot. [CT1&2] Three small changements. [CT3&4] Hold. (Correction: Make pretty arms on échappé, and land lightly on the balls of the feet. By pretty arms, I mean arms are at waist height. They come together and out, the palms almost up, and then they dip down in the second position plié, and the wrists come up for jumping to fifth.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 54

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7. Glissade, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1&2&3&4] Glissade to the right and assemblé side. Two jetés. Repeat the step to the left. Repeat the combination four times. (On glissade, both legs must open into a straight hovering position in second in the air, and the second leg must immediately come in to meet the first leg simultaneously in fifth or slightly across and assemblé, legs together in the air immediately. On jeté, the legs should try to meet out to the side as in assemblé, but the knee begins to bend in a slightly crossed position, coming to the sur le cou-de-pied position on the landing.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 8. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre and Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Three entrechat quatres and one entrechat six. (Land on the balls of the feet and use arms nicely, giving a little extra push before the entrechat six with an exhalation. Use the plié in order to get off the ground quickly. Never stay in plié longer than necessary. By nice arms I mean that the arms are held down for the two entrechat quatre. On the third one, as you plié for the entrechat six, the head lowers, the arms start to open low to the sides, and the palms are a little bit up as if you were asking, “How do you do?” And for the entrechat six, the arms rise to shoulder height with the wrists slightly higher than the fingers.) TEMPO: 2/3}  = 63 9. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre and Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front: Repeat the same step as above, done faster. TEMPO: 2/4  = 72

132 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Fourteen 1. Plié First position: [CT&1–4] Two grands pliés, tendu the right foot to second position. [CT5– 8] Two grands pliés in second position. Tendu the right foot to fifth position front. [CT1–4] Two grands pliés in fifth position, tendu the right foot side, and close fifth position back. [CT5–8] Two grands pliés. TEMPO: 4/4  = 58 2. Tendus Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Four slow tendus directly front. [CT5–8] Four tendus side, closing right foot front and then back. Repeat with the left foot, four front and four side. [ON&] Three dégagés front. [CT1] Hold. [ON&] Three dégagés front. [CT2] Hold, and the same for [CT3&4] and the same to the side with the right foot, closing front, back, front, and then back, front, back. Repeat with the left leg. Repeat the entire exercise to the back and side. TEMPO: 6/8  = 100 3. Frappé Fifth position, right foot front, and tendu right foot to the side: [CT1–4] Four frappés side. [CT5–8] Four ronds de jambe en l’air en dehors. [CT1–4] Four frappés side again. [CT&1] Demi-plié with the right foot front in fifth position. [CT2&3] Large changement, holding the legs together. [CT4] Preparation, tendu the left foot side. Repeat four times, and then do the exercise en dedans. (At this time, the changing of the feet in changement usually came at the end of the jump.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 76

Classes from the 1950s / 133

4. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: The battement is done [On&], and the return to fifth position is on [CT1]. [CT&1&2] Two grands battements front. [CT&3] Fast développé front with arms coming together and out to the sides. [CT4&5] Hold. [CT6] Relevé. [CT7] Hold. [CT8] Lower the leg to fifth on half-toe and lower the heels with straight knees. Repeat the exercise to the side, and then to the left, back, and side. TEMPO: 6/8  = 58 5. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: Slow. [CT&1&2] Développé the right leg croisé front with the left arm up, holding the position [CT3&4] Bring the left arm out to the side and the right arm out and up, head tilting slightly under the arm. [CT5–8] Carry the leg to écarté front (looking from behind the elbow to the right front corner and stretching the right arm and leg). Continue taking the leg to the back [CT9–12] to fourth arabesque croisé back (the supporting foot very turned out, the lifted leg crossed behind, the left arm pulling forward, and the head tilted left). [CT13–16] Penché and come up. Hold the position and close fifth back. Repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 96 6. Attitude Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] In one movement, lift the right foot through passé to attitude back croisé and without any demi-plié, simultaneously relevé on the left foot. [CT&2] Demi-plié relevé. (Leg remaining in attitude croisé back.) [CT&3] Demiplié relevé, pivoting left to attitude effacé. [CT&4] Demi-plié relevé in attitude effacé. [CT&5] Demi-plié relevé, pivoting right back to the attitude croisé back. [CT&6] Demi-plié relevé, continuing to turn to the right and looking over the left shoulder. [CT&7] Plié relevé making a full turn en dehors to finish in attitude croisé back. [CT&8] Lower the right leg to fifth

134 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

position back, demi-plié and sous-sus, demi-plié and start the step to the left. (The leg stays up throughout the exercise, which is done slowly. The demi-plié relevé must be smooth with no hops.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 88 7. Petit Allegro, Glissade, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] Fast glissade to the right. [CT&2] Assemblé side. [CT&3] Échappé jumped in écarté position, arms opening gracefully to low side. [CT&4] Ending with the right foot front fifth position. Repeat the step to the left. Repeat the exercise eight times. TEMPO: 2/4  = 84 8. Petit Allegro, Glissade, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: The same step as above, repeated very slowly. (Really jump! The landing from assemblé must be seen as a preparation for échappé, always jumping from the balls of the feet.) Repeat the step eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 152 9. Petit Allegro, Glissade, Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: Same step as above, done very quickly and much smaller, with battu on the assemblé and beats going out and in on the échappé. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100

Classes from the 1950s / 135

10. Petit Allegro, Brisé Left foot pointed croisé front, starting left side of the room: Fifteen traveled brisés and one entrechat six, and the same to the left. (The first leg that shoots out for brisé must brush out in a straight dégagé. The legs meet in the air and land with both feet simultaneously.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 96 11. Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front. Done slowly: [CT&1&2] Sous-sus in a slight croisé position, looking slightly to the right. Hold, hold. [CT&3] Exhale and demi-plié. [CT&4] Entrechat six. [CT5–8] Eight small changements. Do step left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 108

136 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Fifteen 1. Plié Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Two grands pliés. [CT&5] Relevé (scooping the right foot across and up without demi-plié), arms down and up overhead and open quickly. [CT&6] Demi-plié. [CT7] Changement with arms down. [CT8] On the landing, open the arms to the side. Repeat exercise to the left. (Correction: As arms lower, take a breath. Hold the legs together on the changement and change at the end of the jump.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 96 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu done very fast with the arms low sides (out [On&], in on [Ct1]). [CT&1&2] Two tendus front. [CT3&4] Three fast tendus front. Repeat to the side, closing back and front, and then back, front, back. Repeat with the left foot. Repeat the exercise four times and then do it back and side. (Correction: Do not put weight on the working leg. Present every tendu with an accent out.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 60 3. Tendu and Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu the right foot side closing back. [CT&2] Tendu the left foot side closing back. [CT&3] Left foot tendu side again and close front. [CT&4] Right foot tendu side and close front. Twelve tendus in all. [CT&13] Demiplié in fifth position. [CT&14] Pirouette en dehors ending on half-pointe in fifth position with the arms up. [CT15&16] Demi-plié fifth position and straighten. (Correction: For the pirouette, the arms swoop down and across the body into the overhead position and open out to the sides at the end of the pirouette in fifth position on half-pointe.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 152 Classes from the 1950s / 137

4. Attitude Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié and spring up to sous-sus (with the head a little to the right and the arms out to the sides, and the legs well crossed and held together). [CT2] Slowly relax the knees as the heels lower into demi-plié. [CT3&4] Slow single pirouette en dehors very pulled up, keeping the passé leg up. [CT5&6] Demiplié on left foot, and carry the right leg to attitude back, slow turn en dehors in attitude with the leg held high, demi-plié on the left foot. [CT7,8] Relevé in attitude. Do not extend the leg to arabesque, but simply lower to fifth position back and repeat the step to the left. Do combination four times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 5. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Fondue relevé side with the right leg. [CT&2&3] Leaving the leg up, do two demi-plié relevés. [ON&] Lower the leg to fifth position back demi-plié. [CT4] Sous-sus. (On the demi-plié before sous-sus, the head drops a little, as do the arms, which are out to the sides. Allow the wrists to drop a little. On the sous-sus, the head and wrists lift up slightly. Balanchine would say, “It’s like saying hello.”)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 120 6. Frappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Bring front foot up in coupé and demi-plié on left. Head and arms slightly down. [CT&2&3] From this position, open the arms and lift the head and do two frappés side on a straight supporting leg. [CT&4] Fondue side with the right leg into a low second position, again lowering the head and arms on the plié, and opening the arms side with the leg. Repeat the step four times, then do the combination to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 112 (MAZURKA)

138 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

7. Changement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Three changements and one soubresaut. (Correction: After the last changement, make the soubresaut more exciting by lowering the arms slowly and with more force. Exhale on the demi-plié before the jump, creating a greater difference in height for the jump. The heels do not touch the floor until the last second.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 63 8. Changement and Entrechat Quatre Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–3] Three changements. [CT&4] Entrechat quatre. (The entrechat quatre must be done with a slight opening of the legs so that each beat is visible.) The timing would be 1, 2, 3, Ta-Ta. Ta-Ta is the entrechat quatre. TEMPO: 2/4  = 80 9. Changement and Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front: Same step as above with entrechat six. TEMPO: 2/4  = 80 10. Jeté Fifth position, left foot front: [CT1–8] Eight jetés battu done slowly. (Correction: Extend the first leg to the side. Bring the second leg out to meet it with the body extended over the legs. Hover in the air. Land through the half-toe, with the body still slightly over the working leg. The heel touches the ground just in time to slide out for the next jeté battu. And Balanchine would say, “Nice arms, head, and fingers.”) The head is slightly over the extended leg, so

it moves right, left, arms slightly below shoulders. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63

Classes from the 1950s / 139

11. Jeté Fifth position, left foot front: The same step as above done faster. Sixteen times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 80 12. Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Sixteen very fast changements. (Articulate, using the feet. Push from the balls of the feet, really pointing the toes, and begin to relax the knees as the feet reach half-toe on the descent.) TEMPO: 6/8  = 132 13. Brisé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT1–16] Left arm down in front, right arm side, head to the left. Seven brisés. On [CT8] jeté battu, and do the step left. (Bring the leg out very quickly; the second leg joins the first immediately. Land on both feet simultaneously. Keep the head and body slightly to the left.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 14. Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: Échappé with beats on opening to second (back front open). Jump to fifth eight times. Then repeat the step, but no beats out to second. Beat back, front, back on the jump, from second to fifth. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66

On jumps, when Balanchine said, “And nice arms,” he meant to open like a bird in flight. On the jump upwards, the fingers are slightly down and the wrist is on top. On the descent, the wrist and elbows bend slightly, and the arms are slightly relaxed. The arms should not lift higher than ear level, and there should be no tension in the fingers. 140 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Sixteen 1. Plié Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Grand plié done rather quickly. [CT3&4] Demi-plié changement. (Correction: On grand plié, squeeze heels into the floor. Use arms and head on changement, dropping the chin a little on demi-plié and raising the chin on the jump. The arms opening slightly above shoulder level on the jump. On the demi-plié before the jump, exhale strongly.) Do the exercise eight times.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 96 2. Changement into Grand Plié Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Without demi-plié, simply slide the right foot across to sous-sus with the head slightly right, arms opening side, and scoop down into a demi-plié. [CT&2] Changement immediately into a grand plié. [CT&3] Come up from the plié. [CT&4] Hold. Repeat eight times. (Correction: On going down into the grand plié, press heels down, but on all landings from jumps, come down through the half-toe.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 116 3. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Tendu side with the right foot closing one back and one front. [CT&3&4] Three fast tendus closing back, front, back. [CT1&2] Repeat with the right foot again closing front and back. [CT3&4] Three faster tendus closing front, back, front. [CT1–4] Four slow tendus side closing back and front. Last tendu ending in demi-plié. [CT5–8] Three slow single pirouettes from fifth position en dehors. The fourth pirouette is a double pirouette, closing fifth back. Repeat left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 100

Classes from the 1950s / 141

4. Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Without demi-plié, scoop right foot across and up to fifth position on toe. [CT&2] Bourrée to the right. [CT3] Demi-plié on the left foot. Point the right foot on the floor in tendu effacé front with the right hand over the leg. [CT&4] Relevé while doing a double rond de jambe en l’air en dehors and point in effacé on the floor again. Slide the right foot to fifth back on pointe, and repeat the step to the left. (Correction: On bourrée, the legs must really be held together in a tightly crossed fifth position so that the front leg hides the back one. Move your feet quickly. On the rond de jambe en l’air, the leg must make perfect circles rather than just moving the leg in and out. However, the knee cannot move, either up and down or front to back. The circle is done below the knee with the foot.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 5. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Slow high fondue (these fondues are done with a quick spring, almost a hop to halfpointe). [CT&1] One fondue relevé to croisé front, with the right arm up and looking out from under the arm. [CT&2] Second fondue relevé to croisé front, with the left arm up. [CT&3] Third fondue relevé straight front, with the arms together and then opening sides. (Correction: Chest and head up.) [CT&4] Fourth fondue straight front, arms coming together and up. [CT&5] Fifth fondue to effacé front. (Remember to cross leg in front of body.) [CT&6] Sixth fondue to écarté front. [CT&7] Seventh fondue side with arms side. [CT&8] Eighth fondue side, arms together and up. Repeat the step to the left. (All fondue, unless specifically noted, do not come through passé, but unfold out from the ankle in a diagonal upward motion.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 6. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The same step as above, done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 96 142 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

7. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1–8] Demi-plié on the right foot, left foot coming up to sur le cou-depied back. Head slightly left, arms down. Fondue relevé to first arabesque. The relevé is almost a jump back diagonally. Repeat seven more relevés in arabesque, moving back diagonally as much as possible. This step is done very slowly. (Correction: Very important to pull the whole body and head up and stretch the arms.) Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 80 8. Fondue Fifth position croisé, right foot front, start left back corner: [ON&] Demi-plié on the left, the right foot coming into coupé front (little toe on shin, head toward the left, arms down and together). [CT1] Jump to half-toe moving diagonally to the right front corner while doing fondue to effacé front with the left arm front. (Correction: Chest up, arms together and then to the given position, leg directly in front of the center of the body. Head up and tilted toward the left arm. Almost straighten the right leg on the impact of going up, but just after finishing the relevé, stretch the foot out as if presenting it in a very turned out position. Balanchine would say, “For you, sir, or for you, madam,” presenting his palm as he extended his arm representing the foot.) Do eight fondues relevés, and repeat to the left.

TEMPO: 2/4  = 88 9. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Two changements. [CT&3] One entrechat cinq (meaning jump straight up, left foot beats front and back, ending in sur le cou-de-pied back). [CT&4] Assemblé back. Repeat the step eight times, then do left. (Correction: Use extra plié before the entrechat cinq and exhale. Use the arms down and up for extra force.) This step is done slowly. TEMPO: 4/4  = 63

Classes from the 1950s / 143

10. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: Same step as above, done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 11. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot back: [CT&1&2] Three small changements. [CT3] Sissonne to attitude moving forward with the right leg up in attitude back, arms opening to the sides. [CT4] Assemblé back. (Correction: Point the feet very hard on leaving the ground. Land through half-pointe.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 66 12. Grand Allegro, Entrechat Cinq B+ on the left foot, starting from the left side of the room: [CT&1] Step out on the right leg and arabesque sauté on the right. [CT&2] Slide the left leg across in front. [CT&3&4] Glissade entrechat cinq (cinq de volé) across the floor. (I do not include the obvious corrections, which were covered earlier. The only correction here is to remember that the legs must go out to the side on assemblé.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 13. Grand Allegro, Cabriole From back of the room coming forward, start on left foot B+: [CT&1] Step out on right leg, large arabesque sauté on the right. [CT&2,3,4] Slide the left leg across and glissade cabriole front effacé fouetté ending in first arabesque on left foot. Coupé the right leg under and repeat to the left. (Correction: On glissade, hold the feet very turned out, facing front. On cabriole, battement the right leg high and bring the left leg up to meet it, and switch to arabesque in the air.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 144 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

14. Sissonne Start left side of room, fifth position right foot front: [CT&1] Sissonne fermé to first arabesque with a beat done traveling forward to the right front corner, head remaining front. (Spring up, the left foot beats front and opens to arabesque, and closes back in fifth position as you finish the jump.) Quite fast, sixteen in all. Repeat to the left.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 54 15. Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Seven changements and one entrechat six. (Correction: Use breath and arms for preparation for entrechat six, and pull up from your buttocks.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 16. Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–15] This step is done on toe. Sous-sus and bourrée in place. (Keep thighs together, feet crossed, so that one leg hides the other, but slightly relax knees. Use both feet as quickly as possible.) [CT16] Remain on toe and pas de bourrée, feet

very close together and fast, ending left foot front. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 88 17. Bourrée Same bourrée as above, but done across the room. Fifth position, right foot front:

[32CTS] With the right arm moving up. (Keep feet together, use them very quickly, and feel that the body is leaning slightly in the direction of the bourrées and that the back foot is leading.) TEMPO: 4/4  = 88

Classes from the 1950s / 145

18. Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: Same step as above, done faster. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120

146 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Seventeen 1. Plié Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Grand plié. [CT3&4] Scoop front foot across on relevé, arms down and up, and head slightly to the right. Repeat two times, and then do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 96 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Tendu side with the right foot, closing back and front. [CT&3&4] Three faster tendus side, closing back, front, back. [CT5,6,7&8] Repeat two slow tendus and three fast. [CT&1&2&3&4] Two passés relevés with the right foot, closing front both times with the right arm front. [CT5–8] Slow pirouette en dehors from fifth, arms coming in and up, closing fifth back. Repeat combination to the left. (Again in passé, Balanchine stressed that the leg going up had farther to go than the foot doing relevé, so it had to move faster to arrive at the knee position at the same moment that the supporting foot reached full relevé. The position must be held for an instant, and the descent must be as accurate, with the foot beginning to cross on the descent so as to arrive in a perfectly crossed fifth position before the feet open into demi-plié. Also, whether passés are moving to the back or coming forward, the climax of passé is always with the toe slightly in front of the side of the supporting knee. Again, passé is to pass. The foot passes from the front of the supporting leg to the back, with the knee very turned out, and even more so as the leg starts to go to the back.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 3. Frappé Fifth position, right foot front. Preparation, tendu the right foot to the side: [CT1–4] Four single frappés side with the right foot (one from the back of the ankle, and one from the front, etc.). [CT5–8] Four double frappés side with the right foot. [CT1–4] Four single frappés side with the right foot. On [CT5]

Classes from the 1950s / 147

close right foot front, fifth position demi-plié. [CT6&7] Slow double pirouette en dehors, arms coming in and up. [CT8] Close fifth back and tendu left foot side, preparation for left side. TEMPO: 2/4  = 80 4. Frappé Fifth position, right foot front. Preparation, point right foot side: [CT1–4] Four single frappés side with the right foot. [CT5–8] Four double frappés side with the right foot done quickly. Done thirty-two times to the right and then to the left. (Correction: Stop each frappé in second, and at this speed, the foot might not come all the way into sur le cou-de-pied.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 80 5. Passé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié in fifth position. Relevé passé with the right foot, arms coming down and up overhead. [CT2] Foot lowers to fifth position back, and the arms open to the sides. Repeat with the left foot and continue the exercise sixteen times. (Correction: Heels forward, head, chin lifted slightly to the right when the right leg is up. What Balanchine means by “nice arms” is that as the hands come together on demi-plié, just below the waist, the palms turn down and, as if picking something up, the fingers quickly come together and the arms come up. The passé must feel held for an instant as if for a photo. The descent should be smooth with the supporting foot moving up and down, but not from its original mark. The lifting foot should have the quality of scooping something up with the toes, as the foot leaves fifth position and the little toe moves up the front of the leg.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 52 6. Passé Fifth position, right foot front: Same combination as above, moving forward. (On passé the head is turned toward the lifted leg.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 52 148 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

7. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: Single pirouette from fifth, one to the right and one to the left. Sixteen pirouettes in all. (Feel the same use of the working foot as in passés.) TEMPO: 6/8  = 48 8. Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: Same as above, but all pirouettes are en dedans. (The leg does not go side before the pirouette, but comes directly to the passé position.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 48 In the following two exercises, Balanchine used a concept that Volkova often taught in her classes for the use of head and eyes. It creates a feeling of unfolding when doing développé. 9. Développés Fifth position, right foot front: On the introduction, open the arms slightly to the sides but very low. [CT&1] Flick the front foot to sur le cou-de-pied, eyes looking slightly down. [CT2,3&4] As the leg comes to passé, the arms and head come up also, but the eyes continue to be cast slightly down. As the leg opens into développé side, the chin and eyes lift, the arms open to the sides, and the eyes look slightly up to the balcony and into the audience. [CT5–8] Lower the leg and arms beautifully, closing fifth back and repeat to the left side. Here’s another version: [CT1&2] Développé front, [CT3&4] carry the leg to the side, [CT5&6] lower the leg, and [CT7&8] close fifth. Repeat with the left, and then reverse the exercise: développé back, arms together in front, and carry the leg side, arms opening side. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120

Classes from the 1950s / 149

10. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Développé the right leg through a high passé to attitude back croisé. (Head and arms down on the flick of the foot to sur le cou-de-pied and then rise as the leg comes up to passé and then to attitude position with the left cheek a little toward the left shoulder with the chin up and the eyes focused high to the left front corner.) [CT5–8]

Promenade a quarter turn to the left, ending in effacé with the head looking up to the palm of the hand as if looking in a mirror. [CT1–4] Bring arms together in front of body and open to first arabesque. (The arms open to first arabesque position as if pulling an arrow back through a stretched bow.) [CT5–8] Lift the wrists a little and penché and come up, relevé and close right foot, fifth position back. TEMPO: 3/4  = 112 11. Assemblé Fifth position, left foot front: Simple assemblé side, right and left, moving forward. (The step is really about the use of the arms. The assemblé has a pause between each one. The arms form a scallop movement, meaning down and out to the sides.) On demi-plié the arms are com-

ing down. [ON&] Assemblé the arms opening side below shoulder height. [CT1] Land in demi-plié and straighten knees, arms coming down together and slightly up to the waist. [CT2] Demi-plié again, arms starting to come down. [ON&] Assemblé with the left, and continue opening arms out as you jump. Eight assemblé coming forward. (After doing this step, we simply prac-

ticed the arm movements, starting with the arms side.) [CT&1] Arms down together and up to the waist. [CT&2] Arms down and up to the sides again, etc.

TEMPO: 2/4  = 56 12. Pas de Bourrée and Fouetté Fifth position, right foot front croisé and tendu the left foot to croisé back. Right arm front, left arm side, start from right side of room: (These turns are used in the last movement of Symphony in C): [CT&1] Rond de jambe par terre the left foot around to the front and pas de bourrée turned to the right. [CT&2] Demi-plié on the left, the right 150 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

leg opening front, relevé, and continue the right leg grand rond de jambe waist high through second to attitude back. Open the right arm side and then up and continue turning, leg coming into passé, and bring the right arm forward. Fall forward on the right foot. Repeat the rond de jambe pas de bourrée turning and fouetté through attitude across the room. (On pas de bourrée, the legs must be very turned out and the ankles touching, and there should be a quality of hanging from the up-stretched right arm in attitude before bringing the leg and arm into the passé position.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 92 13. Petit Allegro, Assemblé and Tour Start left side of room, fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] Large glissade to a small fourth position. [CT&2] Sauté as if for assemblé side, meaning battement the right leg side. In the air carry the left leg behind the right, ending in a deep fourth arabesque. Plié on the right foot. The arms move out, and then the right arm comes down into fourth arabesque. [CT&3] Assemblé the left foot back. [CT&4] Tour en dehors to the left, ending left foot front, fifth position croisé front, and repeat the step across the floor. (Keep the back up in arabesque, and in the fourth arabesque go into a deeper and deeper plié, lifting the leg and elongating the line, letting the body go slightly more forward. But remember that the movement is continuous. The plié does not stop but moves into the next position.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 144 14. Grand Allegro, Grand Jeté Start left side of the room. Point left foot front croisé: [CT&1] Pas couru. [CT&2] Grand jeté to first arabesque and slide the left foot across to croisé front with the heel forward and looking front. Repeat across the floor. (Balanchine wanted a high battement front on grand jeté, and then with both legs at the same height, he wanted the quality of sitting on the air and traveling forward. He was not as interested in a perfect split position as he was in the quality of hovering in the air.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 144

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15. Grand Allegro, Grand Jeté Start left side of room, pointing left foot front croisé: [CT&1] Pas couru. [CT&2] Grand jeté to second arabesque. [CT&3] Pas couru. [CT&4] Grand jeté with left leg front to third arabesque croisé, etc., across the floor. TEMPO: 3/4  = 152

16. Grand Allegro, Cabriole

Start from left side of room, pointing left foot front croisé: [CT&1] Step arabesque sauté on the right. [CT&2] Tombé left foot across. [CT&3&4] Glissade cabriole effacé front fouetté ending in first arabesque. [ON&] Small sauté on the left, bringing the right foot through a low passé and opening to effacé front as the preparation to repeat the step across the floor. (Correction: Continue traveling side through the entire step including jump in cabriole fouetté, making sure that the heels are turned out and forward, especially on preparations.)

17. Échappé with Beats

TEMPO: 3/4  = 138

Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé side to toe. [CT&2] Demi-plié in second position. [CT3&4] Jump, beat right leg back, front, back, ending in fifth position, right foot back. Repeat eight times, alternating right and left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 72

The fouetté turns in step 12 remind me of a day in Paris. We had a stage rehearsal at the Opera. There is a studio directly behind the stage, which is reached by two or three steps down. It has the same rake as the stage, the same incredible gilt decor and chandeliers as the front of the house, a barre along the walls, and a mirror at the far end. The Paris Opera dancers were taking class, and the female dancers were doing this particular step across the floor. However, they were doing it in slow motion with the most perfect turnouts, high extensions, and magnificent attitude into a perfect passé, stepping down on the most turned out foot and throwing in a couple of double turns here and there. Balanchine had set Palais de Crystal for them before setting it for his company as Symphony in C. 152 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Eighteen In this exercise, Balanchine again stressed the sharp flick of the foot lifting to sur le cou-depied on the count of &1. It continued up the front of the leg into the passé position when doing développé front with the head rising up simultaneously with the leg and the eyes coming up with the head and looking out and slightly lifted.

1. Développé Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1&2&3] Développé front croisé with the left arm up with the head tilted slightly to the right and the eyes focused in the same direction. [CT4] Lower the leg through fifth position without putting any weight on the foot, but pass through the fifth. [CT1–4] Développé croisé front again with the right arm up, the head looking out from under the arm. Lower the leg to fifth position. [CT1–4] Immediately développé straight front, arms coming to the center and opening to the sides. [CT1–4] Repeat développé front but arms together and then up overhead and opening as the leg lowers to fifth. [CT1–4] Immediately développé to effacé front, the head tilted a little left, chin up, and eyes focused toward left front corner. (Remember to cross leg to center of the body.) As the leg lowers into fifth and turn body to écarté position. [CT1–4] Immediately développé to écarté front. (Right shoulder slightly forward, the head toward the right front corner looking out from behind the elbow, eyes lifted to right front corner.) Close fifth position front. [CT1–8] Développé the

left leg to first arabesque. Relevé and close the left foot front with straight knees. Repeat the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 88 2. Développé Fifth position, right foot front:

[CT1–8] Développé the right leg straight front, arms together in front, and grand rond de jambe, arms and leg opening side, and then the leg continues to arabesque straight back. The head tilts a little left over the supporting leg. Close fifth back. [CT1–8] Reverse the exercise. Développé straight back, arms together. Open arms and leg to the side, carry the leg to the front, and close fifth. Repeat the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 88 Classes from the 1950s / 153

3. Développé, Arabesque Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1&1] Flick the right foot up to sur le cou-de-pied and [CT2–4] continue up the front of the leg to passé, arms together. From this position, turn the supporting heel forward, open to first arabesque facing the left side of the room. (Feel as if the palms of the hands were resting on air. Take a small breath, lifting the left wrist very slightly.) [CT5–8] Penché. (Leg must be held centered behind the body, and the extended leg should pull out and back as the front arm pulls forward, holding the back up, and holding the back arm in alignment with the front arm, not letting it drop or lift.) Bring the body up, relevé, and close fifth back facing front. Do

the exercise to the left.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 88 4. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Développé front slowly and lower the leg to tendu front. [CT5– 8] Bring the foot through fifth and flick up. As the leg goes to passé, relevé and développé front again, coming down to tendu position. Repeat the exercise to the side and the back, and then do the exercise to the left. (If the supporting knee is well pulled up, it helps lock the extended position.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 100 5. Développé Fifth position croisé, left foot front: [CT1–8] Développé the right foot to attitude back croisé with the head slightly to the left and the chin lifted. Promenade to the left, leaving the head in the same position, making a full circle and close fifth back. [CT9– 16] Développé the right leg to attitude back effacé with the head lifted to the right front corner. Leave the head in this position and promenade to the left again and close fifth back. (The quality of this step should be like a statue revolving on a pedestal.) Repeat the step to the left, with left leg. TEMPO: 3/4  = 100

154 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

6. Petit Allegro, Échappé with Beats Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Jump échappé to second position. [CT&2] Small sauté in second position. [CT&3] Sauté with the legs beating, right foot front and back, finishing in fifth position with the left foot front. [CT4] Hold and straighten knees. [CT5–8] Repeat with the left foot. [CT&1] Jump straight up with the legs opening out to the side. [CT&2] Beat the right leg in front and open the legs ending in second position demi-plié. [CT&3] Jump up and beat the right leg in front and end in second position demi-plié. [CT&4] Jump from second, and close fifth with the left foot front, straighten the knees, and demi-plié again to start the step to the left. [CT1–8] Repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 7. Assemblé and Échappé Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1&2] Glissade assemblé with beats (entrechat cinq or cinq de volé). [CT&3&4] Échappé jump to second and fifth ending with the left foot front. Repeat the step across the floor. (Correction: On glissade, open the first leg with great energy. Hover just above the ground in second position, and immediately pull the second leg across into a slight fourth, putting the full weight on the second foot in order to take off for the assemblé. But do not sit or stop the momentum. Musically the glissade almost seems to begin a little late so as to do it so quickly as if catching up without any pauses. For the entrechat cinq, kick the first leg out very high and, while beating the legs, continue to travel to the right side.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 56 8. Petit Allegro Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Small assemblé directly back with the left foot. [CT2] Soubresaut. [CT3&4] Sissonne moving straight front ending in low attitude with the left foot up, and hold the position and continue the step. (Correction: The assemblé is small, the soubresaut a little bigger, and the sissonne is even bigger. On the sissonne, the

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arms open out to the sides, slightly below the shoulder with the palms slightly upward, and the head over the supporting leg, rather Bournonville.) After the soubresaut, take a

deep breath and hold the demi-plié with the heels barely touching the floor, like a cat. (Do not sit in the demi-plié, but use it as a spring.) Do the step eight times moving forward, quite slowly, and then repeat the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 56

156 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Nineteen 1. Plié Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1&2] Grand plié in fifth done quickly. Do four grands pliés in all, and repeat with the left foot front. (Correction: On fast grand plié, don’t just drop down, but lift up using the force of the legs opening and then quickly push up.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 96 2. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Développé straight front slowly and lower the leg, but do not pause in fifth position. [CT5–8] Simply slide the foot through fifth and flick up, and développé front again, immediately rising up to half-pointe, lower supporting heel as leg descends to tendu, close fifth position. Repeat side and back. Do the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 100 3. Tendu and Pas de Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu side with the right foot, close back. [CT2] Tendu side, close front. [CT&3] Tendu side ending in sur le cou-de-pied back demi-plié. [ON&] Pas de bourrée ending with the right foot front in sur le cou-depied in demi-plié. [CT4] Pas de bourrée over, ending in fifth position, with the left foot front. Repeat the exercise to the left. Do eight times. (Correction: The last tendu before sur le cou-de-pied should be done with such energy that the pas de bourrée should almost feel as if done in the air, both knees very straight, the legs very turned out. The concept is fifth and fifth with no opening to first position. The legs should appear to go around each other and not out. The end position descends into demi-plié, the heels remain up as the knees begin to flex, and the heels begin to lower softly at the last moment.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 Classes from the 1950s / 157

4. Pas de Bourrée Starting at the right side of the room with the left foot front: [CT&1] Coupé the right foot in back with demi-plié on the left foot, and fast pas de bourrée and demi-plié in fifth and straighten the knees. [CT&2] Dégagé the right leg side in demi-plié and fast pas de bourrée over, right foot front and back. End in demi-plié with the right foot in coupé back, and repeat the step across the floor. (The coupé is done [ON&], the pas de bourrée on [CT1], the opening dégagé is [ON&], and the pas de bourrée is [CT2]). Do the step across the floor and then from the left.

5. Pas de Bourrée

TEMPO: 6/8  = 112

Fifth position, right foot front: [ON&] Demi-plié dégagé the left leg to effacé back, [CT&1] and pas de bourrée demi-plié in fifth. [ON&] Dégagé the right foot effacé back demiplié. [CT2] Pas de bourrée and continue the step coming forward. (Correction: The leg should be drawn in with such strength that the pas de bourrée almost flies off the floor. The legs are very close together, and the steps should move forward rather than from side to side.)

6. Pas de Bourrée

TEMPO: 6/8  = 112

Fifth position, right foot front: The same step moving back. [ON&] Demi-plié. Dégagé the right leg into effacé front and pas de bourrée over, continuing to move back, etc. TEMPO: 6/8  = 112 7. Pas de Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front, moving forward: [ON&] Open the right foot front to effacé demi-plié. On [CT1] step out on the right foot in effacé and pas de bourrée. Repeat the step coming forward. TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 158 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

8. Pas de Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front, moving back: [ON&] Dégagé the left foot back in effacé demi-plié. Step back. [CT1] Pas de bourrée over. TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 9. Pas de Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: [ON&] Dégagé the right foot to the side in demi-plié. [CT1] Bring the right foot to fifth position back on toe and pas de bourrée turn en dehors to the right. [ON&] Dégagé the left foot side in demi-plié. [CT2] Pas de bourrée without turning. The left foot closes back and front. [ON&] Dégagé the right foot side in demi-plié. [CT1] Pas de bourrée, turning to the left, right foot front and back (en dedans). [ON&] Dégagé the left foot side in demiplié. [CT2] Pas de bourrée without turning, left foot front and back, and continue the step. Then do the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 92 10. Pas de Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: Same step done faster. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116 11. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre and Pas de Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Entrechat quatre, but the landing brushes through fifth, and before the heels are totally down, dégagé the left leg to effacé back. [CT&2] Pas de bourrée. (Always under yourself, not out.) [CT3&4] Two entrechat quatres. Repeat to the left. Repeat the step eight times. TEMPO: 6/8  = 63

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12. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Quatre Etc. Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Entrechat quatre. [CT&2] Entrechat trois ending with the right foot back in coupé. [CT&3] Pas de bourrée. [CT&4] Entrechat quatre. [CT&5] Entrechat cinq ending with the left foot in coupé back. [CT6–8] Open the left foot dégagé side and pas de bourrée over, left foot front and back, and continue the pas de bourrée in place, back and front, without coming off toe. On [CT8] lower the heels. Repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 76 13. Petit Allegro, Entrechat Six and Échappé This step is done in the count of three, but musically it ends on the sixteenth count: [CT&1] Exhale demi-plié. [CT2] Entrechat six. [CT&3&4] Two small jumped échappés. The plié from the last échappé goes up into the entrechat six. (The plié at the end of the second échappé is the exhalation for the entrechat six. Use arms and head on the échappé, arms opening and closing to a small, low position. Smile on the échappé and look stern on the entrechat six.) Repeat eight times.

TEMPO: 3/4  = 66 14. Sauté in First Position First position: Sixteen tiny sautés in first with no demi-plié, fast, pointing the toes very hard. TEMPO: 4/4  = 152 15. Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Sixteen slow big changements. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66

160 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

Class Twenty 1. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Three grands battements front and one tendu with the right foot to the side, closing fifth back (battement [ON&], return to fifth [ON1]). [CT&5– 8] Repeat battement to the left side and repeat combination again. Then reverse, doing it to the back. (Correction: The same as the tendu going forward, lead with the heel from fifth. Do the battement with speed and energy. Balanchine would hold his palm at the height at which he wanted the leg to kick, and we were to hit his hand with our foot. The descent is controlled, and the sense of continuous movement ending in the tendu and the closing to fifth is actually the beginning of the next battement. The battement front must be crossed to the center of the body, and if doing the step with the right leg, the left shoulder is locked slightly forward, which gives a great sense of control to the movement.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 84 2. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Fast développé front croisé with the left arm up and close to fifth. [CT3&4] Repeat développé croisé front, but with the right arm up and close fifth. [CT&5&6] Repeat développé croisé front, but with both arms up. [CT7] Leave leg up, relevé without demi-plié on the left leg, and lower the leg to tendu front. [CT8] Lower the left heel, simultaneously opening the arms, and close fifth. Repeat the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 3. Renversé Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [ON&] Demi-plié on the right foot and coupé the left foot in back with the right arm down and the left arm out. [CT1&2] Plié on the left foot as the right foot starts the battement front, relevé on the left, and continue into a large renversé, arms up and opening out to the sides, ending in a deep

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arabesque plié croisé. [CT3&4] Piqué back onto the right leg and pas de bourrée turned toward the right shoulder with passés, lifting left foot and right, and one more passé with the left foot, ending with the left foot front in preparation for repeating the step to the left. Very slow. TEMPO: 2/4  = 60 4. Renversé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié and slide the left foot out to the side and soutenu to the right. [CT2] Demi-plié in fifth position. [CT&3&4] Slow double pirouette to the right en dehors ending with the right foot still up. Demi-plié on the left. [CT5&6] Relevé and renversé as before, ending in arabesque. [CT7&8] Very fast pas de bourrée with passés lifting the feet. Plié on the right foot. Repeat combination to the right, eight times in all. TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 5. Turns in Second Position Left foot pointing front croisé: [CT&1] Pas couru to the right, ending with the left foot tendu front croisé in demi-plié with the arms open to the sides. [CT&2] Bringing the arms together and into position, relevé on the right as the left leg goes through passé into first arabesque with the head held high. [CT&3] Bring the left leg down through first and to fourth position front. [CT&4] Soutenu to the left. [CT&1] From fifth position half-toe, take the left leg forward to fourth position with the left arm in front. [CT&2] A very slow sustained turn en dedans in second position with the arms up. (Just lift the leg and sail around.) [CT&3] Finish with the right foot front in fifth position in demi-plié with the head and body slightly to the right, arms opening low with the palms up. [CT&4] Step back on the left, pointing the right foot front croisé, and repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 116

162 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

6. Preparation for Bourrée on Toe The following steps are on pointe: [CT&1–8] Starting in fifth position with the right foot front sous-sus, and the following step is done very sharply almost as if marching. Lift the right foot front, up to midcalf, and put it down. Lift the left foot in back, and then put it down. Do eight in all. [CT1–8] Repeat moving the feet double time. [CT1–8] Lift the feet even faster. And [CT1–8] bourrée in place as fast as possible. (It should sound like a drum roll. The lifting of the foot must be very sharp as if dancing on hot coals.) Repeat the step to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 108 7. Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–16] On preparation, plié sous-sus, moving from left to right, very slow bourrée, using both legs very quickly, holding the legs together, and trying not to travel. TEMPO: 4/4  = 108 8. Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: Preparation plié sous-sus. [CT1–8] Bourrée from the left side of the room to the right with the right arm up, traveling. End in a pointe tendu, with the left foot croisé front in demi-plié, and draw the left foot into fifth position as the right foot rolls up to pointe, and repeat the step to the left. (Do not let your feet separate. Feel as if the back leg were crossing behind and almost leading the way. The body should lean in the direction of the bourrée.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 108 9 Bourrée Fifth position, right foot front: Preparation, plié sous-sus. [CT1–8] Bourrée straight forward (feeling that the

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back foot is kicking or forcing the front foot forward.) [CT9–16] Reverse, moving

back, and then repeat the step to the left.

TEMPO: 4/4  = 108 The following step is used in several of Balanchine’s ballets, especially in the first movement of Symphony in C. 10. Chassé Start from the left back corner of the room, with the right foot front fifth position croisé. Move diagonally toward right front corner: Chassé on toe in effacé. (Bring the back foot in strongly toward the front foot, the feet held in a tight fifth position in the air and continuing all on pointe across the room, arms to the sides, head over the left shoulder looking front. And really jump!)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 96 11. Piqué Starting from the left back corner of the room, fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT1–16] Piqué out onto the right foot, the left foot into passé behind the knee, arms and head in écarté position with the head looking right from behind the elbow. Repeat sixteen times. (Do not jump out to toe in this step, but glide onto toe on each piqué. Make sure that the leg that is stepping out to piqué is very turned out.) Repeat the step to the left, but this time, piqué to effacé front. Head front. (The leg that steps out must be totally turned out and crossed to the center of the body.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 108 12. Échappé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Échappé to second on pointe. [CT&2] Demi-plié in second. [CT&3&4] Sauté, beating the legs right foot front, back, front. Repeat the step, but now the left foot beats front, back, front. Do the step eight times. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 164 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

1.10

Classes from the 1960s

In 1968 I had the opportunity to observe several of Balanchine’s company classes and to note a few of them down. It was a pleasure to see these wonderful dancers in class. Balanchine had truly achieved a company of the body type that he had envisioned, and the technical level was thrilling. By this time, pirouettes were done from a very large fourth position, with the back leg straight and the arms stretched out (not rounded) on the preparation. The women did the entire class on pointe. Balanchine seemed much more tolerant of exaggerations and personal idiosyncrasies than he had been in the 1950s. The extensions and arabesques were very high. The turnout was perfect, and consequently he gave few corrections, but the classes remained as challenging as ever.

Class One Barre 1. Grand Plié First position: Done in [1CT] going down, [2CTS] coming up, [CT4] tendu out to second position. Repeat plié in second position and tendu to fifth and plié in fifth position. Tendu side closing back and the fourth plié done in fifth position with the left foot front. TEMPO: 4/4  = 84

165

2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu out [ON&], come into the position [ON1]. [CT&1–4] Three tendus with the right foot straight front. One tendu side, with the right foot closing fifth position back, demi-plié. [CT5–8] Repeat to the back. Repeat the combination to the right again, and then do the combination to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 132 3. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–16] Do four tendus straight front, four to the side, four to the back, and four to the side. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 116 4. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–32] Eight fast tendus straight front, eight side, eight back, and eight side. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 69 5. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] Do two tendus dégagés straight front with straight knees. [CT3,4,5,6] Do two side closing fifth front, two side closing fifth back, and [CT7,8] two straight back (eight in all). The next measure starts with two to the side closing back, two to the side closing front, two directly front, and two to the side closing front. The third measure has two to the side closing back, two to the back, two to the side closing back, and two to the side closing front. The last measure is the same as the first. TEMPO: 6/8  = 100

166 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

6. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–5] Tendu dégagé is done faster—one to the front, one side closing fifth front, one side closing to first, one side closing fifth back, and one directly back. (Again, the tendu to the back is the beginning of the second measure. Just keep going to thirty-two counts.)

TEMPO: 2/4  = 120 7. Rond de Jambe par Terre First position: Simple rond de jambe par terre. Eight front and eight back, and repeat. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 8. Grand Rond de Jambe Right foot tendu back: [CT&1&2&3&4] Grand rond de jambe in battement. (Brush the right foot through first and into attitude front in effacé, not crossed over. Continue to arc the leg up through an enormous battement in second. The leg remains straight and turned out as it goes behind second to the tendu back position.) Repeat the battement. [CT&5&6]

Brush through first to a high attitude front, the head looking out from under the arm. [CT7&8] Brush through first into a very high attitude back, the right arm sweeping front, out, and up, with the head looking up and out away from the barre. Repeat. TEMPO: 4/4  = 84 9. Battement Right foot in tendu front, and reverse the step: [CT1,2,3&4] Brush the right foot to a low attitude back, not crossed and knee very turned out. Arc up to a battement side, and the leg comes forward very turned out, ending in a tendu front. Repeat the battement. [CT5,6,7,8] Repeat the attitude to the back and the front. TEMPO: 4/4  = 84

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10. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Fondue front to 45 degrees. [CT&2] Lower the foot to tendu front in demi-plié. [CT3&4] Without closing to fifth, bring the right foot to a wrapped sur le cou-de-pied position as the left knee straightens. [ON&] Bring the right foot up to the coupé position for starting the fondue, and repeat the fondue to the side, back, and side. (Balanchine said it should be like taffy.)

TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 11. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front: Same exercise done waist high, but keep the leg up when doing the demiplié, and then bring it to sur le cou-de-pied as before. TEMPO: 4/4  = 76 12. Développé to 90 Degrees Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Développé straight front and carry the leg to the side, and close fifth position front. [CT5–8] Développé side, carry the leg back, and close fifth position back. [CT1–4] Développé back, carry the leg to the side, and close fifth back. [CT5–8] Développé side and carry the leg to the front and close fifth. TEMPO: 3/4  = 80 13. Rond de Jambe en l’Air Fifth position, right foot front: [16CTS] Open the leg [ON&] sixteen ronds de jambe en l’air en dehors and close fifth. Do the step to the left, and then do the step in reverse, sixteen ronds de jambe en lair en dedans to the right, then to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 144 168 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

14. Rond de Jambe en l’Air Fifth position, right foot front: Rond de jambe en l’air done very fast. Three en dehors, hold the leg out on the fourth count, and reverse. Thirty-two in all. Then do the step to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 144

Center 1. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2&3&4] Grand battement done [ON&]. Do one to the front, one side, one back, and one side. Close in fifth position right foot back. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 100 2. Grand Battement Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CTS1–16] [ON&] Grand battement to croisé front with the left arm up [CT1] and lower the foot. [CT&2] Grand battement croisé front again, bringing the right arm out and up and the left arm out to the side. [CT&3] Grand battement to effacé front, with the left arm coming down and up and the right arm out to the side. (Shift to the next position at the beginning of the next battement.) [CT&4] Grand battement to écarté front, closing fifth right foot front. [CT&5] Grand battement to écarté again, the left arm coming down and up to join the right overhead, ending right foot fifth position back. [CT&6] Battement to first arabesque with the left arm overhead and right out to the side. [CT&7] (Again, shift on the beginning of the battement.) Battement to the fourth arabesque croisé. [CT8] Hold fifth position, preparing arms to begin the exercise to the left. (Correction: exaggerate the head position, looking out or under, with the head tilted, not just straight.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 112 Classes from the 1960s / 169

3. Port de Bras Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1,2] Simple port de bras, left arm going out and up overhead. [CT&3,4] Left arm opening to the side as the right arm comes out and overhead. [CT5–8] Open the right arm to the side and bring both arms down and up overhead. (On going up, the wrist leads with the fingers trailing out; on opening and coming down, the palm remains up and only turned as it reaches the side position and prepares to go to the next position.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 100 4. Port de Bras Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT&1,2] Extend left arm out and up. [CT&3&4] Move left arm out and right arm out and up. [CT&5&6] Right arm opens as left arm comes down and moves to third arabesque croisé. [CT7&8] Left arm comes overhead and back as right arm simultaneously comes down and forward to fourth arabesque croisé. (Correction: use torso, bending and stretching the side of the body on which the arm is moving up.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 100

The previous exercise, as well as the following ones, also appeared in Vladimiroff ’s classes and in Bourneville choreography. 5. Circular Port de Bras Fifth position croisé, left foot front: [CT&1] Demi-plié and step forward onto the left foot, pointing right foot back croisé. Bring arms together as the foot slides forward, ending with the right arm up and the left arm out in the usual tendu position, head looking forward to the left. [CT&2&3] Start circular port de bras with bending back. (Start demi-plié in fourth, but do not drop the right heel. The body and the right arm sweep forward and down, the hand almost touching the floor. Continue into a circular port de bras, dropping the right heel, transferring the weight to the right foot, and lifting the left heel. As the right arm sweeps back, the left arm comes down to the floor, bending well to the right. Left arm crosses to the right side of the body, the legs straighten in a tendu with the left foot front, continuing to bend back, the left arm sweeping overhead followed by the right and come up from the back bend with the right arm up.) 170 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

[CT4] Step through fourth position in demi-plié and end in a tendu with the right foot pointing back. (Correction: there are no pauses. The entire movement and preparation are continuous, reminiscent of a baseball pitcher winding up in slow motion.) [CT&5] Large fourth position preparation with the left arm front and

the right arm opening side and the head turning slightly to the right side. Simultaneously, the left arm comes down along the body and forward. The head comes forward, and without any pause there is a slight stretch and pushing from the back foot). [CT6&7] Turn slowly in attitude en dedans to the left. The right arm comes down and up with a sense of the right arm chasing after the left arm, which is opening to the side. (In this turn Balanchine wanted the feeling of slowly sailing while looking at the lifted right arm.) [CT&8] Finish the turn in attitude croisé back. Hold the position and brush through first into the tendu position for starting the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 92

This step moves from the front of the room to the back. 6. Grand Allegro, Tour Jeté B+ on right: [CT&1] Piqué forward onto the left foot into arabesque, with the arms out to the side parallel with the head. [CT&2] Chassé straight back, leaving the head front until the last moment. [CT3] Tour jeté, arms up and out. [CT4] End in fourth position. [CT5] Keeping the right foot flat on the floor, carry the left foot in a high passé around to the back. (Stretch arms out and then up, and cross the wrists as the arms come down in front of the body.) [CT6] End in a very deep fourth position. (Back arched, chin up, and the back leg straight.) [CT7] Pirouette en dehors, with arms sweeping down and up with crossed wrists but moving quickly to the position overhead. [CT8] At the end of the double pirouette, open to a very turned out high arabesque in demi-plié, arms out with the left arm higher and the head slightly to the right. [CT&1] Brush through first position, and prepare to start the step to the other side. TEMPO: 6/8  = 138 7. Fondue and Relevé Fifth position croisé, right foot front, on the left side of the room: [ON&] Bring the left foot around into a large deep failli to croisé front. [CT1] Relevé on the left foot while doing an enormous fondue to écarté Classes from the 1960s / 171

front with the right foot up. [CT&2] Fall out on the right foot and relevé on it doing an enormous fondue with the left foot to écarté with the back to the audience. [CT&3] Continue into a chassé with the left foot front, traveling to the right. Step out on the left foot [CT&4] and relevé as right leg brushes through first position to attitude back effacé facing front, and continue to turn en dehors ending in attitude croisé. [CT&5] Demi-plié. [CT6] A jumped contretemps ending, stepping out with the left foot in demi-plié. [CT7,&8] Soutenu to the left, arms down and up, ready to begin the step to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 144 8. Échappé and Passé Fifth position, right foot front: This step is done on pointe. CT1–4] Four fast échappés side. [CT5–8] Four passés relevés with the right and left feet moving back. [CT1–4] Four échappés. [CT5–8] Three changements done with the changing of the foot at the beginning of the changement. Repeat four times moving back and four times moving front. Arms low to the side for the échappé, and a slight wrist movement in and out over the passé leg and arms low on the changement. TEMPO: 2/4  = 138

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Class Two Barre 1. Plié First position: [CT1–4] Two demi-pliés. [CT5–8] One grand plié. Repeat. Same in second and fifth position, right foot front and tendu side closing back, and repeat in fifth position with the left foot front. TEMPO: 4/4  = 66 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Eight tendus each way, accenting with the leg out [ON&]. TEMPO: 2/4  = 108 3. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–8] Fast tendus, four to the front, two side, four back, and two side. Forty-eight counts in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 72 4. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Very fast tendu, two front, one side, two back, and one side. Sixteen sets of three counts. TEMPO: 6/8  = 126

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5. Tendu First position, tendu dégagé to first: Side only, very fast. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 126 6. Rond de Jambe par Terre First position: Medium tempo, done four to the front and four to the back Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 58 7. Rond de Jambe Par Terre First position: [CT1–6] Three very fast small ronds de jambe par terre, and one grand rond de jambe battement. (As described in the previous class at the barre, exercise number 8.) Repeat the exercise three times, and on the fourth set do two more grand ronds de jambe battement. Repeat the exercise four times, and then do to the left, and then do the entire exercise to the back. TEMPO: 6/8  = 120 8. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front in tendu: [CT&1&2] Fondue front to tendu position, then brush through fifth position front. CT&3&4] Fondue front waist high and continue en croix. (When starting from fifth position, demi-plié on the left as the right comes up into the coupé position, preparatory for the fondue. The toes should slide along the floor and then up as if picking up marbles with the toes.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 88

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9. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Développé front with arm opening to the side. Lower leg. [CT5–8] Brush through first position to arabesque back, with arm at side. [CT1–4] Turn away from the barre, right leg moving through second position, and face left with the leg ending in front. [CT5–8] Brush through first position into first arabesque and penché, come up and close fifth, and repeat to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 108 10. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front, grand battement side only: Two grands battements side, closing back and front. Dégagé side and flicflac, front and back not turning, and immediately lift to a very high attitude back, close fifth position back, and repeat, but all the attitudes are to the back. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126

Center 1. Tendu through Fourth Fifth position croisé, left foot front: [CT&1] With demi-plié, step forward through fourth position, ending in a tendu with the right foot croisé back. [CT&2] Reverse the movement, demi-plié in fourth, changing the weight to the back foot, and straighten up to a tendu croisé with the left foot front. The arms come together and out to the side below the shoulder. Repeat eight times to the right and then to the left. (This exercise is as much about keeping the heels forward as about the use of the hand. When the hands are coming together from the sides, the inner wrists come toward each other, then the palms turn slightly forward and the back of the wrists lead out. The head inclines slightly over the supporting leg in demi-plié and out over the other supporting leg on tendu. The heel rotates forward as the foot is lifted into tendu.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 100 Classes from the 1960s / 175

2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Eight tendus side with the right foot closing back and front. Arms slowly coming together and opening. One set of arms for all eight tendus. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 56 3. Port de Bras Fifth position croisé, right foot front, arms low to the side: This exercise is only for port de bras. [CT&1] Hands come together in a low position, the wrists turn, and as the arms begin to open side, the palms come very slightly forward. [CT&2] As the hands begin to lower, the fingers come up and the wrists drop lower, ending low at the sides. (As the palms come forward and unfold, there is a slight acceleration and lift, as if to surprise someone with a small gift in your hand. Balanchine would use the French word voila, and he asked that the fingers be spread with each in its own place.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 96 4. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [CT1–8] Eight tendus croisé front, with the right foot. On the first two tendus, the right arm lifts out and up. On the second two tendus, the right arm opens and the left arm continues down, up, and out. On the third two tendus, both arms come down and forward, opening to third arabesque croisé, with the left arm front and the right arm side. On the fourth two tendus, the left arm opens, the wrists drop a little, and the arms come down and up overhead. (Balanchine wanted exaggerated head positions. On the first two tendus, the head bends a little left. On the second two, the head bends to the right. On the third set, the chin is raised, and on the fourth set, the head bends to the right again; however, the eyes remain toward the audience.) Repeat, and then do the exercise to the left.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 100

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5. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Same exercise, but reverse the arms. Start with the left arm up and out, then the right, then arms together into fourth arabesque croisé, with the right arm front and the left back, and then with the arms coming down and up overhead. TEMPO: 6/8  = 100 6. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: Same exercise with slight variation. Seven tendus front, and the eighth tendu with the right foot to the side and close back. Repeat to the left. On the first step with the right leg doing tendu front, do the first version of the arms. On the second set with the left foot front, do the second version of the arms. On the third set with the right leg, repeat the second version of the arms, and on the fourth set with the left leg, repeat the first version of the arms. TEMPO: 6/8  = 100 7. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Tendu right foot side. [CT&2] Demi-plié in second position. [CT&3] Straighten up and point the left foot side and bend to the right, with the left arm coming out and overhead and the right arm coming in front of the body. [CT&4] Straighten up, arms coming together in front and out to the side, closing the left foot front. Repeat to the left. (There should be an exaggerated deep demi-plié and a very large bending away from the leg.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 96 8. Rond de Jambe en l’Air Fifth position, right foot front: [ON &] Dégagé the right leg out to the side. [CT1&2] Two slow ronds Classes from the 1960s / 177

de jambe en l’air. [CT3&4] Three faster ronds de jambe. [CT&1] Slide the right foot through and across to croisé front, demi-plié, coupé the left foot. [CT&2] Fast pas de bourrée, ending fifth on toe with the left foot front (legs well crossed). [CT&3] Demi-plié in fifth position. [CT&4] Straighten up and prepare to do dégagé with the left foot and repeat the step to the left. Now reverse the step, doing rond de jambe en dedans, sliding the foot back to croisé, but repeating the same pas de bourrée (do not reverse). (Reminder: Starting in fifth position on toe or half-toe, slide front toes out and release the knees while still on the balls of the feet, and then lower the heels into demi-plié.)

TEMPO: 6/8  = 144 9. Relevé and High Dégagé Fifth position croisé, right foot front: [ON&] Coupé left foot up in demi-plié. [CT 1] Drop down onto the left foot. [CT2] Relevé as the right leg brushes out into a very high écarté position. [CT&3] Slide the right foot across to the left side, croisé front. [CT&4] Pas de bourrée, ending on pointe, and prepare to do the step to the left TEMPO: 6/8  = 152 10. Renversé Fifth position croisé right foot front: [ON&] Slide the right foot forward through fourth, ending in a tendu with the left foot croisé back, and coupé the left foot behind. [CT&1&2] Relevé on left foot and do an enormous high renversé with the right leg, with the arms moving out and then up and forward, ending in deep arabesque croisé in demi-plié. Bring arms together in front of the body. [CT3&4] Opening the arms to the side, bring right foot through first position and step forward, preparing the right foot to repeat the step. Repeat four times, and then do this exercise to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120

178 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

11. Renversé Fifth position croisé right foot front: The same as number 10, but this time the right arm swings out and up on the renversé and then forward for demi-plié and on [CT3&4] pas de bourrée with passés turned toward the right shoulder and slide left foot through and forward. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 120 12. Échappé on Pointe Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1–4] Three fast échappés side on pointe and one changement jumped. (Jumping with legs absolutely together, leaving no space as the feet pass first position to fifth with the left foot front.) Repeat step four times and do left foot.

TEMPO: 2/4  = 88 13. Changement The same exercise done with Italian changement: The toes touch with slightly bent knees as the feet pass through first. TEMPO: 2/4  = 88 14. Changement Sixteen Italian changements. TEMPO: 6/8  = 92

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1.11

Classes from the 1970s April 1, 1970

Class Three Barre 1. Plié First position: Each plié will be done in three counts—two grand pliés in first position, two in second position, two in fifth position right foot front, and two in fifth position left foot front. TEMPO: 3/4  = 84 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu without demi-plié all straight, done four each way en croix. (Medium slow tempo.) Thirty-two counts in all. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 3. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu done faster but to the side, closing back and front. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 69

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4. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Tendu dégagé the same as above. TEMPO: 4/4  = 138 5. Rond de Jambe par Terre First position: Eight en dehors and eight en dedans, and repeat. TEMPO: 6/8  = 126 6. Grand Rond de Jambe Right foot pointing back: Grand rond de jambe battement. Brush through first and développé through effacé into a very high straight leg, battement side, and holding the turnout, lower the leg to tendu back. Arm remains side. Repeat the movement three times and brushing

through first, grand battement front to tendu front, and reverse. TEMPO: 3/4  = 132 7. Frappé Pointing in second position:

[CT&1–3] Frappé one front, one side, one back. On [CT4] three frappés to the side, then reverse the entire step. [CT1,2,3] Three ronds de jambe en l’air. [CT4] Double rond de jambe en l’air ending in demi-plié, point side. Reverse. TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 8. Frappé The same step, done faster: The frappé to the side are double frappés. TEMPO: 4/4  = 69 Classes from the 1970s / 181

9. Fondue Start pointing side: [CT&12] Fondue quite fast to above waist height, done one each way, and then repeat on toe. (The fondue must roll up. There should not be a hint of jumping up to toe.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 116 10. Développé Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Développé quickly to the front. [CT2] Hold. [CT3&4] Lower the leg. Repeat side, back, side. [CT&1] Développé front. [CT2] Carry the leg side. [CT3&4] Lower the leg closing fifth position back, and reverse the exercise. Développé back, and carry the leg to the side and close. Développé side, carry the leg to the front and close. [CT1] Développé front in one count. [CT2] Grand rond de jambe to the back. [CT3&4] Lower the leg, and starting from the back, reverse with the grand rond de jambe to the front. TEMPO: 3/4  = 138

Center 1. Tendu and Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Three tendues directly front and grand battement front. [CT5– 8] Same step to the side. [CT1–4] Same step to the back. [CT5–8] Tendu directly back. Drop heel into a large fourth position, and pirouette en dehors. Repeat the exercise to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 116

182 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–3] Three dégagés side closing back, front, back. [CT4] The fourth dégagé goes into demi-plié. [CT&5] Pas de chat to the right. [CT&6] End in a large fourth position. [CT7&8] Pirouette en dehors. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 4/4  = 104 3. Pirouette Starting on left side of room, B+ with right foot back: [CT&1–4] Tombé pas de bourrée, pas de chat to fourth, and pirouette en dehors ending in fourth position, done across the floor. Balanchine stressed that in the pas de chat, he wanted the feeling of both legs being held in the air simultaneously, but also the feeling of the legs passing each other. This means that as the right knee begins to lower, the left knee is still lifting. Musically one, two, and.

TEMPO: 6/8  = 126 4. Échappé on Pointe and Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Four fast échappés to second on pointe. On [CT5] échappé out to second on toe and [CT6] immediately from toe both legs move to fourth position simultaneously, the right leg back ending with a straight knee. [CT7&8] Double pirouette en dehors. Do step to the left. TEMPO: 2/4  = 66 5. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: Grand battement done one each way. The last side battement closes right foot fifth back. Repeat to the left. (The grand battement should be very high.) TEMPO: 6/8  = 144

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Class Four Barre 1. Plié First position: [CT&1–6] Six fast demi-pliés, one count for each. (Plié [ON&] and straighten [ON1].) [CT&78] One grand plié. Do the same exercise in second position, fourth position, and fifth position, then repeat to the left. TEMPO: 6/8  = 152 2. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: One tendu each way (no demi-plié). Medium slow. Sixteen in all. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 3. Tendu Same exercise done in dégagé: Medium tempo. TEMPO: 6/8  = 88 4. Tendu Fifth position, right foot front: Fast dégagé, side only. Closing to first and then fifth back, and first and fifth front. Sixteen in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 63

184 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

5. Tendu First position: Three dégagés side to first and hold the fourth count in first. Perform very quickly. TEMPO: 4/4  = 84 6. Rond de Jambe par Terre First position: Rond de jambe par terre done sixteen front and sixteen back. Two counts for each rond de jambe, opening out to second on the first count and finishing the circle on the second count. TEMPO: 6/8  = 63 7. Rond de Jambe par Terre First position: Rond de jambe par terre, small and fast. Four times front ending in tendu front and four times back ending in tendu back. Thirty-two in all. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120 8. Frappé Tendu side: Frappé only to the side, medium fast. Thirty-two in all. The pianist hits a chord on the first count, and the dancers beat out the rhythm with their toes for the next seven counts, then the pianist hits a chord again for the first count. TEMPO: 4/4  = 120

Classes from the 1970s / 185

9. Frappé The same step but with double frappé: Sixteen in all. TEMPO: 6/8  = 88 10. Frappé The same step: Single frappé, but done faster. Sixteen in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 144 11. Fondue Tendu side position: [CT&1,2] Fondue done one each way, waist high (with great care to present the foot at the end of each extension), and repeat. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 12. Fondue Tendu side position, done on toe: The same exercise done on toe. Medium slow tempo. TEMPO: 4/4  = 92 13. Grand Battement Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1&2] One grand battement front, one side, [CT3&4] one back, and brushing through first balançoire front closing fifth position, right foot front. [CT1&2] One grand battement side closing back, one grand battement back. [CT3&4] Brush through first, grand battement balançoire front and back, ending fifth position right foot back. [CT1&2] One grand battement side, one grand battement front. [CT3&4] Brush through first, grand

186 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

battement balançoire to the back and front, ending fifth position right foot front. [CT1&2] One grand battement side closing back, one grand battement to the back. [CT3&4] Grand battement balançoire front and back. TEMPO: 6/8  = 144

Center 1. Sous-sus and Dégagé Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The pianist plays a waltz, but the dancers move in counts of five. [ON&] Demi-plié and [CT1] sous-sus, arms down. [CT2] Remaining on toe, raise arms overhead. [CT3] Dégagé the right leg to second, arms opening out to the sides. [CT4] Close fifth back on toe. [CT5] Demi-plié in fifth and continue to the left. The last phrase will finish on toe with the left foot front. TEMPO: 4/4  = 56 2. Tendu Fifth position croisé, right foot front: The legs will move in counts of four. The arms will move in sets of three. Four tendus croisé front, arms coming front and up overhead. (The arms will change after the third tendu.) Four tendus directly front, with the arms opening to the side. (The arms will come down after the second tendu.) Four tendus effacé front. (The arms will come slowly up on the second tendu.) Four tendus side. (The arms open side on the first tendu.) On the fourth tendu the arms are coming down. Start the step to the left, but continue the arms in counts of three. TEMPO: 3/4  = 132 3. Dégagé Fifth position croisé, right foot front, with dégagé: The same step done with dégagé. TEMPO: 2/4  = 72 Classes from the 1970s / 187

4. Dégagé and Pirouette Fifth position croisé, right foot front, with three dégagés: Three dégagés in each position. After the three dégagés side, take the right leg very quickly to fourth position back and double pirouette en dehors, and start to the left. The step is done in five sections. The music continues in four. TEMPO: 2/4  = 72 5. Glissade and Pirouette Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1–4] Two glissade to the right side, changing feet, right front and then left front. Quickly take the right leg back to fourth position and double pirouette en dehors, ending right foot back fifth position. [CT5–8] Two glissade to the right side, changing feet, right foot front and then left, and take the left foot front to fourth position and double pirouette en dedans. Close finishing right foot front. Repeat the step to the left TEMPO: 3/4  = 144 6. Glissade and Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1–4] Two glissades to the right, changing feet. The right foot quickly lifts around the ankle to fourth position back and double pirouette en dehors, ending right foot back. Repeat the step to the left. Do the exercise four times. (Use the shoulders with a little épaulement and head on glissade, and use the head sharply on pirouette.)

TEMPO: 3/4  = 144 7. Pas de Basque, Pas de Chat, and Pirouette Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Pas de basque front with right leg doing rond de jambe and the left with a small passé through first. With the arms opening front and side, end in a tendu with the right foot pointed back. [CT&2] Coupé the right 188 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 1

foot back in demi-plié and put the heel down and pas de chat to the left with développés, meaning the left leg does développé out to the side, and while in the air the right leg does développé out to the side ending on the right foot. [CT&3] Fast pas de bourrée ending in fifth on toe, left foot front. [CT&4] Take right leg back to fourth position, and immediately do two or three pirouettes en dehors. (The preparation for the turns should be invisible.) TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 8. Fondue Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Fondue relevé with right leg to second position on toe. [CT&2] Demi-plié on the left, with the right leg remaining up and relevé ending in attitude back effacé. [CT&3] Demi-plié on the left and relevé to first arabesque. [CT&4] Close fifth right back and sous-sus. (When doing demi-plié in second position, the head and wrists drop a little and then go into the position. Do the same when going into attitude effacé and to arabesque. On the sous-sus, the arms come up.) [CT5–8] Repeat the step to the left. [CT1–4] Repeat the step to the

right. [CT5–8] Tendu to croisé back with the right foot to fourth position, and pirouette en dehors. Repeat the step starting to the left. TEMPO: 3/4  = 126 9. Petit Allegro, Soubresaut, Changement, and Entrechat Six Fifth position, right foot front:

[CT&1] Soubresaut. [CT&2] Changement. [CT&3] Royale. [CT&4] Entrechat quatre. [CT&5] Entrechat six. [CT6&7] Two échappés side on pointe. [CT8] Hold. (Remember to exhale on demi-plié before entrechat six.) Medium fast tempo. TEMPO: 6/8  = 60 10. Petit Allegro, Brisé, and Entrechat Six Fifth position, left foot front: [CT&1] One brisé. [CT&2] Two changements. [CT&3] Entrechat six.

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[CT&4] Two soubresauts. (The soubresaut is to be done with almost no demi-plié.) Perform very quickly. TEMPO: 6/8  = 66 11. Changement Fifth position, right foot front: Four changements with demi-plié. Four sautés in first position with no demi-plié. Done four sets in all. TEMPO: 2/4  = 132

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1.12

Music Suggested for Balanchine Classes

Music for the barre and first four classes should be simple with a good beat. However, the students may be singing along rather than focusing on the execution of the step. The perfect solution would be a pianist who could use the music suggested below as a source and then improvise. The metronome settings give an idea of how fast or slow the step should be, and in almost all instances the step begins on “and.”

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2 Balanchine’s Way Basic Principles of Balanchine’s Method Exercises and Steps Pointe Class 1960 Company Class 1978 Una Kai

Introduction to Part 2

The notes for this book were begun in 1963 while I was traveling in Europe staging Balanchine’s ballets. I wanted to explain the technique I learned during the twelve years that I trained daily with him. He gave explicit explanations of how to produce beautiful movement, and he was also a man who understood the possibilities and limitations of pointe work. At the time when I began preparing notes for describing precise execution of traditional exercises, there were no books that explained how to achieve the movements—only explanations of how the steps appear. I continued to assemble my notes on Balanchine’s technique of the 1950s and was able to confirm certain movements with him. The work was finally completed in Copenhagen in 1979. During the intervening years, there have been translations of Russian books on technique that do attempt to explain methods. Not surprisingly, they are similar to what I learned from Balanchine.

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2.1

In the Beginning

Barbara “Basia” Walczak and I were students at the School of American Ballet when Balanchine needed dancers to form his company, and we will always remember how lucky we were to be in the right place at the right time. It was wonderful to be working with Balanchine during the early years when he was creating so many ballets. In order to shape his dancers so that we could perform his choreography in the way he desired, Balanchine started to train us in his style. We had come from different schools, and we needed to be unified. Balanchine gave two-hour classes that were designed to help us achieve “perfection,” as the advanced classes at the Kirov school were called. Balanchine’s intention was to speed up our development because he needed an instant company. The exercises that he devised are intended to improve technique and style. They are not a syllabus for systematic teaching. We spent much time on arm and hand movements coordinated with épaulement, as well as exercises for feet and legs. Balanchine always reminded us to make beautiful movements, not to become “zombies” due to concentration. Gesture was a word he used often. “Make a beautiful gesture with your leg. Show the audience your beautiful foot. ‘Here is my beautiful foot.’” The exercises were difficult, strenuous, and unpleasant to do. They require extreme effort and concentration in order to produce results. These classes are training in specific movements and in musicality. They do not progress in the usual order of exercises in classes intended for the practice of steps and combinations. Balanchine accelerated the process of developing us as performers by encouraging us to perfect execution of each simple exercise. There were never any complex combinations. During this period of training we were already performing in Ballet Society, the embryo company that became the New York City Ballet in October 1948. Balanchine was successful in his method, which resulted in an invitation for the New York City Ballet to perform in London in 1950, after little more than two years of intensive work. Having achieved his immediate goal, he gradually changed his classes. As he was able to recruit better

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trained dancers from the School of American Ballet, his classes became shorter but no less difficult. His combinations consist of only two or three steps and are always challenging. We who were his pupils in the early years became teachers, and with this book we hope to pass on the knowledge we gained from Balanchine, our Master.

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2.2

Balanchine’s Way1

Balanchine was always attempting to produce beautiful gestures, and all of his teaching was directed to that end. The legs must achieve utmost turnout, and jumps must be light and soundless. Probably the two most controversial elements in Balanchine training are the open placement of the hips in all positions of the leg to the back and jumping so that the heels never touch the ground. To dancers trained in other methods, these two points amount to heresy. Changing what has been learned from one’s first ballet lessons requires long indoctrination, as long as learning to dance in the first place. Balanchine had the patience to persist.

Turnout Since no more rotation is possible in the hip joint when the legs are already completely turned out in any of the five basic positions, compromise is needed when performing tendu or arabesque to the back. Adequate turnout cannot be achieved by continuing to hold the hips squarely facing front. By adjusting the body alignment, the dancer will be able to present a more beautiful line that will appear to be perfect. It helps to consider that the leg begins at the pelvis rather than at the hip joint for all movements to the back. The dancer should favor the working leg by tilting the pelvis up, thereby opening the hip toward the leg that is extended to the back. Meanwhile, there must be a counter twist in the torso, so that the shoulder on the side of the working leg does not swing back, creating what would be like a bad second position. If the dancer holds the hips in the squarely aligned position, to the back, which is correct for all movements to the front and side, the leg will inevitably be at least slightly turned in, with a little of the heel showing when the body is viewed in profile. Many old photographs show dancers with such line, but it is generally unacceptable today. When the leg is carried from the side to the back in rond de jambe while keeping the hips square, the leg will visibly roll over, and the thigh will turn Note: This chapter was originally published in Ballet Review, Winter 1998. 230 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

down instead of remaining turned out. By lifting the pelvis slightly during the rond de jambe, the turnout can be maintained and the movement will be smoother. The audience does not look at the dancer’s hips; the leg and foot are seen. Readjusting the body can achieve a better line. As Balanchine said, people are not made of wood, so muscles can be trained to reshape the body.

Jumping The desired effect of a jump is that the body appears to defy gravity, to fly up and descend softly with elasticity and without a sound. Putting the heel down on takeoff and landing does not facilitate the desired result but makes a jump laborious, fragmented, and heavy. The way to be light and quiet is to dance entirely on the balls of the feet, like tiptoeing. The natural way to land from a jump is to flex leg joints (ankle and knee) in order to achieve springlike resistance on landing. This means that the ankle must be flexed when landing on the ball of the foot, which will be demi-pointe, quarter-pointe, or three-quarter-pointe, depending on speed of execution. Putting the heel down can add nothing to the appearance, quality, or soundlessness of the landing, which is already complete. What distinguishes a natural jump from a jump in ballet is that the legs are held straight until the last moment before alighting. This was not always true. Many jumps and beats were performed with bent knees. Petit battements were developed as an exercise to facilitate speed for beats, but nowadays beats are performed with a straight leg. The best way to demonstrate that pressing the heel to the floor does not improve the appearance of the jump is the old French exercise that is practiced as follows: from a demi-plié, spring up and land descending into grand plié in one smooth movement. Then, from the grand plié, spring up without slowing and land with a demi-plié. It is possible to put the heels down while alighting or passing through on the way up, but it is effortful and does not improve the jump in any way. What is needed for a high jump is a lower plié than can be done with the heels on the floor. Control of the legs in a lower plié makes it possible to jump slowly without an extra bounce before takeoff. If the preparatory plié is not low enough to produce the desired high jump, the dancer instinctively increases it at the last moment. Detractors say that you will shorten your Achilles tendon and develop enlarged calf muscles by jumping without putting the heels down. New York City Ballet dancers who trained with Balanchine every day danced acBalanchine’s Way / 231

cording to his principles. They had no more Achilles tendon problems than other dancers and did not have enlarged calf muscles. There are also those who say that jumping without putting the heels down is sometimes done but that it is part of choreography! The whole point of class training is to learn what is to be performed onstage. The class should contain the methods to be employed in order to develop the desired movement habits. There are many types of jumps, but in Balanchine’s technique even small jumps are always high enough to allow a fully stretched foot while in the air. Big, slow jumps require takeoff and landing from quarter-pointe. Fast or small jumps require three-quarter-pointe. In Cechetti and Bournonville styles many small jumps are performed on the ball of the foot without stretching the ankle and knee. For that kind of jump, such as a series of ballonnés sautés, it would be impossible to put the heels down. Dancers have said that Balanchine’s method is painful and bad for the body. Muscular pain is different than pain from injury. Muscular pain disappears with continuous work. The dancers who did not understand this and refused to take Balanchine’s classes missed his coaching on how to achieve faster or slower beautiful moments; they refused to suffer temporary muscular aches and went elsewhere for their classes. The body is lazy, as Balanchine always used to say. Some dancers prefer a class that is like a massage, where every exercise is at a comfortable tempo. “Ballet is difficult and uncomfortable,” Balanchine said. “The only way to improve is to tax the body; otherwise, nothing happens. You can just go to sleep and forget about dancing. Ballet is now, not tomorrow or next week.” Many dancers trained with Balanchine daily, performed in his ballets for years, and never had an injury.

Glissade It has been my experience when teaching Balanchine’s ballets to dancers not trained in his technique that the ballets look very different, even though I tried to make the steps and movements as stylistically accurate as possible. After years of listening to corrections and watching how Mr. Balanchine achieved the desired effects, I felt that I understood the style and could convey it to the dancers. However, certain things were almost impossible to re-create, owing to different training. Glissade was one of the most difficult steps to impart. Dancers trained in other styles simply could not get away from the widespread legs in the preparation for a grand jeté, which makes the glissade look like the grand jeté itself rather than an inconspicuous preparation. 232 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

Balanchine’s glissade has all the weight transferred to the following leg, with the leading leg hardly touching the ground. From the first ballet lessons most dancers are taught to plié in fifth and slide one leg to the side, step on it, and close the other leg to fifth. The method invariably leads to a limping glissade until the more advanced jumping method is learned. Balanchine had a specific method for teaching glissade. To go to the right, start with the left foot front in fifth. 1. With the body weight on the left leg, make a temps levé to the right while holding the right leg in cou-de-pied behind the left. The Royal Danish Ballet calls this position “loose behind.” It is different from cou-de-pied because in Bournonville technique cou-de-pied is always with the sole of the foot tight against the ankle. In modern Russian technique, this is called “conditional” cou-de-pied. 2. Begin again with the right leg extended to the right. With the weight on the left leg, make a temps levé to the right while striking the floor with the right foot. End in plié on the left leg with the right leg in cou-de-pied behind the left (rather like the movement of a flic-flac). After practicing these two exercises, which introduce the concept of transferring the body sideways with a hop and with an inward flick of the working leg to propel the move, you are ready for the final version. 3. Begin again, and after extending the right leg to the right, jump to the right with both legs stretched in the air (like échappé on pointe), then quickly bring the left leg in front of the right, landing in fifth position if the succeeding jump is to be from both feet, or with the right leg in cou-de-pied behind if the succeeding jump is to be initiated with the right leg. Very few dancers know how to use the glissade from fourth to fifth. Most just do glissade to the side, end in a sloppy fourth, and then travel diagonally forward in the jeté or assemblé that follows. Glissade is usually a jumping step, and dancers must think of where the emphasis should originate in order to have the most effective but subtle preparation for the subsequent jump. Timing is also extremely important, in order to get the weight quickly onto the leg that is to give the thrust for the jump and leave the other leg free to battement. It is vital to make the glissade quick and not to cover too much ground. The legs should not spread very much. This gives more time to display the pose of the big jump while in the air. For glissade from fourth through first to fourth, the back leg is brushed forward in dégagé effacé en avant and taps the floor as the feet pass first position in the air while the body moves forward to the same fourth position as at the start. To make the point that the weight transfer would be aerial, Balanchine’s Way / 233

practice with no weight on the leading foot. This becomes almost like a temps de fleche to the front, or hitch kick. Eventually the ball of the extended foot is allowed to press gently on the floor while the body is descending. The takeoff is from a very deep fourth position, with all the weight on the front leg and the back leg bent with the ball of the foot touching the floor.

Turns Most techniques teach all pirouettes en dehors from fourth position with both knees bent in plié. With few exceptions, Balanchine wanted the back leg straight and the takeoff for the turn entirely from the front leg, which is in plié. For slow turns this fourth is very wide, and for faster turns it is narrower. This position is easier because the entire body is balanced on the front leg in plié and requires no shifting of weight on the takeoff. The legs must be well crossed, one directly behind the other. Balanchine abhorred the open fourth position, which he considered an ugly squat For chaîné turns the conventional preparation is with a plié on the leg that commences the series. Balanchine always insisted that the leading foot should step out onto pointe or demi-pointe. This method looks nicer and is more effective, although it is certainly more difficult.

Arms and Feet The arms of New York City Ballet dancers were always the most criticized feature of Balanchine’s style. It is true that they often dance with rather straight elbows and flexed wrists, but this was not what Balanchine taught in class. I think it happens as a result of concentration on all the quick footwork. Balanchine always liked the arms and hands to look softly rounded, with the fingers also very rounded. When the body was in motion, the arms and hands were required to participate, using all the joints with the fingers moving. We spent time in class on arm movements, practicing port de bras while standing still. Balanchine liked lots of wrist movement, turning the hand inward and outward during full arm movements. He admired the hands of flamenco dancers and their way of holding castanets. Although flamenco dancers’ arms were held much farther back than in ballet, the rounded wrist and fingers were the effect he wanted. Balanchine always criticized other styles that hold three fingers together with the index finger usually pointing outward. He hated the term grouped 234 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

for defining the hand position. He maintained that the fingers should be separated from one another so that all were visible when viewed from any direction. Use of the feet when dancing so that the instep is stretched in transitional steps, such as glissade and chassé, was a constant concern when Balanchine taught. Stepping out for a temps levé with a relaxed ankle is a fault often found in otherwise proficient dancers and is the first giveaway of amateurs. One of the biggest distinguishing factors of Balanchine’s teaching was that his dancers always moved their feet so beautifully pointed during the quickest and most intricate combination of steps. Stretching the instep to full pointe during all temps levé was also required in Balanchine’s classes. All his barre work was directed toward achieving the pointed foot as soon as possible when leaving the floor. To make the feet look the prettiest, Balanchine recommended shiny pink pointe shoes with pointed boxes and V-shaped low vamps. If knuckles tended to hang out, a piece of ribbon was sewn in. He contended that the shape was what showed. I have heard people say that Balanchine encouraged girls to stand forward over the toenails when on pointe, but I never heard him say that. He wanted a well-arched foot with a beautifully curved instep, but that is something that can be changed very little from what nature endows. I think that girls have to stand on pointe in such a way that balance can be maintained on a straight leg.

Signature Steps Jeté battu volé from fifth position with the left leg front. From demi-plié the right leg is thrown diagonally back right, and the beat occurs with straight legs diagonally back from the body, while the body is in the air in an arched position, bending toward the extended right leg. The right leg returns under the body, and the landing position is demi-plié on the right with the left in a very crossed low attitude. The left lower leg is visible on the right side of the body. The body retains the arched position, bending right from the waist. In the air the arms are usually fully extended, with the right arm to the dégagé leg held low and the left arm held high. The head is inclined to the right with eyes directed front. Retain the position on alighting. The jeté battu is often seen in the finale of Balanchine ballets and is usually performed in combination with temps levé en arabesque ouvert. BeginBalanchine’s Way / 235

ning in fifth position with the right foot front, step diagonally forward to the right (the body pivots to the right as the right leg commences dégagé to step), make a temps levé en arabesque ouvert with the left leg back, left arm across and right arm opened side; head tilted left with eyes directed to the audience (second arabesque), land on the right leg in demi-plié. Then step across on left in plié and make the jeté battu, turning one quarter to the left while in the air, arms side with left high, and land with the left leg in low attitude croisé. The body will now be facing diagonally front left, so it is in the correct position to step forward on the left in order to repeat the combination to the opposite side. Alternating right and left forms a zigzag pattern and creates a flying effect. This combination can also be performed traveling back. The step is not reversed, but the body is angled so that the temps levé in arabesque ouvert travels diagonally back by stepping diagonally back for each temps levé, and the jeté battu also travels diagonally back rather than forward. Musically, this combination is suitable for either 2/4 or 3/4 rhythms. Performed in 2/4: step out [ON1], jump and temps levé landing [ON&] step across [ON2], jump and jeté battu landing [ON&]. Performed in 3/4: step out [ON3], jump and temps levé [ON1], land [ON2], step across [ON3], jump and jeté battu [ON1], land [ON2]. This version gives a longer flight and a more airborne look. Balanchine’s 1955 ballet Roma has another combination using this type of jeté battu. Beginning with the left leg in tendue croisé front, step on the left with demi-plié and jeté battu with the right, land on the right with the left in attitude croisé back, coupé on the left behind in demi-plié, and brisé volé with the left to low dégagé left croisé front. Repeat any number of times traveling side right. During this enchaînement, the body makes a quarter turn each time the change from croisé front to croisé back takes place. The arms are extended throughout, with the right arm high and the left arm low for the croisé front and the left arm high with the right arm low for the croisé back. The enchaînement can, of course, also progress to the left, starting with the right leg front in tendue croisé. Sustained pointe pose to tombé, four variations 1. Step onto pointe in any pose while allowing the body to continue the movement in the same direction (sustain the pose off-balance as long as possible before falling), then tombé in croisé or effacé in pose compatible with the direction of movement. This is a very common movement, which Balanchine used in many of 236 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

his ballets. The best example is the entrance of the ballerina in the first movement of Symphony in C. It also occurs in a different form in the third movement finale of that ballet and in Serenade. 2. Typical step traveling to the side. Step right onto pointe on the right foot with the right arm held higher, left leg in low arabesque effacé. Tombé across with the left to fourth position croisé in plié. Step right onto pointe on the right foot with the left arm held higher, left leg in low arabesque croisé (the leg crossing behind quickly). Tombé back onto the left leg in plié, the right leg front in tendue croisé. Repeating this combination gives a twisting, falling effect. 3. A turning step that occurs in many ballets. Traveling to the left, step left on pointe on the left foot, the right leg in low arabesque croisé; while turning en dehors (the body turning to the right), tombé front onto the right leg in fourth position plié. Repeating this step in the same direction gives a rolling effect, similar to barrel roll jumps. 4. Falling off pointe is frequently initiated by thrusting the hips forward with a développé front, allowing the dancer to fall forward while leaning back, or with a backward thrust with a développé to the back while leaning forward. The best example is the ballerina solo in the Sanguinic section of The Four Temperaments. It is also used in the Tema Russo of Serenade and the third movement of the finale of Symphony in C.

“More Is Better” Balanchine often used exaggerated movements for special effect. For example, in arabesque penché, the body continues to bend until the head touches the knee. In the second movement of Symphony in C, the ballerina does this while facing her partner, holding both his hands. The penché was not always performed this way. Although Tanaquil Le Clercq had incredible extension, she always did a traditional penché. Balanchine added the exaggeration for Suzanne Farrell, as I remember. It accorded with his dictum, “More is better.” He always enjoyed fuller, broader movements, and that is why he loved tall, long-legged girls: there was the possibility of longer line and grand, expansive gestures in that kind of body. In certain port de bras, Balanchine also occasionally made unorthodox movements. Whole dances were sometimes based on arm and hand movements, such as the opening dance for three girls in La Valse or Violette Verdy’s solo in Emeralds. Fokine’s unusual arm movements inspired Balanchine, who often asked for arms “a Le Spectre de la Rose,” the arm movement with very bent elbows and wrists crossed over the head. When this Balanchine’s Way / 237

was arrived at by raising the arms in front of the body with elbows leading and hands dropping, he called it washing your face. It is actually more like drying your face with your sleeves. He also sometimes used very old-fashioned arm poses, such as those found in old books of ballet. The pose with one arm bent at the elbow and wrist so that the forearm is across the front of the body with the fingertips up to the face, is one of the old Italian poses that Balanchine employed in Divertimento No. 15. No doubt he felt it was appropriate to the period of the Mozart music. Although we were never allowed to do exercises in class that included flexing the feet or turning in the knee, Balanchine frequently used these movements in his so-called neoclassical ballets. They are not found in Apollo, which does have some unorthodox movements, but are common in later works such as The Four Temperaments and Episodes. One nonclassical movement, which was used early on and continued to show up in many ballets, was the descent from pointe or demi-pointe to flat foot without plié, done firmly and emphatically as opposed to the classical method of rolling down softly. This strange movement exists in the male solo in Apollo and in the female Sanguinic solo in The Four Temperaments as well as many other pieces. Walking on heels is used in Apollo, and I especially remember a manège executed by Maria Tallchief in Danzas Sinfonicas in Panamerica: a series of chaînés turns on pointe in plié, alternating with chaînés on heels with straight legs. This had a very striking effect at the high speed of Tallchief ’s execution. The incredible speed of her turns was one of the unique features of Tallchief ’s technique that Balanchine always tried to exploit. Another neoclassical usage (or perhaps anticlassical is a better term because it is against the rule that requires piqué turns to be performed stepping up onto a straight leg) was stepping up to a piqué turn on pointe on a bent supporting knee and straightening during the turn, as can be seen in Tarantella. It is also done sometimes with the entire turn on pointe in plié, as in Agon during the pas de deux section.

Choreographic Devices In Balanchine ballets, the musical accent is usually down: steps start with plié on the downbeat, counter to the conventional relevé on the downbeat. Balanchine also liked to play with counts to the music. Sometimes he would invent a step in 2/4 time that took five counts. It would be repeated three times, and the sixteenth count would perhaps be a sous-sus to finish 238 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

off the phrase, a sort of exclamation point. He said this kept Mozart from becoming visually boring. Some of these combinations were mysteries to me while trying to learn a part, and it wasn’t until I had asked to have the step explained that I was able to learn it. In La Valse, there is a place where the three girls do a combination that takes three counts. They do it three times (nine bars) and complete the phrase (three bars) by running to a new formation. In Concerto Barocco, the two solo girls do a combination in five counts six times and complete the phrase of thirty-two by holding two counts before beginning the next set. I once asked Mr. Balanchine how he decided on the format of a new ballet: how many dancers to use, how many soloists, where the entrances would come, and so forth. Having worked with Mr. Balanchine so long and witnessed the creation of so many ballets, I knew that he studied the music until he knew it backwards, but I did not know what other preparation he made. He told me that he liked to set himself some problems to solve. In Orpheus, he had a ready-made problem: a pas de deux in which the man must not look at the woman. In early ballets he had the problem of not enough men in the company. Concerto Barocco is one example of how he solved that. In other ballets he used whatever number of men were available. It is well known that during the creation of Serenade, different numbers of dancers available at each rehearsal caused him to arrange unusual formations. In the early days of New York City Ballet, he made many ballets with eight men and sixteen girls in the corps because that was approximately the composition of the company, plus soloists: Bourrée Fantasque, La Valse, Symphony in C. In Gounod Symphony’s third movement, he told me that he was trying to make the three couples on one side of the stage perform the same steps as the three couples on the other side, but in an inside-out formation. This was unsuccessful and finally dropped. A variation of the inside-out idea was employed in Emeralds. The corps turns itself inside-out in some of the changing formations, a feature often missed by observers who focus only on the soloists. The formations in Emeralds are some of the most beautiful and original to be seen in any of Balanchine’s ballets. Divertimento No. 15 is a fascinating ballet. There is use of antique gestures, and the ballet also incorporates steps with a turned-in knee, which is a movement inspired by modern dance. Balanchine’s masterful blend Balanchine’s Way / 239

makes the diverse types of movement completely compatible. In this ballet, Balanchine told me that he purposely set himself the problem of how to partner five girls with three men. An unusual device used in Divertimento is a counterclockwise circling while the body rotates to the right; circling clockwise while rotating to the right is the more common combination. A variation of the same idea is used when traveling left in a diagonal path while turning to the right, as in Tarantella. Another device Balanchine frequently used was the twining of dancers while holding hands. In many ballets this allowed the dancers to rest between exertions. German dancers call this a “Balanchine pretzel.” I think this choreographic trademark was adapted from Russian folk dance, and Balanchine used it effectively in his truly Russian dances, such as those of the maidens in Firebird and the peasants in the opera Eugene Onegin, which he staged in Hamburg in 1962. These twinings also occur in Apollo, Serenade, and Concerto Barocco. Balanchine repeatedly used certain steps and certain sequences. A series of arm movements while changing poses is common. We became so familiar with this device that we began to anticipate it. During the work on Gounod Symphony, he spotted one of his girls playing with arm movements and asked her what she would like to do. She demonstrated, and Balanchine told us in a good-natured way to imitate her. Those movements became part of the ballet. He also used kneeling to make changes in stationary groups. This was usually accompanied by many changes of arm positions. I had calluses on my knees that never tanned in the summer. Maria Tallchief told me that she judged her progress from corps to principal by the condition of her knees as the calluses gradually disappeared.

Changes and Versions When I was staging a ballet for another company, Balanchine would sometimes turn up a few days before the first performance. He was always pleased with my work but would start to tell the dancers how to dance certain steps. This frequently resulted in actual changes of steps as he got involved in working with the dancers and felt their enthusiasm and desire to please him. Some of the dancers simply couldn’t understand why he was changing things so close to performance and feared being unable to remember the changes. I was used to such alterations and unperturbed. The dancers could not understand that he was adapting the steps to them personally. Balanchine hardly ever made major changes in his ballets during the years that I danced with the company (1948–60). The only big change I 240 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

remember was in La Valse. Just before the first performance at the Paris Opera, he decided to change the finale. He seemed inspired by the beautiful rotunda studio where we were rehearsing, and we whirled around in several versions until he finally picked one. This is the version still danced today. After the company moved to the State Theater, Mr. Balanchine changed parts of some ballets. All the musical cuts he had made in his original version of Serenade were restored, and he devised extended variations in the manner of the first version. In Symphony in C he totally reversed the action in his new finale for the reappearance of the first movement dancers, so that all the sections formerly danced by soloists were now danced by the corps and vice versa. One of the most remarkable things about Balanchine was his ability to create entirely different choreography to reused music. Valse Fantasie exists now in a version for a solo couple and four girls. It was originally choreographed for one man and three girls. Opus 34 of Schoenberg actually contained the same music played twice. The first time was for an abstract dance; the repeat was for a science fiction story inspired by Mr. Balanchine’s daily trips to the hospital for bursitis in his shoulder. During this period, he created Metamorphoses by Hindemith. He indicated movements with one arm held higher than the other, which all of us copied. Suddenly he asked why we were doing that, and we said it was what he had showed us. He laughed and explained that he had difficulty raising one arm, but that was not the effect he wanted. Divertimento No. 15 has the same format as its precursor, Caracole, to the same Mozart score, but the actual choreography is different. The opening of Apollo was cut and the ending rearranged. In Concerto Barocco, the first entrance of the soloists in the third movement was changed to imitate their second entrance. I preferred the original, the steps circling around the group in the center of the stage, because it related to the formation better than the second-entrance steps, which are performed against a different background formation.

Restagings American Ballet Theatre’s revival of Symphonie Concertante from Laban notation is undoubtedly accurate for steps and formation because the ballet was notated when new. In 1946, when the ballet was made, the corps consisted of students who were very limited in classical vocabulary and technique. It is a prime example of how Balanchine could make the dancers he worked with look good even if they were technically weak. After its Balanchine’s Way / 241

professional première a year later, it was the first Balanchine ballet I danced as a member of Ballet Society. Had he had the wonderful dancers of ABT who perform it today, the ballet would surely have looked different. Bourrée Fantasque, on the other hand, was notated in Benesh after I had staged it in 1960 for London Festival Ballet. The Benesh system was still being developed, and the ballet wasn’t notated until some years later. The notation therefore contains not only my mistakes but also mistakes that happened in restaging with new personnel, touches added by soloists, and mistakes made by the notator. What I think happened in this case is that, at some point, the ballet was altered because there were not enough girls in the company, and this crept into the notation. Originally there were eight girls in each of the three movements. When Bourrée was being staged for ABT, I was asked if there were supposed to be two extra first-movement costumes for girls who came on in the finale with the second-movement girls. That was a mistake, because the second-movement girls have long tutus, and there must be eight girls to dance with the eight boys who appear in the first and last movements. What most often happens when Balanchine ballets are restaged is that they become diminished. The soloists ask the conductor to play the music slower so that they can be more comfortable, and the corps tends to move less and to cover less space. In Serenade, for example, there is much running and the dancers should spread to the very edges of the stage. At one point the dancers hop backward out into the wings and reemerge on the next phrase. Although the steps may be faithfully re-created in later performances, the energy and urgency tend to disappear. Balanchine said that his own dancers did the same thing if he was not around to remind them. Ballets that have been recorded on film, videotape, or with Laban or Benesh notation still need to be rehearsed by someone who was trained by Balanchine himself to avoid such diminishment. I have made mistakes in staging his ballets; his other assistants make different mistakes. Because of the different versions of the same ballet owing to Balanchine’s changes, no staging is exactly the same. As long as the movements are produced in the right way, with the beautiful gestures that Balanchine required, the essence of the ballet can be retained. In his corps de ballet, Balanchine always preferred energetic movement to too-perfect togetherness. If the dance was performed with verve and gusto, slight variations of arm movements or slightly unaligned formations did not disturb him. 242 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

I have seen performances of his ballets so precisely performed that they lost all spontaneity. This is usually the fault of the ballet master in charge of rehearsals. Some ballets require organized chaos. After watching Balanchine rehearse these sections and rearrange dancers so that they are in place for the next formation, I found that it was best to revise each time rather than try to re-create the way it was done the last time I saw it. Unfortunately, some ballet masters do not understand this concept and attempt to make changes of formation neat and logical, thereby ruining the effect. Many companies for which I mounted ballets had no ballet master come to observe and to hear how the step should be done. Consequently, after a year or two I would be horrified to see that certain movements had been misinterpreted. In Concerto Barocco, for example, in the second movement the dancers do quite a bit of walking, rather freely and not all together on the same foot. I returned to one company and found to my consternation that the dancers were marching in time to the music, the wrong style for that ballet. Although Balanchine always threw himself into rehearsals as though each step were vital, when I reported infractions he would just say, “It doesn’t matter.” I suppose he thought that there wasn’t much he could do about it. Many choreographers make contracts insisting on time limits on performances and on periodic brush-ups by themselves or their assistants. That was not Balanchine’s way.

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2.3

Basic Principles of Balanchine’s Method

Balanchine taught that in classical ballet all movements should be performed in as beautiful a way as possible. All exercises must be designed to produce the desired result. The exercises at the barre should not include movements that are not specifically required but that perhaps stretch some part of the body in a way that “feels good.” Balanchine said that ballet is difficult and uncomfortable! The barre work should not include exercises with turned-in knee or flexed foot. The foot must always leave the floor in a stretched and pointed position, and the knee must always be turned out. All necessary flexing of the knees, ankles, and toes is accomplished in pliés and relevés in various positions. The purpose of the barre work, other than to warm up the body for the more complicated and difficult center work, is to develop the correct movement habits. The exercises that Balanchine devised were not new, but the method of execution was sometimes different. He said that “dancers must be like magicians and appear to be doing the impossible with ease.” Each step should be a beautiful pose that could be caught in a flash photo no matter what the speed of execution. It is important to emphasize that Balanchine used only generic terms when teaching. He never used an adjective to identify the exercise. He would never say “glissade devant,” only “glissade,” and then he would demonstrate how he wanted it performed. To facilitate comprehension in the following list, many exercises have been labeled according to the English method, as delineated in Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet by Gail Grant. Style, as well as technical facility, is developed through the daily training. Balanchine had very definite preferences in the execution of exercises that he taught in his daily classes, so that his dancers would present his choreography in the way that he wished. Balanchine’s style is vital to his choreography. The daily training in his exercises and enchaînements prepared the dancers for his ballets. Many of the movements are distinctive and instantly recognized by his pupils. Balanchine believed that a step must 244

always be beautiful and that no step is “correct” if it is not beautiful. A step that is incorrect according to the rules can often be beautiful. Port de bras should be a coordinated “carriage of the arms.” It is often a movement that includes bending of the torso forward and backward or sideways in a graceful way with a rippling of the full length of the backbone, both descending and ascending. Port de bras is not a movement from the shoulder alone, and the arm should not move in one piece. All the joints of the arm must come into play. Sometimes the movement can be led by the elbow or the wrist. The arms do not always pass through first position, but can sometimes pass much closer to the body or travel a shorter path while still keeping to the classical circular movement. Generally speaking, the arms are raised in front of the body and opened in an outward path, although occasionally they can move in the opposite direction: opening outward, then circling overhead and passing in front of the body on the way down. When not in motion, the arms should be softly rounded and firmly held while appearing to be relaxed. Elbow joints should be concealed. In arabesque the arms are stretched and the fingers elongated. The hands and fingers participate in all arm movements, so that the port de bras is a living movement and a dance in itself. If all parts of the body do not move in concert, the dancer appears stiff and mechanical. In recent years teachers such as Robert Joffrey have recommended that port de bras be performed by bending at the hips with a straight back in order to stretch the legs. This method makes the exercise stiff and ugly rather than the continuous graceful movement that the bending down and back should be. Many teachers demand putting the heels down in jumps, which makes the jumping become fragmented and heavy. Neither Cecchetti nor Bournonville made that demand, and all of their jumping enchaînements appeared light and flowing. In Balanchine’s technique there is never a step in a diagonal direction. The body is always turned to an angle so that all steps are made very definitely to the front, side, or back in relationship to the body, while moving diagonally in the dance area. For those who struggle with turnout, Balanchine suggests “favoring” the working leg. The body can make fantastic adjustments because it is of flesh and muscle and not of wood. Balanchine preferred “more” rather than “less.” He wanted a generous use of the limbs rather than cramped, dry movements. Balanchine’s main concern was in finding better methods of producing “beautiful gestures.” Dancers should display vigor and vitality. In adagio movements the dancer must show the beginning and the ending of Basic Principles of Balanchine’s Method / 245

the separate parts of the enchaînements to create phrasing. The movements should not flow imperceptibly into one another so as to become bland. The living body must move boldly and, as Balanchine often said, “not like a zombie.” The mind and body must be totally involved, excluding all outside influence. Balanchine also said that “a dancer must be devoted to dance as a kind of monk or nun.” It is not surprising that the physical ecstasy of dancing has often been considered a religious experience.

Standing When standing in position to begin any exercise, the weight should be mainly on the balls of the feet, never resting on the heels. The body should be balanced slightly forward of the center of gravity, but never leaning either forward or backward. Balanchine told us that in the Imperial Ballet School in Russia the shoes were inspected after class, and if the soles were dirty at the heel, the pupil was punished by having a portion of his meal withheld. In his case it was usually potatoes, his favorite. In the five basic positions, the weight should be evenly distributed on both feet, more on the outer side of the foot with the ankle firmly held so there is no rolling over onto the instep. The legs should be pulled up with tightened thighs, and legs should be turned out as fully as possible, which involves pulling the inside of the upper thighs together and tightening the buttocks. Avoid altering the alignment of the hips. Do not “tuck under.” When one is rising to half-toe, the weight should be placed evenly on all the toes so that the foot presents a line with the leg without curving forward or back at the ankle. This position—with tension in the legs, flattened stomach, straight spine, relaxed shoulders and neck, arm firmly held, and head erect—is the first requisite for all exercises. The body is poised and ready to move.

Walking For elegant walking, the toe should touch the floor before the heel, unlike natural walking. The legs should be slightly turned out, and the walk should be entirely on the balls of the feet, on high half-toe when moving quickly, lower when moving slowly.

Running In classical ballet, running is also performed in an unnatural way in order to make the dancer appear light and graceful. Legs should move in advance

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of the body almost like quick emboîtés with straight legs. The body should never lean forward while running, and the legs should not be seen kicking out behind the body. Running is also entirely on the balls of the feet.

Tension In many cases the muscles should be in use, although there is no actual movement in progress. Muscle tone is developed through tension while holding a position completely still. While standing, the knees must be taut, not merely straight. The buttocks must be firmly pressed together so that the thighs are rotated outward as much as possible in the basic five positions. Both legs must maintain turnout actively as well as when standing on one leg. The stomach must be pressed in without impairing the use of the diaphragm for breathing. The underarm and back muscles must be held firmly so that the elbows do not hang. The hand must be held with the fingers properly curved so that the effect is relaxed without appearing droopy. When the foot is pointed, the Achilles tendon must be tensed so that if the tendon is pressed, there should be no sponginess at all. It is often necessary for the teacher to test these points by touching the pupil, since it is almost impossible to see whether these muscles are being fully utilized. Words such as push, press, taut, tense, etc., are used here purposely and often. Strength is needed just as much for the control of lyrical adagio movements as for agility and brilliance in allegro and for elasticity in large jumps. Working for strength does not destroy beauty of movement if the method of producing the movement is understood and developed correctly. Many pupils make the mistake of thinking that soft movements are relaxed movements. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Beautiful adagio movements and slow soft jumps require more control of the body than quicker movements.

Dynamics All steps should not be executed with the same energy or power. Particularly in jumps, some parts of an enchaînement are strong and quick, and others are passive. The body must be assembled like the last tight winding of a spring. This must happen in the plié just before the jump or turn. The dancer must be made aware of when this must happen, because energy is frequently wasted by stressing the wrong point in preparations.

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Five Positions First Position Place the heels together so that the toes are to the side and the feet form a straight line. Second Position From first position, extend the leg to the side as far as possible while maintaining the weight on the supporting leg, then lower the heel to the floor, and shift the body so that the weight is evenly distributed on both feet with most of the weight on the balls of the feet. The space between the feet is not the length of one foot, as required in most ballet books, including Cyril W. Beaumont and Stanislas Idzikowski’s 1977 Manual of the Theory and Practice of Classical Theatrical Dancing (Classical Ballet) (Cecchetti Method). This position will vary in width according to the length of the dancer’s leg. A wider position can be used for stretching, but the classical position is relatively narrow and permits easier shifting of the body needed for such movements as the relevé for a pirouette. Third Position From second position, raise the heel of the working foot and slide the foot to the standing leg so that the heel is pressing against the instep of the standing leg. Both feet retain the same turnout as in first and second positions. This position is obsolete. Fourth Position The leg is extended straight front. From fifth position, lower the heel by pushing the heel forward without retracting the toe. The legs will be one directly in front of the other. When the leg is extended front from first position and the heel is lowered to the floor, a more open position is obtained that is not often used in contemporary ballet. The weight should be evenly distributed on both feet. Fourth position, like second position, can be made wider or narrower for certain exercises. Fifth Position The feet should be crossed heel to toe and pressed tightly together so that no part of the foot that is in back is showing. This is unlike the Cecchetti Method with the toe of the back foot revealed.

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2.4

The Barre

In Balanchine’s classrooms, the barres were at the standard height, developed over the years by dancers everywhere. The barre should be at the level of the lower part of the rib cage so that the arm that is supported by the barre is at the same height as the extended arm. Place the hand on the barre a little forward of the body, while standing at a distance that allows a little play in the arm without causing the arm to bend too much at the elbow. Aside from pliés, all exercises at the barre are performed on one leg to strengthen and prepare the body for center work.

Purpose and Use Grasp the barre firmly with the hand. Use pressure in the arm to maintain balance and proper positioning of the body during practice. It is impossible to rotate the legs fully in turnout without using the buttocks. These muscles are the largest in the body. Use them! Many dancers think that tightening the buttocks will cause enlargement, but there is nothing uglier than relaxed, flabby buttocks. While at the barre, try to train the muscles in the leg and buttocks to press against each other by using the hand on the barre to help maintain the resistance of the standing leg against the working leg. This control of the legs will permit you to stand on one leg and move the other freely in any direction. It is extremely important to remember that, even when standing on one leg, both legs must always maintain turnout. The muscles of the thighs and buttocks must maintain the outward rotation with tension. Nothing in ballet is easy or comfortable, and muscles must be constantly forced to respond to the will. Balanchine never talked about the hand on the barre. This usage was suggested by his insistence on how the body, and the movement required, should look and how he wanted the exercise to be performed. When standing on one leg, it is necessary to change the center of balance by moving the body forward, back, or to the side to counterbalance the movement of the working leg. The body must not be allowed to sink onto the supporting leg, but must be firmly held and “pulled up.” The hand 249

on the barre should be used to push the body into position to facilitate the raising of the working leg, while using the muscles of the buttocks, torso, and legs to find and hold the proper position. The barre should be used as an aid, not as a substitute, for developing strength. While standing on one leg, there are only two basic movements of the working leg. These are represented by the battement exercises where one leg slides away from the other and by the exercises where the foot is lifted and passes through cou-de-pied. The foot must always be pointed as it leaves the floor, and the weight of the body should be entirely on the supporting leg, leaving the working leg to move freely.

Construction of Exercises In Balanchine’s barre, exercises were a drill, a routine for the legs, and should not have complicated combinations. There should be very little épaulement and arm movements except for fondues and développés and some other slow movements where coordination is being stressed. The most efficacious exercises for students are those which repeat the same movement many times. For professional dancers, the barre work can be shortened from forty-five minutes to fifteen or twenty. The exercises can be combined in order to include all the leg movements. For professional dancers, there need be very few grand pliés. The exercises should be performed to the right and left without pausing in between, with just enough time to turn. The pupils should not relax, stretch, or adjust clothing between the barre exercises. Balanchine always gave very simple exercises with repetitions of the same movement. He gave battements tendus in different tempi, because he believed that perfecting the tendue was the basis for all the exercises that follow.

Demi-Plié From a standing position in any of the five positions, bend the knees by opening them to the side. Go down as far as possible while still pressing the heels to the floor. The weight will be on the balls of the feet, and the Achilles tendon should be stretched as much as possible. The knees should be directly over the feet. The ankles must not wobble.

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Grand Plié From a standing position in any of the five positions, descend to demi-plié and then, without pausing, continue until the body has reached the lowest point possible. Allow the heels to rise only as necessary. Start to rise while pressing the heels to the floor at the earliest possible moment. The descent and ascent should be of equal timing. However, since grand plié puts a great strain on the knees, it is sometimes advisable to rise a little quicker while finishing the phrase with the arm movement that accompanies the end of the plié. There should be no pause or relaxation at the lowest point of the plié, and tension in the thighs should be maintained throughout. Plié is not merely a stretching exercise for the calves and thighs. Use the muscles fully by pushing down and attempting to open the turnout even more in the descent. The whole movement should have a pressing or squeezing feeling, not merely a sinking or stretching. During the ascent, the heels should be pressed down and the natural rotating inward of the legs should be resisted, maintaining the squeezing feeling until the starting position has been resumed. The legs should not be allowed to relax until the entire exercise of consecutive pliés has been completed. Never relax muscles between pliés. The lowering and rising brings different muscles into play at different times, so there is no danger from prolonged tension in one set of muscles. In grand plié in second position, the heels never leave the floor. In most cases the body will not be able to descend as low as in the other positions. My early notes show equal timing for descent and ascent, but Balanchine changed his mind about this and later allowed the ascent to be quicker.

Coordination of the Arm with Grand Plié Full description of port de bras will follow later, but it is convenient to explain now the coordination of the arm movement with grand plié, since Balanchine preferred a different timing which he believed to be more beautiful. Starting with the arm held outstretched to the side, the arm completes a circular movement during each grand plié. The hand of the working arm turns before the plié begins, so that the body and arm start down together. The arm is delayed so that when the body is at the deepest point of the plié, the arm is just passing in front of the knee. As the body starts to rise, the arm moves a little quicker and continues the downward path. The arm continues, now being lifted, but does not reach the position in front of the rib cage until the body has risen through demi-plié. The arm completes the movement by opening to the side after the knees have been straightened. The Barre / 251

In other words, the arm moves slowly during the first half of the plié and speeds up for the second half.

Coordination of the Arm with Bending Down and Back Similarly, during the bending forward, the arm moves more slowly downward and faster on the straightening. When the body is bent down to the lowest point with the head on the knees, the working arm should have descended to a point where it is extended to the side just short of touching the floor. As the body rises, the arm continues inward and then up through the front, reaching fifth en haut in time to accompany the movement of the body bending back. The rising from bending down never commences with the head or the arm, but always with a natural movement of the back. It is not necessary to emphasize the action of rolling up. While bending back, the arm stays in the same position over the head and opens to the side as the body straightens. As the body rises from the back bend, the head turns toward the working arm and returns en face after the body is erect. The arm will have completed a full continuous circular movement. This method of coordination prevents the hand from touching the floor or circling behind and around the legs, which so often happens otherwise.

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2.5

Exercises with Straight Leg Sliding Away from Supporting Leg

Battement Tendu Battement tendu to the front: From fifth position with the weight on the supporting leg and the legs firmly held, slide the whole foot forward on the floor as far as possible without shifting the body weight, passing through a small fourth position and stretch the foot by sliding the toe forward to full point with fully arched and contracted instep. This should be accomplished in one continuous movement. The action proceeds from the thigh and should have the feeling of leading with the heel. The whole leg slides directly front ending with the toe of the extended leg directly in front of the center of the body so that the legs are exactly one in front of the other. The toes should be pressed down, but not curled under, and the Achilles tendon should be taut. The heel and instep should be pressed up so that only the big toe is resting on the floor. The position when viewed from the front should be such that the extended leg conceals the lower half of the standing leg. The inside of the thighs should be pressed together continuously throughout a whole series of battements tendus to the front. During barre exercises the free arm is usually held extended to the side. For some exercises with quick, small footwork, such as petit battement sur le cou-de-pied, the arm is held en bas (curved low in front of the body). Some slow exercises, such as fondue and développé, require appropriate coordinated port de bras. If the toe of the working foot is allowed to be opposite the heel of the supporting leg, the movement of the tendu will be slightly diagonal rather than straight front. During the movement from fifth position to the extended tendu, the foot moves in one piece and not through flexing of the toes as described in the Cecchetti book. To close from the front: From this fully extended position, before lowering the heel or moving the leg, begin to draw the toe back by flexing the ankle. Do not begin by flexing the toes. The foot remains in one piece. Next, while drawing the leg in, with the toe sliding toward the supporting leg, 253

lower the heel to the floor and slide the entire foot through fourth position into fifth position. All of this should be accomplished in one continuous movement. Close the leg slowly with pressure in order to develop the inside thigh muscles for beats. This tension control will allow quick, firm closing at fast tempi without the usual “slamming” into fifth. There should be no flexing of the toes. The foot should move as a whole in all battement exercises. The most important part of the movement is that from fourth position to the fully extended position and the return to the fourth position—in other words, the movement of the ankle stretching and flexing independently of the leg movement. The toes must not flex, as that spoils the line. Battement tendu opening and closing to the front should be performed so that when viewed from the side the heel is invisible throughout. In some methods of training, the toe glides forward from fifth position to tendu front with the toes in a direct line with the heel of the supporting foot. Executed thusly, the movement of the leg will actually be slightly diagonal and unacceptable. Battement tendu opening side: Slide the foot to second position maintaining the whole foot on the floor as long as possible, then raise the heel by lifting the instep. The toes should be pressed down so the foot rests on the tips of the toes with the Achilles tendon taut. The working foot should be directly opposite the standing foot in a straight line from first position, when the tendu comes from fifth position. The buttocks should be tight with thighs rotated outward as much as possible while holding the hips square. In some cases when a body is not limber enough to achieve this position easily, a slight “give” or “opening” of the hips may be necessary. The idea is to resist moving the hips, but to “favor” the turnout of the working foot. It is the foot which an audience sees and not the hip alignment, as long as the body is not distorted. When extended, the toe of the working leg must be opposite the heel of the standing leg for a good second position whether on the floor or in the air. Even if a dancer is not capable of complete turnout, the working leg must be in a direct line with the heel of the supporting foot. The working foot is permitted to be more turned out than the supporting foot. Closing from the side to fifth position: From the position with the foot fully arched, with tension in the ankle, let the heel drop, and draw the working leg to the supporting leg while squeezing the thighs together. When closing to fifth position front from the side, the heel of the working foot leads and must be continually pressed forward during the movement. Closing to fifth position back from the side is much more difficult. The 254 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

tendency is to let the heel of the working foot slip back, causing the foot to turn in slightly. This rotation in the leg which allows the foot to turn in must be overcome, and the dancer must hold the foot in a straight line from the extended tendu all the way to the well-crossed fifth position in back. Since all bodies are not built the same, some dancers have trouble closing to fifth from second because the calves get in the way of direct line of movement. In order to close the leg without any wiggling of the foot or hips, it is sometimes necessary to aim the foot in a line slightly in front or in back of a tight fifth. This slight separation of the feet in fifth should be the minimum allowed by the legs, the calves passing as tightly as possible. With this method, high speed is obtainable with no extraneous movement. When viewed from the side, there should appear to be no flexing of the ankle during the exercise. It is not permitted to bend the knee to achieve fifth position. Battement tendu to the back: Before starting to open the leg, push the toe of the working foot away from the heel of the standing foot. Continue the movement by pushing the thigh back while sliding the foot, and finally raise the heel so that the foot is fully pointed. The exercise should be performed by pushing back the thigh. When viewed from the front, the lower part of the working leg should be concealed by the standing leg. Maintain the turnout so that the heel of the working foot is invisible when the exercise is viewed from the side. This will necessitate an opening of the hip. Balanchine said, “When opening the leg to the back, the leg should be considered to start at the hip bone rather than at the joint.” From the waist up, the body should remain in the original position, and a twisting countermovement of the muscles should be felt in the torso. If the upper torso is allowed to go with the opening of the hip, a “bad second” position results, which is what the “keep the hips square” school is fighting against. The audience sees the working leg, which, to be most attractive by modern classical ballet standards, should be completely turned out so that there is an unbroken line from hip bone to toe. There is perhaps one dancer in a hundred who can achieve this with the hips square. The human body is capable of a vast amount of adjustment without spoiling balance or alignment. Battement tendu closing to the back: First release the tension of the pointed foot and drop the heel by flexing the ankle slightly, then slide the foot through fourth position without allowing the instep to roll down, and draw the entire foot into a tight fifth position. During the exercise there should be no relaxing or flexing of the toes. Retain the tension in both legs during the exercise, and do not rest on the standing leg. That is to say, do not let the Exercises with Straight Leg Sliding Away from Supporting Leg / 255

body sink onto the standing leg, but rather pull up on it. Do not slam the foot into fifth position, but draw the legs together. Battements tendus can be practiced with even pressure opening and closing, or with the energy and musical accent either on the opening or on the closing. All should be practiced at various speeds to develop technical virtuosity. Both legs must be held taut during the exercise. Battements tendus should be performed elegantly and noiselessly without slamming the foot into fifth position.

Battement Tendu Plié Begin by opening the leg as for battement tendu. Then, from the completed extension, start to close as with battement tendu. When about halfway, start to bend both knees, arriving in fifth position in a deep demi-plié. Do not drag the sole of the foot through fourth to fifth, and do not drag the ball of the foot either, causing the heel to be lowered after the foot is in fifth position. Although the ball of the foot is lowered before the heel, this should happen at the last possible moment on arriving in fifth. From demi-plié in fifth position, start to open the working leg immediately while rising slowly to tendu with both legs straight and taut. It is important to synchronize the bending and straightening of the knees. The weight should be evenly distributed on both feet when in fifth position in plié. The demi-plié should be as deep as possible with the heels on the floor, stretching the Achilles tendon. The action of the exercise is the type needed for soft, quiet descent from jumps such as assemblé and sissonne fermé. The musical accent is on the plié in fifth.

Battement Dégagé Jeté This is a vital exercise for the development of speed for all beats. It must, therefore, be practiced at fast tempi with very taut legs. The movement must be small, not very high, and never performed loosely. The opening and closing must employ full ankle flexion with stretched instep at the extension. The muscles of the inner thigh should be squeezed together at each closing into fifth. Battement dégagé jeté is a very important preparation for the elegant execution of small, quick steps such as glissade. The opening of the leg as well as the closing should be performed energetically. It is useful to practice in triplets. The first two dégagés should be very quick, hardly returning to fifth, and the third should be returned to fifth a little slower to underline the pause in fifth before repeating either in the 256 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

same direction or en croix. Battement dégagé jeté should also be practiced with plié on the return to fifth, as it is the preparation for taking off and landing in jumps.

Grand Battement Dégagé Grand battement dégagé is an adagio movement. The leg disengages as for a battement tendu and continues being raised slowly to maximum height either front, side, or back. The leg returns slowly to fifth position passing through tendu position and closing in a like manner.

Grand Battement Jeté This is a kicking movement that should always be performed with maximum energy on the opening of the leg. The working leg must leave the floor as quickly as possible. The leg is thrown up with the foot passing through the position of battement tendu, and it continues to maximum height. On return to fifth position, the leg descends passively with the toe touching the floor first, and the leg then closes to fifth the same way as from battement tendu. When originating from fifth position and kicking front or back, the leg should fly up so that the foot is in line with the center of the body. In grand battement balançoire, the leg flies up forward and back through first position in line with the shoulder on the same side as the working leg, rather than in line with the center of the body. To the side, the leg must fly up completely flat as though the dancer were sandwiched between two walls. The leg will then pass behind the extended arm, which is held slightly in front of the horizontal line of the shoulders. The leg should at no time come into contact with the arm. Grand battement should be practiced with the musical accent up and also with the accent on the return to fifth or first positions, using either 2/4 or 3/4 rhythms. The energy of the movement is always on the throwing out of the leg, and the return should be passive. In grand battement jeté balançoire, the body participates by leaning in opposition to the leg. In grand battement jeté en cloche, the body remains erect.

Grand Battement Rond de Jambe With a straight knee throughout, the leg makes a high battement circling up and down at the side of the body. The toe draws a narrow oval in the air from floor to ceiling. The exercise can be performed from fifth to fifth, but it Exercises with Straight Leg Sliding Away from Supporting Leg / 257

is usually performed from first position consecutively in the same direction several times before reversing. En dehors from first position: The leg is kicked upwards and circles outward to the side. The foot should reach full point as soon as possible in leaving the floor, at a point corresponding to 2:00. The highest point of the battement is at the side, from where the leg descends with the toe touching the floor at a point corresponding to 4:00 and then returns to first position. The action is a vigorous swing of the leg with the musical accent on the upswing. En dedans from first position: The movement is reversed with the foot leaving the floor at 4:00 and the toe touching down at about 2:00. The leg never goes completely front or back. The exercise is usually performed with grand battement balançoire or grand battement en cloche, and like these exercises it is performed in a series at a brisk tempo.

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2.6

Exercises Bending the Knee and Lifting the Foot from the Floor

Cou-de-Pied When lifting the foot from fifth position on the floor, there are two cou-depied positions in the front, but only one in the back. The foot is never lifted without passing through one of these positions. The foot always moves in one piece with no flexing of the toes. To raise the foot to cou-de-pied from fifth position in front: Bend the knee, opening the thigh side as much as possible, and press the heel forward. The working foot glides outward while the knee lifts. The toe slides on the floor and continues around toward the back of the ankle of the standing leg until the position is completed. In the final position, the sole of the working foot is pressed against the standing leg with the heel toward the front and the toe around toward the back (wrapped), high enough so that the foot is fully pointed with the toes off the floor. To lower the foot to fifth position from cou-de-pied in front: As the knee moves in toward the standing leg, the tip of the toe of the working foot is placed on the floor directly in front of the heel of the standing foot. The heel is then lowered into place without any flexing of the toes. To raise the foot from fifth position to cou-de-pied in back: At the moment the knee bends outward to the side, the toes of the working foot push away from the heel of the supporting foot and the foot glides outward as it is being lifted into position. The tips of the toes stay in contact with the floor as long as possible, so that the foot does not rise in a flexed position. The final position should be with the heel touching the standing leg just above the ankle bone and the toes pressed back without contact with the standing leg. The foot must be high enough so that the toes do not touch the floor. To lower the foot to fifth position from cou-de-pied in back: This is the most difficult movement to accomplish smoothly, as there are three things that must happen simultaneously. When the knee moves toward the supporting leg, the tip of the toe of the working foot must touch the floor in the 259

middle of the foot of the supporting leg. The foot then must glide outward without flexing the toes as the heel is lowered and pressed firmly in toward the standing foot. Be careful not to place the toe of the working foot down behind the heel of the standing foot first, because it will then be impossible to lower the heel into place without sickling the foot. The movements must be coordinated so that the whole can be accomplished smoothly and quickly. When rising to half-toe or full pointe, the foot does not pass through the wrapped position but is lifted directly to the position with the toe touching the front of the ankle with the heel pressed forward and not in contact with the standing leg. The modern Russian method terms this the “conditional” cou-de-pied. When lifting the foot to cou-de-pied simultaneously with a plié on the supporting leg, the foot is raised directly to the “conditional” position without flexing the toes or passing through the wrapped position. In Bournonville technique, there is only one cou-de-pied position, the wrapped one, which is used for exercises moving the leg either front, side, or back. The position with the foot behind the supporting leg is called “loose behind.” When performing développé, etc., the toe glides up in front or in back of the supporting leg. In the case of développé from the back, the heel of the working leg will be visible when viewed from the front, unlike Balanchine’s style with the heel touching in back, and is therefore hidden when viewed from the front. In Bournonville technique, the problem of how to lift the foot to coude-pied without flexing is solved by rising to half-toe on both feet and descending to one foot while the other assumes the cou-de-pied position or by commencing with a dégagé and returning to the cou-de-pied. Many exercises used to be performed using the wrapped position. Fondues and pirouettes practiced in the wrapped position are useful in training because the position encourages turnout and prevents sickling. Balanchine frequently used the wrapped cou-de-pied in classroom exercises.

Pas de Cheval To open from fifth position to the front or side: Start to lift the knee to the side with the thigh well turned out, pass through cou-de-pied (wrapped when extending front or to the side from fifth in front), continue to lift the thigh a little, and then extend the lower leg to tendu piqué while lowering the thigh. Close to fifth as with battement tendu and continue with the next

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pas de cheval without pausing. The accent is on the tendu, and the action of the foot passing through fifth and cou-de-pied should appear boneless, like a brush painting the floor. This exercise should be practiced for speed. It can also be done with a demi-plié on the standing leg as the working foot descends to the tendu position. The toe should always be placed gently on the floor, never dropped. The thigh raises and lowers so that the knee performs a circular movement with each pas de cheval. To open to the back, the foot must pass through cou-de-pied back, with a lift of the thigh, extend to tendu piqué, and then close to fifth position as from battement tendu to the back.

Battement Frappé The preparation is a tendu to the side. To the front: Retract the lower leg to cou-de-pied, wrapped position. Starting with a downward movement of the thigh, strike the floor with the ball of the foot just before the final extension of the leg with the foot fully pointed just off the floor. There is a flexing of the ankle and the toes to allow the strike. This should be followed by a slight lift of the thigh that ends the extension with a sharp kick. On the return, the knee should be pulled back to the side allowing the foot to return to wrapped cou-de-pied position fully pointed. At very fast tempi, there can be more relaxing of the ankle so that the foot is not completely pointed on the return. At very high speed, the foot does not return to touch the standing leg at all, but is retracted only enough to permit the strike. The emphasis is on a fully pointed extension. The musical accent is also on the extension. “Each strike should be audible, and a series should be rhythmically even on the beat like a tap dance,” as Mr. Balanchine always said. To the side: In a series of frappés to the side, the foot alternates between a cou-de-pied in back and a wrapped cou-de-pied in front. To the back: From extension to the side or back, the foot returns to coude-pied behind the supporting leg. Be sure that the extension is directly behind the body and not diagonally out where it would be visible from the front. The knee must move behind the supporting leg with each extension. Battement frappé should always be performed with a strong outward movement and a passive return. When on pointe or demi-pointe, there is no strike on the floor or flexing of the ankle. The lower leg moves in one piece.

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Battement Frappé Battue From the preparation of a tendu to the side, beat the foot cou-de-pied in back, pass around the supporting leg as closely as possible to wrapped coude-pied front, and extend the leg, striking the floor, front or side. Next, the foot will return to beat front and then back, depending on whether the next extension is to be side or back. After extension to the back, the beat will always be back and front before the succeeding extension to the side or front. When performing a series to the side only, the beats should alternate starting back-front and then front-back. The beats should always be performed as quickly as possible with a sharp inward movement of the lower leg. At slow tempi, the beats should be just as quick, and the extension should be held longer. Battement frappé is never executed with a flexed ankle on the retraction. To do so will develop a bad movement habit that will be detrimental to the proper execution of jumps such as jetés and ballonnés. At the barre in Balanchine’s class, beats were always performed in the wrapped cou-de-pied, with the heel passing back and front.

Ballonné and Frappé In the ballonné movement, the leg is extended fully stretched, then the lower leg is vigorously retracted to a conditional cou-de-pied with the toe touching in front of the supporting leg or with the heel touching in back. The physical and musical accents are both on the retraction, and the opening is passive (except in ballonné sauté, where the extension must also be strong). The foot remains fully pointed throughout. Ballonné and frappé can be combined in one exercise. The change of accent from IN with the ballonné to OUT with the frappé helps discipline the dancer musically. The flexing required during extension to strike the floor from a fully pointed foot is the action necessary for jetés. In past treatises on technique by distinguished teachers, there is disagreement as to whether frappé means a beat on the supporting leg or a strike on the floor. In modern Russian Vaganova technique, frappé is performed with the beat on the supporting leg using the toe of the working leg. In the advanced Vaganova classes, the exercise is performed only on half-toe or full pointe, and striking the floor becomes impossible. The argument for striking the floor is that it is needed as an exercise for jetés jumping. There are, in fact, two separate exercises: frappé, with a strike on the floor, and petit battement, with beats on the supporting leg. With petit battement piqué comes the beating on the supporting leg and extension

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without striking the floor. It is the heel of the working foot that touches in front of and behind the ankle of the supporting leg. The foot is flexed not on the retraction but with the extension just before striking the floor.

Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied Prepare with a battement tendu to the side, then place the foot in the wrapped cou-de-pied position. The beating commences by opening the lower leg to the side just enough to allow the heel of the working foot to pass to the back of the supporting leg sur le cou-de-pied. The foot is then quickly returned to wrapped position with an audible accent. With the sole of the foot in contact with the supporting leg, the beats continue as quickly as possible with an accent in front each time with a slight pause. The beats can also be made with an accent to the back, in which case there is no sound, and the pause occurs when the foot is in cou-de-pied in back. The exercise can also be performed in triplets with the accent alternately in front and back or very quickly and evenly without accent. The thigh should be turned out to the side and held firmly throughout. In Balanchine technique, the toe is never used in beating front and back. The buttocks must be tightly gripped to produce utmost speed in beating. Balanchine’s petits battements are always very fast and small. In the ballonné, the foot is fully stretched with the toe touching the supporting leg when in front and with the heel touching when in back. The lower leg is fully extended each time the leg opens, whereas in petit battement, the heel touches both front and back and the leg barely opens enough to allow passing.

Petit Battement Piqué The beats are performed the same way as described above with double, triple, or multiple beats ending in tendu front, side, or back. This exercise is also practiced with relevé during the beats and plié on the extension with the toe touching the floor in a variety of poses: front, side, back, effacé, croisé, or écarté. From each extension, the lower leg must be vigorously retracted for the ensuing beats. The accent is on the extension, and there should be a slight pause with each piqué. When performing with relevé, the rise must be quick and sharp, and the descent soft and controlled. The relevé should be quicker than the plié. Balanchine told dancers to be reluctant to come down and to resist the floor.

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Petit Battement Serré This exercise can only be performed on half-toe or full pointe as the foot is held lower than cou-de-pied position. While holding the foot as pointed as possible, bend the knee and place the toe of the working foot under the heel of the supporting foot. With a very small movement, beat the toe against the heel quickly and evenly and audibly. The heel of the working foot remains in front of the supporting foot throughout. The foot should hardly open away from the supporting leg, and the knee should remain well turned out with the thigh firmly held. The action is entirely with the lower leg, with minimum in and out sideways movement, and the rest of the body should not quiver. The beats can be unlimited in number, but the beginning and ending should be phrased with the music as indicated by the teacher. Balanchine never gave this exercise with beats in back of the supporting leg.

Grand Développé Grand développé requires coordination of the moving parts of the leg to arrive at full extension together. Because the lower leg travels farther than the upper leg, it must move more rapidly and unfold fluidly to reach full extension at the same time the thigh stops moving. All parts of the body (leg, head, shoulders, arms) must be coordinated to arrive at the final pose simultaneously. The développé must be done in one smooth movement without pausing. Grand développé en avant: Start by bending the knee to the side, thigh well turned out. Then, passing through wrapped cou-de-pied, continue lifting the knee. The toe glides up the front of the standing leg, with the heel pressed forward, to the level of the standing knee. Next, by pressing forward with the heel of the working foot, the lower leg leads the extension while the thigh is lifted until maximum extension of 90 degrees or more is reached. The lower leg precedes the thigh, and the action of the knee is diagonally inward to the center of the body. The final position should be with the toe of the working leg directly in front and in line with the center of the body. The hips should remain straight and square. Do not allow the hip of the working leg to rise with the développé. Grand développé à la seconde: Bend the knee to the side, passing through cou-de-pied, and continue lifting the knee. When the working foot reaches the level of the standing knee, start to unfold the lower leg using the action of a rond de jambe en l’air en dehors, with the lower leg making a small forward circling movement rather than opening straight, flat to the side. If 264 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

the développé commences from a fifth position in front, the foot glides up the front of the standing leg with only the toe touching. If the développé commences from fifth position in back, the foot glides up the back of the standing leg with only the heel touching. Try not to complete the lifting of the thigh until the lower leg is almost fully extended. The final extension is accomplished by the lower leg. Since the lower leg travels a much longer arc than the upper leg, start opening the lower leg as soon as the foot reaches the knee of the standing leg so that the very last part of the extension happens after the thigh has reached utmost height. It is necessary to lift the knee completely flat side before the extension of the lower leg. As with développé to the front, the hips must remain straight and square with no lifting of the hip of the working leg. Balanchine said, “That one must be like a butterfly pinned open and flat, which is very uncomfortable but beautiful. The butterfly doesn’t like it either.” Grand développé en arrière: From fifth position in back, pass through cou-de-pied and raise the knee to the side. The foot glides up the back of the standing leg with only the heel touching until the foot reaches the level of the knee. Unlike développé to the front, the action starts with the knee rather than with the lower leg. While retaining the turnout of the thigh, push the knee up and diagonally back toward the center of the body. The lower leg unfolds as the thigh moves into position simultaneously with the knee and not after the knee is in position. The action is with the knee preceding and never with the foot leading. The knee should not roll in at the end of the movement. The entire leg should be turned out so that there is one unbroken line from the hip bone to the toe, and the heel should be invisible when the position is viewed from the side. The hips cannot be square in this position. The hip of the working leg must be lifted and “open” to allow maximum turnout. The upper body is held erect when the leg is en arriére. The upper body may be allowed to tilt forward in arabesque poses (allongé), but the torso must not be allowed to twist toward the working leg. The muscles of the back and waist area must resist the tendency to turn toward the raised leg. The leg should not pass through a real attitude position, as this causes the lower leg to open after the thigh is in position and makes a fragmented movement rather than the desired smooth effect.

Passé la Jambe, from Full Extension to Other Positions en l’Air From extension en avant: Bend the leg by pulling the knee back toward the side before lowering the leg. The movement begins with the bending. It is Exercises Bending the Knee and Lifting the Foot from the Floor / 265

not necessary to lower the thigh to the retiré position when passing through to another extension. The toe of the working leg can pass the thigh of the standing leg and continue being raised again even more in the new développé. The leg must not pause at the point of passing, and the shifting of the body weight to maintain the center of gravity should be unobtrusive. From extension à la seconde: Do not allow the leg to bend by relaxing the muscles and letting the lower leg drop. The beginning of the bending should be accomplished with deliberate control. The bending should occur before lowering the thigh. From extension en arrière: Bend the leg by pulling the knee forward toward the side while pressing the foot down so that the foot and lower leg move toward the side of the standing leg. Do not first bend the lower leg to attitude position. Move the foot and the knee simultaneously toward the side of the standing leg in order to make the movement as smooth as possible. The foot moves directly to the side of the standing leg. Accent the beginning of all développés by precise movements of the leg and the accompanying arm movements. Hold the end of each extension an instant before beginning a new movement, and make all the intervening movements as fluid as possible. The spectator should be aware of the beginning and end of each développé. The phrasing should be deliberate.

Nuance There are many ways of making a beautiful développé, from the very slow even movement to the very quick développé that is held at the extension. Take the foot quickly from the floor and open until almost reaching full extension, and then slow down for the final few inches of the développé. This puts an elegant emphasis on the movement and attracts attention to the foot. Balanchine said, “Each développé should be a presentation of the foot with a beautiful gesture, ‘here is my beautiful foot.’” When passing from an extension to the side to a développé en avant, it is attractive to make the movement like a rond de jambe en dehors, rather than bending to retiré and then extending, which causes two movements instead of one smooth one. When passing from the side to a développé en arriére, begin the movement with a rond de jambe en dedans. Balanchine told a story about a visit to the zoo where he saw someone throwing peanuts to an elephant. A few of the peanuts landed in the neighboring pen which was separated by a wall. The elephant slid its trunk around the edge of the wall to grasp the peanuts. Balanchine likened the leg in a développé to the trunk of the elephant: “You must know where your foot is going.” 266 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

Pivoting Pivoting is necessary when changing direction and should always be accomplished by elevating the heel just enough to allow the body to rotate on the ball of the foot. Whether moving to the right or left, en dedans or en dehors, the movement is done in the same way. For example, while standing on the left leg with the right leg tendu front croisé, raise the left heel slightly and pivot one quarter to the right. The left heel moves back, and the right leg, which is maintained in tendu front, arrives in position tendu front effacé. To go from effacé to croisé, the left heel would move forward one quarter. If a change of direction is required when raising the foot to cou-de-pied from fifth position, the heel of the supporting foot should change direction as the working leg is lifted and not before. If a change of direction is required when lowering the working leg into fifth, the heel of the supporting foot should be shifted as the working foot lowers into place, not afterwards. In certain technique styles, such as in the Bournonville exercises, the problem of how to change direction is overcome by rising onto half-toe and then descending in the new direction with the working foot sur le coude-pied. This method also circumvents the difficulty of raising the working foot to cou-de-pied from the floor, which is otherwise difficult to accomplish smoothly without “sickling.” An unsupported promenade (tour lent) on one leg is a series of tiny pivots using the movement of the heel while resting on the ball of the foot. This should be accomplished so smoothly as to be imperceptible to the observer. The pose should revolve slowly to be seen from all angles.

Fouetté With one leg raised in front (en avant), the supporting leg initiates a quick pivot away from the raised leg, causing the body to make a quarter turn. The raised leg remains in place and will now be in a position to the side (à la seconde). With another quick pivot away from the raised leg, the body makes a quarter turn with the raised leg remaining in place. The body will now be in a position with the leg in back (en arriére). From a position with the leg raised in back, a quick quarter turn pivot toward the raised leg will return the body to a position with the leg to the side, and with the next quarter turn pivot toward the raised leg, the body returns to position with the leg in front. Exercises Bending the Knee and Lifting the Foot from the Floor / 267

A quick pivot can also initiate a half turn from front to back all at once or in reverse from back to front. Fouettés are always performed with force of the upper thigh of the supporting leg during the pivot and not by the foot alone. Fouettés can be performed on a straight leg, but are usually done with relevé or jumping using deep plié. Balanchine used fouettés frequently, often combined with a grand rond de jambe. They appear in partnered adagio and in large male jumping combinations as well as in female solos.

Fondue From a preparation with a battement tendu to the side, bend both knees and take the working leg to cou-de-pied “conditional” with the toe touching in front of the supporting leg. Start to open the working leg directly out from the supporting leg, and stretch both legs simultaneously. For the return movement, bend both knees at the same time and return the working leg to cou-de-pied in front with the knee well turned out to the side. The exercise is practiced to the side and the back with the foot returning to cou-de-pied in front, or in back if the leg is proceeding to the back or returning from extension to the back. Balanchine later changed his mind about this exercise, and it is performed more like a développé rather than opening straight out from cou-de-pied.

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2.7

Rotary Movements

Rond de Jambe par Terre The movement is a circling of the entire working leg. The action originates from the thigh, which should retain the turnout of first position throughout the exercise. The musical accent is on the passing of the leg through first position, but the energy of the movement should be on the opening of the thigh with a strong swing. En dehors: From first position, slide the foot forward with the heel pressing forward and start to circle the thigh to the back. The foot should reach full tendu at a point corresponding to 1:00. The toe sweeps around fully pointed and in contact with the floor to the position of a battement tendu back taken from first position (open). The foot then returns to first position or continues the next rond de jambe by relaxing the ankle so that the entire sole of the foot is in contact with the floor in first position. The foot functions in one piece throughout. The leg should sweep vigorously to the back and pass through first passively. As the tempo increases, the movement gets smaller and the foot reaches full pointe at 2:00 and starts to return to first from 5:00. As the tempo increases even more, the movement becomes an oval rather than a semicircle, and the foot reaches full pointe briefly at the side (3:00) only. The accent at fast tempi is on the opening rather than on the passing through first. When viewed from the side, the heel should be invisible during the entire exercise, whatever the tempo, and there should be no apparent flexing of the ankle. The leg never crosses in front of or behind the supporting leg. En dedans: The thigh pushes straight back from first position with the toe preceding and then circles forward. The toe reaches tendu at 5:00 and sweeps around to the position of battement tendu front taken from first (open). The leg should sweep vigorously to the front and pass through first passively. At quicker tempi, follow the details above in reverse.

Grand Rond de Jambe Jeté En dehors from first position: Start by pushing the thigh forward and allowing the lower leg to bend passively. (This is not a proper attitude, where the 269

lower leg crosses the body, but an open position.) The action is a circling up and around with an energetic thrust of the thigh. The lower leg is flung outward by the vigorous movement of the thigh and reaches full extension at the side. At that point the leg straightens and descends while continuing around to the back with the toe touching down at about 5:00. The foot then returns to first position. It is convenient to begin a series from tendu back in order to gain momentum with a strong brush through first position. The accent should be on the outward swing of the leg as it moves to the side. The exercise is done in three-quarter time: lift and extend on one, and descend on two and three. It is performed quickly without pausing during consecutive ronds in the same direction. En dedans: Reverse the exercise with special attention to control the bending of the lower leg as it leaves first, so that the lower leg does not flap behind the standing leg but opens out (small open attitude back). The entire action is a circling of the thigh with the lower leg following passively. Do not kick the lower leg behind or in front of the standing leg. The exercise can also be done with the extended leg carried from the side straight around all the way to the back at 90 degrees from where the leg descends to first position. This is done in two counts or two measures in three-quarter time: the leg is thrown up and around to the side on the count of one and continues to complete the movement with the leg straight back on the count of two. Repeat by passing through first position without pausing, or prepare to reverse by pausing in tendu front. When moving en dedans, the rond de jambe ends with the leg fully extended en avant, and the upper body leans slightly back in an effacé pose.

Rond de Jambe en l’Air The movement is a circling of the lower leg. The action is accomplished entirely by the lower leg while the thigh is held motionless with the knee to the side. Each circle of the lower leg should be completed without flapping or kicking. The leg must be held directly to the side and aligned with the hips. En dehors: Prepare with an extension to the side at 90 degrees. Bend the knee quickly and deliberately (the lower leg must not be allowed to drop), and immediately slow down the movement and carry the foot slightly behind a direct line to the knee of the standing leg. The toe of the working leg should pass close to the standing leg without touching, then press the heel forward while circling the lower leg forward and extend the leg to the starting position with as much turnout as possible. Complete the exten270 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

sion deliberately and present the foot as though ending a développé. When the rond de jambe is to be performed more quickly, the leg should be held lower at 45 degrees. For a very fast series of ronds de jambe, the leg should be held even lower at 25 degrees, and the lower leg should circle like a pendulum, straight down from the knee of the working leg, as though drawing an oval on the floor, and opening to the side extension only on the last of the series. The final extension should be emphasized by slowing down slightly. En dedans: From extension to the side, the foot again circles in an oval, more to the front of a straight line to the knee of the standing leg and less behind on the return to second position en l’air. Double rond de jambe: With the leg bent so that the lower leg is hanging straight down from the knee and perpendicular to the thigh, make one small circle as though drawing on the floor with the toe. Start a second circle, but end with extension to the side at 90 degrees. The ronds de jambe can be dehors or dedans, triple or multiple before opening to the final extension. Quick rond de jambe with frappé: The quicker the rond de jambe, the lower the starting position of the working leg, 45 or 25 degrees. Balanchine often combined rond de jambe with frappé to emphasize the difference between extension with a kick (frappé) and extension without a kick (rond de jambe), usually four or eight of each alternating.

Grand Rond de Jambe en l’Air This adagio movement is a circling of the leg from front to back, or back to front, at 90 degrees or higher. When moving en dehors from extension en avant, it is necessary to open the hip while lifting the thigh after passing second position. The center of gravity should be transferred forward by tilting the torso slightly forward as the leg moves from the side to the back. When the leg is moving en dedans from extension to the back, it is necessary to pull the leg back into the joint as the leg reaches second position, so that the hips return to the straight square level in front required for a flat second position. The body adjusts the center of gravity by returning to a straight upright position. This adjustment should happen as unobtrusively as possible. Attempt to raise the leg during the exercise so that the final position is higher than the starting position. It is preferable to start from a position slightly lower than maximum extension in order to avoid lowering the leg during the rond de jambe.

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2.8

Poses

Attitude Balanchine seldom used attitude allongé. The preferred position is rather tight with the thigh well back and fully turned out so that there is an unbroken line from hip bone to knee. The foot should always be held lower than the knee. The back must be well arched and the muscles contracted, especially on the side of the working leg. The hip of the working leg should be open, and there should be a strong twist of the upper body to the opposite side, so that the shoulder on the side of the working leg does not swing back toward the leg that is raised in attitude. The foot of the raised leg should be pointed without twisting or flexing and should be aligned with the lower leg, completely straight from knee to toe.

Arabesque When the leg is raised en arrière, the back is held as erect as possible and well arched. The arms are usually held to the side. In arabesque, however, the body tilts forward, which permits the leg to be raised higher and allows a more comfortable balance. The body can tilt more or less according to the position desired. Allongé and épaulé require quite a lot of tilt, and penché is an extreme tilt. The arms have almost limitless possibilities. In all positions, the leg must remain straight back behind the center of the body, and the arm that is stretched front must also be in line with the center of the body, so that the leg and arm present one unbroken line. The hip of the raised leg may be lifted (opened) to facilitate turnout.

Épaulement In tendu the leg is always straight in front or behind the body and in line with the center of the body. When the body is pivoted slightly so that the legs appear crossed, that position is called croisé. When the body is pivoted 272

so that the legs appear open, that position is called effacé. It is the angle of the legs when viewed from the front that determines the position, and there are many possibilities for the arms and head. The positions should not be considered by the dancer in relationship to the room or stage. Front should be thought of as any one of the sides of an imaginary square around the individual dancer. This will prevent crossing or separating the legs too far.

Basic Positions Used by Balanchine Tendu front croisé: The arm opposite the extended leg is en haut, and the head is turned away from the raised arm and slightly tilted back. The arm on the same side as the working leg is extended to the side. The eyes remain directed front to the audience. Tendu back croisé: The arm on the same side as the extended leg is raised en haut, and the head is turned away from the raised arm and tilted slightly back. Croisé in fifth position: Standing in fifth position with the right foot front and revolved slightly to the left so that the right shoulder is angled forward. The head should be turned to the right and tilted slightly back. The accompanying arms can be en haut, or opened side, or the left arm can be raised en haut with the right opened to the side. If the right arm is raised and left opened side, the head must turn to the right and tilt slightly forward to look under the arm. Tendu front effacé: The arm opposite the extended leg is raised en haut, but the head is turned toward the raised arm and tilted slightly back. Tendu back effacé: The arm on the same side as the extended leg is raised, and the head is turned toward the raised arm and tilted slightly back. Balanchine never used the position with the head tilted forward to look under the arm when in tendu back effacé. He rarely used the position with the opposite arm raised, and when it was used, it was more likely to be like arabesque with the arms stretched. Effacé in fifth position: With the right foot front and the body revolved to the right with the left shoulder angled forward, the head should be turned to the left and tilted slightly back. The arms have the same possibilities as in croisé, except that with the right arm up Balanchine never used the “looking under” position, which he considered old-fashioned and outmoded. There is an element of “spotting” in these positions when the body is revolved one full turn. From fifth position en face with the right foot front, revolve the body to the right to effacé. Balanchine sometimes called this en quart (one-quarter turned). Continue revolving a half-turn to the right, Poses / 273

turning the head to the front just before the completion of the revolve, and stop before reaching en face. The body is now in croisé, or trois quarts (three-quarters turned). Training and rehearsing usually take place in a room or stage that is rectangular or square. Many teachers use a system of numbering the corners and walls in order to facilitate spoken instructions. This numbered square is for indicating the direction in which a series of steps is to move and should not be confused with the amount the body turns to croisé or effacé. Facing the corners of the room from different places in the room gives very different angles to the body. In order for a group of dancers placed throughout the room to achieve the same angle in a given position, each dancer must relate to an imaginary square around his own body. Each dancer then has an identical pose. Balanchine never used any numbered instructions. Ecarté front: The leg is extended directly to the side, and the body is pivoted one-eighth so that the leg points diagonally front. The arm on the same side as the working leg is raised en haut, and the opposite arm is extended. The head is turned to the same side as the working leg and tilted up. The eyes look up, directed to a point behind and beyond the elbow. The arm can also be extended (palm down) to follow the line of the extended leg, down when a terre and up when en l’air. The head and eyes follow the line of the arm and working leg with the opposite arm stretched (palm down) in alignment. Ecarté back: The leg is extended directly to the side, and the body is pivoted one-eighth so that the leg points diagonally back. The arm on the same side as the working leg is en haut, and the opposite arm is extended and held slightly lower than normal. The arm on the side of the working leg can also be extended (palm down) diagonally up to follow the line of the working leg when en l’air with the opposite arm extended toward the floor. The head should be turned away from the working leg, and the eyes should follow the line of the arm, which is directed toward the floor. The pose a terre écarté back with arms aligned with the working leg is never used. The body can be tilted slightly from the waist away from the extended leg in all poses écarté back.

Épaulement When Advancing or Retreating When a dancer is executing an exercise that alternates feet while traveling forward, the arm on the same side as the working leg accompanies the 274 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

movement, and the head turns toward the working leg with each alternation. When traveling back, the arm on the same side is again the active one and accompanies the working leg with each alternation, but the head turns away (opposite the working leg) with each alternation. This is like écarté back or front without pivoting. The head does not turn completely profile. The eyes follow the movement of the head, unlike the rule for croisé and effacé where the eyes remain directed front. The torso does not remain rigid, but inclines with the head away from the working leg when retreating (écarté back without pivoting). The torso does not participate when advancing. In Balanchine’s technique, the arms always circle from the inside outward, whether advancing or retreating, never the reverse from the outside inward. In Bournonville technique, the head always turns toward the working leg.

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2.9

Port de Bras

All parts of the body should participate in arm movements, whether accompanying steps or while standing still. The wrists and elbows should relax with the movement of the arms, and the torso, head, and eyes should incline with or counter to the arms so as to complement each particular type of movement. Change of direction in port de bras should be deliberate and perceptible with the rhythm of the music. The whole should be phrased and fluid, never abrupt or so smooth as to be bland.

Basic Positions Standing en face (facing front) 1. Starting with the arms down (fifth en bas), the arms should be firmly held, gently curved, with space between the body and upper arms, hands in front of the legs, a few inches apart, palms up, with fingers curved as though holding a small ball. 2. Raise the arms by lifting from the shoulder without changing the amount of curvature or the angle of the hands until slightly above a point opposite the waist. There should be a slight play in the wrist and elbow with the forearm leading the movement. Arms should be sloping slightly from the shoulder to the hands. 3. Continue raising the arms to fifth en haut (au couronne), with the arms in the same curvature, held slightly in front of vertical. Hands should be visible to the dancer when looking up while holding the head in a natural position. The fingers remain curved. 4. To open the arms to the side (à la second), start the movement from the wrist with forearm leading and continue opening and lowering the arms until the hands reach shoulder level with palms up (the curve of the arms with elbow below shoulder level). To end the movement, turn the hands by gently pulling the elbow and wrist a little back so that the palms face front. The arms should be curved and slope gently down from the shoulder. 276

5. To continue descent, turn the hands palms down by gently raising the wrist with a small simultaneous lifting of the elbow. Turn hands from palms facing front to palms back. Continue the downward movement with the thumb side of the wrist leading (and a gentle flexing of the wrist). When the wrists are a few inches apart, turn the hands so that the palms face up by a slight pulling apart of the wrists. Balanchine described this as “picking up flowers.” The arms should now be in the starting position (#l). Fingers should be more curved on ascending movements and almost straight on descending ones. The progression from one position to another should never be stiff or wooden, but alive as though breathing deeply with each change of direction. All joints of the arm should flex and stretch in sympathy with the movement. 6. To open the arms to the side (à la seconde) from en bas, raise the arms to just above the waist level. Then with a movement of the lower arm and wrist, open the arms to the side with the forearm leading (“a gesture of giving something to the public”). The final pose should be with the palms facing front, the arms sloping so that a drop of water would run down the arm and drip from the index finger. The arms should be curved and held slightly forward of horizontal. 7. There is a small port de bras that is used during allegro combinations. Instead of raising the arms front to waist height before opening to the side, they are carried only halfway and then opened to demi-second. The movement employs quite a bit of rotation in the wrist, almost palms facing out (front to the public) when opening and then half-rotation, turning in to the body when closing. The entire movement is circular, from the inside opening outward. 8. There is an even smaller arm movement to accompany very quick exercises such as temps de cuisse. The arms open side with a soft wrist movement, back of the wrist leading on opening and inside of the wrist leading on closing (an in and out waving movement with no rotation). Port de bras is rarely performed as “square” as described above. It is important to remember that when standing in croisé or effacé, there is a definite épaulement required. The torso and head must turn and bend with the movement of the arms, inclining the whole upper body to complement the movement of the legs. The hands do not always have to pass a point opposite the center of the body, but sometimes one or both together can cross to the opposite side of the body. The arms do not always have to be raised in a long curve, but can be bent more and, overlapping, pass close to the body with the elbow leading. Balanchine called this “washing your face.” Both arms must participate in all changes of Port de Bras / 277

position, even when one arm appears to be making all the movement. Sometimes it is only a small movement of the opposite hand that is required to complete the pose. 9. In waving side to side over the head or in front of the body, there should be a lot of wrist and elbow rotation. The back of the wrist should lead, no matter which direction, and the hand should turn just before the completion of the movement, not at the center of the body or when directly over the head. The body should undulate with the movement and the head should turn and bend in accord. The fingertips should never lead an arm movement. Hands move as though being drawn through water.

Head and Eyes The head should be held elegantly and gracefully with no tension in the neck. Possible head movements include turning to the right or left, tilting to the right or left, and raising or lowering. Most positions are a combination of the three. Balanchine achieved the correct angle by asking the dancer to incline the head as though presenting the cheek for a kiss. Many head movements can be emphasized by using the eyes. A grand développé is made more beautiful by lowering the head and eyes and then raising them during the extension. A turn of the head, with a flash of the eyes and a smile, have as much a place in performing as the actual steps. This side of performing usually develops as a dancer finds confidence through experience, but awareness of the importance of glance can help the dancer to more rapidly develop artistically.

Hands and Fingers At the barre the hands should be held with the fingers together and touching each other, very curved with the thumb resting on the near side of the index finger. A small ball can be held to help maintain the proper position. Then by gradually releasing the fingers, first the small finger, then the index finger, and finally by separation all the fingers slightly, the proper hand position is obtained. This position is very rounded. The hands should be held so that all the fingers are separate and visible from all angles. The index finger should be the least curved and almost touching the middle finger. The little finger should be well separated from the third and fourth fingers, which remain closest together. The fingers should never be held stiffly, but should be allowed to move with the port de bras. In arabesque 278 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

the fingers should be extended to follow the line of the arm and leg. The hands and fingers should participate in all movements of the arm to avoid a stiff, mechanical appearance. No strain should be seen in the fingers. The hands should move naturally through the air, almost as if they were drawn through water with the wrist leading, and the fingers trailing passively. Balanchine said that the hands should never move in such a way that the fingertips are leading and that “the hands and fingers should be as active as those of a Spanish dancer,” but in the classical ballet style.

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2.10

Jumping

Modern classical technique requires very stretched legs in all jumps. However, the knees must be released from the taut position just before landing. Alight on the ball of the foot with all joints flexed, and descend to a deeper plié without letting the heels touch the floor. The heels should be pushed forward as the body lowers, and the knees must be held directly over the feet. The dancer should grip the thigh muscles in the plié in order to resist coming down relaxed and heavily. By imagining landing on a breakable surface, a light landing can be achieved. A dancer should be able to land on one leg in a sustained pose soundlessly and without bouncing. Awareness of the amount of plié necessary for quiet landings in all types of jumps will allow the dancer to adjust to any tempo, however uncomfortably slow or fast it may be. When landing from a high jump, the pliés should be lower than the lowest possible with heels on the floor. The quicker the movement required, the less deep the plié and the more raised the heels. Fast jetés should be performed on rather high half-toe. If the jump is not completely silent, the plié is not elastic enough. The quality of the jump has nothing to do with either pushing off from the heels or putting them down on landing. On the contrary, to do so causes the jump to be fragmented and noisy. Nor does jumping without putting the heels on the floor each time cause pain in the Achilles tendon or bunchy muscles. If, during all the barre work, the heels are held firmly down and the muscles are properly flexed and stretched so that the legs are warmed up for jumps, there should be no ill effects. It is possible to sustain a plié and to separate jumps without bouncing during the plié (the double plié that dancers make when they are not low enough to take off again). To master this it is necessary to descend immediately to the depth of plié needed for the succeeding jump. The dancer must lower the body into deep plié without passing through the plié with the heels on the floor. When jumping on both feet very quickly, it is possible to jump with straight knees, the action being with the flexing of the toes and ankles only. To avoid jarring the body, the heels never touch the floor. In small, quick 280

enchaînements, the body should be seen to be moving up and down evenly with each spring. But, in the case of certain big jumping enchaînements, it is better to make some of the intermediate jumps lower in order to emphasize the more important jumps and make the whole more exciting. For example, in a quick enchaînement consisting of glissade, jeté, assemblé, changement, all jumps should be equal height, the body being elevated just enough for the feet to reach full point with each spring. However, with an enchaînement of glissade, assemblé porté, the glissade should be quick and short and the assemblé should be a high forward jump with full power in the takeoff. The quick glissade gives more time for the large assemblé. Certain jump enchaînements require a series of equally large jumps such as sissonne failli followed by assemblé porté. In a manège, the jumps should all travel in the line of direction whether the body is moving forward, backward, sideways, or turning. The landing should be distant from the takeoff. Grand jetés should appear to travel up and over an invisible object. Splitting the legs is not effective if the body appears to descend almost between the legs, which happens if the front leg drops down when landing. The body must travel to the point where the front leg points. The leg should not be lowered to come under the body. Jumps require different types of plié: 1. The small, quick bouncing jump with quarter plié and high half-toe. 2. The large rebounding jump using a very deep elastic plié with threequarter plié and low half-toe. 3. The sustained plié at the end of jumps when the body must be held immobile for a longer or shorter period requires a medium plié with the heels not touching the floor (the plié just before the heels would touch). It should be possible to land and sustain the pose. The center of gravity must be over the supporting foot. In Balanchine’s style of jumping, the toes, ankles, and knees are always straight when in the air. There are hardly ever any jumps with flexed ankle and knee, as in Cecchetti and Bournonville. The jumps must always be executed vigorously.

Glissade The glissade most often used by Balanchine is a basic jump and involves raising the entire body off the floor at once. From fifth position, slide the right foot to tendu side, at the same time Jumping / 281

giving a little spring from the left leg to lift the body and carry it to the right. Do not sit on the left leg with the right leg in tendu. The high point of the jump should look like échappé in second on pointe with both feet fully stretched and the toes barely touching the floor. From here, the left leg slides to join the right leg as the body descends to the right, alighting in fifth position on the balls of the feet. The left leg must close to fifth very quickly so that the dancer is not seen to be landing on the right leg with the left in tendu side. The leg closes to fifth directly down from the échappé position. If the entire body weight is allowed to rest on the right leg, the glissade will appear to be in two movements and will look like limping rather than a single brisk jump. If the glissade is a preparation for a following jump with the impetus mainly from the left leg, such as a jeté, the entire body weight should be on the left leg on the closing into fifth with the right leg free to brush out to the side. The body weight is on the left leg at the start of the glissade, is carried between the legs at the height of the jump, and descends on the left leg as the legs bend in the plié. The center of gravity does not pass to the right leg. At high speeds, the leg that leads in the glissade hardly touches the floor. It gives only a little push with the ball of the foot (like the whipping movement of a flic-flac). The body weight is carried over the following leg as it passes to small plié on the ball of the foot. The leg that was leading does not go to fifth position but is held slightly bent with the foot in front or behind the supporting leg in preparation for the succeeding jump. The glissade becomes almost a temps levé to the side with the leading leg, making the flicking movement that used to be known as a fouetté. The weight rests on both feet in fifth position at the completion of the glissade if the succeeding jump is to be from two feet, such as a changement. In glissade précipité, which usually travels diagonally front, the weight remains over the back leg during the entire step.

Glissade Précipité From fifth in plié, open the front foot in a battement tendu dégagé side (the body turned to écarté front). The back leg then gives a spring propelling the body forward as the back foot slides along the floor joining the front leg in fifth position plié at the end of the spring. There is also a type of glissade that is not a jump but more like a temps lié, used in adagio combinations.

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Glissade from Fourth Position for Big Traveling Jumps From tendu front croisé with the left leg, step forward on the left leg in plié, then with a spring from the left leg, brush the right leg through first position. The jump should be just high enough so that the legs are straight with the feet pointed as they pass through first position, almost like a hitch-kick. The body travels forward barely alighting on the right, while the left passes to fourth position in front with the full body weight on the left foot in deep plié, and the right leg (in tendu back croisé) is free to swing up for the succeeding jump. This glissade is performed traveling straight front. However, the body is usually angled toward the corner or traveling around in a circular path (manége). The in-between steps are very important in Balanchine’s technique. All glissades and chassés must be executed with stretched, taut feet. Balanchine always demanded proper preparatory steps for big jumps. Dancers were never allowed to take two large steps before a grand jeté or other big jump, as the modern Russian dancers do.

Assemblé From fifth position plié, the working leg slides to the side as for battement dégagé while the supporting leg gives a vigorous spring so that the body rises in the air enough to allow the straightening of both knees with both feet fully pointed. The working leg is then pulled in sharply to join the other leg so that the legs are touching with thighs tight together and well crossed in fifth position in the air before landing. The return of the leg from the battement must be a deliberate, active movement to give the assemblé brilliance. The higher the battement of the working leg, the higher the jump must be. All jumps must be performed vigorously with a strong thrust from the legs in plié. A jump without utmost power in the legs looks lazy. It is important to practice battement dégagé quickly at the barre to develop the necessary speed for the return of the leg to fifth in assemblés.

Assemblé Porté From a glissade through fourth position, make a high battement and as high a jump as possible. With a powerful spring from a deep plié on the leg that is in fourth position front, catapult the body forward while thrusting the following leg forward to join the battement leg so that they touch tightly in fifth position before landing. This deliberate joining must be a vigorous movement, especially when there are to be one or more beats such as for assemblé battu or entrechat six de volé. Balanchine called this entrechat Jumping / 283

cinq. As the body rises in the air, the épaulement changes so that the landing takes place in croisé opposite to the croisé position of the preparation. The pose in the air is écarté front with the entire body slanted away from the direction of the jump.

Jeté Jetés are most often performed traveling straight front or back. The body moves up and down with no sideway movement as though the dancer were on a tight rope. From plié on one leg with the other sur le cou-de-pied back, the working leg performs a frappé to the side from cou-de-pied while the supporting leg gives a vigorous spring straight up. The working leg is then drawn back sharply under the body to replace the other leg, as if returning to fifth. The supporting leg straightens in the jump and then bends to finish with the foot cou-de-pied in back fully stretched. When jetés are traveling back, the foot will be conditional cou-de-pied front, fully pointed with the toe touching the shin of the supporting leg. As with glissade, the jump must be high enough to allow both feet to be fully stretched. The torso must visibly rise with each jeté. Jetés can also be performed porte, forward, back, or sideways, en face, effacé, and croisé.

Grande Jeté In grand jeté, the legs must be stretched but not necessarily spread to look like a “split” in the air. Balanchine always stressed that the main objective is to jump up, as though over an obstruction, and not just to skim the floor with widespread legs. For the most effective jump, the height of the body in the air is more important. The leg that is extended behind is as stretched and pointed as the leading leg.

Sissonne When jumping forward in grand sissonne ouvert in any pose, the sissonne is always performed with the front foot moving forward directly under the body. In other words, the body travels forward, taking the leg forward. The leg is stretched straight down. The jump is not done by pushing the leg forward, while the body is traveling through the air, so that the foot is leading the jump. This distorts the pose so that it comes to resemble a grand jeté where both legs are spread equally. The dancer should achieve the pose in 284 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

the air and maintain it when alighting to give a clear picture of the pose. The tendency is to kick the back leg so that the movement continues upon alighting. This spoils the definition, and the audience’s perception of the pose is blurred.

Posé When stepping out for a temps levé or relevé, always dégagé with a fully stretched, well turned out, pointed foot. Place the ball of the foot on the floor first and then lower the heel into demi-plié (without pressure or weight on the heel). Then spring up, stretching the leg and foot in the air. The other leg can be held in a variety of poses, but should always be held firmly without moving in order to show the pose during the jump. Temps levé is never performed beginning with the glissé (sliding the whole foot on the floor).

Brisé This beating step moves not to the side but rather almost straight front in relation to the body. The jump travels either diagonally front or diagonally back. From fifth position croisé in plié, the back foot slides through first position to effacé front well turned out (battement dégagé). Simultaneously, the other leg springs up, thrusting the body forward as the following leg beats behind the battement leg, and then the legs change places to land in fifth position with the same foot in front as at the start. The landing should be as far forward as the spot to which the toe points on the battement. The step is performed traveling diagonally and can be done from fifth to fifth or from fourth to fourth, which becomes more like glissade battu. Balanchine preferred brisé to be performed épaulement in effacé (the arm and shoulder opposite the working leg held angled front), rather than with the arm and shoulder on the same side as the working leg held angled front. Do not lean to the line of direction, but hold the body erect, with the head also in effacé position. To brisé back, the leg that is in front makes a battement dégagé effacé back, passing from fifth through first, and the following leg beats in front as the body travels backwards to land in fifth position with the same foot front as at the start. The épaulement is effacé (the arm and shoulder on the same side as the working leg held angled front). There is no brisé back in fourth position. Jumping / 285

Entrechat Six Ideally, the beating should be accomplished with the entire leg. The legs should cross and open sideways, crossing each time so that the heels of both feet are visible in fifth position in the air. The feet should be fully pointed. The most spectacular entrechat six is that performed by a dancer with very high insteps and feet arched so that the toes are visible on opposite sides during the extreme crossed part of the beating. As Carlo Blasis observed in 1820, dancers with slightly bowed legs perform beats easily: their legs cross more, and they usually have a stronger jump. Bodies with saber legs and very loose limbs have elegant extensions but have difficulty with beating; the legs don’t close easily in fifth and have less initial speed. A body with legs that do not turn out completely or one that cannot achieve a perfect fifth position will never be able to perform a beautiful entrechat six. The entrechat six is performed as follows: From fifth position with the right leg front, demi-plié with all the weight on the balls of the feet, spring up and change the legs three times, landing with the left leg front in fifth position demi-plié poised on the balls of the feet. The heels will not be placed on the floor until the end of the series, then the heels touch the floor as the knees straighten. The beats are executed with both legs opening just enough to pass each other and crossing to tight fifth position for each beat. There is a method of practice that may be helpful with dancers having difficulty with entrechat six. Sometimes it helps to think of making the first change (beat) on the upward part of the jump and the next two on the descent. However, the best effect is achieved when performing all three changes on the descent. This principle can be applied to learning entrechat huit: make two changes (beats) on the upward jump and two on the way down.

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2.11

Pointe Work

There are two ways to get on pointe: piqué and relevé. And there are two ways to relevé: rolling up and down with or without plié, and springing up from plié. All relevés with a spring must be accomplished smoothly, elevating the body just enough to draw the feet under the center of gravity. It is important not to spring so high as to descend on the toes, jarring the body with the visible quiver. In almost all cases when rising to half-toe or full pointe, the heels tend to slip back, and some turnout is lost. In order to compensate for this, it is necessary to press the heels forward when descending to regain the original position. When the dancer is on pointe, the body weight should not be allowed to force the foot over on the instep. The foot should be held straight in such a way that the center of gravity is directly on the toes and the leg presents a straight line to the hip bone. The amount of curvature of the instep will vary according to the individual. The dancer must not stand over the nails of the toes in an attempt to improve “line.” The dancer should “pull up” through the ankle, holding all the joints of the foot taut. Balanchine preferred shiny shoes with low vamps, and he liked the shoe to be pointed at the tip. The foot must look dainty.

Relevé To rise to full pointe in first or second positions, it is possible to roll up through half-toe and then roll down again without bending the knees at all. When rolling up, the foot goes through half-toe, and the toes then actively assist in rising to full pointe by pushing up from the floor. When rising from demi-plié, the knees do not straighten fully until full pointe is reached (all leg and foot joints stretch and bend simultaneously). When descending, all the joints begin to flex at once. It is impossible to put the heels on the floor before bending the knees. The effect will be jarring, and injury may result. It is also possible to roll down while standing on one

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leg. But to get up on full pointe while standing on one foot requires a little spring to draw the toe under the center of gravity. If the dancer rolls up onto full pointe from fifth position, a very open position results. To get the legs properly crossed, there must be a little spring that allows the toes to be drawn under. This can be accomplished from a small demi-plié preparation or a deep demi-plié depending on the tempo of the music. On pointe in fifth position, the toes must be exactly one in front of the other with both heels visible when viewed from the front. The legs should be pressed together with thighs firmly touching and the buttocks firmly held. To descend from fifth on pointe to fifth in plié, it is necessary to give a little spring to take the weight off the toes. At the moment of the spring, release the tension in the knees, allowing them to bend into a small demiplié, pushing the toes of both feet out far enough to allow the weight of the body to fall evenly on the balls of both feet in a high half-toe (demi-plié in fifth). The dancer must descend on both feet at once, not one after the other, then slowly lower the heels and make a deeper demi-plié. If the dancer comes down from fifth on pointe without moving the toes to the side, a very overcrossed fifth position results. At a fast tempo the same thing happens and is much easier because it requires less control. As the plié becomes quicker and smaller, the heels do not go as far down when continuing with a series of relevés. All the joints of the legs and feet must flex and stretch together. The coordination must be gradual with the rise onto the toes so that the knees are not overly bent just before or after reaching full pointe. The dancer should not appear to be in plié on pointe during a relevé.

Relevé Retiré When rising onto pointe from fifth position, plié and spring up on one leg. The toe of the foot that is being lifted must be drawn under toward the supporting toe. The toe then glides up the supporting leg to the desired height and descends in front or back of the supporting leg. At the moment of the descent from pointe, the toe of the raised foot will be almost touching the floor in fifth (sur les pointes), and the toe must then glide outward to resume fifth position in plié, with the weight on the balls of the feet. The toe must not be placed down in front of the heel of the supporting foot, which would cause the legs to separate. The action of the knee is diagonally out and in to the side, and not up and down, which would cause a bad position in plié. The weight is maintained almost entirely on the supporting leg, whether executing a single relevé or a series. 288 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

Piqué Piqué to full pointe is always done on a straight leg with the knee taut. One exception is piqué ballonné, when the dancer steps on pointe before straightening the knee. When stepping on pointe to the front, extend the leg with a dégagé or développé directly in front of the center of the body (the supporting leg in plié), with the foot well turned out, and the inner side of the heel uppermost so that the little toe touches the floor first, and roll onto full pointe while pushing the body up from the supporting leg. The leg that initiates the movement must assume the new pose smartly. When stepping on pointe to the back, stretch the leg directly behind the body with the big toe touching the floor first, then push up onto pointe from the demi-plié of the supporting leg. When stepping on pointe to the side, stretch the leg tendue side in plié and assume the desired pose on pointe by pushing up onto pointe from the supporting leg. Other poses, such as arabesque, are always accomplished by stepping straight front, back, or to the side. The body is pivoted prior to the piqué to achieve the desired angle of the pose. The transfer of the body from one leg to the other is difficult to achieve smoothly because the dancer must learn to judge the amount of force needed to arrive on balance. It is important to stretch the supporting leg at the moment of the transfer and to make the body tall and “pulled up” in the new pose.

Piqué Jeté Starting with a plié on the left leg with the right leg in dégagé to the side, jump up just enough to bring the right leg under the body and land on pointe directly in front of the left leg, which is simultaneously lifted to coude-pied in back of the right leg or higher as required. When repeated with the left leg and continued in a series, the dancer will progress straight forward. This step can also be done porté (traveling) in any direction and is effective when used for tour piqué.

Pointe Work / 289

2.12

Turning

To prepare for pirouettes en dedans or en dehors from fourth position, the legs should be crossed so that one is directly behind the other, the front leg in demi-plié and the back leg straight. Avoid squatting in an open fourth or taking an extra plié before the relevé for the turn. The heel of the supporting foot must not be allowed to slip in the direction of the turn just before the relevé. Try to hide preparations by making them as brief as possible. When it is necessary to remain in fourth position for some time before the turn, such as might happen in an adagio, take a larger fourth, keeping the back leg straight, and then turn slowly (like a relevé retiré en tournant). For quick multiple pirouettes, hold the leg sur le cou-de-pied rather than in retiré. A small fourth position with the weight evenly distributed on both legs in plié is used occasionally, such as when jumping (échappé) to a preparation for a pirouette, or in other quick combinations, and most commonly for supported pirouettes. The feet must be well crossed, one exactly behind the other. All preparations in fourth position can be made en face or in croisé. Most pirouettes are executed spotting front to the audience, except in certain traveling combinations when it is permitted to spot in the line of direction. When taking off for pirouette en dehors from croisé with the eyes directed to the front arm, rather than to the audience, the spot must be changed to front (audience) at the end of the revolution, unless the same pose is to be resumed at the end of the turns. The dancer must avoid overcrossing the legs, so as to appear in profile. For pirouette en dedans, the dancer should almost always spot front (audience).

To Conclude a Pirouette There are several possibilities for ending a pirouette, depending on the tempo and style of the dance that is to follow: 1. A slight hop from point or demi-point to fifth position with almost no plié. 290

2. Both legs into a deep demi-plié in fifth simultaneously 3. Supporting leg into demi-plié and raised leg descending into fourth position immediately afterwards. From retiré, the knee pushes back so that the foot is not leading. This rule also applies when descending to fourth position from grand tours. 4. A tombé onto the raised leg in any direction. The leg that was supporting during the turn is then raised cou-de-pied or dégagé in any direction. 5. A plié on the supporting leg with the raised leg sur le cou-de-pied or opened to arabesque, attitude, second, or other pose. In adagio, it is possible to end a very slow turn by putting the heel down without any plié at all, as the working leg opens to the desired pose.

Arms and Head in Pirouettes Arms are never joined in front of the body at the end of a pirouette. They should be lowered (en bas) or opened to a specified pose. Never sit in plié with the hands touching each other at the end of a pirouette. Pirouette en dehors to the right from fifth position with the right foot front: The weight must be almost entirely on the left leg. The left leg performs the relevé with very little assist from the right leg pushing up from the floor. This is especially important for consecutive turns in fifth to avoid traveling. When traveling is desired, it is accomplished with the spring to the relevé and not on the descent to fifth. With the right arm rounded in front, and the left to the side, it is necessary to give a little impetus with the right arm (a small outward swing) at the beginning of the turn. The arms should overlap during the turns, at least as far as the wrists (fingertips in front of, or on top of, the opposite wrist). The hands must not touch. When several faster turns are required, the arms overlap more and are held closer to the body. The arm that is pushing as it closes during the turn should always be outermost. Pirouette en dedans to the right from fifth or fourth position with the right foot front: There are two possible ways to raise the left leg. For quick turns, the left leg is raised directly to the front in cou-de-pied or retiré at the moment of the relevé. For the preparation, the right arm is rounded in front and the left is open to the side. With the relevé, the left arm closes briskly, giving impetus to the turn. For slower turns, or for more force for multiple turns, the left leg opens to the side, while the right remains in plié and, with the relevé, closes into retiré position. With this type of turn, the right arm can be allowed to open to the side as the left leg opens, and then both arms Turning / 291

close with the closing of the working leg on the relevé. This method is actually fouetté en tournant en dedans. Pirouette en dehors to the right from fourth croisé with the left foot front: The right arm is held straight front, in line with the right leg, which is croisé back, with the wrist flexed a little so that the fingers point slightly upwards. With the relevé for the turn, the right arm is pulled straight into the body without an outward swing. The arms are crossed, left over right, on the breast with the palms facing inward during the turn. The fingers should be as carefully held and as attractively separated as if this were a stationary pose. This type of pirouette is often used in pas de deux work, as it prevents the dancer from hitting her partner.

To Turn with the Arms en Haut (au Couronne) En dehors: The arm that is in front for the preparation is raised directly up, and the arm that is to the side pushes diagonally into position with the relevé, so that the entire turn is accomplished in the pose. The arms do not pass through first or second position, but are raised together directly to the pose. En dedans: If the leg is to open to the side before the relevé, the arms retain the preparatory position until the relevé, or they can be opened to the side with the sweep of the leg. Then at the moment of the relevé to retiré, the arms are raised straight up from the side without passing through any intermediate position. In this case, the entire impetus for the turn is from the working leg.

Chaîné Turns Chaîné turns are executed in a very small first position on pointe or demipointe, in a series of half turns (two half turns, one on each foot) for each full revolution. After initiating the turns with a good outward swing of the leading arm, the arms are held tightly to the body at chest level. The turns should be executed as quickly as possible with no further movement of the arms (no pumping). The head propels the turns by very fast spotting in the line of direction. Chaîné turns are always begun by stepping on pointe, never with a step in plié.

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Grand Tours Grand tours can be performed in many different poses. From the plié preparation, no matter which position is used, the leg must rise to full height immediately with the relevé. All grand tours look best with the leg held at 90 degrees. Both arms give a vigorous push (a swing in the direction of the turn) with the relevé to initiate the turn. The leading arm (on the side to which the turn is being made) gives an impetus to each revolution by pushing slightly in the direction of the turn. An entire series of turns is performed in the same pose. The arms never close during the turn. For tours in second, the arms are held stationary to the side after the first turn and the eyes spot front. For tours in arabesque, the head should not be allowed to spot, but should be held as if the pose were stationary, no matter how many revolutions. For tours in attitude, poses of croisé or effacé can be held, though sometimes the head and eyes can be allowed to spot front, depending on the requirements of the enchaînement. Descending from grand tours in second should commence with the supporting leg, the raised leg being lowered into fourth position croisé through first position. Never land on both legs simultaneously, and do not let the raised leg make a rond de jambe on the way down. It is also possible to descend ending in fifth position, in which case the sequence is the same.

Tour Piqué Tour piqué to the right en dehors: From a preparation with the right leg tendue front croisé and the left in demi-plié, step to the side in the line of direction on the right leg, taking the left leg to retiré in back. With a simultaneous push from the left leg and the arms, the dancer makes a three-quarter turn to the right, descending on the left leg in demi-plié with the right foot dégagé front croisé. In consecutive turns, the right leg continues the movement with a swing to the side while the left leg makes a quarter pivot in demi-plié before the next piqué. The head spots in the line of direction. The leading arm uses quite a bit of wrist movement. As the arm opens to the side before stepping onto pointe, the hand is turned palm down (almost cutting the air with the flat hand, little finger side leading). Then the wrist turns so that the palm is toward the body during the actual turn and the left arm closes, overlapping the right arm. At the moment of descent into the plié on the left foot, the left arm opens side and the right leg is in dégagé croisé front with the right arm curved in front. As the right leg swings right in an arc for the next piqué, the right arm is flung open to the right exactly timed with the swing of the leg. Turning / 293

Tour piqué en dedans: With a plié on the right leg, extend the left leg to the side and jeté onto the left leg directly under the body (in front of the right leg) with a little spring, bringing the right leg retiré front. With the impetus of the leg thrust and the arm swing, turn to the right, descending with a tombé to the side on the right leg with the left extended to the left side, ready to repeat. The body travels sideways in the line of direction, and the head spots front rather than in the line of direction as in tour piqué en dehors. The arms open and close freely with a relaxed elbow and wrist for each turn. The arms must not be held rigidly curved between the turns. The arms should be held close to the body during each turn, with the arm that is pushing overlapping the leading arm.

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2.13

Balanchine Pointe Class, 1960

There was barre work first with all exercises designed to utilize relevés. Since the combinations were notated after class, they are not necessarily in the order in which they were given. 1. Tour Piqué and Grand Pas de Chat Fifth position, right foot front (this combination is in three slow counts, traveling diagonally front right): [CT1] Tour piqué en dehors on the left foot. [CT2] Tombé on the right foot. On [&] coupé to left foot behind right. In air on [CT3] very quickly jump up in grand pas de chat en tournant to the right. On [&] land on right with left leg passé through to front croisé. Repeat same side continuously. TEMPO: POLONAISE 2. Pirouette and Fouetté Fifth position, right foot front: [CT1] Plié on the left with the right front sur le cou-de-pied. [CT2,3] Relevé with the right foot croisé (fondue) right arm curved in front. [CT2] Tombé front on right foot, and [CT 2,3] pirouette en dedans. [CT3] Plié on right foot with left front croisé. [CT2,3] Fouetté relevé to arabesque croisé with left leg back (right arm goes up and lowers in front to fourth arabesque). [CT4] Plié in same pose. [CT2,3] Pirouette en dedans on right with rond de jambe left passing through second. Repeat to left without descending to fifth. TEMPO: WALTZ

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3. Sissonne and Entrechat Six Fifth position croisé right foot front: [CT&] Plié. [CT1] Sissonne to arabesque ouvert. [CT&] Plié in fifth. [CT2] Sissonne to arabesque ouvert. [CT&] Plié in fifth. [CT3] Entrechat six. [CT&] Land in plié left foot front. [CT4] Relevé passé to right foot front retiré with both arms up. Repeat the same side. TEMPO: 2/4 4. Cinq de Volé Fifth position right foot front: [ON&] Sissonne to arabesque ouvert on the right foot on pointe. [CT1] Tombé left front to fourth position croisé. [ON&] Entrechat cinq de volé. [CT2] Land in fifth plié with the right foot front. Repeat the same side. TEMPO: 2/4 5. Sissonne de Côté Fifth position slight croisé right foot front: [ON&] Plié in fifth right foot front. [CT1] Relevé sous-sous, arm to the side. [ON&] Plié in fifth right front. [CT2] Sissonne relevé to the right with the left foot retiré, left arm across and close left front in plié fifth. Repeat to the other side. TEMPO: 2/4 6. Entrechat Six Fifth position slight croisé, right foot front: [CT&1] Plié in fifth right front and entrechat six. [CT2] Plié in fifth left front. [CT3&4] Soutenue en tournant dehors (detourne) with arms up. Repeat. TEMPO: 2/4

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7. Entrechat Six and Pirouette Fifth position right foot front: [CT1] Plié fifth right front. [CT2] Sous-sous. [CT3] Plié fifth right front. [CT4] Entrechat six. [CT5] Plié left foot front. [CT6] Relevé retiré right foot front. [CT7] Plié fifth right foot front. [CT8] Pirouette en dehors to fifth right foot back (the ending is actually [CT1] for repeating the step to the left). TEMPO: 2/4 8. Fondue and Relevé Fifth position, right foot front: one movement for each count 1, 2, 3 of the Mazurka: [CT1,2,3] Plié with right foot cou-de-pied in front. [CT2,2,3] Relevé opening right foot to second (fondue). [CT 3,2,3] Plié with leg held in second. [CT4,2,3] Relevé swing body one quarter left to attitude effacé (fouetté). [CT5,2,3] Plié in attitude. [CT6,2,3] Relevé returning to second. [CT7,2,3] Plié in fifth with right back. [CT8,2,3] Straighten knees. Repeat with left leg. TEMPO: MAZURKA

Balanchine Pointe Class, 1960 / 297

2.14

Balanchine Company Class, October 1975

Entire class including barre lasted about an hour, with all girls on pointe. Each exercise was repeated twice. Barre was very simple, with no complicated combinations, and lasted about 20 minutes. 1. Tendus (Done All Together) Fifth position right foot front arms opened side: [CT1,2,3,4] Four battements tendus front with right foot. [CT5,6,7,8] Four battements tendus side with right foot (closing front first and alternating). [CT1,2,3,4] Four battements back with the right foot (arms lower with the fourth tendu). [CT5] Tendu right foot back croisé, with arms opening to arabesque position with the right arm forward. [CT6] Plié on the left leg and place the right foot on the floor. [CT7] Double pirouette en dehors. [CT8] End in fifth position plié with the right foot back. Repeat entire exercise with the left foot. Repeat in the same tempo with two triplet battements dégagés to each side. Repeat with single tendu as with the first exercise, but twice as fast (double time). TEMPO: SLOW 2/4 2. Fouetté (Girl’s Step) Fifth position right foot front: [CT1,2,3] Développé very slow and deliberate pas de cheval with right leg to tendu plié éffacé. [CT 2,2,3] Relevé fouetté quickly to arabesque ouvert on left leg and sustain pose. [CT3,2] Plié in arabesque [CT3] and pas de bourrée dessous very quickly. [CT4,2] Plié in fifth and pirouette en dehors. [CT3] End in fifth plié with left foot front. Repeat other side. TEMPO: SLOW WALTZ

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3. Pirouettes (Boy’s Step) Fifth position right foot front: [CT1] Large développé to tendu plié right foot front croisé, left arm rounded in front and the right arm to the side. [CT2] Rond de jambe parterre in plié to tendu back croisé, putting heel down immediately. [CT3] Slow double pirouette en dehors to third arabesque croisé in demi-plié with the right leg back. [CT4] Soutenue en tournant en dehors closing right leg to fifth on half-toe and ending in plié fifth with the right foot front. Repeat to the left starting with the left foot from the back. TEMPO: SLOW WALTZ 4. Bourrée, Fouetté, and Pirouette (Girl’s Step) Fifth position right foot front (traveling diagonally front from upstage left): [CT1–6] Stepping out to the right, pas de bourrée couru in fifth position with the right foot front and the right arm up, the left arm to the side. [CT1,2,3] Descend with a step to the side on the right foot and tendu plié with the left foot to front croisé, right arm curved in front, left arm to the side. [CT4,5,6] Relevé fouetté en tournant en dedans to arabesque (right arm coming overhead and turning right) ending in third arabesque croisé with the left leg back. Plié in the same pose. [CT1,2,3] Pas de bourrée change dessous (lifting knees) [CT4,5,6] to fourth position plié, left foot front croisé (right leg straight back). [CT1,2,3] Pirouette en dehors to fourth position plié, right foot back croisé. [CT 4,5] Soutenue en tournant en dehors, bringing the right leg to the left in fifth on pointe. [CT6] Plié on the left and dégagé the right foot to the right side in preparation to repeat the step to the same side. Repeat the step to the left when all girls have completed the step to the right side. TEMPO: SLOW 6/8 5. Entrechat Cinq de Volé and Entrechat Six (Boy’s Step) Fifth position right foot front: [CT1,2,3] Temps levé to the right in arabesque ouvert. [CT2,2,3] Bring the left leg behind the right and fast temps de flèche, ending with the left foot Balanchine Company Class, October 1975 / 299

front croisé. [CT3,2,3] Glissade through first to fourth. [CT4,2,3] Entrechat cinq de volé to the right. [CT5,2,3,6,2,3,7,2,3,8,2,3] Four entrechat six. Repeat the step to the left and continue without stopping. TEMPO: GRAND WALTZ 6. Emboîtés and Pirouettes (Girl’s Step) Fifth position, right foot front (traveling from upstage left): [CT1–8] Eight emboîtés sautés en avant (left foot up first). [CT1,2] Assemblé to fifth demi-plié right front. [CT3,4] Pirouette en dehors [CT5] ending in fifth in demi-plié with the right foot in back. [CT6&7] Soutenue en tournant en dehors to fifth right foot front. [CT8] Demi-plié in fifth position and continue the step to the same side. Repeat to the left when all girls have completed the right side. TEMPO: GALLOP 7. Tour en l’Air (Boy’s Step) Fifth position, right foot front: [CT&1] Sissonne tombé to the right. [CT2] Coupé the left foot under. [CT&3] Ballonné sauté, right leg opening to the side ending in cou-de-pied with the right foot behind. [CT4] Relevé en tournant en dehors. [CT5] Plié fifth with the right foot front. [CT&6] Double tour en l’air en dehors to the right. [CT7&8] Plié in fifth with the right leg back. Repeat to the left. TEMPO: 2/4 8. Hops on Pointe (Girl’s Step) Fifth position, left foot front (traveling diagonally back from downstage left): [CT1–4] Four hops on pointe on the left foot with the right foot in coude-pied back and the left arm up. [CT5–8] Four hops on pointe on the right foot with the left foot in cou-de-pied front, with the right arm up. Continue. TEMPO: GALLOP

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Summary

Una and I feel we owe a great debt of gratitude to George Balanchine. We hope that he will not be dissatisfied with our efforts to make his teaching more accessible to the dance world. I approach this aspect of Balanchine’s teachings with some trepidation, because it can easily be misunderstood. There is a tendency to think that one is doing his work correctly by hitting each movement squarely, each count exactly on the beat, with great energy. But that is missing the very essence of how he approached the quality of each step—the perfume, one might say. As I have mentioned, Balanchine reminded us that we don’t speak in monotone. We raise and lower our voices, stress words, and change tempo, and this is exactly how we should move. It is the phrase within the phrase, starting with the wrapping of the foot around the ankle and lifting into tendu (and then “show”) and the fondue (“stay”) as if having a photo taken. The développé appearing to move as if in outer space. The foot arriving at the apex and then continuing into an equally outstretched descent. His timing for glissade assemblé (“hover hold”) onto the air and the inhale on sous-sus and exhale on plié before entrechat six are all examples of how Balanchine shaded movement. I have covered all of this in the classwork, but it is important enough to mention again. This is what constitutes the style, but it is a pure, honest, and totally musical style. It remains true to the logical musical quality inherent in the given steps. There must be no mannerisms, unnecessary embellishments, or personal refinement. It is simply the most logical way to present a given movement to the audience. It is how movement becomes theater and how it affects the audience. He strips the movement down to its essence and breathes life into it by allowing for the nuance that is inherent in it. So, in breaking down each step, having it done extremely slowly or too fast, in forcing us to know exactly how each step was to be done, he was freeing us to dance his choreography and not perform the steps in a dry, mechanical way. He was much too much a musician. After perfecting the movement, he would send his dancers onto the stage, saying, “Now surprise me.” But without him here to monitor us and say, “No, dear, wrong,” we must be very careful and keep going back to perfecting each tendu and then letting the music flow into our bodies and movement.

301

A thread runs through Balanchine’s teaching that pertains not only to the innovations he made in technique but also to musicality and timing. The dancer was another musician. But instead of creating sound, the dancer became visible sound. Each and every dancer is just as important as each and every musician in creating the magic of sound and movement. What we take for granted as part of our technique did not exist before the 1950s. Before Balanchine’s time, the glissade did not end with both feet simultaneously. The jeté battu and assemblé with legs held together out to the side, the preparations for steps and the speed and breadth of movement were what Balanchine added to classical ballet. The intricate partnering in pas de deux and the use of the vibrato that underlies the melody are part of Balanchine’s legacy to us. Balanchine referred to himself as a craftsman. “Sculptors use wood or marble and chisels. I use dancers and steps.” We were the dancers on whom Balanchine crafted the New York City Ballet. In her autobiography, Alexandra Danilova said that when Balanchine started choreographing for Diaghilev, she and her generation were the pioneers, the first to dance his new and difficult choreography. We in the 1950s were pioneers, too. Balanchine taught us what future dancers could and would do. He taught us to move in ways we never dreamed possible, to hear music as no one had heard it before, and to feel the music coursing through our bodies. We want very much for these teachings to be the stepping-stones for future generations of dancers and choreographers. Balanchine said, “When I go, it goes.” Because choreography and dance are passed from one generation to another in an oral tradition, I hope that this tradition will continue to keep Balanchine’s work alive and intact.

302 / Balanchine the Teacher, Part 2

Barbara Walczak was born in Astoria, New York, and started her dance training with Phyllis Marmein at the YMCA at 50th Street and 10th Avenue. She studied with Igor Schwezoff before being taken by her teacher to the School of American Ballet at about 13 years of age. At 16 she was in the Ballet Society performance of the Spellbound Child and remained with the New York City Ballet until 1960. She was among the first four dancers to be named soloists by George Balanchine, and she danced many solo and leading roles. She spent a summer as a soloist with the Alicia Alonso Company and performed solo and leading roles with André Eglevsky’s Ballet Divertissement. She has been teaching ever since retiring from performing. Her teaching has included guest instructor for the School of American Ballet and running her own school for thirteen years. She was sent to the Jones Haywood School in Washington, D.C., for the Ford Foundation and was on the faculty of the Alvin Ailey School. Currently she coaches and gives private lessons. Una Kai was born in New Jersey. She trained with Margaret Tarasova and Maria Yurieva Swoboda and then in New York City with Vera Nemtchinova before entering the School of American Ballet in 1947. She immediately became a member of the Ballet Society and then a founding member of the New York City Ballet, where she performed in Orpheus and Symphony in C on opening night in 1948. While at the New York City Ballet she danced every performance and was also assistant ballet mistress from 1956 to 1960, when George Balanchine began sending her to stage his ballets for companies in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Concurrently with her travel she served as ballet mistress with the Joffrey Ballet from 1960 to 1963. She was ballet master with the New York City Ballet from 1964 to 1971, Artistic director for the New Zealand Ballet from 1973 to 1975, ballet mistress with the Royal Danish Ballet from 1975 to 1981, and ballet mistress with the State Ballet of Missouri from 1981 to 1993. She now enjoys ballroom dancing in Savannah, Georgia. Readers with questions or comments may contact the authors at [email protected]