Legato Ballet Class
The initiated public will be as happy to be conquered by a good dancer as to be enchanted by a good dancer. The dancer must be not only a courteous partner and a good actor, but also a conqueror of the air in high and soaring jumps.
Moreover, only he can complete the illusion that the dancer is as light as a feather, because of the ease with which he carries, lifts and holds her high in the air in all kinds of positions. Dancers are indispensable in a ballet group and yet it is too often noted: ballet dancing is only for girls; only "weird" boys do ballet, for 'real' boys it is nothing.
Now it is a fact that in general too little attention is paid to a separate training for boys, with the emphasis mainly on the development of masculine strength and grace in posture and movement, increasing muscle strength (especially of the arms) and endurance.
The famous Russian dancer and teacher Legato (1869-1937) writes about his training as a ballet dancer: ,,A defect that many dancers notice today is the underestimation of the value of pure male power. In his prime, and that was many years ago, his muscular strength was my mainstay in assisting our greatest Russian ballerinas. 'He lifted them like feathers'.
In those days, when he could lift 150 pounds with one hand, even the heaviest ballerina was a featherweight to me. The famous Russian dancer and teacher Legato had gained that strength by practising athletics and acrobatics.
Even Legato made pirouettes on his head as a stunt. Handstands, somersaults, yes, all the exercises that are part of an acrobat's general equipment, belonged to my private repertoire. These works of art give strength, agility and self-confidence to a dancer and protect him in his performance from that most hated impression: effeminacy.
Just as different kinds of instruments are required in an orchestra, so in a ballet troupe different kinds of dancers are needed. The following classification was already made in the last century: "danseur noble", "danseur (or danseuse) de 'demi-caractère and 'danseur de caractère'
The danseur noble is the classical dancer par excellence. His body must possess ideal proportions, his line must leave nothing to be desired in terms of beauty and clarity, and he must have complete mastery of classical ballet technique. Must be able to portray all kinds of characters through several simple 'Pas-de-deux', exercise movements.
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