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About
Cecchetti
The Cecchetti method of Classical Ballet offers a complete
and well structured system of training which caters for the
small child through to the professional dancer and the future
teacher.
Enjoyment
is of prime importance for a young child beginning to dance
and the Class Examinations and Performance Awards provide
ideal opportunities for those attending classes for recreational
purposes on a once a week basis. For children wishing to study
in greater depth, there are the more technically demanding
Grade Examinations. In all the children's work a steady build
up and safe practice are of great importance.
The
Major examinations for older students and those at vocational
schools are soundly based on Cecchetti principles and provide
strength and co-ordination, together with a quality of movement
which is second to none.
"Maestro
Cecchetti left a great imprint on the English School. The
important aspects of his teaching will remain part of the
academic tradition of our English Ballet."
Dame
Ninette de Valois
"If
I had my way, I would always insist that all dancers should
daily do the wonderful Cecchetti ports de bras. It inculcates
a wonderful feeling for line and correct positioning and the
use of head movement and épaulement which - if properly
absorbed - will be of incalculable use throughout a dancer's
career."
Sir
Frederick Ashton
"The Cecchetti work has given me strength, discipline
and co-ordination. It wasn't until I got into the Company
that I realised how lucky I was to have had that training."
Darcey
Bussell
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Enrico
Cecchetti
Enrico Cecchetti was born in Italy in 1850. At the height
of his career as a dancer he migrated to St Petersburg, where
he joined the Imperial Russian Ballet and created the virtuoso
role of the Bluebird and the mime role of Carabosse in the
premiere of The Sleeping Beauty in 1890. As well as dancing
with the Imperial Russian Ballet Company, Cecchetti also taught
the Class of Perfection in the school.
He
also taught many Maryinsky dancers, including Pavlova, Karsavina
and Nijinsky. In 1909 he joined Diaghilev's Ballet Russe as
a teacher and mime artist. His pupils included Alicia Markova,
Ninette de Valois, Marie Rambert and Leonide Massine.
In
1918 he opened a school of dancing in London, at 160 Shaftesbury
Avenue.
Cecchetti
trained under Lepri, a pupil of the great Carlo Blasis who
codified the technique of Classical Ballet in 1820. His ideas
were developed further by Cecchetti who grouped the Classical
vocabulary into six sets of exercises, one for each day of
the week. This work was recorded and published in 1922 by
Cyril Beaumont, assisted by Stanislas Idzikowski and Enrico
Cecchetti himself. Further volumes were compiled by Margaret
Craske and Derra de Moroda.
Then
in 1923 he returned to Italy and he accepted the post of Director
of the Ballet School in La Scala, Milan. He died there in
1928.
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Cecchetti
Society
The Cecchetti Society was founded in 1922 by Cyril Beaumont,
the writer, Ballet historian and critic. The aim was to preserve
and promote the work the of 'Maestro', Enrico Cecchetti.
In
1924 the Cecchetti Society became affiliated to the Imperial
Society of Teachers of Dancing which had been founded in 1904.
More recently, the Cecchetti Society has become The Cecchetti
Society Classical Ballet Faculty of the ISTD.
Branches
of the Cecchetti Society have been formed throughout the world
and flourish in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the USA,
and of course throughout Europe.
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Cecchetti
Centre
Patrons
Antoinette Sibley CBE
Leslie Collier CBE
Darcey Bussell OBE
Founder
Patron
Dame Peggy Van Praagh DBE
Founder
Director
Richard Glasstone
Organiser
Penny Kay
The
Cecchetti Centre was founded in 1983 as a tribute to Nora
Roche, who taught at the Royal Ballet School for nearly a
quarter of a century. A pupil of Margaret Craske, her own
teaching was deeply rooted in the Cecchetti Method and this
played a formative role in the training of a whole generation
of British dancers. The Method - as it was taught at the Royal
Ballet School - has been recorded in Benesh Notation.
Together
with other Cecchetti students and teachers from all over the
world, their tribute to Nora Roche was to help raise the funds
to establish a Cecchetti Centre in London. Regular classes
and courses are now held there, at different levels, covering
various aspects of the Cecchetti work.
Venues
for classes
The Cecchetti Centre is based, and holds most of its classes
and courses, at:
London
Studio Centre
42-50 York Way
London N1 9AB
The
nearest mainline and underground stations, within a few minutes
walk of the Centre, are Kings Cross/St Pancras. The underground
station is served by the Circle, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly
and Victoria Lines.
Classes
are held at London Studio Centre on Saturday afternoons throughout
the academic year for anyone working at the appropriate level
of the Cecchetti Method at the following times:
14:30
– 16:00:
Advanced 1
16:00 – 17:30: Intermediate
15:00 – 17:30: Advanced 2 & Diploma
The
cost is £8 per class (£7 for Friends of
the Cecchetti Centre) - Inter & Advanced 1
£12 per class (£10 for Friends) - Advanced
2 & Diploma
•
Guidance for anyone studying for qualifying examinations is
available Private tuition can be arranged.
• Classes for boys are held in the Autumn and Spring
terms.
• Courses for teachers are organised at Easter and in
the Summer.
• A very popular Choreographic Workshop for children
is organised in the Autumn each year.
Costs
Annual donations from £22 are welcomed in order to receive
up to date information and timetable every September,
January and April. This donation also means that Saturday
classes may be watched free of charge, and many of the
courses can be booked at a reduced rate.
Further
information
For further information on any of the Centre's activities
please contact:
Penny Kay
Tel:
0794 911 1372
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Scholars
Classes are provided for students who, after a successful
audition, are offered a Cecchetti Society Scholarship
or a place on the Cecchetti Associates scheme.
For
further information please contact the Faculty Secretary,
Daphne Cooper
Tel: 01923 243959.
Associates
Cecchetti
Junior and Senior Associates
Classes for Junior and Senior Associates are held at
The Arts Educational Schools, Chiswick, on three Saturdays
each term. Classes for Juniors last one and a half hours
and those for Seniors for once and three quarter hours.
Auditions are held in June each year and candidates
do not have to be students of a Cecchetti teacher. There
is a membership fee.
Boys
and girls may apply for an audition but they must be aged
8 and not over 15 by 1st September of the year of the audition.
Applicants to become a Junior Associate must have a good pass
in a minimum of either Grade 2 of Standard 2 or above in Classical
Ballet and the Senior Associates must have Grade 3 or Standard
4.
Contact
the organiser, Susan Handy
Tel: 01753 542990
Fax: 01753 544222
Northern
Junior and Senior Associates
A similar scheme operates in Warrington. The minimum requirements
are:
Juniors - Grade 1 or Standard 1
Seniors - Grade 3 or Standard 4
Contact
Gillian Hurst
Tel: 01524 771236
Welsh
Cecchetti Associates
A scheme for children which operates in Newport.
Requirements
are:
Juniors - Grade 1 or Grade 2
Middle - Grade 3 or Grade 4
Seniors - Grade 5 or Grade 6
Contact
Carol Goode
Tel: 01633 771830
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Competitions/Awards
Cecchetti Classical Ballet competitions are noted for their
friendly, 'family' atmosphere. It is in this environment that
Cecchetti students are encouraged to demonstrate their performing
and choreographic skills in a number of competitions.
The Mabel Ryan Awards
Mabel Ryan, a pupil of Maestro Cecchetti, was a much
loved and respected teacher. A great deal of her work
was concerned with children for whom she had a deep
love and understanding. The Mabel Ryan Awards were instigated
in an endeavour to perpetuate her memory. Started initially
in London, a number of area awards now take place in
various parts of the country.
The
entry qualification is as follows (ages are as at 1st
March of the year of the competition):
Lower Junior - under 10 years: candidates
must have passed Grades 1or 2 only (not higher) with
a result of 70% or above in their highest grade and
be under 10 years of age.
Lower Junior - age 10 years & under 13 years:
candidates must have passed Grades 2 or 3 only
(not higher) with a result of 70% or above in their
highest grade and be age 10 years and under 13 years.
Junior: candidates must have passed
Grade 4 and be under 13 years of age.
Middle: candidates must have passed
Grade 5 and be under 15 years of age.
Senior: candidates must have passed
Grade 6 and be under 17 years of age.
Barbara
Geoghegan Award
This award was created in 1998 to honour Barbara Geoghegan
in recognition of her devotion to the promotion of the Cecchetti
Method over many years. The award is a bronze figure of a
Ballet dancer which is held by the winner for one year.
Candidates
attend an unset class at Intermediate level, which takes place
on the day of the Mabel Ryan Awards held in February/March
in London each year. There is choice of set variations for
both boys and girls, or a variation of the competitor's choice.
The award is open to students, male and female, who hold an
Intermediate certificate (or above) in the Cecchetti Method,
are 16 and under 21 years old on 31st August of the year of
entry and who attend vocational or non vocational schools.
Contact
the organiser, Judith Wilson
Tel: 01732 356388
Cecchetti
Southern Area Awards
These awards are held in the South East of England,
usually in late March or early April. It has the specific
aim of encouraging children who are only able to attend
one Ballet class each week, know as the 'once a week'
child.
There
are four sections. Junior competitors show a set dance.
Both the Middle sections and the Seniors show the set
classwork and then finalists show the set dance. The
Vacani Award for Joy of Dance is adjudicated during
the set work at the preliminaries.
The
entry qualification is as follows:
• Junior - aged 7 and under 9
based on Standard 1
• Lower Middle - aged 9 and under
11 based on Standard 2 (not Grade 4's or higher)
• Upper Middle - aged 11 and under
13 based on Standard 3 (no Grade 5's or higher)
• Senior - aged 13 and under 16
based on Standard 4 (no intermediates or higher)
Finalists
from the London Mabel Ryan Awards, Associates or Junior
Associates are not eligible to enter the Senior sections.
Cecchetti
Northern Area Awards
These awards are currently undergoing a review.
Contact
Tracey Moss
Tel: 077703 186000
Cecchetti
Wales and the West Area Awards
These awards are held in January each year.
Contact
Carol Goode
Tel: 01633 771830
Choreographic
Competition
This competition is usually held in late November each year
at a venue in London. The aim is to give young dancers studying
the Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet an opportunity to
show their talents as choreographers and performers. There
are three sections and each section is sub-divided into solos,
duets and groups.
The
entry qualifications for each section are as follows:
• Junior - aged 7 to 10 years
• Middle - aged 11 to 13 years
• Senior - aged 14 to 16 years
Contact
the co-organiser, Linda Isaacs
Tel: 01268 693636
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Bursaries
The Fewster Cecchetti Scholarship
Awarded annually in October to students at vocational schools.
The value is £1000.
The
Nora Roche Scholarship
Awarded annually in July to help with fees for one or
two young teachers to attend the Cecchetti Teachers'
Summer School in Chichester.
The
Grety Salomonson Bursary
Awarded annually in April to help with the costs of travelling
to study abroad. The value is up to £1500.
The
Peter Pearson Memorial Scholarship
Awarded annually in July to help with fees for the Cecchetti
Teachers Summer School in Chichester.
The
Pat
Hardy Memorial Scholarship
Awarded annually in July to help with fees for the Cecchetti
Teachers Summer School in Chichester.
The
Margaret Marsh & Sylvia Hamer Memorial Scholarship
Awarded annually in July in support of a UK/USA exchange
scheme for Teachers Summer Schools. The fees are provided
by the Chichester Summer School and the Cecchetti Council
of America.
The
Diana Barker Memorial Fund
Awarded annually in April or May to assist with study
costs for Cecchetti Diploma exams. The value is £300.
The
Brenda Elliott Memorial Scholarship
Awarded annually in July to help with fees for the Cecchetti
Teachers Summer School in Chichester.
The
Betty Major Scholarship
Awarded annually in July to help with fees for the Cecchetti
Teachers Summer School in Chichester.
The
Wright Family Bursary
Awarded to assist with travel expenses for a Cecchetti
Scholar.
Enrico
Cecchetti Gold Medal
This special Gold Medal can be awarded to an individual member
of the Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty by the Committee
in recognition of their outstanding dedication and work for
the Cecchetti Society.
This
medal has been presented in the past to, amongst others:
(Presented by Mr Beaumont)
Laura Wilson, Carol Hill, Patricia Hardy, Rita Emmerson, Moya
Kennedy, Kathleen Yates, Barbara Geoghegan, Ena Child, Faith
de Villiers (South Africa), Elieen Keegan, Dulcie Howes, Madame
Lucie Saranova (Australia)
(Presented by the Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty
Committee)
Felicity Sharwood-Smith (1993), Richard Glasstone (1994),
Shiela Darby (1995), Brenda Hamlyn (1996), Sheila Kennedy
(1997), Gillian Dawson (1998), Mary-Jane Duckworth (1999),
Cara Drower (2003), Linda Pilkington (2005), Daphne
Cooper (2005), Linda Davies (2006).
For further information on any of the above bursaries, contact
the Faculty Secretary, Daphne Cooper
Tel & Fax: 01923 243959
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