|
Cecchetti
Summer School
It was three years since I had been able to attend a Summer
School. Was I mistaken in going back? Would I know anyone
there? Probably all the teachers would have forgotten me,
and anyway, what was I going to be contributing? Things must
have changed a great deal. Perhaps it would be wiser to cancel.
 |
The
attendees at the Cecchetti Teachers’ Summer School
in Chichester.
Photograph: John Donabie |
All
these thoughts passed through my mind during the days before
I set off. Who should be sitting at the Reception but Mary-Jane
Duckworth (just helping out while one of the organisers had
lunch). Down the road came Kate Simmons and there was Brenda
Goddard offering to help me with my luggage. I had arrived.
The
informal party on the first evening was packed, yes, with
many new faces, but lots of connections with the past, especially
the International teachers I had known. A tall young man came
up to me and announced that I had examined him for his Grade
1. He now lectures at Roehampton. How many names I could mention,
what a pleasure to start the week in such an encouraging way.
I
was in for more suprises. So many participants in the Advanced
and Diploma classes, taken by Diane van Schoor, Kate Simmons,
Susan Handy and Victoria Chappell. Their inspired teaching
was producing a high level of interpretation and understanding
of the Cecchetti Method. It was so heartening to see especially
the Diploma work being danced with such intelligence and devotion.
I sat there in the intense heat unable to drag myself away
for my usual short rests.
The
evening talk, ‘Looking beyond the syllabus’, given
by Diane van Schoor, left us with much food for thought. Coffee
in Daphne Cooper’s room afterwards was a chance to air
our views.
Linda
Pilkington and Susan Handy presented the new Grades. A very
different approach and a far cry from my days, but wait a
minute, how many years ago was that? More than I wish to remember.
I don’t envy the committee having to collate all the
members’ feedback.
Alas,
the three days flew by. How I wished that I could have stayed
the whole week. Perhaps next year. However, I took away with
me the knowledge that the Cecchetti Method was well and truly
in the 21st century.
Felicity
Sharwood-Smith
Having
been unable to attend the Cecchetti Summer School for several
years, it was with some trepidation that I drove in the sweltering
summer heat to Chichester. However, after the first class
I realised that my fears had been ill founded - it was glorious
to dance again after so long.
As
a Ballet teacher I really miss the opportunity to take class
myself, an invaluable source of inspiration for my own teaching,
and the wonderful teaching at Summer School provided all the
inspiration one could desire.
To
witness the clarity, attention to detail and theatricality
shown by all the Faculty first hand was, to say the least,
a great joy. We were most fortunate in the quality of the
Faculty: Diane van Schoor, Kate Simmons, Gillian Hurst, Susan
Handy, Victoria Chappell, Gillian Robinson, Elisabeth Swan
and our Faculty Chairman Linda Pilkington all gave wonderful
classes, each bringing their own individual style and personality
to the set and unset work. To see Diane van Schoor 'marking'
the classical variations she taught in the repertoire class
elevated the art of marking to a new plane entirely! Flamenco
with Gillian Hurst was a refreshing and at the same time a
challenging change after set classes! Alan Herdman returned
by popular demand to give a session on Pilates for dancers
- a man of quiet and gentle demeanour with fingers like iron!
The
pianists were, of course, superb, always finding just the
right uplifting piece to revive flagging minds and muscles.
Our thanks to Andrew West and John Taggart for their hard
work. I'm sure if either of them were ever looking for a job
there would be plenty of offers! We were also treated to a
truly 'musical feast' by Roland Thompson who gave a brilliant
and informative lecture/ demonstration with Diane van Schoor,
assisted by Jessica Clarke, illustrating how subtle and precise
Ballet teachers' directions to accompanists must be. The working
relationship between dancer and musician is crucial to the
art of both!
The
evening sessions were not wasted and we spent informative
and extremely entertaining sessions on 'Something Anatomical'
with Julia Williamson (I never expected anatomy to be such
fun!) and 'The Teenage Syndome’ with Karen Speers, who
not only teaches teenagers but has teenage children herself!
The evenings were also a time to renew many old friendships
and make new ones with Cecchetti teachers from all over the
world - a real treat for those of us who teach more or less
in isolation.
Did
I really start the week needing inspiration? I left full of
new ideas and raring to get back to teaching myself. The thanks
of us all must go to Elisabeth Swan who organises and runs
the whole week with a quality of calm to be envied. It was
a wonderful week and I shall be booking my place early for
next year!
Teresa
Ferguson
|
