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Introducing
Classical Greek at a
Junior Associate Day
On Sunday
12th January 2003, I was invited to give a taster of Classical Greek
dancing at a Cecchetti Junior Associate day in Cardiff.
With a
sense of a little trepidation, I climbed the stairs of the National
Sports Centre to be greeted outside the studio by three extremely warm
and welcoming teachers, one of whom was Pamela Miller who had co-ordinated
the day.
I had
been informed that the students had done no Greek whatsoever, and that
they had been divided into three categories for the day, Junior, Middle
and Senior. The Junior class were warm, extremely able and appeared
interested in this new technique. They had come prepared with convertible
tights and so were able to dance barefooted.
My running
theme for the day was 'The Seasons', and my aim was to blend creativity
and technique and to avoid cramming the dancers with unfamiliar steps
and exercises. I was amazed at how capable the Juniors were, with beautiful
footwork and general technique and the ability to relax and be creative.
That Sunday
was a cold day but the Junior group's 'Spring' interpretations and the
Middle's 'Summer' warmed everyone enormously! The Middle group again
were receptive and it was lovely to have a boy present in the class
to tackle some more athletic work.
The Senior
students were a delight to teach, with outstanding technique and a real
sense of enjoyment. Again I tried to avoid cramming too much into one
hour, and my theme for the Seniors was Autumn into Winter. I introduced
scarves for Autumn mist and words from Aristophanes' The Clouds:
Come away!
Come away!
Come then with me
Daughters of mist, to the land of the free
Come away! Come away!
I finished
with frieze lines to represent Winter.
Christopher
Pike accompanied for all the classes. His playing was inspirational,
and again, he had never experienced Classical Greek dancing. He improvised
throughout the day and was a joy to work with.
My day
in Cardiff was a personal challenge, but utterly enjoyable. I hope the
children and students gained from the classes, as I know I did, and
I look forward hopefully to another meeting with these lovely young
people.
Cathy
Griffiths
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