Cecchetti method

The Cecchetti method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Italian ballet master and pedagogue Enrico Cecchetti (1850–1928). The training system is especially concerned with anatomy within the confines of classical ballet technique, and seeks to develop the essential characteristics of dance in its students through a rigid training regime. The goal is for the student to learn to dance by studying and internalising the basic principles, in an effort to become self-reliant rather than imitating the movements executed by their teacher.^{[citation needed]}

Cecchetti-trained dancers have achieved places in ballet and dance companies all over the world. A well trained Cecchetti dancer has a purity of line and simplicity of style which enables them to take their places in dance companies of other genres of classical ballet.

History

Enrico Cecchetti was taught by Giovanni Lepri, who in turn was taught by Carlo Blasis, which follows in a direct line^[clarify] that can be traced back to Beauchamp, the first ballet master at the court of Louis xiv of France. Cecchetti passed on his method to his pupils.

In 1922, British writer and dance historian Cyril W. Beaumont collaborated with Cecchetti to document the method in a printed manual, The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet, which is the standard reference^{[citation needed]} for Cecchetti method teachers. It was codified in 1922 by Cyril Beaumont and Stanislas Idzikowsky in A Manual of the Theory and Practice of Classical Theatrical Dancing. The manual has since been recorded in notation form. The method was further developed by Grazioso Cecchetti, one of Enrico's sons, and documented in his book, Classical Dance'.

The Cecchetti Society was established by Cyril Beaumont in London in 1922, with Maestro Enrico Cecchetti as its first president, and remained independent until it joined the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in 1924. Today, the Cecchetti training system is used internationally to teach classical ballet.

Australia

The Cecchetti Society was established in Australia in 1934 by Madam Lucie Saronova. The Society grew over the next 51 years while being administered by the Council of Management in Victoria, under the auspices of The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London. In 1987 The Cecchetti Society of Australia Inc. was formed as an autonomous Australian society under the administration of an elected National Council, composed of members from its state branches. The corporation's head office is located in Melbourne.

In 1997 an international organization, Cecchetti International Classical Ballet, was formed by founding members from Australia, Canada, Italy, South Africa, United Kingdom and U.S.A.. This organization, which became a non-profit Canadian corporation in 2004, is committed to keeping alive and raising the profile of the Cecchetti method of classical ballet and its training system throughout the world.

Today, the Cecchetti method is used at The Australian Ballet School, Victorian College for the Arts, and Queensland School of Excellence.

United Kingdom

The Cecchetti teaching method was vital in the development of Classical Ballet in the United Kingdom and contributed heavily to modern day British teaching methods. Enrico Cecchetti and his wife opened a ballet school in London in 1918, and his pupils included some of the most influential names in British Ballet, many also influencing ballet throughout the world.

Dame Marie Rambert was a former pupil and colleague of Cecchetti and she also established a professional ballet school teaching his methods. This led to the formation of the UK's first ballet company, which survives today as the country's oldest established dance company, although it is now known as Rambert Dance Company and specialises in contemporary dance. The school also remains and is known as the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Dame Ninette de Valois was a colleague of Cecchetti during her professional career with the Ballets Russes. She established The Royal Ballet in London, with many of the companies early dancers being pupils of Cecchetti. The Cecchetti method was also favoured by de Valois when she formed the Royal Ballet School. Phyllis Bedells, another Cecchetti pupil, would also play an important role in the teaching of ballet in Britain, as a founder member of the Royal Academy of Dance, which today is the worlds largest Classical Ballet teaching organisation.

The British writer and dance historian Cyril W. Beaumont was a close friend of Cecchetti and, in 1922 he collaborated with Cecchetti to codify the training technique into a printed syllabus, The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet, which has become the foremost reference for Cecchetti method teachers worldwide. Cecchetti also gave Beaumont permission to established the Cecchetti Society to maintain the method and ensure that it would be passed on to future ballet teachers in its original form. Branches of the Cecchetti Society were subsequently established around the world, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the USA. The original Cecchetti Society still exists in Britain, although it was absorbed into the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, which continues to maintain the Cecchetti method as a separate entity from its own Imperial Classical Ballet syllabus.

Today, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing promotes the Cecchetti method as a syllabus-based series of dance examinations, which are taught by registered teachers around the world in both pre-vocational and vocational dance schools. The syllabus is a progressive series of graded and vocational graded examinations, which are accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the government appointed regulator of qualifications in England and Wales. Successful exam passes in the Cecchetti method can therefore be submitted for credit towards other nationally recognised qualifications, however this only applies in England and Wales. These qualifications are in reality usually taken by the amateur rather than the professional dancer.

There are a few ballet teachers who can trace their knowledge of the Cecchetti method in a direct line from pupils of Enrico Cecchetti, including generations of dancers trained at the Royal Ballet and Rambert ballet schools.

Examinations

United Kingdom

In 2002, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, became an accredited dance awarding body. As a result of this change, its system of exams and qualifications were revised, including those of the Checchetti faculty. The ISTD now operates a three tier system of qualifications, which are recognised by the national qualifications regulators of England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

• Graded examinations
• Vocational graded examinations
• Teaching qualifications

The system of teaching qualifications has been revised to include four levels of qualification. The first two levels, the FDI and the CDE are compulsory for any person wishing to teach the ISTD syllabus and enter candidates for examinations. The Licentiate and Fellowship levels are optional, higher level qualifications that existed before 2002 and retain their previous status.

• Foundation in Dance Instruction (FDI)
• Certificate in Dance Education (CDE)
• Licentiate
• Fellowship

United States

Students are tested on their ability to properly execute a number of specifically choreographed routines that emphasize a particular ballet movement. They are also graded on their knowledge of the theory and terms.

Grades five through seven correspond to his original levels.

In the American version, there are a few different marks for passing a level. From lowest to highest they are:

• Pass on condition
• Pass
• Passed plus
• Passed Commended
• Passed Highly Commended
• Passed with honours (very very rarely given)
• Aislinn (extremely rarely given)

A dancer who achieves a pass condition must wait at least a year before attempting the next exam level. If it is deemed by the examiner(s) that the student is not competent in the level, the student receives a failing grade, meaning they must continue training for a minimum of six months and retake the exam.

Grade examinations: designed to be more technically demanding and to provide a solid artistic and technical base for advancement to higher levels. Levels: grade one to grade six.

Major examinations: career oriented, with a high level of ballet technique and artistry expected. Levels: Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2. In order to be examined in the Advanced one syllabus Intermediate must be passed.

Teacher Qualifying Examinations: Successful completion of these examinations leads to qualification with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Levels: A.I.S.T.D. - Associate (provisional registration) A.I.S.T.D. - Associate Diploma (full registration) L.I.S.T.D. - Licentiate F.I.S.T.D. - Fellow (highest teaching qualifications and held by all examiners)

Australia

Cecchetti examinations are divided into seven categories:

• 1) Pre Primary and Primary
• 2) Grades
• 3) Assessments
• 4) Dance Spectrum One
• 5) Majors
• 6) Enrico Cecchetti Diploma
• 7) Status

1) PRE PRIMARY AND PRIMARY:

• The aim of these examinations is to provide an examination system for the once-a-week student, with the accent on enjoyment and dance quality.
• There are two examinations PRE-PRIMARY, and PRIMARY
• Pre Primary and Primary examinations are marked STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED or PASS or PASS WITH MERIT or PASS WITH SPECIAL MERIT.

2) GRADE EXAMINATIONS:

• These examinations are designed to give the student a strong basic ballet technique with gradual build up through the Grades.
• There are six grades - ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE and SIX. These may be preceded by Pre Primary and Primary.
• In all six grades they will be marked as follows: STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED or PASS or CREDIT or COMMENDED or HIGHLY COMMENDED or HONOURS.

3) ASSESSMENTS:

• Assessments have been introduced to run parallel with the Grades 1 to 6, thereby, enabling these students to experience an examination situation without the stress of a result, whilst gaining confidence and receiving a written assessment of their performance.
• All rules pertaining to the Grades apply to the Assessments but NO RESULT will be given.

4) DANCE SPECTRUM ONE (DS1):

• DS1 has been developed for the Recreational and Vocational student who for various reasons may or may not wish to commence training in the Cecchetti Major levels.
• The emphasis of the syllabus will be on the enjoyment, improvisation and understanding of the Cecchetti Principles rather than dance technique, thereby enabling the recreational student to achieve a good result.
• There is no prerequisite examination to this examination stream.

5) MAJOR EXAMINATIONS:

• There are three Major examinations – Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 and they substantially cover the work of the Maestro Cecchetti.
• The Diploma examination completes this set of examinations (SEE NOTE ON DIPLOMA EXAMINATION).
• Examination order: All professional (Major) examinations must be taken in the correct order, progressing from Intermediate onwards. No level may be missed.

Intermediate

• May be taken as a practical examination as a Dancer (Category A).
• Mature age students (over 30 years) have the option of choosing either Category B(1) or B(2) as for Advanced 1 and Advanced 2.

Advanced 1 & Advanced 2

• May be taken in either Category A or Category B
• Category A: as a Dancer
• Category B (1:) as a Dancer who will be expected to perform all the work to his or her individual ability and answer questions about the technical and artistic content as applicable to the syllabus.
• Category B(2): as a mature age candidate (30 years and over) who will be expected to at a minimum, to walk thru the various exercises with some sense of the style and impetus required and explain their view of them in detail.
• Major examinations are marked as follows: PASS, CREDIT, COMMENDED, HIGHLY COMMENDED, HONOURS or STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED.

Progress Examinations:

• These examinations are conducted in the Intermediate, Advanced 1, Advanced 2 and Diploma syllabi.
• No certificates are issued but a full report is given to help the student and teacher evaluate the progress of the student.
• A candidate may move directly from Progress Intermediate to Progress Advanced 1 examinations but cannot take the Advanced 1 examination until they have successfully taken the preceding examination.

6) THE ENRICO CECCHETTI DIPLOMA EXAMINATION:

• The Diploma is not part of the qualifying process and can be taken without having previously passed Intermediate, Advanced 1 or Advanced 2.
• The Diploma gives NO STATUS in the Organisation, but entitles the holder to carry the 'Holder of the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma' after their name.
• There are two categories of entrant:

1) DANCER – Dancers may take the examination in its entirety or in two parts separately — Part A and Part B.

2) TEACHER - Teachers may take the examination in its entirety or in two parts separately — Part A and Part B. The minimum age limit for teachers is 25 years of age.

• DIPLOMA will be marked PASS AWARDED or STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED.

7) STATUS EXAMINATIONS (Professional Teaching Qualifications) There are five Status qualifications:

• i) Associate: A.C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• ii) Associate Diploma: A.(Dip)C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• iii) Licentiate: L.C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• iv) Licentiate Diploma: L.(Dip)C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• v) Fellowship: F.C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.

South Africa

In South Africa, the Cecchetti Society (established in 1928) has five Grades and the major examinations are the same as for the UK: Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2. Examination passes are awarded as follows: Pass, Pass Plus, Commended, Highly Commended and Honours. To teach, the student must take the Associate examination after passing Advanced 1. Further qualifications are the same as for the UK and Australia. More information about Cecchetti in South Africa may be obtained by going to www.cecchetti.co.za

External links

• Ryman's Dictionary of Classical Ballet Terms: Cecchetti