STRENUOUS LIFE

Evening Star, Issue 21076, 13 April 1932, Page 10

STRENUOUS LIFE

THE BALLET DANGER LONG PERIOD OF TRAINING The best age at which to commence ballet training, says_ Laurent Novikoff, director of the Chicago Civic Opera Ballet School, is seven years. This statement from a recognised authority on ballet building will give a key to the length of time necessary to turn out a great dancer, writes Edward Moore, in the ‘ San Francisco Chronicle.’ At first thought you may say it is an exaggeration. What can a child learn about dancing in those early years that may not bo assimilated in an intensive course beginning at, say, the sixteenth year? If you consider the assertion from the standpoint of education along any other line, however, you will grant its truth. If you have dreams that your child may become a great architect you will not say: “ Let him commence his education when he is 16.” You know that his early school work, his reading, writing, and arithmetic, form the necessary background for studies in advanced mathematics, in lines, curves, and angles, and in the history and appreciation of art. Success in the classical ballet requires just as careful attention to the three R’s of dancing before advanced studies may begin. And the best time at which to begin assimilating the rudiments is while the bones are supple and the muscles easily trained. So the building of the ballet for an organisation like the Chicago Civic Opera begins with youngsters who are in the first and second grades of the public schools. In the old Imperial Ballet School of St. Petersburg, through which dancing reached its highest development in the history of the art, children of this age were placed in the school and their entire education, not only terpsichorean, but also academic, was in the hands of the instructors. FROM KINDERGARTEN. In the United States parents prefer to have children of this age at home; but for a few youngsters—and wo may bo sure they will be the ones most successful in the ballet—training for the dance begins as soon as they have left kindergarten. Modern methods of education are based on the fact that the child can best learn when he is interested; in the ‘early years, accordingly, games play a large part in the development of the future dancer. Rhythmic games based on the rudiments of the classical dance enable the child to absorb the primary dance steps in such a way that they become part of his nature. A little later more advanced work begins, and the children are taught to identify the more important dance steps which are the framework on which all ballet dancing is built. From that point on, the development of the dancer on the technical side is rapid. The body by this time has, attained a considerable portion of its maturity, and it is possible to tell (with very) young children it is only a gamble) whether the child will be physically suited to the dance. Emotions begin to unfold themselves and become more marked. It is at this point that many aspiring youngsters find themselves unsuited to the dance. Even so, they take an appreciation of art and music from these early classes that they

never could have attained in other surroundings. For those who are suited to dancing an even more rigorous period of training begins. They pass into advanced classes, in which tho instructor is soon able to tell whether or not they are suited to a professional career. They devote more and more time to classes and practice. They begin to use the exercise rooms in constant repetitions of highly technical steps and postures. IN THE STUDIO. Have you ever seen a large studio of dancing? Let me describe that of the Chicago Civic opera. It is a long, light and airy room located on the ninth floor of the building, with easy access to tho dressing rooms. On one side mirrors lining the wall permit the students to see and correct their own faults with suggestions from the instructor. The other “three walls carry a round oak bar, firmly fixed to support the weight of a number of dancers. It is the correct height to afford a handhold when the student is “on the point ”• (standing on the tips of the toes). Here the ballet student practises his “ scales ” hour after hour. Like the concert piapist, the singer, the violinist, even the dancing star must practice constantly to maintain that technical perfection which makes him a star. The various basic steps correspond to the scales in music. One star remarked to me that she had spent at least half of her waking hours practising, while Pavlova, throughout her long career, practised hours daily. The relaxed soft arms which delight you on the stage are the result of hours of practice before the studio mirrors. Arms and hands are the tongue and vocal chords of the dancer. Through them he delivers his message of love and hate, of joy and sorrow. Here, again, constant attention to minute detail makes awkward angles fade into soft and expressive curves. THE DANCE PATTERN. Life and its emotions are part of the studies of the ballet artists. To be able to interpret life they must know life and then translate it into the language of the dance, which is their medium of expression. When the individual has attained a fair amount of skill in all these categories the work of building a ballet performance may begin. The individual is the material from which the iallet pattern is made. First the director arranges in his own mind the choreography to the music. The intricate maze of poses, evolutions, groups, etc., which form the pattern of the complete dance, resolve themselves into separate units, all built on combinations of fundamental dance steps. Work begins with the separate units which will merge into the whole, and not until these are arranged to perfection are they assembled. They fit into one another much as the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle drop into place. The ballet director who is a real creative artist has a horror of anything that will be stereotyped or smack of military precision—unless he wishes to display a military theme. Endless variety and novelty must be unfolded as the dance progresses. Not until every detail has been worked out in ensemble rehearsals do the artists get their costumes. Rompers and practice suits for the girls and plus-fours and athletic undershirts for the boys are the rehearsal costume. To one not expert in choreography the rehearsals may seem to present something far from effective. But when the last moment comes, when the costumes are donned and the dress rehearsal with orchestra is called, the ballet blossoms forth in all the beauty in which you see it on tho stage. It is hard grinding work. _ From ten to fifteen years of discouraging routine and back-breaking exercise have gone into tho development of every newcomer to the ballet, and throughout the active career of a dancer this work continues. Healthy? They have to be healthy to stand up to tho routine.