Leigh Warren, founder and former director of Leigh Warren Dance (LWD), discusses the importance of ballet... and of using French terminolgy.
Every so often the repertoire of LWD has demanded some ballet classes so I've left my usual practise to regain a particular line or vocabulary that can only be achieved by returning to the most demanding and most complete training system in dance classical ballet. Perhaps because it was my first love or because it just fits my body but all the years of input from many many teachers clicks in and I'm away.
I’m teaching classical classes for Sally Collard Gentle for the final semester at Adelaide College of the Arts (AC Arts). Sally was a brilliant exponent of Bouronville technique, in fact we had the same teacher, Hans Brenner from the Royal Danish school, when she was a ballerina in the Scottish ballet and when I was in Nederlands Dans Theater. Once a year for one calendar month we did Bournonville. I remember Jiri Kylian saying that because of the rhythm of the work it kept us all very fleet of foot and able to jump with speed and lightness. Sally danced La Sylphide many times and her footwork is still a miraculous!
The students from AC Arts are a fantastic mixed bunch all wanting to go somewhere different in the world with their dancing and the graduates from this long established course are indeed here there and everywhere round Australia and overseas. Bringing my current crop together was a bit of a shock for me as some of them have learnt classical ballet only using English! It appears to be a spreading trend which i think would be a great loss to the art form. I believe learning the french enriches the understanding and the quality in how everything is executed. Im pleased to report that french is making a comeback at AC Arts big-time and proving to be fun as well amongst these bright young students.
Keep the art-form strong and keep it in french!