Partnering Class

[DewDrop5392]

At my school, we have partnering class every friday and my school just got a new school director, well directors I should say because they are a couple. Before they came our partnering classes were just combinations in which basically everything was with the guy, and even though my level and the one above are combined for partnering we each got to dance for a very generous time. Now all we do is learn a pas de deux, I think it is from giselle. There really isn't much partnering in it at all. We have been learning this for about a month and a half, and we only get to do it once every class, about 5 min.

Is partnering class supposed to be like this or is it better just doing exercises, or does it not matter?

[Victoria Leigh]

Pas de deux class should be about learning HOW to work with a partner. The male dancer learns how to support the ballerina in balances and turns, and how to lift her. The female dancers learns how to hold herself for the balances and turns, and how to jump and hold her self up for the lifts. Learning a pas de deux should be done in rehearsals. Class is for learning how to do a pas de deux.

[Mel Johnson]

Giselle is a kind of case of pas de deux which is sui generis, that is, in a class by itself. The partnering in it is not like the intensively involved and tricky things in the late Petipa repertoire, but the Romantic style, where there is as much dancing to one another as with.

[DewDrop5392]

ok, thanks!

[Belle of the ballet #1]

i wish we got to do a partnering class, but we have an extreme lack of guys at our school (the oldest is two grades below me and then the others don't go past about 10!)

[Guest theskysthelimit]

I feel your pain. We have no guys in my level and only two for a class of eighteen in the level above. *SIGH*

[JDA1]

where i go there is no partenering classes either. There are about six guys

[Guest twinklehooves]

This year we just seemed to suck the guys in! Our dance teacher was involved in the musical during the summer, and some of us dancers are friends with the male part of the cast in the musicals. We have anywhere from 2-12 guys that attend our partnering class. It is awesome.

[Guest allthatjazz]

I know when I did my theatrical theater course (mixes singing and drama with dancing) there were a load of guys. We were all there mainly for fun, and since it was a 2 month thing, I guess the idea of no commitment made them feel better. < 3