Technique Vs. Emotion

[cecchettiballetgirl]

Lately I've come upon a slight dilemma in my dancing. My ballet school is quite a technical one and lots of importance has always been placed on technique. In class, barres are long, corrections are constant and concentration is stressed. Our teacher is very strict and classical, so she is quite particular as to what kind of dancing is "acceptable" to her.

 

Recently, we had a guest teacher come to teach a class and throughout the two hour workshop she continuously told us that we needed to "trust our technique" more and let go so we could concentrate more on connecting the movements and putting our emotions into them. She mentioned a few times that she thought we were too technical for her liking and she wanted to see us open up more and not concentrate so much.

 

I'm a little confused, now. My teacher has always told us that at this stage (I'm fifteen), it is the most important thing to build strong placement, style and technique. She says that stage presence will come with time but that is not the main thing to concern ourselves with now. However, the guest teacher we had is quite well respected so I'm not sure what to believe?

 

Is my teacher right? Is it more important to be technically correct than expressive, at least, at this stage of training? In your opinion, is it better be a strong dancer who is a little "boring" or a dancer who is not as strong but puts lots of emotion into their dancing? Of course, I'm not talking about the principle dancers who are performing love scenes or lively variations because I know that emotion is very important when performing. I'm just talking about young dancers in class.

 

Cecchettiballetgirl.

[Victoria Leigh]

In my opinion one needs to have both and it's never to young to start! If you do not begin to think in terms of ballet being a PERFORMING art until it's time to start looking for a job, I think you will have a hard time finding one. No one is interested in boring dancers, great technique or not. And, if you do not build in that ability, it's not going to suddenly just "appear" when the curtain opens and the lights go on.

[dancerwithwings]

I would recommed to you the book Grace Under Pressure because it deals with specifically your question. To quote,

 

"Instead of distilling music or laying bare the heart of human nature, dancers had taken to showing us the bodies and attitudes of mannequins, marvelously unblemished and prefectly anonymous....But as virtuosity grabbed the spotlight and took over centerstage, some of the elegant guile that distinguishes dance from gymnastics slipped through the structural bars of choreography and disappeared. Suddenly, like the bitter outcome of some evil cures, only a handful of performers anywhere could move you to terror or tears. The rest were serving up a spectacular banquet of Chinese food, which stuffed your mind for an hour but left you ravenous by midnight."

 

There has been increased demand on athleticism over artistry, and perhaps part of the problem lies in the training. I think technique is well and good, and has a place. Technique gives you a solid base, but it is what you do with that technique and where you go with it that matters.

 

I would much rather see a passionate dancer, that has artistry and purpose, and moderate technique, than one with stellar technique and no artistry.

 

I think that you have to give yourself time as a dancer to let go and dance. Even when you are a student, you need those moments of surrendering yourself to the music, and not worrying about the technique, and just dance. If you have a strong base on which to draw, the technique will take care of itself.

 

I would assume that as a student you should have that opportunity to express yourself, especially once you've reached an advanced level of technique. My favorite teachers are the ones that conciously try to give at least one or two combinations a class, where we are free to dance. This is usually a waltz or grand allegro combination. You know when you're getting one of those combos, and it's so wonderful. If you are never given that opportunity to dance as a student, it makes it so much more harder once you're in a company to develop the artistry. You need to focus on it when you're a student as well. Waiting until you're in the back of the corps may be too late.

 

Yes, there needs to be technique, but ultimately the viability of ballet depends on training up dancers who can EXPRESS themselves.

[cecchettiballetgirl]

Thank you for both your replies! I understand that it is important not to forget about expression and will continue to work hard on that.

 

The thing is, which I maybe not have made clear enough in my post , is that the guest teacher placed almost more importance on emotion. She was telling us that it important not to give corrections during combinations and corner work because they make us focus too hard on the physical aspect of the dancing and don't let us dance in the moment- which is not the kind of advice I'm used to.

 

I do know that ballet is a performing art however and will not ignore that I need to display feeling and expression in my dancing. And dancerwithwings, I'll be sure to look out for Grace Under Pressure! Thank you for the recommendation!

[dancerwithwings]

The thing is, which I maybe not have made clear enough in my post , is that the guest teacher placed almost more importance on emotion. She was telling us that it important not to give corrections during combinations and corner work because they make us focus too hard on the physical aspect of the dancing and don't let us dance in the moment- which is not the kind of advice I'm used to.

 

Hmm. That is interesting! I am definitely used to quick corrections during combinations, little reminders such as "Elbows up!" "Turnout, turnout!!" "Chin up" "Point your feet", etc, etc. Although I've never liked long drawn out corrections in the middle of a combination. Occasionally, especially during barre, I have seen teachers interupt a dancer to work on a specific aspect of an overall combination. As long as that is not the norm, I can understand it.

 

I can only speculate, but you mentioned the guest teacher recognized the grasp the class had on technique. Maybe the teacher saw that you had the technique, and as a guest teacher the biggest thing she could impart on you was emotion. She must have noticed a dramatic lack of it, if as you say, she is highly respected, and stressed it so much.

 

And you're welcome for the recommendation!

[janninepointe]

del.