Position of the head

[Guest ashley_gray100]

Hi,

 

First of all, thank you for this great board! Lots on information here!

 

Well, have been doing ballet (Vaganova) since about two years. One lesson per week (75 minutes) and just recently added a second class. However, I still have one problem - for the life of me - I cannot remember the position of the head. I just don't know where to look!

 

For example:

Feet: 5th, right front

Arms: 1st

Head: ?

 

Do I bend my head slightly to the left and look into my arms at the right side?

 

What are the rules for the head position?

 

Many thanks!

[Hans]

I don't mean to sound flip, but the best thing you could do is ask your teacher. Where the head is in that particular position depends upon what movement you did just before and what you're about to do, so it's almost impossible to say online. Usually when demonstrating the combination, the teacher will show where s/he wants the head at any given moment.

[Sabastianni]

You might consider studying the positions of the body (e.g., croise devant, quatrieme devant, ecarte devant, etc.) which include where the head is to be positioned for each of the standard body positions. You can probably find something in a book about vaganova. I study cecchetti so my material may be slightly different than what you practice. Typically, just standing in 5th position, I would put my head erect unless the teacher specified something else.

[lampwick]

Sabastianni just gave a really good piece of advice Gretchen Warn Warren's book Classical Ballet Technique is a wonderful resource for studying these things. I've been trying to really clean up my technique in terms of directions of the body in space, and this book has helped me a lot.

[Guest pink tights]

The book that Lampwick has suggested is excellent--however it's a little pricey!! A less expensive alternative while no where near as extensive, is "Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet" by Gail Grant. It's a handy little paperback that easily fits in a dance bag! Major Mel often chimes in whenever it is suggested that it's the best $5 you will ever spend!!

 

Oh and be sure to to use the AMAZON link at the top of the page.....

[vrsfanatic]

By your description, it sounds as if you are facing enface? According to the rules of Vaganova, if you are in 5th, enface, right foot front, arms in 1st, the head is inclined slightly toward the left shoulder, eyes looking into the palm of the right hand, as if asking the question, mirror, mirror, in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?

 

There are very specific rules regarding the head and eyes in Vaganova. It is a progression taught slowly that becomes comprehensible as a whole. For now as Hans has suggested, ask your teacher. Watch the head and eyes like a hawk as they are demonstrated. Forming good habits with the head and eyes is very important to the overall appearance of a dancer.

 

I would suggest reading N. Tarasov or V. Kostrovitskaya when referencing Vaganova pedagogy. Although Ms. Ward Warren has written a very good book on ballet pedagogy, when refering to Vaganova, the book takes many liberties.

[Guest ashley_gray100]

Hi,

 

Thank you very much for all the replies!

 

I do ask my teacher and do try to remember everything, but it's hard. I'm so concentrated on getting the legs and arms correct - that I simply don't remember the head / eyes movement. It's probably more about remembering the choreography. Therefore, I was thinking if there's a simple rule-of-thumb ("if in doubt - look to the right/left side").

 

I did purchase Vaganova's book "Basic Principles of Classical Ballet" - I'll check out the other books as well. Many thanks!

 

Bye.

[vrsfanatic]

Vaganova's book is excellent however it does not go into the greatest detail. Kostrovitskaya was her assistant and along with Pisarev, wrote a book with greater detail. Of course no book is able to cover every point, however it is always better to read books on a method written by people who have been certified in a method.

 

The Vaganova heads and eyes, at first, do not require choreographic use of the legs, which enables the student to concentrate solely on the correct coordination of the arms, head and eyes. Only after the various uses are well understood are the arms, head and eyes and legs combined in a combination. If the method is being taught more swiftly, try to separate the arms and head on your own. Go with the 2nd group, so you are able to practice the arms and head coordination separately without using the legs. Take one head and arm movement, ask your teacher after class to watch you to ensure you are doing it correctly and practice it on your own outside of class and bring it back to your next class.

[Guest ashley_gray100]

Just wanted to thank you for bringing my attention to Kostrovitskaya's book "School of Classical Dance". This is indeed more detailed than Vaganova's book and it has helped quite a bit! Thx.

[kasaba]

I do ask my teacher and do try to remember everything, but it's hard. I'm so concentrated on getting the legs and arms correct - that I simply don't remember the head / eyes movement.

 

Oooooooohh, ashley, that's the story of my ballet life. I can't seem to coordinate the spot turn, which is very frustrating. And what's more, if the leg stuff is hard for me, my hands stiffen into CLAWS. Someday I may have to spring for a private lesson and get some of this stuff nailed down.

[olddude]

... I would suggest reading N. Tarasov or V. Kostrovitskaya when referencing Vaganova pedagogy. ...

Are you referring to his book "Ballet Technique for the Male Dancer"? Or has he written other books? In either case, thanks for the recommendation!

 

I was very recently loaned a copy of that book, in an English translation by Elizabeth Kraft. I am finding it fascinating, very helpful in the few instances I have looked into so far, though difficult to read. (Translation perhaps leaves something to be desired?)

 

Like others in this thread, I find that my learning tends to start at the feet and move up from there, and I am always wishing I knew what to do with my arms and head. I have noticed than a majority of other adult students - and teachers! - seem to have those things down so well that they don't even think about it. Probably they learned as children, but I am still floundering - I'm a very late starter. Of course adult education in the finer points is always hard to come by, not to mention anything specific to men. But if Tarasov can be generally recommended, I'll take his work as a model as far as I can. I did notice he explicitly said it's not suitable for self-study - but I am thinking, as an amateur, I won't find a better resource than to take as much as I can from his work.

 

One thing that gives me pause is that I don't find much Russian technique. I have one specifically Vaganova-trained teacher, but will be losing her in a week or two. Most of my available training is Cecchetti or a mixture of techniques. (If it helps, I have three years of classes at this point, averaging 3 classes per week.)

 

The other question is about men versus women. I am of course only beginning to see that there is a difference at some level, though Tarasov is pretty adamant about it. It's hard to tell when he is being Russian, vs. when he is making a men/women distinction. Any thoughts would be a welcom addition to my resources!

[vrsfanatic]

It is great that you are reading Tarasov olddude. The Ballet Technique for the Male Dancer is his only publication. As far as his determination that men should be trained differently than women being something Russian or fact, IMO, it is a mixture of both.

 

My history with Tarasov is having been trained as a teacher by Jurgen Schneider (who also attended Vaganova Adademy as a student of Pushkin for one year), who among other things, was a student of pedegogy of Nikolai Ivanovich. Being certified to teach Vaganova by Vaganova Academy also gives me a background in a few of the similarities between the idosyncracies to both ideologies. The two are vastly similar is approach to mechanics and artistry however in implementation there are and must be differences in upper levels of teaching. The basics of ballet are the basics in Russian pedegogy. As is always discussed on BT4D, having a qualified teacher to teach any method is of great importance. There are so many misundeerstandings due to incorrect implementation of method. Mr. Tarasov explains clearly the whys and the musts pertaining to training the young man. The book is remarkable in that it helps to bring ballet teaching alive. I recommend to more advanced students, male and female to purchase a copy online every chance they get. Perhaps this is one reason the price of the book has jumped so high!

 

As for my recommendation for the usage of the head, the original post was clearly asking for clarity in the Vaganova heads. Well at least I read it that way!

[olddude]

... The two [Vaganova and Tarasov] are vastly similar as approach to mechanics and artistry however in implementation there are and must be differences in upper levels of teaching. The basics of ballet are the basics in Russian pedegogy. As is always discussed on BT4D, having a qualified teacher to teach any method is of great importance. ...

Thanks a million, this is a great help for me. I'll take what I can from Tarasov's book, deferring to whatever teacher I have when they differ but using it to enrich where I have unanswered questions.

 

Entirely off topic, I am guessing that only Major Mel will connect Nickolai Ivanovich with the song lyric "...I have a friend in Minsk, who has a friend in Pinsk, ..." - but heck, in an earlier life I was a mathematician...

[Mel Johnson]

That's "Lobachevsky" by Tom Lehrer, singing of the joys of plaigiarism. ("Only remember, always to call it, please, 'research'!")