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The method traditionally has seven grades with examinations up to diploma level. TRAINING The Cecchetti method differs from other schools in the endeavour to reduce the dancer's training to an exact science, by imposing a formula evolved over years of preparing boys and girls of many nationalities to become dancers, to knead and shape their bodies to bear the strains and trails of public appearance and to fit their muscles and tendons and nerves to respond readily to whatever steps and movements might be required of them by the Choreographer . It imposes a Spartan fixed regimen, with each day in the working week having its own set exercises. This ensures that different types of steps are unfailingly practiced in a planned sequence, stretching and contracting each set of muscles in turn and to a carefully calculated degree. Each exercise is executed to the left as well as to the right, beginning one side one week, and the other the next. As with all techniques, it teaches the student to think of the movement of the foot, leg, arm, and head, not as something apart, but in its relation to the whole body, to develop a definite feeling for graceful lines. Cecchetti laid down that it is more important to execute and exercise correctly once, than to do it a dozen times carelessly. Quality therefore rather than quantity is the guiding rule. The Cecchetti Method is classic in its purity and clear-cut style; it is classic in its strenuous opposition to all extravagance and fussiness of movement; it is classic in its insistence on the importance of line. The complete Cecchetti Method includes a very full vocabulary of movement, including nearly forty "adages", composed by Cecchetti himself for the development and maintenance of the dancer's Proprioception , their balance and poise in every conceivable position and in every type of movement, the body being supported on either leg. The eight "Ports de Bras", or exercises to develop the graceful movement and coordination of the arms, are generally admitted to be unsurpassed. Although Cecchetti insisted upon strict adherence to his program of daily practice, he invariably advocated that the lesson of the day should be followed by studying unseen steps composed by the teacher in order to develop the student's powers in "quick study" and his ability to assimilate new steps and new "enchaînements". It is argued that to do a certain set of exercises on each day of the week is boring, and that it is essential to keep the student interested for improvement. Dancers are truly born of toil, tear and sweat, but as with all things, it should have a degree of enjoyment and fun. Nothing will come of the student being miserable or unhappy. GRADING Grades one through four were added after Enrico Cecchetti died. They are practised in studios to ready their pupils for the more advanced levels. Grades five through seven correspond to his original levels. If a dancer passes Elementary (Grade V); then they are considered a "real" dancer. In the American version, there are four different marks for passing a level. From lowest to highest they are:
A dancer may also pass conditional, meaning that they must wait at least a year before attempting the next exam level, or they may simply fail the exam, meaning that they must retake it. Grade five (V) marks the beginning of the professional levels and is known as Elementary level. Grade six (VI) is known as Intermediate level, and grade seven (VII) is known as '''Advanced''' level. A student who has achieved Advanced level is qualified to teach the Cecchetti Method. After finishing Advanced level, students can choose to go on to Diploma A and Diploma B in order to further their learning. The Australian version has six different marks. They are:
In Australia the student must first pass the exams Grade one to Grade six before taking the Elementary level exam, which then can be followed by the '''Intermediate''' and '''Advanced''' levels; all three can be taken as Category A or Category B. In addition, the Society offers teaching accreditation at the '''Associate''', '''Associate Diploma''', '''Licentiate''', '''Licentiate Diploma''' and '''Fellowship''' levels. Cecchetti Ballet Australia The technique is also taught in the United Kingdom, under the supervision of the , has also deemed these exams to be Accredited qualifications, which means they can count towards university applications and are proof of a high-level of learning and achievement in the United Kingdom. These qualities are naturally not the monopoly of the Cecchetti Method; they are the ideal of every school of training. NOTES |
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