Unit 43:"Developing Classical Ballet Technique"

                                                            Evaluation of Ballet

 Last week on 7th of January my class had ballet assignment. We had to learn all ballet vocabulary ,exercises and be able to demonstrate them very well. The main vocabulary which we had to know were: adagio, assemble, balance, frappe, bras, changement, chasse, dedans, degage, demi-plie, fondu, glissade, jete, pirouette, port the bras, releve, round de jambe, tendu etc.

Also we had to learn all footwork and exercises such as : arabesque, attitude, chasse, bras-position of the arms, demi-plie,  rond de jambe, saute, tendu, adage etc.

Before the assignment I was practising a lot of footwork and all different exercises because this is something new for me in the dance word. I have never danced ballet before and I didn’t have any experience in this kind of dance. For the first time when I met with ballet (last year) I thought that ballet cannot be that hard but when we started proper lessons I noticed that It would be a lot of work to do; and I was right. From that time for each lesson I always try to be prepare and know what is going on in the lessons. One day before the lessons I repeated all ballet terminology and I got through all exercise to memorise them better and correct these which I struggle with. The exercise which I tend to struggle the most with is frappe, whereas my most liked one is pirouettes, and some warm-up exercises such as arabesque, chasse, jete, rond de jambe and tendu I noticed that throughout doing all these preparations my ballet getting stronger, the movements are more clear, sharp and confident.

During the assignment I had to do some of the exercises which I mention above. As a whole I think in these process I did good job in this assignment. I knew the exercises and I tried my best on that day. I was focused and my self-discipline was good. I was punctual on the exam, my hair was tied back and I had adequate outfit. Also I was able to follow into teacher instructions and attempt all corrections. During the assignment I was trying to accurately perform taught exercises and centre work using the correct steps and techniques. I think my co-ordination and pirouettes weren't that bad too. Furthermore, I tried to control each movement, have good body expression and musicality.

The things which I have to still work on are: use of feet/footwork (make better turn outs), balance (especially when I do positions on the right leg), precision (to make all movements nicer and soft). Also I have to improve classical bodyline, clarity of line and arms positions.

To achieve all of these improvements I have to practise more at home or ask someone for help from the class, watch more videos on You Tube, maybe get some extra ballet lessons. I really like ballet and I always liked to watch ballet on TV. I hope this is going to help me to achieve these goals and make quick improvements to get better satisfaction and start to enjoy ballet even more.