Up, in, the air, put your leg up in the air!

I couldn't resist with the hip hop title.  Sorry.

En l'air means in the air and is referring to "a movement [that] is to be made in the air".  This is most typically used with Rond de Jambe en l'air.  When performing moves en l'air a choreographer will usually use angles such as 45 degrees, 90 degrees, or more than 90 degrees.  This is one of the many instances when math and ballet merge.

I am one of those teachers who happens to use A LOT of math terms in my classes.  Enough so that my students once asked me if I was also a math teacher.  (I'm not).  This marriage of dance and math is not a new idea with the use of angles, geometry, symmetries, and counting, just to name a few.  I was lucky enough to work with some guest choreographers at my college who have received Kennedy Center Honors with their research in combining math and dance.  Dr. Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern wrote a book Math Dance where they describe many different ways that these two studies meet.  For more information on their book, or some of their research, please see their website www.mathdance.org.

Ailes de Pigeon - Pigeon's wings

Ailes de Pigeon is when "the dancer performs a Cabriole Devant, then the legs change and beat again, then change once more before the dancer lands on the leg he or she jumped from, leaving the other leg extended in the air.  Also known as 'Pistolet'."

Wow, that's a mouthful!  I have never heard of this move before, and so needed to look further.  The Oxford Dictionary of Dance by Debra Craine and Judith MacKrell states that Ailes de Pigeon is "A particularly demanding ballet step which most famously occurs in the Blue Bird variation in Sleeping Beauty."  When searching for this section of Sleeping Beauty, I believe I found something close to what an Ailes de Pigeon is, but all the landings aren't what is described in the Ballet Dictionaries.  The one's that I found either land in Fifth Position or Sur le Cou-de-pied.

The two most notable ones that I found are from The Royal Ballet (1963) and Dutch National Ballet (???).  Both times this move is performed by the Cavalier in a diagonal crossing.

Ultimately, this move remains a mystery to me, and I might have to do some asking around to learn more about it.

Adage vs. Adagio

"Adage is a French word derived from the Italian ad agio, meaning at ease or leisure.  English ballet teachers use 'adage', the French adaptation, while Americans prefer the original Italian."  I found this definition interesting, because I don't think I have actually ever read it in all the years of owning the Ballet Dictionary.  I just always knew that the Adagio section of a ballet class was slow and sustained.  I didn't know that Americans prefer the Adagio pronunciation of the exercise.  I thought I was going to have to do a lot of research on the difference, but there it was in the second sentence.

The Ballet Dictionary also states that the exercises of Adagio "develop a sustaining power, sense of line, balance and the beautiful poise which enables the dancer to perform with majesty and grace."  I love Adagio because I think its awesome that you can break a sweat by slowly moving or holding a balanced pose.  Adagio also reminds me of Yoga, where its almost a zen-like exercise.  It is relaxing while also being very hard work at the same time.

My "go to" Adagio in my classes consists of 6 of the Basic Positions of the Body.  Croisé Devant, Écarté, À la Quatrième Devant, À la Seconde, Effacé, and Épaulé.  I use this combination and can added more difficulty depending on my class by taking these positions with Développé and Tour de Promenade.  I've attached a video of myself performing the basic combination here.  Let me know what you think!

First Term, Long Answer

The very first term in the Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet (from now on will be referred as "Ballet Dictionary") is ABSTRACT BALLET.  It is defined as "A ballet without a plot.  A composition of pure dance movement expressed for its own sake."

After doing some more research, I found the book Ballet 101:  A Complete Guide To Learning and Loving The Ballet by Robert Greskovic (pages 197-201, and 523).  He states that Abstract Ballet is a 20th century term for a ballet without a particular story or narrative.  These are ballets not driven by a specific plot-line containing ballet pantomimes, but inspired by the music or the movement itself.

The first Abstract Ballet mentioned was "Chopiniana" from 1907.  This ballet was based on the musical themes of Chopin.  Its original choreography was by Michel Fokine, and it was orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov.  In 1907 it was reworked and became known as "Les Sylphides".  It was different than the ballets that audiences were used to.  They no longer had to sit and wait through a narrative to get to the dramatic reason to enjoy the dance.  Since the holiday's are over, the "Nutcracker Ballet" came into my mind.  The beginning of the performance largely contains pantomime and there is a large section of Act-1 that the viewer has to watch until the dream sequence starts and then the ballet world can begin.  As a child I thought the first part of this ballet was long (and I hate to say boring).  As an adult I can now appreciate the ballet as a whole, but understand why choreographers may have wanted to break away from the typical outline of a ballet.

From the technical side of things, Abstract Ballets are more commonly found in 1-act length rather than the multi-act Grand Ballets that came before them.  This was because they didn't need to "set up" the ballet sequences, but could just jump right into them.  The music became much more important being the inspiration more than the accompaniment.  Composers even got higher billing on the programs.  Also the costuming changed from the "old" ballets to the "new" ones.  Dancers were commonly found in simply a leotard and tights or a unitard so that the lines of their bodies could be seen better.

Some famous Abstract Ballets are:
--"The Four Seasons" choreographed by Jerome Robbins and premiered in 1979, to excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi's "I Vespri Siciliani" (1855).
--"Apollo" choreographed by George Balanchine and premiered in 1928, to two tableaux's composed by Igor Stravinsky.
--"Serenade" choreographed by George Balanchine and premiered in 1934, to Tschaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings in C" (1880).

I will leave you all with a quote from George Balanchine regarding Abstract Ballets:
"How much story do you want," he wondered.  "You put a man and woman on a stage together, and already it's a story."

A is for... Absolutely All Aspects (of Ballet)

When I started pointe class when I was 12 we were required to buy the Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet by Gail Grant.  Now, 18 years later I'm returning to college for a second degree in dance, and the same Ballet Dictionary was our required text book for my ballet courses.  I'm amazed that this one book has stood the test of time, and is so valued among dancers.  It is my dance bible, and I always have it on me for the classes that I teach, and the ones I attend as a student.

I have been teaching dance in one form or another for the last 14 years, and this blog (since blogs have been around) has always been a goal of mine.  I will be going item through item of the Ballet Dictionary and researching each element, fully understanding them, and post some pictures and videos of these moves as well.  I know this will help me become a better student of Ballet, but also a better teacher.

I will also be posting different barre lessons, center and across the floor exercises for some of the different terms.  Its an ultimate goal to make this a place where other dance teachers can purchase my lesson plans that I've spent so many hours designing.

So here's to the new year, and Ballet Basics from A-Z!