Britain is destroying her classical ballet
The World of Arts
Gwen Herat
DANCE: 'No teacher, male on female, shall lay a hand on a student
while training for ballet. She or he shall refrain from touching them
for any type of physical correction. If done, it will amount to sexual
harassment'.
This is the new legislation brought upon ballet training by the
British Government.
Britain's gone mad
Britain is ridiculous.
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FUTURE:Technically perfect dancers like these may not be seen in the
future.
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How on earth can a teacher perfect a future dancer without physically
correcting her body? In the hands of a teacher, a dancer's body is
pliable like clay and from which she moulds the perfect ethereal dancer
of the future.
Does this law also mean that a teacher must look on helplessly when a
student slips, falls and breaks her neck or limbs?
Britain's home-grown dancer in the near future will be a bleak,
listless, technically imperfect and awkward creature while the ones in
the rest of other countries, will steal a march over her.
She will lack in character the moment she steps on stage because
those wonderful technicalities found in centuries old syllabus, would
not be represented in her, the ones that are preciously preserved and
inculcated in her by her teacher and choreographer. In short, she will
just keep dancing under the watchful eyes of her teacher. How very
boring?
Restriction
The ridiculous regulations imposed on students, have restricted the
unique basics which are the foundations for a flowering, beautiful and
ethereal ballerina that British ballet is associated with.
Since the emergence of Antoinette Sibly as Odette in Swan Lake and
followed by Margot Fonteyn and Merle Parks, they possessed between
themselves all the ideal, rich component of physical temperament that we
all look in a great dancer, bear testimony to the strict disciplined
training showered by their teachers who twisted their limbs and ankles,
pushed their backs in, tucked in the tummies, etc to reap such high
standards, producing intellect, drama, beauty, and visual excitement to
ballet.
These ballerinas were trained to use different parts of their bodies
to create total effect in one amazing impact. It worked in a manner that
seemed the body was divided into 'physical'... 'spiritual' and 'mental'
divides. Spiritual represented torso and arms, Physical represented
lower trunk and legs, Mental devoted on head and neck.
Even the movements were divided to cooperate with one another for
decorative and stylish movements which moved through every muscle, sinew
and joint and distributed evenly to body zones.
It is at training level that a dancer master these very important
aspects that will eventually make her the home-grown British ballerina.
Unless without physical support from her teacher, none of these basics
will find a way into her body.
It is sad that the legislators of this unfair rule have failed to
realise that the framework of the dancer's body is an intricate
instrument and must be capable of carrying out the many functions
required by the teacher as well as the mechanics of the movements.
Dancer's physique
Bodyline at all times depends on the dancer's physique. This is the
natural physique with which the dancer may have acquired at birth or
obtained as a result of her training under her teacher. The student also
has to respond to derive excellent results, something for which needs a
great deal of will power to cope with.
She relies on her teacher to mould and shape her up into a great
dancer of innate quality. She may possess an inherent talent for
co-ordination of her body, arms and legs but require professional
handling to put everything in place. This is what the British government
is preventing.
Very unfair by all standards.
The greatest of all Romantic ballerinas emerged after going through
the rigours of strict discipline where the question of sexual harassment
never arose. Let us hope that the Royal Ballet will stand up against it
and that sanity prevail before the breakdown of the immortal British
classical dancer. |
