The Academy Method is a method of teaching classical theatrical dancing established by Dame Margot Fonteyn d'Arias. The Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet offers an International Teacher Certification Program. Certified teachers are able to teach Academy Method and bring the legacy and art of Margot Fonteyn into the dancing of their students. The Academy Method teaches the fundamental principles of movement as they apply to classical theatrical dancing, and is based on the teachings of Margaret Craske and her most accomplished students. For more information about this please go to www.fonteynacademy.org on the Internet. The Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet is located in Beacon, NY under the direction of Ken Ludden.
This unique book gives you the extra help you need to get strong enough for pointe work. It includes lots of exercises, divided into four simple stages to work on; the flexibility of your feet and ankles, the strength of your little foot muscles, your turnout and your core control. It also guides you through tests for each stage so that you can work out where you problem areas are! This book is essential for any student preparing for, or already on pointe, and any teacher wanting to learn more about safely preparing students for the most beautiful of dance forms!Stage 1 - Fabulous FlexibilityThe first stage includes tests and exercises to make sure that your feet into the best possible position for pointe work. Some people will find this stage easy, others will find it much harder. No matter where you start, the easy exercises and stretches in this section will help you get a great looking pointe. Stage 2 - Marvelous MusclesHere you learn about all the different muscles in your feet, and why it is important to get the right ones strong! Mastering the fine control of your toes helps prevent blisters on the toes, as well as overuse problems in the shins. This stage will transform how you work with your feet forever. Stage 3 - Terrific TurnoutGetting onto pointe is not all about your feet. Find out how to find your true turnout muscles and make them stringer so that you don
The Teacher Certification Program of the Academy Method is an integrated training program for teachers of the Academy Method approach to dance. It teaches the fundamental principles of movement as they apply to classical theatrical dance, and were developed by Dame Margot Fonteyn and Ken Ludden over more than a decade. The Body Mechanics program is comprehensive training for the entire body, and is designed to be applied to any sport or activity that involves human movement. It gives a collection of 65 exercises developed over the last 460 years by the top professional dancers in the history of the Classical Ballet art form. Taken out of the context of classical dance, they instill in the body an absolute efficiency of movement, and allow for the maximization of every movement made. Whether you are an athlete, dancer, parent, office worker, stock boy, or waitperson, this program will help you be more effective and avoid injuries.
The Academy Method was designed by Dame Margot Fonteyn and Ken Ludden over 12 years. The instructor certification program gives them international certification to teach in this method. This book covers the basic principles of the Academy Method. Review: ""Ken Ludden's teaches the fundamentals of ballet and all movement, and is groundbreaking and life changing! He works with the truth of movement...teaches to express through movement. He covers the step and how to execute it, then clearly explains the WHY for each exercise as it relates to center work and choreography. This book lays out how to build a dancer from the moment they enter the studio until they hit the stage as a professional. Try to see Ken's live lectures as well and study with him. He is a Master!"" -Autumn Mathisen
Discusses all basic principles of ballet, grouping movement by fundamental types. Diagrams show clearly the exact foot, leg, arm, and body positions for the proper execution of many steps and movements. 118 illustrations.
The only book of its kind, this expanded Second Edition provides a thorough examination of pointe shoes and pointe technique. Dancers and students quickly benefit from the most current research that offers the latest information on hundreds of contemporary designs, materials, products, and suppliers. It illuminates the shoemaking process and gives advice about how to best fit, care for, and custom-order shoes. The basics of pointe readiness, pointe technique, different pointe methods, and the history of dancing on pointe are discussed. Includes an extensive reference to pointe-related injuries, their remedies, and medical and therapy facilities. The authors also provide eight authoritative pointe class syllabi for teachers and students, from the School of American Ballet's first day on pointe to American Ballet Theatre School's advanced class. In the last chapter, twelve prominent ballerinas talk about their shoes, how they found the perfect fit -- and the joy of dancing on pointe. Book jacket.
This title is intended for a higher level of student altogether and, in fact, should only be used by the more advanced student. The book picks up where 'The Foundations of Classical Ballet Technique' left off, so where, for example, you would find a single pirouette in the first book, this develops into a double pirouette, an embellished pirouette, or a more complex turn like fouette rond de jambe en tournant."
Presents an overview of pointe technique and pointe shoes, with basics of pointe readiness, current research on best design for pointe shoes, materials, suppliers, and information on pointe-related injuries and remedies.
Are the performing arts really supposed to be so radical that, as John Cage once said in the context of music, “there is no noise, only sound,” since “he argued that any sounds we can hear can be music”? (WK 2007a; D. Harwood 1976) This radical tradition in performing arts, with music as an example here, can be contrasted with an opposing view in the older days, when “Greek philosophers and medieval theorists in music defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies, and vertically as harmonies. Music theory, within this realm, is studied with the presupposition that music is orderly and often pleasant to hear.” (WK 2007a) Contrary to these opposing traditions (and other views as will be discussed in the book), performing arts, in relation to both the body and its presence, is neither possible nor desirable to the extent that the respective ideologues on different sides would like us to believe. Needless to say, the challenge to these opposing traditions in performing arts does not imply that performing arts are worthless human endeavors, or that those fields of study related to performing arts like aesthetics, acoustics, communication studies, psychology, culture studies, sociology, religion, morality, and so on should be rejected too. Of course, neither of these extreme views is reasonable. Instead, this book provides an alternative, better way of understanding the future of performing arts, especially in the dialectic context of the body and its presence—while learning from different approaches in the literature but without favoring any one of them or integrating them, since they are not necessarily compatible with each other. In other words, this book offers a new theory (that is, the transdisiciplinary theory of performing arts) to go beyond the existing approaches in a novel way. If successful, this seminal project will fundamentally change the way that we think about performing arts, from the combined perspectives of the mind, nature, society, and culture, with enormous implications for the human future and what the author originally called its “post-human” fate.
If you are thinking about taking ballet classes, have a child who is starting to dance, or want to know more about ballet, then HowExpert Guide to Ballet is for you. This book covers many things, such as: - How to find the best studio for you. - Elements to look for in classes from ages 3 to 18. - What to wear to class if you are a child or an adult dancer. - Things to bring to class in your dance bag. - How to make the perfect ballet bun. - Proper ballet etiquette. - How to behave in class, at the barre, and when dancing in the center of the room. - Warm-up exercises to do sitting and standing. - Basic feet and arm positions. - The five major methods of ballet instruction. - Advice and encouragement for adult beginners. - The history of pointe shoes. - How dancers soften or harden their pointe shoes from ripping them apart to baking them in the oven. - What dancers wear inside their pointe shoes to make them comfortable. - How to Identify “dead pointe shoes” and why they are dangerous. - The history of male dancers in ballet. - Information for parents whose sons want to take ballet classes. - What Men’s Classes and Partnering Classes are. - Featuring expert advice, tips and tricks, and stories from the barre. About the Author Lauren Dillon is a multifaceted writer who has been dancing classical ballet for over two decades. She has worked as a dance instructor for children and enjoys sharing classical ballet with others. Born and raised in Florida, Lauren was inspired to take ballet classes by her mother, who took ballet classes as an adult. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts in Russian & Eastern European Studies from Florida State University (FSU). After moving across the country to California, Lauren earned her Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of San Francisco. When she wasn’t visiting museums or working in a performing arts archive, she continued to dance at San Francisco Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. HowExpert publishes how to guides by everyday experts.
