Wootton Bassett School of Dance

Venue: Congress Theatre, Cwmbran, Newport.

The annual Wales and West Competition, in Cwmbran, is open to any dancer at the school who would like to try their ballet in competition; and extra tuition is taken to learn the dance pieces.

ISTD WEBSITE LINKS

For dancers seeking to perfect their ballet skills, additional fortnightly classes are available for Cecchetti Ballet Grades 3-6.  Times are listed on the Contact Details/Class Times and Fees pages.

See Miss Kate for details. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT A WORD DOCUMENT SHOWING BALLET FOOT POSITIONS AND NAMES OF MOVES

The Cecchetti method of training ballet students is a rigorous system devised by Enrico Cecchetti (1850 - 1928). The dancer learns how to move and use each part of the body in preparation for dance and, thus grounded in the basic principles, the dancer can then readily learn new routines and even choreograph them.

The Cecchetti method was devised with careful regard for the laws of anatomy. the method is designed to help the human body to attain all those qualities essential to the dancer...balance, poise, strength, elevation, elasticity, "ballon" and so forth.

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 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.

The prime purpose of the Cecchetti Method is that the student shall not learn to dance by trying to imitate the movements executed by his or her teacher as a model to follow, but shall learn to dance by studying and imbibing the basic principles which govern the art; in short, to grow and develop from within, and translating this into the outward performance. Thus the dancer can become completely self-reliant.