Surely one of the loveliest elements of the ballet is adage -when the dancer is fully revealed. We all wait for that supreme moment in a ballet.<P>It is also - to my mind - one of the most difficult parts of the ballet vocabulary because of that revelation. <P>As a teacher I am sure you all include that element in the planning of your class. And, as a student, you only skimp on that part at your peril.<P>What is the aim of the adage? <P> What are its elements? <P> What comprises it? <P> What is it as a teacher that you can do to further its successful accomplishment?<P>When you plan an adage for your class what elements do you pursue?<P>As a dancer what is the image that you wish to portray?

<BR>RE:<BR>"It is also - to my mind - one of the most difficult parts of the ballet vocabulary because of that revelation."<P>In mastering the understatement let me say simply....ballet is hard...good Adage is harder. So what is the goal when performing all ballet... to make it "look" easy. Compound the difficulty, = stand flat in a pointe shoe and .....Developpe' slooowwwlllyyy while looking light as air and soft as a breeze yet sturdy as an Oak...making it appear effortless...Oh mama; I could pee my pants from fright just thinking about it<P><BR>What is the aim of the adage? <BR>--I would say the aim is to appear effortless in the movement...to me adage is a very inward expression of the movement (not physically but rather expressively). I have a hard time finding the words for this question and will have to settle with falling short in saying adage is capturing and expressing a profound beauty of movement and music and human physiology, perhaps it is the humanity within the art. The allegro may excite me and cause me to gasp in wonder....it is the adage however that brings tears and strong emotion...it reaches me.<P>What are its elements? <BR>LIne, Line, Line and strong yet subtle energy.<P><BR>What is it as a teacher that you can do to further its successful accomplishment?<P>Keep students exposed to it, allow them to work within it (even when it does not look good yet) Allow students to explore their own artistry and debth of emotion, how they like to move. How they can use the music to comunicate. <P>When you plan an adage for your class what elements do you pursue?<BR>Technically: Strength, control, breath, quality of movement .<P>Artistically....I like to see them get lost in the music, loose the look of concentration and feel the joy and beauty of dancing.<P>As a dancer what is the image that you wish to portray?<P>A expression of love for the art that leaves the classroom and years of struggle behind...I simply want to be in the moment.<P>The Adage is where we go to see what is more important to us....the dance or the dancer<P><p>[This message has been edited by Rabbit (edited November 03, 2000).]

What a marvelous answer Rabbit!! There isn't anything that you stated that I wouldn't agree 100%.<P>I would, however, add a few of my own statements. Standing flat in a pointe shoe is supremely difficult and the joyous solemnity which is the final accomplishment is at the opposite end of that difficulty. <P>But there is stitching that goes into creating the whole fabric. And the stitching must be seamless. An example of a dancer who has truly mastered this seamless quality is Gelsey Kirkland. No obvious preparations, no obvious weight adjustments, no obvious adjustments of epaulement - constant fluidity - the apparent ease and delight of execution keeps from us all knowledge of the difficulties of the adage.<P>I think it is very important as a teacher to give the student the image that to produce that seamless quality the ending of one movement is the beginning for the next.<P>But, even beneath this stitching, as a teacher, what elements - what kinds of stitching to you plan into the embroidery? <P>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>LIne, Line, Line and strong yet subtle energy.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>great answer, rabbit! <P>basheva: you don't dodge the hard questions, do you?!?

<BR>Well in the interests of not dodging I shall go on - LOL :<P>It always seemed to me that an adage could be divided into segments. While choreographing for my students I tried to incorporate these elements, perhaps not every time, but certainly within a span of a couple of lessons.<P>The main segments are – in my opinion – <P>The body and leg moving together – promenade would be an example.<P>The body moving without the leg – pivot would be an example.<P>The leg moving without the body – battement cloche or an adage version of fouette’ would be an example.<P>Adage is also a study in balance and this I would divide into two segments:<P>A balance while moving – such as promenade<P>A balance while stationary – such as developpe’.<P>Another very important aspect, in my opinion, is the necessity for a seamless quality of the stitching between segments. The obvious transitions and adjustments that I see dancers/students make between epaulement such as devant and seconde’ just make me cringe.<P> Also I feel there needs to be a seamless stitching between the sections of the choreography such as sequential developpes. This can be seen to absolute perfection, in my opinion, by Gelsey Kirkland in the adage section of “Theme and Variations”.<P>Legato, legato, legato. It means not letting go at any point – as in “whew, now my leg in down – so I can relax”. The end of one movement is the beginning of another. Or the obvious adjustment of the heel in the change of body position – ACK! This change can be done in a smooth adroit manner, hidden from the observer. <P>I am very interested in your thoughts on the above………………<P><BR>

"my thoughts on the above?" = CAN'T do ANY of it! <P>love watching adage - hate doing it - never could get those legs up where i wanted them.....<P>an RAD examiner who is a friend of mine teaches a preparation to one elementary exercise so beautifully - hope this translates into words OK -<P>you know when you do a little 'breathing' arm movement, before a developpé at the barre (i.e at the commencement of the exercise, on the introduction music), she teaches that when the fingers sweep over (the line of) the toes, )as the arm returns to bras bas) that you feel as if your fingers are picking up your toes, and that is what initiates the developpé action. it creates that seamless look which you speak of, basheva, and adds such beauty to such a simple moment...<P>naturally the eyes are following that hand movement also, so the whole body links in harmony.

Your above post reminds me that so far I have not mentioned - and how could I possibly forget? - the HEAD!!<P>In any of the segments of the ballet the head is the finishing touch - it is what directs the eyes of the audience. But, because the adage is so very revealing the head is even more important in adage. And, in most instances it follows the movement of the arms - although of course it can be tilted and/or turned away. And it is the eyes of the dancer that gives the whole thing life. Somehow even to the last seat in the balcony of a large theater the audience knows whether the dancer's eyes are alive or not. And whether they are looking downward and "killing" the movement - or looking at forever and keeping it eternally alive.<P>I was told, and I still believe, and hopefully do - retard the arms and head slightly behind the movement of the body and legs in adage. That also extends that legato movement. It seems to stitch the whole thing together - one movement leading to another without ends and visible seams.<p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited November 08, 2000).]