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Quiz about A Ballet Class with Maestro Cecchetti
Quiz about A Ballet Class with Maestro Cecchetti

A Ballet Class with Maestro Cecchetti Quiz


Ballet steps are the same the world over, but the terminology and the style vary. Enrico Cecchetti was one of the greatest teachers ever. Whether you already follow his method, or a different one, come and learn something new.

A multiple-choice quiz by Elanor. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
Elanor
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
146,249
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
8 / 15
Plays
736
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. Enrico Cecchetti was born in the dressing room of a theatre in 1850. Where was he born? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Which famous role did Cecchetti create? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Where did Cecchetti spend his first years as a teacher? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. With which famous company was Cecchetti the Ballet Master between 1910 and 1918? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. The legendary choreographers Fokine and Massine, and dancers Pavlova and Nijinsky, were all students of Enrico Cecchetti.


Question 6 of 15
6. For which quality are Cecchetti-trained dancers particularly known? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Cecchetti dancers make more frequent use of 'épaulement' than dancers trained in other styles. Which part of the body is involved in this? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Cecchetti's work was first recorded and published by dance historian Cyril Beaumont in 1922. What was the name of the organisation set up in the same year, with the aim of preserving and promoting his theories and techniques? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Cecchetti's classes for professional dancers were identical every day.


Question 10 of 15
10. In the Cecchetti method, what name is given to the arm position where both arms are raised above the head, and held in a rounded and graceful manner, palms facing downwards? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Imagine the following position. The dancer stands facing wall 6 (sideways on to the audience). The left leg is supporting and straight, and the right leg, also straight, is raised at an angle of 90 degrees behind her. The left arm is raised forward, at a level with her eyes. Where must the right arm be placed in order to make this a correct Cecchetti Third Arabesque? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Cecchetti invented the system of assigning fixed points to the performance space. This enables dancers to correctly follow instructions of an exercise or a sequence. If the downstage corner to the right of the dancer is number 1, where is 4? Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. The Adage is an important part of any ballet class, and Cecchetti's lessons were no exception. He set down dozens of these slow, graceful exercises, requiring balance and strength. How does every single one start? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. Cecchetti named a step after his cat.


Question 15 of 15
15. The following step is an impressive leap, performed by all Cecchetti dancers. Facing upstage, the dancer leaps from the left leg, raising the right leg to the front in a swift movement, and lifting both arms above her head. Instead of leaping forwards, the dancer then quickly whips around to face the opposite direction, bringing the right leg down to land, and swiftly raising the left leg behind her. What do Cecchetti dancers call this? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Enrico Cecchetti was born in the dressing room of a theatre in 1850. Where was he born?

Answer: Rome

His parents were both dancers, and the young Cecchetti made his stage debut as a small baby in his father's arms. As a boy, he studied dance under well-known teachers, including Carlo Blasis, who was the most important ballet theorist of the 19th Century.
2. Which famous role did Cecchetti create?

Answer: Bluebird in "Sleeping Beauty"

The role of the Bluebird is short (Cecchetti was never a premier danseur) but impressive. It features soaring leaps and brilliant footwork. The other roles were all created by Nijinsky, who was one of Cecchetti's students. Cecchetti continued as a dancer, mainly in character roles, into his sixties.
3. Where did Cecchetti spend his first years as a teacher?

Answer: St Petersburg

He was initially a dancer, dazzling audiences with his brilliant footwork. He danced at the Imperial Theatre in St Petersburg in 1887, and remained there as Ballet Master of the Imperial Theatre from 1890.
4. With which famous company was Cecchetti the Ballet Master between 1910 and 1918?

Answer: Diaghilev's Ballets Russes

He taught at the Imperial Theatre school in St Petersburg from 1892 to 1910, where his students included Anna Pavlova. He then toured with the Ballets Russes for eight years, before settling in London in 1918 and opening his own school. He finally returned to the country of his birth in 1923, and the five years leading up to his death in 1928 saw him teaching at La Scala in Milan.
Diaghilev was a renowned spotter of talent in the ballet world, and said of his employee: "there is the old Cecchetti, master of us all, who carries the torch of classicism."
5. The legendary choreographers Fokine and Massine, and dancers Pavlova and Nijinsky, were all students of Enrico Cecchetti.

Answer: True

Fokine and Massine were the most exciting choreographers of their day, and stars such as Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky were famous the world over. Cecchetti was also responsible for teaching and influencing such names as Agrippina Vaganova (founder of the Soviet style), Dame Ninette de Valois (founder of the Royal Ballet), Dame Marie Rambert, Alicia Markova, George Balanchine, Mathilde Kschessinskaya, Tamara Karsavina and Alexandra Danilova.
6. For which quality are Cecchetti-trained dancers particularly known?

Answer: exceptionally graceful arm movements

In the era when Cecchetti taught, leg extensions above 90 degrees were uncommon, unlike today. While he did encourage swift and brilliant footwork, this was not a particular feature of his balletic theory. The arm movements (port de bras) which he taught, are particularly elegant, graceful and expressive. Royal Ballet choreographer Frederick Ashton said, "I would always insist that all dancers should daily do the wonderful Cecchetti port de bras."
7. Cecchetti dancers make more frequent use of 'épaulement' than dancers trained in other styles. Which part of the body is involved in this?

Answer: shoulders and head

'Epaulement' is a very slight movement in the head and shoulders, which adds expression, style and a dynamic quality to the dancer's movements.
8. Cecchetti's work was first recorded and published by dance historian Cyril Beaumont in 1922. What was the name of the organisation set up in the same year, with the aim of preserving and promoting his theories and techniques?

Answer: The Cecchetti Society

The Cecchetti Society was started by Dame Ninette de Valois and Marie Rambert (and others) and still exists as a branch of the UK's Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. There are affiliate branches all round the world, which train teachers in the Cecchetti style, and oversee a range of classes and examinations for children and adults.
9. Cecchetti's classes for professional dancers were identical every day.

Answer: false

Maestro Cecchetti devised a weekly programme, whereby each day had slightly different exercises, emphasising different aspects of the art. These were set down by Beaumont in "A Manual of the Theory and Practice of Classical Theatrical Dancing, (Méthode Cecchetti)" and are still performed today in ballet classes the world over.
10. In the Cecchetti method, what name is given to the arm position where both arms are raised above the head, and held in a rounded and graceful manner, palms facing downwards?

Answer: 5th en haut

This arm position has many different names. As a Cecchetti method dancer I have always known it as "5th en haut". According to the Imperial style taught by the ISTD, it is called 'couronne'. In the Russian style it is known as '3rd position', and in the RAD style taught by the Royal Ballet School, it is simply '5th position'.
11. Imagine the following position. The dancer stands facing wall 6 (sideways on to the audience). The left leg is supporting and straight, and the right leg, also straight, is raised at an angle of 90 degrees behind her. The left arm is raised forward, at a level with her eyes. Where must the right arm be placed in order to make this a correct Cecchetti Third Arabesque?

Answer: in front of the body, slightly lower than the left arm

There are 5 arabesques in the Cecchetti style. First, Second and Third are all on a straight supporting leg, Fourth and Fifth on a bent supporting leg. The arm positions are different in each case. These arabesques often have other names in other methods.
12. Cecchetti invented the system of assigning fixed points to the performance space. This enables dancers to correctly follow instructions of an exercise or a sequence. If the downstage corner to the right of the dancer is number 1, where is 4?

Answer: upstage right

The fixed points are extremely useful, both for following written notation, and for quick explanations from the teacher. Imagine a dancer standing centre stage, and facing the audience. Starting downstage right, and travelling counter-clockwise, the corners are numbered 1 to 4.

Then travelling in the same direction, the flat walls are numbered 5 to 8. So the audience is at 5, and the back of the stage is at 7. It is then very easy to give instructions such as "turn to face 2, point left arm to 3 and right arm to 1" without confusion.
13. The Adage is an important part of any ballet class, and Cecchetti's lessons were no exception. He set down dozens of these slow, graceful exercises, requiring balance and strength. How does every single one start?

Answer: a plié in 5th position

Every adage exercise begins with either a full plié or a demi-plié in 5th position. This tradition has been continued by the Cecchetti Society, and even in the simplest children's grade examination, the syllabus features this step. It enables the dancer to find her centre of balance, and to stretch the muscles fully before the more complex later demands of the sequence.
14. Cecchetti named a step after his cat.

Answer: True

"Glissade de Mami" was a sequence recorded by Beaumont in the "Manual" and was named after Cecchetti's cat Mami. It features a difficult series of turns and balances. It is not the same thing as a 'pas de chat', which is a small jump in the manner of a cat, common to all ballet styles.
15. The following step is an impressive leap, performed by all Cecchetti dancers. Facing upstage, the dancer leaps from the left leg, raising the right leg to the front in a swift movement, and lifting both arms above her head. Instead of leaping forwards, the dancer then quickly whips around to face the opposite direction, bringing the right leg down to land, and swiftly raising the left leg behind her. What do Cecchetti dancers call this?

Answer: grand jeté en tournant

It means a turning, thrown step. This sounds complicated, but in fact is merely two grand battements, with a jump and a turn. The Russian school calls this a tour jeté (thrown turn) or a jeté entrelacé (interlacing). The French style refers to the same step as a jeté dessus (over).

I feel proud and honoured to have studied a style of dance with so much history and tradition. There are many teachers of the Cecchetti style around the world. Contact the Cecchetti Society in London, the Cecchetti Council of America, or one of the many other Cecchetti organisations around the world for more information.
Source: Author Elanor

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