Ballet? Step-in-Time...

 It is so much fun to see the people who come to my Adult Beginner Ballet class on Tuesday evenings at 6:00pm at Taylor Dance West, here in NYC. And one of the best things about dancers who come every week, is that I can see and ask what will bring them the most reward! 

We worked a lot on how we use our feet to transition from standing on two feet and taking that first "step"! And it all starts with knowing what that first "step" is about to be. Is it a tendu that keeps the sole of the foot sliding along the floor as long as possible? Is it petit développé (small unfolding of the leg)? Is it a simple "walking" step where the whole foot reaches with the heel (rather than the toes) and you tombé (fall) onto the the extended foot? 

One of my favorite pictures of me in 1988!

I was remembering the lyrics to the song "step in time" sung by Dick Van Dyke in the movie, "Mary Poppins".

Never need a reason, never need a rhyme
Kick your knees up, step in time

Childhood is a step in time
Parenthood's the same

Never miss a chance to get it right

Don't it seem a perfect crime
Don't it seem a shame

When the steps aren't going
As smoothly as they might

That's when we step in, step in time...

I have always marveled at how many ways there are to take a step, and how it is surprisingly easy to spot dancers who have had to think about every step they take for most of their lives. Most people have an image of a "ballet" walk where dancers seem to "waddle" down the street with their feet "turned-out" (toes pointing away from each other when standing on two feet). And this is a function of asking ballet dancers to learn how to bear their weight in an extreme fashion. Ironically, when they are asked to walk "normally", most highly trained dancers need to imitate a "normal" walk, as their seemingly awkward gait has become "natural" for them. As a ballet trained kid, I was mystified at watching "runway" walks of high fashion models, which looked uncomfortably "turned-in" to me. LOL.

Schiaparelli couture winter 2024

Once we get past the physical ways to take a "step", we notice that rhythm creates a movement dynamic that might mimic something in the music, or provide a cross rhythm. My clips today range from the most rigourous looking ballet walks to seeing how walking and rhythm might indicate social status. And all of it is dancing as I think of it. Let's start with The Knights' march from "Romeo and Juliet" by Kenneth MacMillan.

The Royal Ballet & Opera

The opening steps from Paul Taylor's "Esplanade". 

Paul Taylor Dance Company 1978

I love that as the corps de ballet move from their processional line into their grid across the stage, that the audience bursts into applause! The Kingdom of the Shades scene from "La Bayadere". 

The Bolshoi Ballet.