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Etudes was first performed by English National Ballet (then known as London Festival Ballet) at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on August 8, 1955 with a cast led by Toni Lander, John Gilpin , Nicholas Polajenko and Anton Dolin. It has become a signature piece for the Company which has performed Etudes more than 700 times.
Etudes is in the repertory of numerous companies worldwide and extracts were used for the classroom sequences in Herbert Ross' film The Turning Point (1977). The complete ballet has been televised on several occasions, most importantly for this Company it was shown internationally through Eurovision when London Festival Ballet led by Toni Lander, John Gilpin and Flemming Flindt performed it at a gala to celebrate the wedding of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in Monte Carlo in 1956.
Etudes matches classroom combinations for dancers to Czerny's keyboard exercises. Although it is structured as a class, the ballet is presented in a deliberately theatrical manner progressing from simple pliés at the barre to the centre enchanements in adage and allégro which show off the skill and masterly technique of the dancers.
Glossary of some of the steps demonstrated in Etudes
The language of classical ballet is French as it was codified at the Académie Royale de Danse during the reign of Louis XIV. Some of the terms such as jeté (literally throw) for jump, and pirouette for turn are used very generally, others are more specific.
Plié (Fr. plier - to bend) A bend of the knees, without straining the muscles. An exercise at the beginning of class to encourage flexibility and improve the turnout and placing of the body.
Tendu (Fr. tendre - to stretch) A stretching of the leg and foot, well turned out, in which one leg slides forward, sideways or backwards, without lifting the toes from the floor. These exercises help to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the legs.
Fondu (Fr. fondre - to melt) As the muscles are warmed, the foot and leg are raised higher in preparation for jumps.
Rond de jambe (Fr.circling of the leg) Exercises to help turnout at the hip socket, either á terre - a semi-circle being described on the ground -or en l'air the leg being extended at hip level.
Grand battement (Fr. literally large scale beating of the air) The leg is thrown to the front, side and/or back with knee stretched and foot pointed and then brought down in a controlled manner, keeping the rest of the body as still and upright as possible throughout. This is an exercise to loosen the hip joint.
Piqué (Fr. piquer - to prick) Step sharply onto pointe, without bending the knee.
Fouetté (Fr. fouetter - to whip) More correctly rond de jambe fouetté en tournant The working leg whips out to the side and then to the knee as the dancer turns on the supporting leg, rising onto pointe for each revolution. This step was developed by Italian dancers at the end of the nineteeth century so that they could perform as many as 32 consecutive fouettés, a trick that is featured in Odile's seduction of Prince Siegfried in Act III of Swan Lake.
Déboule (Fr. débouler - to suddenly run away) Half turn, usually seen repeated in a chain of steps.
Echappé relevé (Fr. literally lifted escape) A rise through the feet from a flat position onto pointe, then lowered back through the ball of the foot to the flat position. The dancer's weight is evenly distributed throughout. This is an exercise to improve the articulation and suppleness of the feet.
Frappé (Fr. frapper - to strike) Standing flat or on ¾ pointe with the raised foot flexed (not pointed) the leg is extended with the foot pointed and then brought back to the ankle. This exercise develops the flexibility of the foot, ankle and knee.
Assemblé (Fr.assembler - to assemble) A jump from one foot to both, usually landing in fifth position.
Sissones (Fr. Ciseaux - scissors) A spring from two feet to one.
Brisé volé (Fr. broken flight) During a jump the lower calves beat and the feet cross in the air. The dancer's body is inclined forward or back in the direction of the beating legs. This step gives the illusion of flight and a diagonal of 24 brisés volés is featured in the solo for the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty.
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