Ballet Methodology

Who: King Louis XIV, Molière, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre Beauchamp
When: 1660s
Where: Versailles, France
Characteristics: Elegant clean lines, fluid movements, and fast precise footwork.
Alumni: King Louis XIV, Sylvie Guillem

The original ballet method was developed during the reign of King Louis XIV in the 17th century; the French School of ballet is the foundation on which all other methods are built. King Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661 (now the Paris Opera Ballet), and alongside Molière, Jean-Baptiste and his own ballet master, Pierre Beauchamp, he established the Beauchamp–Feuillet notation style. Beauchamp is also credited with creating the five fundamental foot positions in classical ballet. Ballet vocabulary continues to be in its original French form, referencing the importance of this defining moment in the art form’s development.

Who: August Bournonville
When: Mid-1800s
Where: The Royal Danish Ballet, Copenhagen
Characteristics: Light and delicate; dancers move swiftly through complex choreography, making it appear effortless.
Alumni: Erik Bruhn, Nikolaj Hübbe, Johan Kobborg

With strong influences from the French School, Danish dancer, choreographer, and director of the Royal Danish Ballet August Bournonville was inspired by his father and the French ballet masters. Focusing on soft, graceful movements that connect to create constantly moving, seamless ballet, the Bournonville method is distinctive for its Romantic-era style and nimble footwork. 

Who: Enrico Cecchetti
When: 1922
Characteristics: Detailed driven, scientifically precise, and focused on being anatomically aligned.
Alumni: Ninette de Valois, Marie Rambert, Alicia Markova, Leonide Massine.

Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti developed the Cecchetti method by expanding on the codification work of another great ballet master, Carlo Blasis. Cecchetti grouped Blasis’ ideas into six distinct sets of exercises (one for each day of the week). The Cecchetti method focuses on the port de bras (movement of the arms) and the épaulement (positioning of the shoulders and upper body). Additionally, the Cecchetti method aims to create versatile dancers through slow integration of new movements and encouraging artistic expression and stage presence.

“If I had my way, I would always insist that all dancers should daily do the wonderful Cecchetti port de bras, especially beginners. It inculcates a wonderful feeling for line and correct positioning and the use of head movement and épaulement, which, if correctly absorbed, will be of incalculable use throughout a dancer’s career”. – Sir Frederick Ashton

Who: Agrippina Vaganova
When: Early 1900s
Where: Mariinsky Ballet, Russia
Characteristics: Controlled movements that work to align the entire body, expressive port de bras, strong clean lines, and fluid, graceful musicality without stiffness.
Alumni: Anna Pavlova, Natalia Makarova, Rudolf Nureyev

A combination of both the French and Cecchetti methods, Agrippina Vaganova established her method by building on fundamental techniques and skills to promote flexibility and strength throughout the entire body. The Vaganova method gives equal importance to both the arms and legs and is influenced by French, Italian, and Russian styles of ballet. Focusing on technique, alignment, balance, turnout, and coordination, the Vaganova method is a carefully developed program of movements designed to allow dancers the freedom to perform with technical precision and convey emotional and artistic expression. Additionally, the Vaganova method includes a wider curriculum of dance history, music theory and foreign language classes to give dancers greater insight into their craft.

Who: Tamara Karsavina, Adeline Genée, Edouard Espinosa, Lucia Cormani, Phyllis Bedells, and Phillip Richardson
When: 1920
Where: London, United Kingdom
Characteristics: Slow and steady training that requires students to master steps before moving onto more difficult exercises. The English style is precise, clean, and linear, dedicated to detail-driven simplicity, and incorporates character dance, a stylised version of traditional European folk dances.
Alumni: Darcey Bussell, Gillian Lynne

Originating in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing in Great Britain, a group of dance professionals, including Tamara Karsavina, Adeline Genée, Edouard Espinosa, Lucia Cormani, Phyllis Bedells, and Dancing Times magazine editor Phillip Richardson, banded together with the goal of improving the standard of English dance training. Renamed the Royal Academy of Dance in 1936, the RAD training method encompasses all five prominent training methods in the early 20th century: French, Italian, Russian, Danish, and English to create a unified style of training and grading in Great Britain.

Who: George Balanchine
When: 1934
Where: School of American Ballet, New York
Characteristics: Neo-classical style that is more abstract and less narrative-driven. Athletic, vigorous dancing that focuses on speed, height and length.
Alumni: Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland, Jacques d'Amboise 

George Balanchine was trained in the Imperial Ballet style of pre-Vaganova Russia. After leaving the Soviet Union for Europe, Balanchine began experimenting with traditional techniques and adapting them into modern movements that extended a dancer’s line, form, and shape. Balanchine, alongside Lincoln Kirstein, founded the School of American Ballet in 1934 and, in 1948, established the New York City Ballet, where graduating School of American Ballet students had the opportunity to move into the professional ballet world.

The Balanchine method emphasises streamlined movements and focuses on using space more efficiently and effectively. It often includes deep pliés, open-hipped arabesques, and asymmetrical choreography focused on creating modern streamlined shapes for modern American audiences.