Customer Reviews

Classical Ballet Technique

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a beginning adult Ballet student who has been studying Ballet for only a month, but I already found this book very useful. It's got a sequence of pictures of real ballet dancers (not drawings) illustrating each step very clearly and precisely. The other good thing is it's got these pictures that show the "wrong" technique too for comparison. This is exactly what we students need. I took some ballroom dancing and there are a couple of standard technique books written on the subject, but they are all verbal discriptions so it is very hard to visualize the pictures. I wish there were a book just like this one for all the other dances. Anyway, this book is a MUST have for all serious, semi-serious ballet or dance students.

Among ballet dancers, this book is considered one of the best references for the professional dancer. It is not really for young beginners. For example, It may give the comparisons between French, Italian, Danish, and Russian versions of a particular step. I like to refer to this in some cases even more than dvd references, since it is often more complete. This book appears to cover center steps more thoroughly than barre steps. For better sources of barre exercises see my other reviews, especially "The Classic Ballet:..." by Lincoln Kirstein.

This book is an indispensable reference book for any seriousstudent or instructor of ballet. Its many photographs of professionalsexecuting each step (up to 6 to 8 photographs showing each stage of a step) is extremely thorough. I have both taken and taught ballet for years and I have never seen another book as complete as this one. It provides both inspiration and clarification regarding the numerous ballet basics and steps, while including differences in steps from the different schools of ballet. While this is the more affordable version of the hardcover edition, I would recommend the hardcover edition if you can afford it. This is surely a book that will be looked at numerous times and will remain in your personal library (or dance school, public school, or public library) for many years.

This wonderful book is a must have for any person who claims an interest in ballet. Whether you are a serious student , a beginner, or just a passionate observer, this book provides excellent instruction and beautiful photographs that walk you through every step of a movement. Provides helpful hints on classroom ettiquite, dress, etc., and is arranged to show the typical ballet class order. I have worn my copy to a very dog-eared state from constant use both at home and in class. Wonderful for teachers and students alike.

This book is wonderful for those dancers struggling to perfect their tecnique, or trying to learn many different styles. This book, however, is not for learning alone, it is a picture-filled book of ballet tecnique. I have found it to very helpful with the visualization of some complex steps and vocabulary explanations. It is the best book of its kind and a treasure of age-old tecnique finally written down in images for future generations to keep.

When I moved to a small town, I was asked to teach ballet at a local studio. Because I had never been a profesional, I was a bit apprehensive, and a bought a couple books for help. Also my teaching methods,especially the placement of the pelvis, differed greatly from the studio director's view. This book, as well as the book, Inside Ballet Technique were wonderful guides to share with my students. Through pictures in this book, I could show my students how poor alignment, like a tucked under pelvis, can destroy your posture and can greatly hinder your development as a dancer. Without this book and its pictures, I don't know if my students would have ever believed
that a neutral, properly placed pelvis is the foundation for ballet. (They had been taught for years the grip/tucked pelvis method) If there are teachers or students out there that think tucking your pelvis under will help improve your posture or that gripping your butt is the end all answer to all technique problems, they need to read this book as well as read Inside Ballet Technique. These two books dispel many of the Ballet myths that are taught every day in classes.

This is the most comprehensive work covering the technical aspects of the art of ballet. Clearly illustrated and well organized, it is a valuable reference for teachers--the description of class content and ettiquette were excellent. As a former student of Ms. Warren in my days at the Pennsylvania Ballet, I am not surprised at the quality and detail of this work. It must have been a daunting task to compile, but many instructors will reap the benefits.

This book by Gretchen Ward has been the most useful and used book that I have as a reference for teaching ballet. The pictures are wonderful. They actually show photos and not poorly drawn pictures. It shows so many movements used in classical ballet, with pictures and descriptions. It also has a wonderful section for teachers, which give you tips and a teaching guide that gives you insight on the order of what you should teach at specific levels. This book is so organized and covers so much material. I love this book and highly recomend it to every teacher who teaches ballet!

This book was great! It's all photos that show you the correct and incorrect way to do almost every step you can think of!! Plie, tondue, jete, frappe, glissade, pirouettes, fouette, grande jete, arabesque, devlope, I could go on and on!

The only thing that could be a bit confusing, was that they had a few different kinds of techniques, which is good, but if you don't know which technique you are, it can be confusing....just to warn people who are new to the dance world.

But I DEFINITELY recommend it!!!!! Half.com sells it for cheaper.

As a Ballet Artistic Director and instructor I have found this is one of the best books of it's kind. I find that I use it every day. I have been teaching Ballet for 30 years and this is the most complete book I have found that is not just a dictionary. The pictures are easy for my students to follow when I can not show the step because of my maturing body.