The Cecchetti method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Italian ballet master and pedagogue Enrico Cecchetti

Enrico Cecchetti

Enrico Cecchetti was an Italian ballet dancer, mime, and founder of the Cecchetti method. The son of two dancers from Civitanova Marche, he was born in the costuming room of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome. After an illustrious career as a dancer in Europe, he went to dance for the Imperial Ballet in...

 (1850–1928). The Cecchetti method, is a strict training system with special concern for anatomy

Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...

 within the confines of classical ballet technique, and seeks to develop the essential characteristics of dance in its students through a rigid training regime. The goal is for the student to learn to dance by studying and internalising

Internalization

Internalization has different definitions depending on the field that the term is used in. Internalization is the opposite of externalization.- General :...

 the basic principles, in an effort to become self-reliant rather than imitating the movements executed by their teacher. The training method traditionally has examinations in the levels of Primary, Standards 1-6, the more technically demanding Grades 1-6, Intermediate, Advanced 1&2 and a Diploma.

Cecchetti in Australia

The Cecchetti training method is an internationally recognised and respected method of teaching Classical ballet, established by Maestro Enrico Cecchetti, and codified in 1922 by Cyril Beaumont and Stanislas Idzikowsky in The Cecchetti Manual entitled A Manual of the Theory and Practice of Classical Theatrical Dancing. The Cecchetti Society was established by Cyril Beaumont in London in 1922, with Maestro Enrico Cecchetti as its first president. and was independent until it joined the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in 1924.

The first Cecchetti examinations were held in Australia in 1934 when the Cecchetti Society was established by Madam Lucie Saronova. The Society continued to grow, administered for 51 years by the Council of Management in Victoria, under the auspices of The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London. In 1987 The Cecchetti Society of Australia Inc. was incorporated becoming an autonomous Australian Society administered by an elected National Council of members from its state branches. Its head office is in Melbourne.

In 1997 Australia became a founding member of a new International Society - Cecchetii International - Classical Ballet. Other founding members are Canada, Italy, South Africa, United Kingdom and U.S.A.. This International Society is committed to the promotion and expansion of the Cecchetti method of Classical Ballet and to its continued progress in training methods into the future throughout the world.

Cecchetti dancers have always achieved places in ballet and dance companies all over the world. Currently there are Cecchetti students at The Australian Ballet School, Victorian College for the Arts, and Queensland School of Excellence. Cecchetti male dancers are as frequent as the female dancers in the ranks of successful professionals in Australia and throughout the world. A well trained Cecchetti dancer has a purity of line and simplicity of style which enables them to take their places in dance companies of other genres of classical ballet.

Cecchetti in the United Kingdom

The Cecchetti teaching method was vital in the development of Classical Ballet in the United Kingdom and contributed heavily to modern day British teaching methods. Enrico Cecchetti and his wife opened a ballet school in London in 1918, and his pupils included some of the most influential names in British Ballet, many also influencing ballet throughout the world.

Dame Marie Rambert was a former pupil and colleague of Cecchetti and she also established a professional ballet school teaching his methods. This led to the formation of the UK's first ballet company, which survives today as the country's oldest established dance company, although it is now known as Rambert Dance Company

Rambert Dance Company

Rambert Dance Company, is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it would exert a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingdom, and today, as a contemporary dance company, it continues to be one of the...

 and specialises in contemporary dance

Contemporary dance

Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...

. The school also remains and is known as the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Dame Ninette de Valois was a colleague of Cecchetti during her professional career with the Ballets Russes

Ballets Russes

The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...

. She established The Royal Ballet in London, with many of the companies early dancers being pupils of Cecchetti. The Cecchetti method was also favoured by de Valois when she formed the Royal Ballet School

Royal Ballet School

The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...

. Phyllis Bedells

Phyllis Bedells

Phyllis Bedells was an English ballerina and teacher. She studied with Bolm, Cecchetti, and Pavlova. From 1907 she was a dancer at the London Empire Theatre and became the first British prima ballerina there in 1914. She left in 1916 to dance in West End musical revues and in opera ballets at...

, another Cecchetti pupil, would also play an important role in the teaching of ballet in Britain, as a founder member of the Royal Academy of Dance

Royal Academy of Dance

The Royal Academy of Dance is an international dance education and training organization, and examination board that specialises in the teaching and technique of Ballet. The RAD was established in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain, and received its...

, which today is the worlds largest Classical Ballet teaching organisation.

The British writer and dance historian Cyril W. Beaumont was a close friend of Cecchetti and, in 1922 he collaborated with Cecchetti to codify the training technique into a printed syllabus, The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet, which has become the foremost reference for Cecchetti method teachers worldwide. Cecchetti also gave Beaumont permission to established the Cecchetti Society to maintain the method and ensure that it would be passed on to future ballet teachers in its original form. Branches of the Cecchetti Society were subsequently established around the world, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the USA. The original Cecchetti Society still exists in Britain, although it was absorbed into the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in London, England and operating internationally. Established on 25 July 1904 as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers, it changed to its current name in 1925 and is now a registered educational...

, which continues to maintain the Cecchetti method as a separate entity from its own Imperial Classical Ballet syllabus.

Today, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in London, England and operating internationally. Established on 25 July 1904 as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers, it changed to its current name in 1925 and is now a registered educational...

 promotes the Cecchetti method as a syllabus-based series of dance examinations, which are taught by registered teachers around the world in both pre-vocational and vocational dance schools. The syllabus is a progressive series of graded and vocational graded examinations, which are accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency is an exempt charity, and an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families...

, the government appointed regulator of qualifications in England and Wales. Successful exam passes in the Cecchetti method can therefore be submitted for credit towards other nationally recognised qualifications, however this only applies in England and Wales. These qualifications are in reality usually taken by the amateur rather than the professional dancer.

There are many ballet teachers who can trace their knowledge of the Cecchetti method in a direct line from pupils of Enrico Cecchetti, including generations of dancers trained at the Royal Ballet and Rambert ballet schools.

United Kingdom

In 2002, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in London, England and operating internationally. Established on 25 July 1904 as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers, it changed to its current name in 1925 and is now a registered educational...

, became an accredited dance awarding body. As a result of this change, its system of exams and qualifications were revised, including those of the Checchetti faculty. The ISTD now operates a three tier system of qualifications, which are recognised on the National Qualifications Framework

National Qualifications Framework

The National Qualifications Framework is a credit transfer system developed for qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland....

:

• Graded examinations
• Vocational graded examinations
• Teaching qualifications

The system of teaching qualifications has been revised to include four levels of qualification. The first two levels, the FDI and the CDE are compulsory for any person wishing to teach the ISTD syllabus and enter candidates for examinations. The Licentiate and Fellowship levels are optional, higher level qualifications that existed before 2002 and retain their previous status.

• Foundation in Dance Instruction (FDI)
• Certificate in Dance Education (CDE)
• Licentiate
• Fellowship

United States

Students are tested on their ability to properly execute a number of specifically choreographed routines that emphasize a particular ballet movement. They are also graded on their knowledge of the theory and terms.

Grades five through seven correspond to his original levels.

In the American version, there are a few different marks for passing a level. From lowest to highest they are:

• Pass on condition
• Pass
• Passed plus
• Passed Commended
• Passed Highly Commended
• Passed with honours (very very rarely given)

A dancer who achieves a pass condition must wait at least a year before attempting the next exam level. If it is deemed by the examiner(s) that the student is not competent in the level, the student receives a failing grade, meaning they must continue training for a minimum of six months and retake the exam.

Grade examinations: designed to be more technically demanding and to provide a solid artistic and technical base for advancement to higher levels. Levels: grade one to grade six.

Major examinations: career oriented, with a high level of ballet technique

Ballet technique

The core technique of ballet has only minor regional variations globally. Various training methods have been devised, these produce a different physicality of performance and aesthetic results...

and artistry expected. Levels: Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2. In order to be examined in the Advanced one syllabus Intermediate must be passed.

Teacher Qualifying Examinations: Successful completion of these examinations leads to qualification with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Levels:
A.I.S.T.D. - Associate (provisional registration)
A.I.S.T.D. - Associate Diploma (full registration)
L.I.S.T.D. - Licentiate
F.I.S.T.D. - Fellow (highest teaching qualifications and held by all examiners)

Australia

Cecchetti examinations are divided into seven categories:

• 1) Pre Primary and Primary
• 2) Grades
• 3) Assessments
• 4) Dance Spectrum One
• 5) Majors
• 6) Enrico Cecchetti Diploma
• 7) Status

1) PRE PRIMARY AND PRIMARY:

• The aim of these examinations is to provide an examination system for the once-a-week student, with the accent on enjoyment and dance quality.
• There are two examinations PRE-PRIMARY, and PRIMARY
• Pre Primary and Primary examinations are marked STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED or PASS or PASS WITH MERIT or PASS WITH SPECIAL MERIT.

2) GRADE EXAMINATIONS:

• These examinations are designed to give the student a strong basic ballet technique with gradual build up through the Grades.
• There are six grades - ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE and SIX. These may be preceded by Pre Primary and Primary.
• In all six grades they will be marked as follows: STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED or PASS or CREDIT or COMMENDED or HIGHLY COMMENDED or HONOURS.

3) ASSESSMENTS:

• Assessments have been introduced to run parallel with the Grades 1 to 6, thereby, enabling these students to experience an examination situation without the stress of a result, whilst gaining confidence and receiving a written assessment of their performance.
• All rules pertaining to the Grades apply to the Assessments but NO RESULT will be given.

4) DANCE SPECTRUM ONE (DS1):

• DS1 has been developed for the Recreational and Vocational student who for various reasons may or may not wish to commence training in the Cecchetti Major levels.
• The emphasis of the syllabus will be on the enjoyment, improvisation and understanding of the Cecchetti Principles rather than dance technique, thereby enabling the recreational student to achieve a good result.
• There is no prerequisite examination to this examination stream.

5) MAJOR EXAMINATIONS:

• There are three Major examinations – Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 and they substantially cover the work of the Maestro Cecchetti.
• The Diploma examination completes this set of examinations (SEE NOTE ON DIPLOMA EXAMINATION).
• Examination order: All professional (Major) examinations must be taken in the correct order, progressing from Intermediate onwards. No level may be missed.

Intermediate

• May be taken as a practical examination as a Dancer (Category A).
• Mature age students (over 30 years) have the option of choosing either Category B(1) or B(2) as for Advanced 1 and Advanced 2.

Advanced 1 & Advanced 2

• May be taken in either Category A or Category B
• Category A: as a Dancer
• Category B (1:) as a Dancer who will be expected to perform all the work to his or her individual ability and answer questions about the technical and artistic content as applicable to the syllabus.
• Category B(2): as a mature age candidate (30 years and over) who will be expected to at a minimum, to walk thru the various exercises with some sense of the style and impetus required and explain their view of them in detail.
• Major examinations are marked as follows: PASS, CREDIT, COMMENDED, HIGHLY COMMENDED, HONOURS or STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED.

Progress Examinations:

• These examinations are conducted in the Intermediate, Advanced 1, Advanced 2 and Diploma syllabi.
• No certificates are issued but a full report is given to help the student and teacher evaluate the progress of the student.
• A candidate may move directly from Progress Intermediate to Progress Advanced 1 examinations but cannot take the Advanced 1 examination until they have successfully taken the preceding examination.

6) THE ENRICO CECCHETTI DIPLOMA EXAMINATION:

• The Diploma is not part of the qualifying process and can be taken without having previously passed Intermediate, Advanced 1 or Advanced 2.
• The Diploma gives NO STATUS in the Organisation, but entitles the holder to carry the 'Holder of the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma' after their name.
• There are two categories of entrant:

1) DANCER – Dancers may take the examination in its entirety or in two parts separately — Part A and Part B.

2) TEACHER - Teachers may take the examination in its entirety or in two parts separately — Part A and Part B. The minimum age limit for teachers is 25 years of age.

• DIPLOMA will be marked PASS AWARDED or STANDARD NOT YET ATTAINED.

7) STATUS EXAMINATIONS (Professional Teaching Qualifications)
There are five Status qualifications:

• i) Associate: A.C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• ii) Associate Diploma: A.(Dip)C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• iii) Licentiate: L.C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• iv) Licentiate Diploma: L.(Dip)C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.
• v) Fellowship: F.C.B.A. - C.I.C.B.

South Africa

In South Africa, the Cecchetti Society (established in 1928) has five Grades and the major examinations are the same as for the UK: Intermediate Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced 1 and Advanced 2. Examination passes are awarded as follows: Pass, Pass Plus, Commended, Highly Commended and Honours. To teach, the student must take the Associate examination after passing Advanced 1. Further qualifications are the same as for the UK and Australia. More information about Cecchetti in South Africa may be obtained by going to www.cecchetti.co.za