Ballet music for class
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Ballet Class Music
The traditional ballet class, which represents the instructional aspects of the art of ballet, is steeped in tradition in that it adheres strictly to a time-tested series of ballet warmups and exercises. A traditional ballet class will consist of about fifteen ballet exercises (depending on the teacher) and each exercise will require very specific musical material. Generally, each musical selection must be played in the correct tempo, have the proper phrasing, and be presented with a character that enhances the particular movements of the ballet exercise. Until the late 1980s there was no method in place to assist pianists in effective use of music for the class. Each pianist was left to his or her own devices, or they simply followed the requests of the ballet instructor. The development of The Motosonus Method in the 1980s gave musicians, for the first time, a set of standardized techniques that could be used to prepare music for the ballet class.
Pianists that supply music for a ballet class have three options for the musical material they can use in the ballet class.
- Sheet music of classical literature and other styles, which the pianist will modify to fit the needs of the ballet class.
- Original music composed by the pianist for the ballet classes.
- improvised music which the pianist will tailor to the unique style and needs of each ballet instructor.
Each type of music has its advantages and disadvantages and most pianists will use all three types with an emphasis on the one that is their preference.
The ballet class is divided into two main sections, barre and center. The barre portion of a ballet class is for stretching and warmup and in this part of the class, the dancers have use of a ballet barre to help them keep their balance. Many of the same exercises used at the barre will also be used in center, where they will be more difficult because of the absence of the ballet barre to assist in balancing.
The Ballet Exercises at the Barre
Plies
Ballet classes are divided into two main sections referred to as barre and center. As is implied by the names, the first half of class, barre, takes place at the ballet barre, which is literally a wooden or metal bar that runs the length of a wall that is usually covered with mirrors. The dancers use the barre to help them balance while they do a series of foundation exercises that will warm them up and prepare them for the more difficult exercises performed in the center of the room.
The first exercise performed during a ballet class is called plies, pronounced plee-ays. This exercise is designed to stretch every muscle group in the legs and warm up the body for the leaps and jumps yet to come. The plies also teach the dancer how to create a foundation of support and balance for their upper body.
There are two types of plies, called demi-plie and grand-plie. When performing demi-plies, the dancers bend their knees about halfway, whereas when performing grand-plies a full bend is required. The plies are usually executed in each of the five foot positions in ballet which are referred to as first position through fifth position.
The ballet class music that is improvised or prepared for an effective plie exercise is usually very melodic, often romantic, with a full rich sound that leads into the downbeats of each phrase to create both a musical endpoint and a musical start point. The pianist should play the plie exercise with a wide beat, meaning the base notes can begin slightly ahead and linger slightly past where the strict beat placement would lie. This gives a restrained feeling to the music and enhances the feeling of muscles opposing each other which is characteristic of this exercise. It also keeps the dancers from rushing. This can be accomplished with a grace note, a rolled octave effect, or even an arpeggiated chord leading to the bass note on the beat. It is effective to use a conversational phrasing that moves freely with a great deal of rubato, almost as if the piano is making an important statement over and over with changes and new devel0pments on each repetition.
