Editing Classical ballet (section)

==Training==
[[File:Ballet-Ballerina-1853.jpg|thumb|right|Ballerina dancing ''en pointe'']]
Students typically learn ballet terminology and the pronunciation, meaning, and precise body form and movement associated with each term. Emphasis is placed on developing flexibility and strengthening the legs, feet, and body core (the ''center'', or abdominals) as a strong core is essential for [[dance turns|turns]] and many other ballet movements. Dancers also learn to use their ''spot'' which teaches them to focus on something while turning so as not to become dizzy and lose their balance.

Early ballet training for all dancers involves basic technique and develops strength and flexibility. As they progress, female dancers begin to learn [[pointe technique]] and both male and female dancers begin to learn partnering and more advanced jumps and turns.  As the men get stronger, lifts are added to the partnering.  Depending on the teacher and training system, students may progress through various stages or levels of training as their skills advance.

===Music for ballet class===

The traditional ballet masters of the eighteenth century played the violin for their own ballet classes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Royal Academy of Dance |title=A Dance Class Anthology: The Royal Academy of Dance Guide to Ballet Class Accompaniment |date=2005 |publisher=Royal Academy of Dance Enterprises |location=London |isbn=9781904386742 |page=2}}</ref> They also provided their ballet students with instruction in the relationship between the dance steps and the music.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bloomfield |first1=Anne |last2=Watts |first2=Ruth |title=Pedagogue of the dance: the dancing master as educator in the long eighteenth century |journal=History of Education |date=July 2008 |volume=37 |issue=4 |page=610 |doi=10.1080/00467600802085426}}</ref> By the end of the nineteenth century this had fallen out of fashion, and specialisation in the performing arts meant that the role of the ballet teacher and the ballet musician had become separate professions. By the twentieth century, the violin had given way to the piano as the standard accompaniment for ballet class.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Murakami |first1=K |title=Sound Moves: An International Conference on Music and Dance |date=2005 |publisher=Roehampton University |location=London |page=156-157 |url=http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/soundMoves}}</ref> When recorded music is substituted for a live musician, there is no opportunity for the dancers to make subtle physical shifts of expression that a live dance accompanist will watch and match as they play.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davidson |first1=Andrew |title=‘The cycle of creativity’: a case study of the working relationship between a dance teacher and a dance musician in a ballet class |journal=Research in Dance Education |date=2 October 2023 |volume=24 |issue=4 |page=329 |doi=10.1080/14647893.2021.1971645|doi-access=free |url=https://openresearch.surrey.ac.uk/view/delivery/44SUR_INST/12152748600002346/13196480900002346 }}</ref>

The live musician in a ballet class plays a crucial role in the creative process.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cavalli |first1=Harriet |title=Dance and Music: A Guide to Dance Accompaniment for Musicians and Dance Teachers |date=2001 |publisher=University of Florida Press |location=Gainesville, FL |page=52-54}}</ref> As the ballet teacher sets an exercise - moving, counting, vocalising - the musician observes and imagines the music that will best support the exercise. The musician then plays either an existing piece of musical repertoire or creates a musical improvisation to support the dancers in the exercise. The dancers are affected by the musician's choices, and they integrate both the ballet teacher's steps and the ballet musician's music into their performance. Ultimately, the ballet teacher has little control over the musical portion of their lesson unless they ask the musician to play a specific piece of music. For this reason, the working relationship between a dance teacher and a dance musician is vital to the success of a ballet class.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davidson |first1=Andrew |title=‘The cycle of creativity’: a case study of the working relationship between a dance teacher and a dance musician in a ballet class |journal=Research in Dance Education |date=2 October 2023 |volume=24 |issue=4 |page=338 |doi=10.1080/14647893.2021.1971645|doi-access=free |url=https://openresearch.surrey.ac.uk/view/delivery/44SUR_INST/12152748600002346/13196480900002346 }}</ref>

===Ballet class attire===

Female attire typically includes pink or flesh colored [[tights]], a [[leotard]], and sometimes a short wrap-[[skirt]], or a skirted [[leotard]] and sometimes legwarmers depending on the season. Males typically wear black or dark tights, a form-fitting white, or black, shirt or leotard worn under the tights, and a [[dance belt]] beneath the outer dancewear to provide support. In some cases, students may wear a [[unitard]] — a one-piece garment that combines tights and a leotard — to enhance the visibility of artistic lines.

All dancers wear soft [[ballet shoe]]s (sometimes called ''flats''). Typically, female dancers wear pink or beige shoes and men wear black or white shoes. [[Leg warmer]]s are sometimes worn during the early part of a class to protect leg muscles until they become warm. Females are usually required to restrain their hair in a bun or some other hair style that exposes the neck that is not a ponytail. The customary attire and hair style are intended to promote freedom of movement and to reveal body form so that the teacher can evaluate dancers' alignment and technique. After warming up, advanced female students may wear [[pointe shoe]]s whereas advanced male students continue to wear soft shoes. Pointe shoes are worn after the student is deemed strong enough in the ankles and can execute the routine to a high standard, usually around or after the age of 12, or after the dancers' feet have stopped developing, so as to protect the dancers' feet from injury common with premature wearing.

===Methods===

There are several standardized, widespread, classical ballet [[training system]]s, each designed to produce a unique aesthetic quality from its students. Some systems are named after their creators; these are typically called '' methods'' or ''schools''. For example, two prevailing systems from Russia are the [[Vaganova method]] (created by [[Agrippina Vaganova]]) and the Legat Method (by [[Nikolai Legat]]). The [[Cecchetti method]] is named after Italian dancer [[Enrico Cecchetti]]. Another training system was developed by and named after [[August Bournonville]]; this is taught primarily in Denmark. The [[Royal Academy of Dance]] (RAD) method was not created by an individual, but by a group of notable ballet professionals. Despite their associations with geographically named ballet styles, many of these training methods are used worldwide. For example, the RAD teaching method is used in more than 70 countries.

American-style ballet ([[Balanchine method|Balanchine]]) is not taught by means of a standardized, widespread training system. Similarly, French ballet has no standard training system; each of the major French-style ballet schools, such as the [[Paris Opera Ballet School]], [[Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse]], and Académie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace (Monaco) employs a unique training system.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
 |+ Widely used ballet training systems
 |-
 ! rowspan="2" | Ballet style
 ! colspan="2" | Training system
 |-
 ! Name
 ! Creator
 |-
 |Danish ballet
 |[[Bournonville method]]
 |[[August Bournonville]]
 |-
 |Spanish ballet
 |Spanish & Classical
 |[[Antonio (dancer)|Antonio Ruiz Soler]]
 |-
 |[[Italian ballet]]
 |[[Cecchetti method]]
 |[[Enrico Cecchetti]]
 |-
 | ! rowspan="2" | [[Russian ballet]]
 |[[Vaganova method]]
 |[[Agrippina Vaganova]]
 |-
 |Legat Method
 |[[Nikolai Legat]]
 |-
 |[[English ballet]]
 |[[The Royal Ballet School]]
 | Various
 |-
 |[[French ballet]]
 | ! colspan="2" | Ballet Opera De Paris School
 |-
 |[[American ballet]] ([[Balanchine method|Balanchine]])
 |[[Balanchine method]] ([[School of American Ballet]])
 |[[George Balanchine]]
|}

====Stage reference points====

Some classical ballet training systems employ standardized layouts to define reference locations at the corners, and edges of stages, and dance studio rooms. In the latter case, there is no audience and a mirror typically spans the downstage wall of the room (e.g., points 1-2 of the Cecchetti layout).

{{Gallery
|title=Stage layouts used in ballet training systems
|align=center
|File:CecchettiStageLayout.png | Cecchetti stage layout
|File:RadStageLayout.gif | RAD stage layout
|File:VaganovaStageLayout.gif | Vaganova stage layout
}}