Different Ballet Schools Around the World! Paris Opera, ,Vaganova...

0:00 hello everyone and welcome back to my Channel with myself Isabella thank you so much for joining me here today if you're new here click that subscribe button so you never miss another video my name is Isabella I'm a graduate of the vaganova Ballet Academy I then went on to dance with the msky balet and IAM ballet before I found a BWI which is an online learning platform beginner to Pro with ballet classes courses conditioning routine stretch classes as well as live

0:26 classes with me so you get a full package then along with my podcast we're also working on your mindset as well so let's get started so today we're going to be looking at the most renowned schools all around the world we'll be looking at Paris Russia Italy and also the Balan Sheen school it's been quite hard finding footage of all these places because not everyone is as forthcoming

0:58 with their footage unlike the vava school where you can find every exam in history on YouTube but every school has its own unique style and I think what makes these schools so great is the history that is attached to these schools and the technique that they have built over a long period of time but one that hasn't been touched or messed with they very much have an established

1:28 technique which is ingrained and is what makes their style so special although I'm Russian trained I adore the Paris style in its own unique way like I really admire it and I really also enjoy lascala as well and and even the baling school but what's so great about it is what I really respect is each technique is very much its own system and its own thing and I think that is

1:58 what makes them so so good at what they do the Russian technique it makes you know the result you're going to get because the training equals the results and the technique equals the result you know exactly what system you're learning in so a French dancer at the Paris school they know they're learning the French technique and I think that is what sets these schools apart from other schools where it's confused where the syllabus is not super clear as to what

2:26 technique or style they are doing so I thought this would be super interesting as well not only to see the different techniques in action but also to see what kind of dances it produces and how they're different in their own way so we're going to start with Paris now Paris Opera is one of the most renowned schools in the world not only that is the most beautiful so we've got before we get into the exercises we're just you

2:52 know looking at this this girl being manhandled a little bit and obviously Paris Opera look they really look heavily at beautiful legs and feet oh she's saying I assume yeah you don't want to Crunch the toes that's not good for the whole foot and it puts strain on the whole leg so it needs to be this really beautiful nice long line of leg long

3:24 line she's very sweet that little girl meanwhile the boys and everyone are watching okay we're going into the first exercise I just love the the Paris Opera outfits as well they're very known for having the short skirts also look how they look down at the foot that's like really something that just wouldn't happen just actually looking and sort of admiring your foot in Russia the technique is very much like keep the

3:54 head poised and don't look down and the footwork is very quick notice how the foot doesn't quite relax when it closes because it's so quick the foot hold is holding a little bit of tension as she's doing it now we're seeing a pro in action so notice how you know the upper body reminds me a little bit of the

4:25 English style how it it's very health it's it's not super duper expressive but the feet and the legs are so elegant and so beautiful to look at so really is producing dancers in a very specific style but the footwork and the way they are very articulate with the feet is just something that is very

4:56 unique to Paris Opera I think this is so cute how they are watching her dance I mean obviously this is somewhat produced but they are really cute how they're watching now with slightly older girls I also love it how all the teachers are wearing like outfits long skirts so again this assemblé is super different to how we would do it for garava how they're doing fire is they're

5:27 keeping their arms in first and then open down to go up whereas in vaganova the arms would be in second and then the arms would go down to go up this way whereas in this version they're in first and they're not exactly gaining momentum F and then the arms are going down which in vaganova it doesn't make a lot of sense they would do open and then using the momentum then bring the arms to first as you step into the jump which

5:52 kind of helps you jump a bit higher so the coordination of arms is is different here but they've got such nice long lean bodies and bodies which are very specific to Paris Opera you could say like kind of super long in the legs and slightly short in the upper body but even how the teachers addressed

6:25 is kind of highlighting where the importance is they're dressed in a nice long black skirt you can't really see her legs at all you can see her feet and so that is where the emphasis is I think especially is on the feet and legs and this is Elizabeth platel showing how it's done she got a fabulous jump really

6:55 beautiful and you know by contrast we're seeing these younger students who are still gaining their strength but everything's so neat and tidy and also still beautifully turned out you know everything's very poised and still effortless definitely not as let's say expressive but everything is super clean like the turnouts there the extensions are good the ribs are in you know they really have that beautiful hold of the core whereas in

7:28 Russian techniques you you could say sometimes they allow the core to release and open too much because you know we're expressing but there needs to be that that fine line between expressing and opening the upper body and then not allowing the ribs to flare really nice H so guys that was Paris Opera such a beautiful School and

7:59 one that is creating again dancer after dancer year after year in the very specific Parisian style which is all about beautiful footwork articulation and reserved but strong upper body and so yes let me know if you enjoy the Paris Opera style I also just love anything that goes on in the Opera garer it's just the most beautiful building ever so to dance there is probably an absolute dream come true

8:30 so let's move on let's look at lascala all right so we're looking at the ladies of lascala what I've been watching and seeing recently about lascara is they do remind me a little bit of the vaganova students in terms of how they they're working obviously they have their own unique style but I think the exercises that I've been seeing recently have been

9:01 looking more and more vagan fied and the way they're moving is extremely clean lots of clarity of movement and yeah they actually look really good I haven't actually seen that much of the Scarlet before I'm really enjoying how their exams are becoming more of a highlight on YouTube and more prevalent whether they've always been there I don't know but people are

9:31 starting to share them A bit more which is nice I noticed how they they push off into the the jumps is also with Al rather than in Paris and in England as well it was with rounded arms as they do it through Al very interesting

10:03 there's less of a kind of emphasis on where the Arabesque is though in terms of the arms so for example in vaganova the arms are very much shoulder height as here they're lifting a little bit higher in the Arabesque whereas when one would finish in that sort of position it definitely wouldn't go below sorry above shoulder I would say the arms are a little bit more less placed a little bit more

10:37 flowery let's say but their their legs and technique in general are seem very strong and I like their their freedom of movement they look like they're also really enjoying doing the movements it doesn't look too academic or technical they're quite nice to watch it's really interesting watching like all the transition steps into into the pirates for example like how they use their arms

11:07 how they're going second and then bring the arm to the front whereas in Russia it would be probably the upstage arm coming up to the third position in Tom P always really interesting how different schools do different things it's also really nice how these exams are documented I haven't actually seen that much of lascala performance performances but after watching this I would love to see the company

11:38 performing I wonder what the ratio is of Internationals in the company much like Paris Opera who are obviously opening their doors a little bit I imagine it's similar like it is in Russia like there's a couple of foreigners but not loads wow nice extension especially on that girl on the

12:13 right lots of balance and control for a minute I thought they were in their point shoes and I was about to be extremely impressed they look very nice I think they've got nice extension nice use of upper body they definitely think about the footwork I assume when they get to the pity legro especially but then their upper body is quite nice and elegant not quite

12:47 theara they've got something nice about them there obviously when I was at the RO body school we did chetti which is a lot about beets and being fast and everything like that so that was what I assumed lascala would be like as well obviously we're just watching Adagio but their extensions are are good are good cuz sometimes you think they

13:18 can't possibly have it all they look good lascala I enjoyed that a lot it's it's got this really nice fluid nature I would say it's less it doesn't seem as academic as vaganova or Paris Opera in its own way like Paris Opera and Russian technique is very rule orientated there's a lot of rules we have to learn there's a lot of details we have to learn and so yeah there was some things that it makes it look a little bit more

13:45 free let's say but again very interesting so now we're going to watch vaganova I'm going to show you another Asom BL combination that you may have seen in the Paris Opera one because like I told the arm coordination is is different and so that is what I think we'll find super interesting now so just watch how they go into the assemblé with the arms you can see how it went it goes through the second down to go up and

14:15 that's how the arm coordination is and that's what I'm saying those are a set of rules that are very clear you know and us being the students we understand what those those rules are so we'll just watch a couple more minutes she looks a bit like August fova doesn't she it's not there but she does look like her I will never get tired of watching these exams it's just what's really nice about

14:49 the technique in vaganova you can see the exercis is are much fancier than the lascala like in terms of a little bit more choreographical let's say but what I like about vaganova is the rules that are set in place are very clear there's a certain way of doing things and once you know how to do them there's no real question as to how to do it and I think this is the case with any very clear technique Paris oppra Russia

15:21 lascala if I knew more I'd probably know what I'm looking at in terms of the rules but that's what makes the results consistent because the rules don't change and you know they work and then you train them again and again and again and that's what's fabulous about these schools and that's why it's important in my opinion to really Master one system so that you always know where home is you always know where to come back to so in terms

15:51 of the technique Russia and the vaganova technique is probably the most expressive you know when we watched the Paris Opera it was obviously watch the tandu but it was very fast footwork and upper body very clean the core is engaged the core is held but it wasn't so expressive whereas in the Italian one quite expressive in the upper body but a lack of let's say a lack of real placement in the in the arms like a

16:24 little a little bit messy in the arms or a little bit more free as to where those arms end up whereas here although it's the most expressive it is the most rule orientated I believe that way that's why it's very strict because it has to be a certain way let's just finish this sodas combination Grand algro is very thought after in the vaganova method Grand algro extensions and use of porra which pretty

16:55 much covers everything por bra is very expressive and soft whereas the legs are very strong the extensions are very high and the jumps are very high and strong as well which for me makes it the most interesting whereas Paris while beautiful it's very much like my focus is on the legs mostly like the upper body is a bit more reserved and lascala in general seems like a a nice technique as well and I'm sure they excel in

17:24 certain areas likely pity algro which was definitely focused on in the English school as well so now let's move on to our final one which is Bonin so now we're going to look at Balon Sheen so the Sab School we're going to look at the school of American Ballet now I couldn't find an exact class but I did find a bit of a news report so we get to see some of the the classes so what is very very interesting about Sab

17:54 is how they wear point shoes at the bar pretty much all the time and what's really key is obviously that chains the technique in a very specific way obviously they they become very confident and comfortable in the point shoes because it's what they used to but training on flat obviously has a

18:25 purpose and it really trains the muscles in a another specific way that helps you in different ways and I think you know there is quite a large risk when you only train on point of being let's say a bit more imbalanced in the muscles along with that you know they lift the heels whenever they PA which again is super interesting I assume it's it gives them the sense of being very light on the balls of the

18:54 feet and they're able to move quickly but there is that thing of they're more susceptible to like Achilles injuries and and things like that but yes we're going to have a little look at them doing a bit of bar so these are the advanced girls I just love I love the teacher's outfit oh my gosh amazing her nice legs

19:24 so every time they Pate so interesting I can't I can't get over this this this is like for me watching this is the complete opposite to how I was trained like complete opposite like the point she's are on the thumbs are out when they do back bend they're looking straight up they're not looking at their arm when they allate at all so there's no there's no sense of conversation with the arms they're only looking ahead

19:56 which for me is so bizarre so bizarre again I'm not saying it's wrong at all it's just completely different to what I'm used to I get I'm if I'm trying to think about the logic because I always like to think about the logical reasons for things I think it must be for them to be completely placed but look there's no use of head at all no use of head whatsoever I imagine it's to feel completely grounded completely equal in

20:26 the body and have a sense of equality across the body with no risk of imbalancing oneself by turning away or anything like this and because the the feet move quick it must be quite hard to really train that articulation of the feet so although their feet and legs will be getting strong in one way it's again it's difficult because you know they're not really working those that Demi Point

20:57 through the tondu they have this shoe on however their point work must be very strong I mean this this girl looks nice in front their point work must be strong and they've got nice extensions and in general they'll be super comfortable on point what I really respect about Sab is they have so much energy energy in their movements lightness in their movements and they make the dancing look joyful and like really fun to

21:29 do and it's a complete 180 to a vaba dancer I would almost love it would be amazing if we were able to get a Parisian dancer a danc from ncala banine and banova all together in one room doing the same combinations side by side and just looking at how they do it differently and seeing which one we prefer because all these are actually very nice very nice

22:02 but if these dancers were in the vagana of a room if those dancers were let's say in the vaganova being screamed at they would be screamed at being told to use their head more a lot more so it's so interesting like essentially what they're doing would be seen as wrong in the v school but actually it's just their technique it's a different language and so it's really interesting to look look at all these schools and all of this technique is

22:33 always at the end of the day the goal is to feed into the company that the school is attached to and obviously probably this was the case back in the olden days probably dancers didn't travel a lot and join other companies and so the traditions of the technique very much fed into the company itself whereas nowadays obviously things have changed and people travel a lot more and so having a technique that's really your foundation and your

23:01 home is really key but you also need to be versatile and I think sa in particular is one of the most you can see very much that's an Sab dancer and I would say it kind of is is limiting in terms of being able to dance somewhere else like it'll be hard to graduate from sa go to a high high classical company because the sty is just too different which is why anyone in Sab is likely to

23:32 go to New York City valet because it makes sense to do that it's all connected whereas I think Paris oppra lascala and even the bhoy they're much more pure classical that they're more versatile in terms of I can probably get a job somewhere else as well very very interesting let me know if you have a specific favorite school favorite technique I think they're all wonderful and they all produce fabulous dancers

24:02 and they all host and hold High tradition which makes them produce dancers year after year so let me know in the comments below which one is your favorite I actually like all of them but obviously I'm Russian trained so I'm going to go with Russia but Paris operas in a close second for many different reasons but I really respect them so I'll speak to you very soon I hope you enjoyed this video keep dancing ask me

24:23 questions down below and don't forget to subscribe I'll see you very soon bye for now pre-pro students you asked for an intensive and we listened this intensive has a difference be in a safe space to make mistakes unlock your potential and succeed ages 14 to 18 introducing the BWI ballet lab with myself Isabella as your coach you will come away a stronger happier and better

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