CECCHETTI INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL BALLET Newsletter No. 10, 2004 Mission Statement: to foster the development of the method to develop training for the future to keep alive the essence of the method’s historical tradition Enrico Cecchetti as to raise the profile of the method world-wide Kastchei in L’Oiseau de feu (Firebird) with the to encourage the profession and the art of dance by interaction Ballets Russes, at the between members and the international dance profession Paris Opera, 1910. Photographic negatives to enhance the status of dance in the context by Raffaello Bencini. of the arts and education Photo courtesy of Dance Collection Danse Letter from the Chairman Dear Members and Friends of Cecchetti International - Classical Ballet (CICB) It is with great delight that we can tell you that our international organization is now a legal non-profit entity. We were incorpo- rated in Canada on July 2nd, 2004 and we thank the Canadian delegates for facilitating this. Congratulations to everyone, and welcome to Cecchetti International - Classical Ballet. The Corporate Members of CICB have had an inaugural teleconference. Matters needing clarification were discussed, and over all it was an excellent meeting. Hereunder are set out the categories of membership of our new International Society, so that all our members can understand their standing in the new organization. a) Corporate Members - there are six corporate members who have come together to promote the Cecchetti Method and comprise the Board of CICB. Cecchetti Societies of: Australia, Canada, Southern Africa, and USA Cecchetti Council of America, Danzare Cecchetti - ANCEC Italia also represented are Korea, Malaysia, Namibia, New Zealand Thailand and Zimbabwe b) Represented Members - we are all Represented Members if we belong to one of the six Societies above and are in good standing with that society. We are therefore members of our own individual societies, and also non-voting members of CICB c) Affiliated Members - this category includes three types of membership (i) Qualified Cecchetti Teachers who are not Members of one of the six Corporate Member societies may join as a single “Affiliated” member for a fee of $20 (Canadian) and will receive the newsletter and any information regarding CICB activities. (ii) Supporting members who shall be known as “Friends of CICB” (iii) Honorary members who are honoured members of the dance profession, invited to be honorary members of CICB We would be delighted to receive any inquiries about Affiliated and/or Supporting members, and we will be inviting Honorary members very soon. We are also anxious to receive any articles or information about Cecchetti work around the world which might be included in our newsletters. Please see page 2 for contacts Once again, welcome to your new international organization. We look forward to a long and fruitful life of Cecchetti excellence. 1 CICB Chairman: Robina Beard: 79 Midgeley Street, Corrimal 2518 NSW Australia www.istd.org - UK & Europe Tel:/Fax: 02-4283-2860 Email: [email protected] www.cecchettiballet.org - Australia (please note an underscore _ in between robina_cecchetti) www.cecchetti.ca - Canada CICB Secretary: Carole Hall, email: [email protected] www.cecchetti.co.za - Southern Africa Australia: Carole Hall, chair: Wendy Cliff, sec: [email protected] www.cecchettiusa.org - Cecchetti Society Inc.USA www.cecchetti.org - Cecchetti Council of America Canada: Christine Richardson, chair: Susan Thorn, office admin: [email protected] Italy: Stefania Sansavini, president, [email protected] NEEDED: suggestions for further Cecchetti Pioneers, Southern Africa: Gail Myburgh, artistic director. Eileen Phillips, sec: [email protected] comments, articles, photographs, videos, web sites, book U.S.A. Inc. Marnell Himes, executive administrator, [email protected] & music titles for the next newsletter. Please mark CICB C.C.A. Lee Ann King: [email protected] CCA office [email protected] office ph: 734-379-6710 and send at any time to [email protected] Upcoming events 2005 CECCHETTI PIONEERS Australia Stanislas Idzikowski 1894 - 1977 January 5 - 11, Summer School, contact Sandra Allan The Forgotten Dancer 03 9783 6804, bookings essential submitted by David Adams July 1, Lucie Saronova Memorial Awards, Brisbane Teacher, dancer and choreographer, co- July 2 & 3, Cecchetti Society of Australia author with Cyril Beaumont of the Cecchetti 38th Annual Congress, Brisbane Manual. Canada Born in Warsaw in 1894, he studied un- August, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School der Gilbert, Vilzak and Cecchetti. Formerly [email protected] or tel. 204-943-4612 with Anna Pavlova’s Company, he joined Diaghilev’s Company in 1914, remaining CCA until 1926, dancing many leading roles, in- July 10 - 23, Student summer program, Holland, Michigan cluding Harlequin in Carnaval, Petrouchka, July 17 - 23, Teachers’ course, Diane van Schoor scheduled to the snob in La Boutique Fantasque, the Spark teach, [email protected] office ph: 734-379-6710 in The Three Cornered Hat and many oth- ers. He rejoined Diaghilev in London in 1928 UK and toured Great Britain and danced in ev- March 6, Mabel Ryan & Barbara Geoghegan Awards ery European capital. He danced with the Vic Wells Ballet in 1933 at The Place, London creating one of the leading roles in Les Rendezvous, and dancing July 17, provisional date for Cecchetti Day, London Harlequin in Carnaval, Blue Bird and Grand Pas from Aurora’s July 30 – August 5, 50th Annual Summer School, Chichester, Wedding, etc. He taught at his own studio in London, with Ma- organiser Elisabeth Swan, [email protected] dame Wanda Evina his faithful friend and pianist. Many famous dancers were numbered among his pupils. He also worked for the USA. Inc. R.A.D. He retired after the death of Madame Evina. I first made July, Sarasota, Florida, [email protected] contact with Idzi as I shall now call him, in 1947. I had recently been made a Member of the Junior Sadler’s Wells Ballet Company at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre on Rosebery Avenue in London En- Obituaries gland. The occasion was Twelfth Night, it was customary to have a Betty Oliphant, July 12, ‘04 special celebration in the London theatres on this night. It was also Please see page 3 (Cecchetti Pioneers article) customary to invite a celebrity to these occasions. Idzikowski was the celebrity for that night in 1947. I was introduced to him at the William Carse, July 25, ‘04 beginning of the evening, backstage. I am six feet tall. As I ap- After a short battle with cancer. ‘Bill’ will be forever in our proached Idzi, he smiled, because I was a dancer in the company, memories as a wonderful teacher, choreographer, examiner but also because he came up to my shoulders in height. I reached and inspiring friend. down, to shake his hand. My next encounter was with the Metro- politan Ballet Company, on tour in the British Isles. Idzi had been brought in to teach Spectre de la Rose to the company. I was not Noelle Aitken, August 23 ‘04 cast to dance that role, but I managed to observe the process from After a long illness. Noelle will long be remembered the back of the front of house. He began by opening a bottle of as one of the Founding Members of National Rose perfume for the cast to smell. Spectre is for two dancers, but Council and for her invaluable contributions six were learning it. He said that he wanted them to feel the aroma. to the Society. This was a daily process. Later in my time with the Metropolitan Ballet, I asked to dance that role, and, by default, one of the dancers was sick, and I did make that role part of my repertoire. Study with “Whomsoever you follow, however great he Idzi in London was another matter. The word amongst the dancers was, “if you want to learn how to move quickly, do class with Idzi”. might be, see that you follow the spirit of the I tried, but I could not keep up with him, I gave up eventually and master and not imitate him mechanically” went back to Vera Volkova. He taught class in a suit, with the stiff collar, the vest, and spats and street shoes. With all of this on, he – Mohandas Gandhi could still do a double tour en l’air and land in a perfect 5th. I did not 2 get to know this man, I knew his reputation tion which you had to acknowledge very from books and from other dancers. Why surreptitiously because if Idzi saw he would Idzi? That was what Madame Evina called glare at Madame Evina. His classes and di- him. He was in most cases, the understudy rections were very clear and made you think, to Nijinsky, but was as good, in every way, you were always informed not only on what as the great man himself. was necessary and logical but the quality Extract from Margot Fonteyn’s Auto- of movement needed. I never thought of biography: “During my unusually long ca- them as “Cecchetti” classes. I don’t think reer I must surely have attended more anyone did, it wasn’t until much later that I classes with more teachers than any other realized that fact. dancer in history. Even in the early years at David: Both Brian and I had a back- Sadler’s Wells we had several guest teach- ground of Cecchetti so I was prepared for ers. My favourite was Stanislas Idzikowski, Idzikowski’s style and enchaînement but I affectionately known as Idzi, a brilliant thought that class would be more free as all dancer who had been with the Diaghilev professional classes were in London at that Ballet. He was diminutive, dapper and pre- time.