Though many believe that a dancer must exercise as much as any athlete, to refer to a dancer as an athlete can unsettle both dancers and teachers. Even the International Ballet Competitions can put off dance artists and educators, believing that it is demeaning to participate as dancers in what appears to be an Olympic-type event. It is my hope that this topic will generate a wide response from our visitors so that we can add many opinions, both for and against, to this month's issue. I have had many an argument concerning whether ballet is more athletic or artistic and I hope you will add your comments to this issue. The largest portion of training and performance is spent focusing on technique.
Technique can encompass many aspects of dance.
There are artistic techniques used to develop the emotional and psychological talents of the dancer, and musicality as a technique to develop understanding of rhythm. But the building block that all other technical training relies on is the physical technique of movement. Historically, early instructional methods in the balletic arts did not support utilizing the full energy of the body. The traditional lessons of the French school cultivated stylized movements that represented grace and softness. The movements were largely decorative without much assistance to support the body, and emphasized the well turned out foot, limpid arms and stylized poses.