FULL TITLE OF THE TALK:

On the heritage of the “Grammar of dancing”

Tracing the legacy of the Italian School through the pedagogical writings of Tamara Karsavina and Phyllis Bedells 

ABSTRACT, from Dr. Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel:

In the paper titled ‘On the heritage of the “grammar of dancing,” I will make a direct quotation to the writings by Tamara Karsavina (published in her book Ballet Technique, 1956) on the legacy of Enrico Cecchetti and the Italian School more broadly. I am also interested in making connections between points which may not be apparent to those who work outside of the field of ballet and performance/pedagogical histories. I’ll begin with a few questions that stem from various sources: ‘Why is the name of Enrico Cecchetti so celebrated in the history of dance particularly in Italy, Russia and in England?' asked Cyril Beaumont in the Dancing Times (1950). Moreover, how do Lillan Moore's (1953) views on the legacy of Cecchetti help us make connections between/across Russian émigrés dancers and teachers who carried on the teachings of Cecchetti, both in Paris (Egorova, Preobrajenska) and in London (Karsavina)? In this paper I will focus on the writings of the Empire Theatre dancer Phyllis Bedells and the Ballets Russes' Tamara Karsavina, through insights into their training in the Italian school in London and St Petersburg, primarily through their recollections on the teachings of Enrico Cecchetti. I will focus on the Italian School’s influence in England in the early 1920s, as well as explore articles by Bedells and Karsavina, together with some exemplars from their published exercises, that shared pedagogical knowledge with the readers of The Dancing Times (1940s-1960s).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel is a dance scholar, writer and educator. Her research interests are in 20^th and 21^st Century ballet, as performance and pedagogical histories.

Her work is widely published, and her books include Princess Poutiatine and the Art of Ballet in Malta (2020), and an extensive anthology The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet, co-edited with Dr Jill Nunes Jensen and, published by Oxford University Press in 2021. She is currently working with Adesola Akinleye on a new book titled The Oxford Handbook of Ballet Pedagogy (due out in 2025/26).

During her tenure at the Royal Academy of Dance in London (2005-2023), Kathrina was Head of Research, overseeing knowledge exchange projects, collaborations and engagements, including the highly successful Guest Lecture Series (2016-2023), as well as conferences, and symposia in London and Australia. Towards the latter stages of her tenure at the RAD, she conceptualised, researched and wrote the webinar series: Pioneers of the RAD (2020), Ballet in the 20th Century (2021) and Ballet in the 21st Century (2022-23).

Kathrina has guest-lectured at universities in South Africa and Malta, and has taught at Kingston University (UK) and Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.  She is an experienced Higher Education (Tertiary) External Examiner, and has examined PhD theses for universities in Australia and the United Kingdom. She is a former member of the Board of Directors (2012-2018) of the Society of Dance History Scholars, now the Dance Studies Association (USA)

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PROJECTS

• Contemporary Ballet

          https://contemporaryballet2016.wordpress.com/

• Poutiatine Project

          https://poutiatineandtheartofballet.wordpress.com/

PUBLICATIONS

• The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet (2021)

          https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-contemporary-ballet-9780190871499 

• Princess Poutiatine and the Art of Ballet in Malta (2020)

           https://midseabooks.com/shop/language-literature/bijografiji/priness-poutiatine-and-the-art-of-ballet-in-malta

PODCASTS

• Treasures from Malta Season 1 Episode 5  https://www.patrimonju.org/podcasts/kathrina-farrugia-kriel
• Why Dance Matters, Season 4 Episode 6 https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/podcast/episode-6-dr-kathrina-farrugia-kriel/
• ResDance, Series 3 Episode 7 (Performance Histories with Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel)  https://open.spotify.com/episode/15B7dxhT2dfdejv3k0pTrb

February 11 at 7 p.m.  USA Eastern

The Cecchetti Method Today

in the Philippines,

with Desiree Paralejo

Registration Deadline:

Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. USA Eastern Zoom link will be sent by email to all registrants later that day.

Desiree Garcia Peralejo began studying the Cecchetti Method at Canada’s National Ballet School, in their Teacher Training Diploma Program, and now holds a Licentiate with Cecchetti Ballet Australia.  And she has  Registered Teaching Status with the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as an Associate in National Dance with the ISTD. 

Ms. Peralejo began teaching the Cecchetti Method at her school in the Philippines -- DBC-ISAS Conservatory -- in 2008.  She has since trained numerous Cecchetti Associates, and is founder of the Cecchetti Ballet Center Philippines, together with her niece, Nicola Peralejo, who holds her Associate Diploma.

In addition, she is a Senior Lecturer at the College of Music, University of the Philippines, and is working toward a PhD in Music Studies.

March 3 at 2 p.m. USA Eastern

The Cecchetti Method Today

 in Italy,

with Tessa Adrianni

Registration Deadline:

March 1 at 5 p.m. USA Eastern Zoom link will be sent by email to all registrants later that day.

Tessa Adriani trained at the Hamlyn School in Florence, Italy under Raymond Lukens and Franco De Vita, among others. She then went on to a performing career before becoming a teacher. Ms. Adriani holds the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum certification to the highest level.   In addition,  she is certified with the ISTD’s Cecchetti and Modern Theatre branches and is an ISTD "Tutor."   She currently serves as the President of the Italian Cecchetti Society, "Danzare Cecchetti ANCEC Italia."

April 7  at 2 p.m. USA Eastern

The Cecchetti Method Today

in Malta,

with Theresa Lungaro-Mifsud

Registration Deadline:

April 5

Zoom link will be sent by email to all registrants later that day.

Theresa Lungaro-Mifsud holds the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, and is a fellow of the Cecchetti Faculty as well as a Senior International Examiner. She is a trained Tutor and has been instrumental in preparing most of the Maltese dance teachers for their dance teaching qualifications.

In 1999, she founded The Dance Workshop, where she is responsible for both the academic and artistic sides of the school. She co-ordinates the annual school dance production, creating a children’s ballet for the lower and middle school as well as choreographing short pieces for the senior ballet students.

A graduate of the Tanya Bayona Princess Poutiatine Academy of Ballet, Theresa has been given several international scholarships to further her studies. These have included Rome (1984), London (2000), Michigan (2006), and Florence (2017). She was also honored with two scholarships given personally by Raymond Lukens to study at the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Intensive in Forli (2015, 2013) and is an ABT Certified Teacher through Level 5. In 2017, Theresa became the first non-British teacher to be elected to the Cecchetti Faculty Committee of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (UK). In 2018, she was instrumental in setting up the ISTD’s Cecchetti Malta Awards. 

Where will our next conversation take us?  Stand by!

February 11 at 7 p.m.  USA Eastern

The Cecchetti Method Today

in the Philippines,

with Desiree Paralejo

Registration Deadline:

Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. USA Eastern Zoom link will be sent by email to all registrants later that day.

Desiree Garcia Peralejo began studying the Cecchetti Method at Canada’s National Ballet School, in their Teacher Training Diploma Program, and now holds a Licentiate with Cecchetti Ballet Australia.  And she has  Registered Teaching Status with the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as an Associate in National Dance with the ISTD. 

Ms. Peralejo began teaching the Cecchetti Method at her school in the Philippines -- DBC-ISAS Conservatory -- in 2008.  She has since trained numerous Cecchetti Associates, and is founder of the Cecchetti Ballet Center Philippines, together with her niece, Nicola Peralejo, who holds her Associate Diploma.

In addition, she is a Senior Lecturer at the College of Music, University of the Philippines, and is working toward a PhD in Music Studies.

March 3 at 2 p.m. USA Eastern

The Cecchetti Method Today

 in Italy,

with Tessa Adrianni

Registration Deadline:

March 1 at 5 p.m. USA Eastern Zoom link will be sent by email to all registrants later that day.

Tessa Adriani trained at the Hamlyn School in Florence, Italy under Raymond Lukens and Franco De Vita, among others. She then went on to a performing career before becoming a teacher. Ms. Adriani holds the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum certification to the highest level.   In addition,  she is certified with the ISTD’s Cecchetti and Modern Theatre branches and is an ISTD "Tutor."   She currently serves as the President of the Italian Cecchetti Society, "Danzare Cecchetti ANCEC Italia."

April 7  at 2 p.m. USA Eastern

The Cecchetti Method Today

in Malta,

with Theresa Lungaro-Mifsud

Registration Deadline:

April 5

Zoom link will be sent by email to all registrants later that day.

Theresa Lungaro-Mifsud holds the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, and is a fellow of the Cecchetti Faculty as well as a Senior International Examiner. She is a trained Tutor and has been instrumental in preparing most of the Maltese dance teachers for their dance teaching qualifications.

In 1999, she founded The Dance Workshop, where she is responsible for both the academic and artistic sides of the school. She co-ordinates the annual school dance production, creating a children’s ballet for the lower and middle school as well as choreographing short pieces for the senior ballet students.

A graduate of the Tanya Bayona Princess Poutiatine Academy of Ballet, Theresa has been given several international scholarships to further her studies. These have included Rome (1984), London (2000), Michigan (2006), and Florence (2017). She was also honored with two scholarships given personally by Raymond Lukens to study at the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Intensive in Forli (2015, 2013) and is an ABT Certified Teacher through Level 5. In 2017, Theresa became the first non-British teacher to be elected to the Cecchetti Faculty Committee of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (UK). In 2018, she was instrumental in setting up the ISTD’s Cecchetti Malta Awards. 

Where will our next conversation take us?  Stand by!