Monday February 21, 2011 - A day-long ballet fete at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center which featured classes taught by Francois Perron and Wendy Whelan as well as toe-shoe fittings provided free of charge by various manufacturers of the satiny slippers.
I arrived to watch Francois' class at 10:30 AM. I had never met him before; he's a tall and very charming gentleman and I really enjoyed listening to him give the exercises and combinations with his delicious accent from the Parisian boulevards. Francois had a studio full of students and he called them to order and plunged into the plies without preamble.
The best description of Francois Perron's class is, it's a lyrical experience. His style brings out the musicality and grace of the dancers. He said one thing that struck me as so essential: "Elegance is the key." Beyond that were some more specific suggestions: "Glue your bellybutton to your spine" (if I could master that one I would look 20 pounds thinner!) and "You won't gain any strength from (over-bending) your wrists." He pointed out the importance of always closing tendus in a complete 5th, especially tendus to the back, and the necessity of keeping the feet fully pointed no matter how fast you are moving.
There were several notable dancers in the class; Kyle Hiyoshi (above), currently at SAB, stood out for clarity and smoothness of technique and a really nice presentation. There were others I'd love to single out but I don't know their names: here are some of the girls I kept my eye on. Shoot me a comment if you recognize them:
There were others, too often too far out of the range of my small camera. I also felt a bit like an eavesdropper shooting them at their work, but I guess it is something they need to get accustomed to as dancers.
In many of my pictures the dancers flashing by me appeared on my little screen only as a blur of movement.
The class progressed to what seemed to me to be some pretty demanding center work. The students swept across the floor in pairs after which Francois gave them additional tips. If I was a young ballet dancer here in New York City, I'd want to take class from Francois every week. There's an old-world feeling in his method that should not be lost.
Following Francois' class I ran over to Thai Basil for a delicious solo lunch, then made a quick trek to Lincoln Center to check the NYCB lobby casting sheet for changes in their final week and there ran into Wendy Whelan - wearing the most fetching coat - who was en route to MMAC to teach. Half an hour later, I was in her studio along with Matt Murphy who took time from his busy schedule to come and photograph one of our mutually favorite ballerinas giving class. That story will be found here, along with Matt's photos.
The dancer with the low bun and burgundy camisole leotard looks like Jacqueline Schiller (http://www.dance212.com/profile), a dancer currently featured in Dance 212: http://www.dance212.com/episodes
Posted by: Anonymous | February 22, 2011 at 10:23 PM
I've taken class from Francois, he is truly a wonderful teacher and as you say he stresses elegance.
Posted by: LM | February 23, 2011 at 01:10 PM