The ballet class system that disappeared
We don't train like this anymore...are you missing out?
Quick reminder before I dive in — lunchtime ballet conditioning is this Friday! Get the details here.
And now it’s time to geek out:
When I was a tiny ballerina-in-training, my teachers often referenced the "Days of the Week" system that Enrico Cecchetti formulated to coach healthy, well-rounded dancers. Ballet scholars have almost mythologized this as the perfect class schedule — one that cycles through every principle of classical ballet, and "regenerates a dancer's body, not devours it."i
That’s not how I trained as a dancer or a teacher, though, so I took a deep dive to find out why...
This system was made for adult professional dancers. They already knew lots of ballet steps, and needed to care for their bodies and dance their best after a long, hard day. Sound familiar, ballet friend?
Cecchetti divided his principles of classical ballet throughout the week so dancers could practise everything, without over training.
Monday begins with the principle of aplomb — maintaining length, balance and suspension, especially as you transfer weight onto your supporting leg, even staying vertical in assemblé.
Tuesday uses petit battement and terre à terre steps to cultivate épaulement — the subtle and “empathetic use of head and eye focus,”ii usually rotating in opposition to the front leg (just like how you walk). Épaulement drives the feeling of ballet, and imbues every step with emotion.
Wednesday features rond de jambes galore and increases the use of bouncy ballón. 🎈 From isolated rotation of the leg to jeté rond de jambe, these enchainements rely on rhythm, coordination, and complimentary strength and mobility within the hips.
Thursday uses transferrence of weight to get moving, incorporating impetus from the upper body and power from the hips to soar across the floor in steps like grand jeté.
Friday’s the time for pointework and suspension — using the strength and aplomb you’ve been practising to stay on your toes as long as possible, and employing batterie to buy some extra hang time 🪂 while jumping.
On Saturday, dancers work on whipping motions like grand fouetté sauté. These steps require expressive full body movement, the strength and stability to cover lots of ground, and phenomenal spatial awareness.
I love 💕 this class layout because you get a good sweat on, use expressive movement to improve your technique, and finish class with some gas left in the tank — but are Cecchetti’s Days of the Week the most practical way for passionate adult amateurs to practise? Probably not.
These days dancers do multiple styles during shorter classes. Plus, in the last hundred years, we’ve come up with even more steps to take on. The variety and volume today’s dancers perform requires more body care than ballet class can offer, especially when day to day life is taking a toll.
That being said, I don’t think we have to drop this system’s wisdom entirely — with a few tweaks, you can still benefit from old-school ballet’s brilliant foundations by:
Setting class intentions around refreshing your body and mind
Delighting in expressive, whole-body dancing
Fine tuning skills and building gradually, rather than drilling high impact steps repetitively
Happy dancing,
Natasha
P.S. Hope to see you for a Friday refresh in ballet conditioning!
i Cronshaw, Julie “The Physical Princples of Classical Ballet behind Cecchetti’s Days of the Week”
iiVan Schoor, Diane “Maestro Enrico ‘Cecchetti’s Days of the Week’”