All the children in the school should learn the steps of everything, before they learn the thing, then they know which step they’re doing better, because your voice is in certain steps and has to do most of the things that have been composed in those steps.
About Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, later establishing the Royal Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century and one of the leading ballet companies in the world.
More quotes from Ninette de Valois
First of all, the most important, that is to learn everything good that has survived from other times, and carefully to watch the bad – and throw it out.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Somebody must always be doing something new, or life would get very dull.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Nearly everything in life goes in threes and fours.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
As time goes on, all schools only get left alive if they have found something special themselves.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Exactly the same with dancing, you can’t dance until you’ve learnt steps, the things your feet can do.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
There’s nothing in the world that isn’t good, bad, and indifferent.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
God gave us all exactly the same fingers, arms, legs, and feet, but in our different countries we divided them all a little differently as we feel it, do you understand?
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
There would never have been a British Ballet without Diaghilev. He had a wonderful influence.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
The best way to study is to go to the Cecchetti method for about a year and draw onto all the highest points and then put that into the general method.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Hardly any generation wants to take the whole of the last generation, it just wants to take its best bits.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
All the children in the school should learn the steps of everything, before they learn the thing, then they know which step they’re doing better, because your voice is in certain steps and has to do most of the things that have been composed in those steps.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Oh yes, technique has definitely advanced. But you never advance without losing something en passant, and you lose it because you’re paying so much attention to the new thing.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Also, if you have an accident, you can’t start to dance again at the top, you’re too weak; you start with the easy things – the way you did them when you were young, and come up up up, the way you did then.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
And then you have the classical ballerinas, they’re like sopranos. Applied to the dance.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Classical ballet will never die.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Oh yes, after the war, and we were all starving – we had no proper food or anything – no proper shoes.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
You can’t stop what comes into a country, you can be influenced, but you can’t stop it, you shouldn’t, because it makes all the others interesting, we all get muddled up together, and produce something that belongs to everyone.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
Well, I mean, we are developing the other parts, and we can’t give quite all our attention to the upper part, but soon the lower parts will be developed, and the upper part and the lower part will become partners, that will be wonderful.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
It’s either not good enough and dies altogether, or it develops.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet
So it takes years to make a solid company.
British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet