#ballet school

[thinkingimages]

Gaston Paris | Paris Opera ballet school. Students of Albert Aveline's class. Paris, circa 1937-1938

[charliesimss]

Pacific Grove Dance School 🩰💜

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Students at the School of American Ballet, at its original location on Madison Avenue, 1936.

Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt via Life magazine Instagram

[florsudaka]

[marianne-rogue-art]

@ Toonraccoon on BlueSky is responsible for my first entry in Radio Apple, I'm blaming them for making me create Ballet School AU/Tutu Battle RadioApple

[lovelyballetandmore]

Iker Murillo Ballet Studio24

[gracecoquette]

🩰

[ballet-symphonie]

So I know at Vaganova the best students are at the center barre and the very best in the class are in the middle spot(s) in the center. Then the other students are at the side barre. But is there any kind of ranking system within the side barre placements? Is the center of the side barre better than the ends, or is being closest to the mirror better since that's nearest to the audience during the exams? Or maybe there's no ranking at all once you get to the side?

I don't know at Vaganova specifically. For my own experience in ballet school, the strongest dancers stood at the center barre, the girls placed at the front of the side barre (closest to the mirror/audience) were stronger than the girls behind them. I think the goal was to sort of 'conceal' the weaker students? At least that was my teacher's preference. I know some other teachers liked to choose the order with more consideration to height, and preferred to put the shorter students in front.