Ballet Technique by Tamara Karsavina

Ballet Technique; A Series of Practical Essays Hardcover – 1 May 1974 by Tamara Karsavina (Author).

The subtitle reads:- «A series of practical essays» and that is just what it is. But this is not an ordinary technique book – it deals with the finer points of technique, what makes the distinction between an ordinary student and the one with star quality. Everybody can gain much from this book, written by the late Madame Tamara Karsavina, who took part in Maestro Christian Petrovich Johansson`s «classes of perfection» and that is exactly what these essays are about. The advanced student as well as the professional could reap enormous benefit from these pearls of wisdom.

All aspects of ballet technique are dealt with – from adage to elevation and batterie – to pirouettes and point work – and maybe most vital, a chapter on tension and relaxation. The photographs are a mixed bunch – some real works of art and some rather mediocre. On the whole, this very thin volume, only 48 pages – is a good investment in balletic style.

Ballet Technique by Tamara Karsavina