Graded Cecchetti Courses From Northwest Ballet Academy

The Standard of Excellence for Ballet

For the serious ballet student, Northwest Ballet Academy offers additional study of the Cecchetti-method of ballet, a series of graded ballet classes.

About the Cecchetti Method of Ballet

Cecchetti is named for Maestro Enrico Cecchetti (1850–1928). He will always be remembered for the teaching method he developed. Cyril Beaumont, a world-renowned dance historian and a friend of Cecchetti, said, “What impressed me most about the Cecchetti method of teaching was the way in which each exercise played a definite and planned part in the student’s technical development. There is nothing haphazard about the system, nothing which depended on the teacher’s mood of the moment. There is a definite plan to daily classes.” To learn more about the Cecchetti Method visit Cecchetti Midwest Council of America.

Northwest Ballet Academy’s Cecchetti-Method Instruction

The Cecchetti method is known for its pure, classical technique created during the Romantic period of ballet.

• The Cecchetti method begins with Grade Level 1 and goes through Grade Level 8. Students study one class of work and perfect that class.
• This method provides serious ballet students with an opportunity to improve their ballet techniques and to develop poise and confidence.
• Students can experience a deeper dive into the technique of ballet — something that is not always possible in regular, ballet-technique classes.
• For students to receive their certificates, we encourage them to take the Cecchetti-method examination held in November or April.
• There are two workshops held yearly in the Chicago area; students can study with guest teachers and audition for scholarships to the
  International Cecchetti Summer School at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
• All students learning the Cecchetti method receive a great deal of personal attention and coaching.

Our Cecchetti program is divided into three segments:

1. Eight to 12 intense sessions during the last two weeks of August and during the first week of September.
2. Review classes that are held every other week, from September until the exam in early November.
3. Starting in January, students study the next level of work, followed by preparing a dance for our Spring Dance Concert in May.

Northwest Ballet Academy’s Cecchetti Instructor

Finally, Karla Harris directs the Cecchetti program at Northwest Ballet Academy. She is a National examiner for the Cecchetti method. She travels around the country, judging student and teacher exams at all levels, as well as educating teachers in other communities. For the past 13 years, she has coached both students and faculty for examinations at Northwest Ballet Academy.