CHARACTER DANCE
Character Dance introduces students to another aspect of classical ballet – the folk-inspired dances from many nations that are often incorporated into classical repertory. Studying character is not only a lot of fun, but it prepares career minded dancers for some of the dance forms they will encounter as members of a corps de ballet.
Character Dance stylistically represents traditional folk or national dances, mainly from 66 European countries and uses specific music and movement adapted for the ballet or theater Character Dance is very much part of the classical repertoire, and is seen in ballets such as Swan Lake. Popular character adaptations for classical ballet include national dances of Hungary, Russia, Poland, Italy and Spain.
Character dances have been incorporated into ballet for centuries and are still widely practiced in many fine dance programs in both Europe and the United States. Dancers benefit from the diversity of character dance by learning variations and repertoire that will continue to make up the famous ballets still widely performed today.