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Experimental Music for Class: part 3

In this part of the interview we talk about dance culture:

Karen:Would you say there are different approaches to Ballet Class in, say France to where you currently work in Graz?

Dominic:En France, en danse classique, la tradition de l’Opéra de Paris est très présente dans les structures d’enseignement. Les professeurs sont souvent soit directement issus de cette Ecole soit eux-mêmes formés par des professeurs de l’Opéra. Je retrouve cette esthétique à Graz quand un professeur invité Français vient passer quelques semaines avec nous. Ici, je suis plus entouré de professeurs issus de la tradition Russe.Et pour l’anecdote, la plus grosse différence culturelle entre l’Autriche et la France est que le cours commence tous les jours sans exception précisément à l’heure!! En France, c’est plus souple…

In France, in classical dance, the tradition of the Paris Opera is very present in educational structures. The teachers are often either directly from this School or themselves trained by teachers from the Opera. I notice this aesthetic in Graz when a French guest professor comes to spend a few weeks with us. Here, I am more surrounded by teachers from the Russian tradition.And as an anecdote, the biggest cultural difference between Austria and France is that the course starts every day without exception precisely on time !! In France, it’s more flexible …

Karen: Wow! Yes I have an anecdote too….If I work in an orchestra, we have warmed up and play the first note with the conductor’s downbeat at 10am. In Ballet Companies we start the first movement at 10am and if a dancer is late they do Class alone in the adjoining studio. In Acting, we put the kettle on at 10am to listen for 45 minutes to actors telling us about ‘the job that got away’!