 EN POINTE
RAISE THE BARRE
 PAS DE DEUX
BASIC, BETTER, BEST
MG....TTYL
PAS DE DEUX
LEOTARD FOR BODY TYPE
BEYOND BASICS
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Questions for Mr. Lukens:
MG: What do you teach at ABT and NYU in New York City?
Lukens: At ABT, I teach the students at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the ABT II company class and choreograph for the JKO School. The ABT/NYU MA program will start in September 2008, and I will be teaching everyday technique and pedagogy classes.
MG: We understand you have been working on a very important project for ABT, could you tell us about the new National Training Curriculum you have been instrumental in putting together?
Lukens: The ABT National Training Curriculum consists of four sections: 1 - Ballet Training Guidelines, 2 - Medical Guidelines for Dancer Health, 3 - Teacher Training and Certification, of which a very important and exciting part is the ABT partnership with New York University for a Masters Degree in Ballet Pedagogy, and 4 - Student Examinations. The ABT National Training Curriculum offers teachers age and ability appropriate training and medical guidelines by setting goals and benchmarks. It is a program for the development and training of young dancers that embraces sound ballet principles and incorporates elements of the French, Italian and Russian schools of ballet with the aim to assist new or experienced teachers to train students to use their bodies properly with correct posture and placement, and to dance musically and develop coordination. Artistically we strive to provide students with a rich knowledge of classical ballet technique, a clean and simple approach, and to make every effort for them to develop a keen eye for detail to help them adapt to all styles and techniques of dance.
MG: Why do you feel there is a need for a standardization of classical ballet training?
Lukens: I do not feel there is a need for a standardization of classical ballet training. The United States Congress made ABT America’s national ballet company, and with that great honor comes great responsibility. Education and Training has always been a vital part of ABT’s mission as a cultural institution. The next logical step was for ABT to provide training guidelines. The ABT National Training Curriculum’s aim is to offer information that can help teachers improve training techniques. There was no intention of creating a standard syllabus. Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity and consistency, we had to make choices with nomenclature, terminology and canons of aesthetics. Teachers who follow well-established syllabi in the U.S.A. and abroad can benefit from this information without loosing their individuality. I wish to make it clear that our aim is not to standardize but to offer strategies that will benefit dance students.
MG: What teachers from across the country helped you in creating the curriculum?
Lukens: Franco De Vita, Principal of the JKO School, and I wrote and designed the ABT National Training Curriculum under the direction of ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, and the support of ABT Executive Director Rachel Moore. For the Ballet Training Guidelines, the following teachers served as Artistic Advisors: Melissa Allen Bowman, Susan Brooker, Gage Bush England, Alaine Haubert, Virginia Johnson, Kate Lydon, Lisa Slagle, Nancy Raffa, Kirk Peterson, and Lupe Serrano. Kirk Peterson’s contribution was instrumental in the initial stages of the project. The Medical Guidelines for Dancer Health were written by a Medical Advisory Board, which was chaired by Dr. Gary I. Wadler. The full list of contributors is available at the ABT web site: www.abt.org.
MG: How does a school or teacher become trained to teach ABT’s curriculum?
Lukens: Teachers can be certified to teach ABT’s curriculum by passing an examination after participating in one of the teacher training courses offered by ABT. There are three levels of certification: Primary to Level 3, Levels 4 & 5 and Levels 6 & 7. Graduates of the ABT/NYU MA program will be ABT certified teachers in all three levels.
MG: What should a parent look for when selecting a school for their child’s dance training?
Lukens: When selecting a dance school for their child, a parent should look for the following things: 1 - Information on the teachers’ qualifications; for example, what is their reputation and are they certified to teach dance? 2 – Does the school have proper facilities, i.e. sprung floors, mirrors, barres, changing rooms, etc.? But the most important thing to remember is that a school is only as good as its teachers.
Raymond Lukens has been a faculty member of the American
Ballet Theatre (ABT) Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JKO)
School since 2005. He was director of Boston Ballet II and
Ballet Master for Boston Ballet. In New York City, he has also
taught for American Ballet Theatre, the ABT Studio Company,
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Ailey School,
The Juilliard School, Peridance International, Marymount
Manhattan College and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Mr. Lukens
has taught in North and Latin America, Australia, Europe,
Japan and South Africa. He was Ballet Master for Hartford
Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and Alberta Ballet. As a dancer
Mr. Lukens toured extensively, and performed the works of
Van Dyk, Balanchine, Petipa, Bournonville, Lifar, Nijinska and
Skibine among others. He obtained the highest qualifications
as a pedagogue in London with the Cecchetti Society. Mr.
Lukens is ballet teacher for the Dance Educators of America
(DEA) Teacher Training School and choreographed the set
exercises and variations for DEA’s Ballet Competition. Mr.
Lukens together ABT JKO School Principal, Franco De Vita,
directed the Hamlyn School of Dance in Florence, Italy; and
authored the ABT National Training Curriculum. Mr. Lukens
created the syllabi for the New York University Masters Degree
program in ABT Ballet pedagogy.
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