In the Grand tradition: Maria Grandy - y - Great Starts: A Tribute to Teachers Who Have Produced Outstanding Results - Interview

Dance Magazine, Dec, 1997 by Muriel Topaz

When I ask Grandy what makes a great dancer and how a great teacher trains one, the answer is predictably straightforward and wise: "No teacher can take credit for a dancer. They are potentially good when they come to you. But we can help them grow as technicians, as artists, and as human beings. There are certainly some physical necessities: a well-proportioned body, good natural coordination, no extreme physical disabilities, adequate feet, and some natural turnout. Most important, a potential dancer needs to have a love of music, a sense of drama, imagination, the will to take chances, and a certain inner light. These are things that can't be taught.

"A good teacher can help students capitalize on their natural abilities and make them aware of what they possess. We encourage them to take those chances, to be open to constructive criticism, and to learn to criticize themselves in a joyful, positive way. It is also imperative to make the student aware of his or her range of dynamics. Each of us has a preferred inherent range--some of us are, by nature, quick, others are more legato. Becoming aware of these natural predilections, capitalizing on them, increasing the range, and working on the areas that are not inherent is a large but essential task. The teacher will recognize how each type of student approaches or finishes a movement and will help with the sense of attack and the phrasing.

"Teachers themselves have a limited range. If you are inherently quick, your adagios will never be as slow or as satisfying as those of a slower teacher, and vice versa. We need to be aware of our own dynamic range, which can be complemented by selecting an accompanist whose range is the opposite. The accompanist has a huge influence on the class.

"I love classes that are quiet, ones in which the teacher speaks softly and the students listen in rapt attention. Whenever I observe such a class I am determined that I will teach just like that. Then I enter my own class. Within ten minutes I am yelling and screaming, clapping my hands, calling out corrections, and the place is anything but quiet. Sometimes it gets absolutely chaotic. But how can I teach in that nice, quiet manner? There is nothing about me that is like that. I try to instill in students the idea that they must accept what they are. I find it more difficult to apply this wise adage to myself!"

Grandy suggests that a good school will assemble a faculty with differing dynamic ranges and strengths. She is highly in favor of studying with several teachers when it is practical and believes that a dancer should be exposed to more than one ballet style or technique. While there are some technical things that are basically correct (or incorrect), there is a lot of room for variation in many areas. Technique is constantly evolving.

What else should a dancer's training include? Grandy believes that the more a dancer knows, the better dancer he or she is going to be. Sometime during a dancer's training he or she should gain some knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology. A knowledge of music is absolutely essential, as is exposure to modem dance, since that seems to be the way contemporary ballet is going, with many emerging choreographers coming from the modem dance world.