Every ballet dancer begins with familiar movements: plié, tendu, relevé and the five positions.
Yet what happens next depends greatly upon the school of training.
One teacher may emphasize speed and freedom. Another may seek purity, restraint and precision. One system develops the body through a carefully graded syllabus, while another prepares dancers for expansive, neoclassical choreography.
To the untrained eye, it may all look like ballet. To the dancer, each method creates a different feeling, quality and artistic voice.
Here is how six influential traditions developed.
1661 — The French School
The French School traces its formal beginning to King Louis XIV, who founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661. He appointed ballet master Pierre Beauchamp, who helped codify the five basic positions of the feet.
French technique became known for elegance, refinement, precise footwork, graceful épaulement and an effortless upper body. Even ballet’s vocabulary—plié, tendu, relevé, arabesque—reveals the lasting influence of France.
This was the foundation upon which many later schools were built. Paris Opera history
1830 — The Bournonville Method
Danish dancer and choreographer August Bournonville became ballet master of the Royal Danish Ballet around 1830 and preserved many qualities of the early French tradition.
His method emphasizes quick and intricate footwork, buoyant jumps, musical phrasing and quiet, uncomplicated arms. Difficult steps should appear light and natural—as though effort has disappeared.
The Bournonville dancer does not demand the audience’s attention through force. The dancer wins it through joy, modesty and ease. Royal Danish Ballet
Late 1800s–1922 — The Cecchetti Method
Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti developed his teaching system during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His work was formally documented in 1922 in A Manual of the Theory and Practice of Classical Theatrical Dancing.
The Cecchetti Method uses a structured and anatomically informed approach to develop strength, balance, coordination and a clear understanding of movement. Its traditional system assigns particular exercises to different days of the week, allowing the body to develop through organized repetition and variety.
Cecchetti did not simply want dancers who could copy a step. He wanted dancers who understood how the step worked. Cecchetti Society history
1920 — The Royal Academy of Dance
The Royal Academy of Dance, commonly known as RAD, began in London in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing.
It was not created by one choreographer. It grew from a historic meeting of leading teachers representing the English, French, Italian, Danish and Russian traditions. Adeline Genée became its first president.
RAD is best understood as an international training, syllabus and examination system rather than one isolated ballet technique. It combines classical foundations with musicality, performance quality, progressive development and carefully structured assessments.
For many students, RAD provides something especially valuable: a clearly marked path from the first class toward advanced vocational training. Royal Academy of Dance history
1921–1934 — The Vaganova Method
Russian dancer and pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova began teaching at the former Imperial Ballet School in 1921. She gradually developed a unified system drawing from the elegance of the French School, the strength and virtuosity of Italian technique and the expressive traditions of Russian ballet.
Her landmark book, Basic Principles of Classical Ballet, was published in 1934.
The Vaganova Method coordinates the entire body. The legs, arms, head, back and épaulement are trained to work as one expressive instrument. Its carefully planned progression builds strength, placement, musicality and artistry over years—not merely from class to class.
The result is technique with purpose: strength that supports expression and discipline that eventually creates freedom. Vaganova Ballet Academy history
1934 — The Balanchine Method
When George Balanchine, Lincoln Kirstein and Edward Warburg founded the School of American Ballet in New York in 1934, a distinctly American approach to classical ballet began to emerge.
Developed around the speed, musicality and neoclassical choreography of Balanchine, the technique favors rapid footwork, deep pliés, energetic movement and elongated lines. Positions may be stretched or opened to serve the choreography, and dancers are often asked to move with unusual speed and daring.
Where older traditions may appear sculptural, Balanchine technique can feel electric—as though the music itself has taken physical form. School of American Ballet
Which Method Is Best?
That may be the wrong question.
Each tradition preserves a different chapter of ballet’s history and develops particular qualities in a dancer. The better question is:
Which method is being taught knowledgeably, progressively and in a way that serves the individual student?
A method is more than a name printed beside a class. It is a philosophy carried through sequencing, musicality, corrections and years of development.
Before choosing a school, learn about the training behind its teachers. Observe how students move. Ask how the curriculum progresses. Look beyond impressive steps and notice the quality being built beneath them.
Because the method a dancer studies does more than shape technique.
It shapes how the dancer hears music, understands movement and eventually speaks through the body.
Stay tuned—in our next articles, we will explore each of these ballet traditions individually and discover what makes every method unique.