The greatest influence on the development of the Cecchetti method was Carlo Blasis, a ballet master of the early 19th century.
A student and exponent of the traditional French school of ballet, Blasis is credited as one of the most prominent ballet theoreticians and the first to publish a codified technique, the "Traité élémentaire, théorique, et pratique de l'art de la danse" ("Elementary, Theoretical, and Practical Treatise on the Art of the Dance").
Reputedly a very rigorous teacher, Blasis insisted on his students conforming to strict technical principles when learning to dance, a philosophy which Cecchetti learnt from his own teachers, who were all students of Blasis (Giovanni Lepri, Cesare Carnesecchi Coppini and Filippo Taglioni).
Consequently, the key characteristic of the Cecchetti method is the adherence to a rigid training regime, designed to develop a virtuoso technique, with the dancer having a complete understanding of the theory behind the movement.
The other key influences on the Cecchetti method came from his own professional career as a dancer, which exposed him to many different techniques and styles of ballet.
When he began to gain a reputation as a teacher, he experimented with these various styles, fusing the best elements of each to create his own ballet technique and training system, the eponymous Cechetti method.
Many of his students later taught the Cecchetti method, including Ninette de Valois, Marie Rambert, Laura Wilson,[3] Margaret Craske and Olga Preobrajenska.
[4] This continues to be the standard resource for the Cecchetti method throughout the world and it has been replicated in numerous forms, including Benesh and Laban notation.
This organization, which became a non-profit Canadian corporation in 2004,[6] is committed to keeping alive and raising the profile of the Cecchetti method of classical ballet and its training system throughout the world.
[citation needed] Dame Marie Rambert was a former pupil and colleague of Cecchetti, who also established a professional ballet school teaching his methods.
Branches of the Cecchetti Society were subsequently established around the world, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the US.
Successful exam passes in the Cecchetti method can therefore be submitted for credit towards other nationally recognised qualifications, however this only applies in England and Wales.
The first level, the DDE is compulsory for any person wishing to teach the ISTD syllabus and enter candidates for examinations.
Students are tested on their ability to properly execute a number of specifically choreographed routines that emphasize a particular ballet movement.
Dancers taking their grade four exam will be asked to choreograph a one-minute dance, with teacher supervision, and perform it to the examiners.