Dancers Helpline

Onward Rambert students, marching into class
Feet in first position, don’t stick out your ****
Keep your shoulders back girls, looking straight ahead
Please, please shut your mouths, and don’t look quite so dead.

Onward with your plies, and your tendu’s too
Next is rond-de-jambe with, four high passes through
Fondu’s, frappés, battements, get those legs up please
This is getting better here, can’t you stretch your knees!

Onward then to adage, gruelling rond-de-jambe
Now then reverse it, do it en dedans
Get up off the floor girls, you’ve go to carry on
Onto petite battement, fouette rond-de-jambe

Crawling to the centre, trembling nervous wreck
Take your preparation, for countless pirouettes
Onwards to allegro, batterie what fun!
Brises vole cabriole, splendid! So well done!

Put your pointe shoes on now, never mind the pain
Girls you are so gutless, it’s driving me insane!
Piques from the corner, singles will not do
Thank God this class is over, there’s nothing we can do!


                     

Written by long suffering Rambert students after a class taken by 'task master' the late and wonderful Angela Ellis and sung to the tune of
Onward Christian Soldiers!

Angela Ellis, ballet dancer, teacher and director, was born in London on November 5, 1920. She died in London on December 21, 2006, aged 86

Website designed and built by Deborah Dormer
Last updated Jan 2010