History – Alain Astié

The term “barre” refers to the traditional floor exercises for dancers corresponding to the barre work of everyday’s ballet class.
It also reveals the identity of its creator, Mr Alain ASTIĖ, who grew up in the world of the art, being part of a generation that marked the history of dance
for example,  Serge Lifar who offered Mr ASTIĖ  a first prize at the Paris Conservatoire, Harald Landler who was his main teacher and mentor, Rudolf Nureyief with whom he had the honor to dance when a soloist in Oslo Opera, Maurice Bejart who employed him as a dancer and Carla Fracci who offered him roles in her ballets.
Mr. ASTIĖ, who won the First Prize of the Paris CNSD at the age of 18 and then got the CA from the French Ministry of Culture, created the center             « Expression through Dance » in Lyon, France, where in 1980 became Artistic Director and teacher at the professional training center « A.I.D.E.S ».
He has been Regional Delegate of the Dance Federation “FNID” and Technical Advisor of Cultural Affairs of Lyon for the Rhône Department . Master and Guest Teacher for numerous International Training Courses, Master Classes and Ballet Companies in Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Japan and France..He wrote the book “Grammaire des Corps” and in 2009 initiated the official educational programme for Barre ASTIĖ trainers in Japan, Greece, Italy, and France.

A state of body and mind

In Barre ASTIĖ we guide the whole body to move fluidly and rhythmically in various spatial patterns in order to achieve our focus
  • on the scapular belt which is the adult’s particularly stressed/strained area
  • on the hips and the coxofemoral joints which are crucial to the dancer’s technique
  • and on the spine which connects the two.
As the method is continuously adapted to different groups – pre-adolescents, adolescents, dance students and adults (beginners or experienced in movement)-, the trainer will plan his class accordingly. The aim is to establish communication and trust with his/her trainees, in order to get them to understand their body, feel their articulations’ mobility, wake-up the deeper muscles and interiorize the movement instead of copying it.