Articles

Building Smart Dancers

April 9, 2017

What good is knowing how to do 17 pirouettes if you don’t know when to do 17 pirouettes?What good is being able to extend your leg far behind your head if you don’t understand the nuances behind lovely extension?What good… Read More

Building Smart Dancers

Turning Recitals Into Education

March 30, 2017

Ballet recitals aren’t going away. I get that.I know when I was a young dancer I looked forward to recital with all kinds of anticipation. It was perfectly exciting. And without that experience I would not have known the unmatched… Read More

Turning Recitals Into Education

Working with Early Intermediate Students

March 18, 2017

We all have the ages and levels we adore teaching. It fits. We are synced in. Our flow is easy, organic, organized—it’s just all lovely.And then…We all have the ages and levels we struggle to teach. It feels disjointed. We… Read More

Working with Early Intermediate Students

To Demonstrate or Not to Demonstrate?

January 27, 2017

Before I jump into this topic, I would first like to say that everything I write concerning teaching is based on my own personal experience in the field. I write what I know. Obviously. I can’t write what you know. Read More

To Demonstrate or Not to Demonstrate?

Balancing Discipline and Artistry

January 20, 2017

Two dancers.One possesses all the creativity that could exist in a human being. Put her in a story ballet and she will cause the earth to quake with profound emotion. But look for the briefest moment at her footwork and… Read More

Balancing Discipline and Artistry

Where to Put All the Tiny Humans

January 13, 2017

I once taught a class of three year olds who I called my Sparkly Marbles. They were very proud of their title and often referred to themselves as Miss Robyn’s Sparkly Marbles. One class a dancer asked, “Miss Robyn, why… Read More

Where to Put All the Tiny Humans

Teaching the Full Spectrum in the Same Class

January 6, 2017

Stepping into your ballet studio, you allow your gaze to fall over the group of 11 year olds lined up beautifully at the barre. After you give the first exercise, your dancers begin on cue with the music; each one… Read More

Teaching the Full Spectrum in the Same Class

Play and Ballet

December 30, 2016

There is an alert on my phone that goes off each Friday at 11:50am. The alert reads as such: “PreBallet 12:00-1:15”If that alert reflected my reality, however, it would read:“TIME TO PLAY!!!  (and teach ballet)  12:00-1:15”Anyone who has taught young kids ballet… Read More

Play and Ballet

My Personal Secrets for Teaching Littles

December 16, 2016

Allow me to paint a picture in your mind… I am sixteen years old. I have had plenty of experience as a teacher’s assistant in ballet class. It is now my turn to take a class on my own and… Read More

My Personal Secrets for Teaching Littles

How Much Should We Expect?

December 5, 2016

What a loaded question. In all things. Right? From our hair products to our relationships, and everything in between, we walk through life with expectations needing to be fulfilled. In my personal life I have found conflicts arise… Read More

How Much Should We Expect?

Away With The Lesson Plan!

November 29, 2016

Twenty something years of teaching ballet has taught me plenty of things. As educators in the arts we speak often about how life lessons are learned so well through the arts. What a beautiful thing. I could probably… Read More

Away With The Lesson Plan!

Thoughts on Musicality

November 7, 2016

Ah. . . music.  It holds some kind of special magic. Want to liven up a party? Put on some music. Want to relax? Put on some music. Want to feel motivated at the gym? Put on some… Read More

Thoughts on Musicality

Introducing the Ballet Barre

November 7, 2016

For our youngest dancers, the barre should be kept a mystery. Little girls rush into their first ballet class and all they want to do is hold on to that barre. It’s a fun part of being a ballerina, but… Read More

Introducing the Ballet Barre

Why Natural Movement?

October 28, 2016

Historically, ballet styling and technique developed slowly from that of folk dances and court dances. Ballet styling was added to those dances by adult dancers, whose basic movement and coordination skills were complete and in place. Children were… Read More

Why Natural Movement?

Maximize Learning Retention

October 21, 2016

If students are not retaining the new skills we teach them, it could be because we as teachers are not honoring their natural flow of learning. Learning new skills follows a logical pattern, and we have to address the “why” and… Read More

Maximize Learning Retention

How to Survive Observation Week

October 14, 2016

Around this time of year, many dance schools are preparing for parent Observation Week. It’s a very special time for the students and their parents, but it can be a time of high stress and… Read More

How to Survive Observation Week

Determine Their Intermediate Pointe Readiness

October 7, 2016

When teaching beginning pointe, or when teaching any form of dance, you’ll observe early on that every student will progress at a different pace. Some will catch on quickly, practice strengthening exercises at home, seek more information or opportunities… Read More

Determine Their Intermediate Pointe Readiness

How Learning Happens

September 9, 2016

Ever felt frustrated in class because you feel like your students are just not getting what you’re trying so hard to teach them? You explain the concepts to them every single class and still don’t see evidence of that information… Read More

How Learning Happens

How Young is Too Young?

August 29, 2016

That 3-year old shouldn’t be spinning pirouettes any time soon. So what should you teach her? What can you do for the dancer-to-be to prepare her for the technical demands of the years to come?Choosing the right age to start… Read More

How Young is Too Young?

Teaching the Accelerated Child

August 12, 2016

How can we, as dance teachers, best serve those young students in our classrooms who we notice have some great potential to be more in the ballet world? Sometimes we see that they are progressing well, but we don’t know… Read More

Teaching the Accelerated Child

The First Weeks of Pointe Class

July 30, 2016

Many teachers will be ushering their students into the first few weeks of pointe training this upcoming season. For many students, it is a very exciting time of choosing the right shoes, preparing their feet for the challenges ahead, sewing… Read More

The First Weeks of Pointe Class

Why Wait to Teach Ballet Technique?

July 22, 2016

Young ballerinas need strict technique training too, right?Several years ago, I went for an interview for a teaching position at a local dance school. I wanted to expand my horizons and gain experience teaching at as many schools as possible. Read More

Why Wait to Teach Ballet Technique?

Helping the Undercoordinated Students

July 16, 2016

Coordination can be taken for granted by students who have progressed naturally and successfully through its phases. Others have had a tough go, and as dance teachers, we see the evidence of that struggle. It can be almost embarrassing for… Read More

Helping the Undercoordinated Students

Posture Expectations for Preschoolers

May 20, 2016

Our young dancers are an energetic and exhilarating challenge. Their little minds and bodies are experiencing so many changes on a daily basis, and their minds are soaking up so much as they grow. Teachers of preschoolers have… Read More

Posture Expectations for Preschoolers

Self-Esteem in the Pre-Ballet Class

May 13, 2016

Self-esteem is an internalizing of who and what you are. Knowing and understanding who we are is essential to the growth process of every individual. Lack of such knowledge or the internalizing of wrong ideas about themselves can cause lasting… Read More

Self-Esteem in the Pre-Ballet Class