Articles

Teach Young Students to Count Music

February 18, 2019

I am an advocate of instilling musicality in students, no matter the age or skill level. It is an integral part of ballet, therefore it deserves a place in training from the very start.But I don’t deny teaching young… Read More

Teach Young Students to Count Music

Creating Fearless Turners

February 11, 2019

What is going to happen? When I push up to relevé for this pirouette, will I actually stay standing? Will I flail about? Will I make the finish? Will I look ridiculous?The Unknown is full of fright. For some students,… Read More

Creating Fearless Turners

Safer and Higher Jumping

October 29, 2018

Everyone wants to jump higher and no one wants to get hurt.   But I know I am not the only one who encounters students flailing themselves into the air with nary a care about how they get there and how… Read More

Safer and Higher Jumping

Create the Illusion of Flight

October 22, 2018

To say grand allegro was challenging for me would be an enormous understatement. I felt stuck in the ground. . . and I looked stuck.I did eventually work it out, though. Forcing myself to take men’s class played a role… Read More

Create the Illusion of Flight

How I Mix Up Port de Bras for My Students

October 15, 2018

BalancéTemps de FlecheSaut de ChatChassé EntournantTombé Pas de BourréeJust a few steps for which many dancers have a default port de bras. There are many steps that would make it on this list.Maybe at one school all the dancers extend… Read More

How I Mix Up Port de Bras for My Students

Six Ways to Slay Petit Allegro

October 8, 2018

The thrill of petit allegro is intense. The adrenaline pushing through the body as it slices and dices the air cannot be matched. When done well, petit allegro leaves the audience wondering what they even just witnessed while simultaneously aching… Read More

Six Ways to Slay Petit Allegro

Train the Eyes

October 1, 2018

Eyes up.  Eyes down. Eyes gazing all around.The smallest details can make the largest impact, and that could not be more true than when it comes to the eyes. Piqué arabesque with the eyes remaining level and you have an… Read More

Train the Eyes

Hands and Fingers for Little Dancers

July 15, 2018

Hands and fingers do ballet, too!Teaching little ones to recognize that all parts of their body should be included in ballet is important because it helps build their awareness of space, movement, and details. All things we want our more… Read More

Hands and Fingers for Little Dancers

Teaching Waltz Turn

July 3, 2017

When I was 11 years old, I had my first encounter with waltz turns. I can look back at the situation and laugh now, but in the moment it was terrifying and slightly traumatizing. I won’t go into the story… Read More

Teaching Waltz Turn

Three Main Rules for Jumping

June 26, 2017

For little dancers:RULE #1: You must bend your knees before and after the jump.RULE #2: You must stretch your legs and feet in the air.RULE #3: You must hold your body still while jumping.These are the three rules I teach… Read More

Three Main Rules for Jumping

The Order of Learning Ballet

June 21, 2017

Order is beautiful to me. While I tend to live rather chaotically, I do ache for order. I believe this is one reason I was so drawn to ballet. The structure provided a solid framework for my creativity, and the… Read More

The Order of Learning Ballet

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

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?

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

Sensory Development for Purposeful Movement

January 10, 2016

Coordination can be one of the hardest concepts for students to learn, especially when their foundation for purposeful movement may not have been laid correctly. Children progress through a natural process of coordination development that can sometimes be ignored when… Read More

Sensory Development for Purposeful Movement

How Teachers Help Their Students Improve Coordination

November 2, 2015

Dance teachers have been on track more than any other group in providing for coordination to happen. Our deep understanding of movement and development encourages the correct progression of coordination at the proper stages of growth. Ballet teachers have been… Read More

How Teachers Help Their Students Improve Coordination

The Pyramid of Coordination

October 9, 2015

There is a wonderful, intricate and observable progression of coordination grafted into every human being. At the earliest age, only a few months old, we can see how the brain begins to connect with the other members of… Read More

The Pyramid of Coordination

Developing Coordinated Dancers

September 20, 2015

Coordination is not one of those principles dance teachers want to overlook. If left unchecked, our students could grow up without the proper coordination skills they need to progress accordingly as dancers. Ruth Brinkerhoff devoted an entire teacher manual,… Read More

Developing Coordinated Dancers

What is Coordination?

September 19, 2015

Without a thorough understanding of the principles of coordination, it is difficult for dance teachers to know what to expect and how to encourage the proper development of natural coordination. It is definitely a vital building block, fundamental… Read More

What is Coordination?

Use of Feet and Turnout in Pre-Ballet

August 1, 2015

Forcing too much turnout in young children is not only unsafe, it is also unnecessary. Their bodies allow for a gradual progression with a projected 90º turnout achieved by the age of 7 or 8. As they get older, teachers… Read More

Use of Feet and Turnout in Pre-Ballet

The Power of Teaching Progressions

July 10, 2015

From the earliest of classes, the young ballet student is building the skills they will need to learn more advanced steps later. As a young three year-old, the students learn to stand with their feet in parallel, point their toes… Read More

The Power of Teaching Progressions

The 3 Stages of Coordination

February 13, 2015

Ballet skills are built upon the base of natural skills that has been developed within the person. This is why extensive experience with fundamental movement skills is important for a ballet class of young children. It is surprising… Read More

The 3 Stages of Coordination

Don't Be A Skipper, Teach Them To Skip!

February 7, 2015

Skipping requires balance, symmetry in muscle use, self-esteem and some natural coordination. It is often used as an indicator of ‘readiness to learn’ academic subjects. It is expected that children in a dance class will learn to skip. Read More

Don't Be A Skipper, Teach Them To Skip!