Articles

5 Ways to Ensure Safe Stretching

November 20, 2017

First, a little story . . .I was teaching a group of students who were new to me. I had them on their backs doing a stretch that would help them feel where their external rotators exist. While the stretch… Read More

5 Ways to Ensure Safe Stretching

Demi Pointe and the Adult Beginner

October 23, 2017

I have written about the importance of teaching the proper use of demi pointe before. In that article, I mention how often I find myself “screaming” about it over and over and over again because it is crucial for… Read More

Demi Pointe and the Adult Beginner

Water Bottle Escapades

October 16, 2017

With all the issues and challenges we ballet teachers face, it might seem rather tedious to devote an entire article to water bottles. However, teaching our students to be—and remain—hydrated throughout class is part of our job. Because, like all… Read More

Water Bottle Escapades

A Fun Vocabulary Test

October 9, 2017

Ballet vocabulary. We want our students to have it. To understand how to speak the language. To be informed dancers. So we do any of the following things:Randomly ask them what any given ballet word means.Consistently reinforce the definitions before… Read More

A Fun Vocabulary Test

The One Thing I Prioritize in Pirouettes

September 26, 2017

There are turners and then there are . . . well, people like me.Who are people like me?We are the ones who are brilliant at showing just how hard pirouetting is. We fall. We flail. We flounder. But eventually it… Read More

The One Thing I Prioritize in Pirouettes

What About the Bathroom?

September 11, 2017

It’s a thing, isn’t it? The bathroom.Everyone always having to go to the bathroom. Well, maybe not with kids older than eight or nine. But the younger ones? Seems every time I turn around someone is saying they need to… Read More

What About the Bathroom?

Create Effective Yearly Goals

September 4, 2017

Goals have the potential to be . . .MotivatingCounterproductiveSmartOverwhelmingAccessibleUnattainableUnwaveringFluidRestrictiveFreeingManipulativeOrganicAnd a host of other things . . .Basically, goals are complex. This makes them rather intimidating. Or rather, it makes setting goals intimidating.As teachers, we often find ourselves encouraging our… Read More

Create Effective Yearly Goals

Lessons in Ballet History

July 20, 2017

I am thoroughly convinced there is never enough time in ballet class to teach everything we wish to teach. One year, I taught a three hour ballet class once a week to advanced dancers who were already taking many other… Read More

Lessons in Ballet History

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

Choosing Which Correction To Give

June 29, 2017

I had a teacher oh so many years ago who was helping me learn how to teach. She observed me giving class one day and afterwards we had a little chat:“So, Robyn. Well done. However, I noticed you didn’t correct… Read More

Choosing Which Correction To Give

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

My Simple Method of Ballet Notation

June 9, 2017

Writing ballet down on paper. What an ordeal.When I was younger, I used to make up little dances all the time, as most young dancers do. I would try to write them down but it never turned out too well… Read More

My Simple Method of Ballet Notation

Screaming About Demi Pointe

June 5, 2017

Pull your heels up, dancers!” “More! Give me more with your feet!” “Where is your demi pointe? I can’t see it!”If there was ever a thing that makes me sound like a broken record it would be… Read More

Screaming About Demi Pointe

Teaching the 8 Body Positions

May 25, 2017

No build up necessary. We all know how vital it is that our students grasp the concepts of croisé, écarté, effacé, and en face. The aesthetic of ballet is based in large part on these positions. Regardless of the labels… Read More

Teaching the 8 Body Positions

Knobby Knees and Hyperextension

May 19, 2017

(Note: This article is written with the young dancer, beginning around age 5, in mind.) “Let’s all stand in First Position.”All students begin to move into position.“Wonderful!  Be sure your heels are touching.”All students move their heels together.“Well done! Uh… Read More

Knobby Knees and Hyperextension

Golden Rules for Barre Work

May 12, 2017

It is common knowledge that barre work is the foundation for ballet.  Inevitably, where a dancer shows weakness at the barre, it will be magnified tenfold when they move to the centre. The essentials put in place through barre work… Read More

Golden Rules for Barre Work

Take It To The Floor

May 9, 2017

I had a teacher who would say to my class, “Dears, you look simply awful. Take it to the floor.”She would deliver this line to us after we had finished an exercise or a combination that was not up to… Read More

Take It To The Floor

My Approach to Tricks

April 18, 2017

The thirty-two fouettés. The manège of turns. The continuous entrechat six.These are but a few of the spectacular feats dancers are always trying to attain. And once they reach their goal, the bar is pushed that much higher. Thirty-two becomes… Read More

My Approach to Tricks

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

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

Dealing With Attitudes

February 25, 2017

We have all been there. Every single one of us. The arch enemy of the ballet teacher excludes no one. When this imposter rears its head in the studio we are immediately entrenched in a battle. A battle we will… Read More

Dealing With Attitudes

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?

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