Articles

More Games for the Ballet Classroom

September 25, 2015

Games in the ballet classroom can be very effective teaching tools. As the students take advantage of a time of rest from their technique class, you can continue their ballet education through creative, team-building, skill-developing activities. Explained below… Read More

More Games for the Ballet Classroom

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?

Ballet Positions Giveaway

September 9, 2015

As we launch into the 2016-2017 year of classes, The Ballet Source would like to provide teachers with a few FREE resources. The first four levels of the Ballet Arts for Young Children Curriculum use these feet… Read More

Ballet Positions Giveaway

Why Warmups?

September 4, 2015

There is a pattern of traditional ballet exercises done at the barre. As a result of recent studies in the area of sports and dance, most teachers these days are also giving some “pre-barre warmup exercises” to their students. Read More

Why Warmups?

Finding the Correct Full Pointe Position

August 29, 2015

Already evaluating your students to decide who will start pointe next year? When to begin pointe work is one of those very important, special and serious decisions. Here are a couple of exercises you can use on your beginners to… Read More

Finding the Correct Full Pointe Position

Posture Checklist for Ballet Students

August 14, 2015

“The total picture of a dancer: legs, arms, head, hands, feet, expression, can be compared to a chord on the piano, with all of the correct notes striking at the same time.” — Alan Hooper, former… Read More

Posture Checklist for Ballet Students

Choosing Class Format for Beginning Pointe

August 8, 2015

A very important first step in Pointe class planning is choosing the appropriate class format for your students. Each class is different, and each teacher has her own style of structuring those first lessons. Today we dive into some of… Read More

Choosing Class Format for Beginning Pointe

Challenge? Or Frustration?

July 22, 2015

My fifth year of teaching was a tough one! I had a class of 9-11 year olds that really stretched me and taught me a lot. One of my biggest challenges was that the students just weren’t… Read More

Challenge? Or Frustration?

Guidelines for Starting a Student on Pointe

July 19, 2015

  Pointe work carries some risk of injury. Far too many students suffer injury in their first few years en pointe, sometimes because we, their teachers, expect too much too soon. Slow, gradual buildup of strength is the best way… Read More

Guidelines for Starting a Student on Pointe

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

Planning from a Bird's-Eye View

June 19, 2015

As you approach the end of a year of teaching, do you ever get the feeling that there was so much more you could have taught your students that you just didn’t get around to? They were ready for it,… Read More

Planning from a Bird's-Eye View

So, You're Just Teaching Them to Dance?

June 1, 2015

I bid adieu to a classroom of 8 to 10 year old students this morning. It was our last class before the recital, and it was so wonderful to have had the opportunity to teach them… Read More

So, You're Just Teaching Them to Dance?

Improving Behavior With Consequences

May 29, 2015

Just imagine: A class full of unruly 4 and 5 year olds that don’t listen, don’t mind you and have a lot of trouble staying attentive. Sound familiar? Sounds like a nightmare! In the teaching help section of… Read More

Improving Behavior With Consequences

Recognizing the Student NOT Ready for Pointe

May 24, 2015

We’ve discussed weight placement on pointe, conditioning principles to improve pointe, whether or not my student is ready for pointe, how to fit their first pair of pointe shoes, and preparing little feet for pointe. Read More

Recognizing the Student NOT Ready for Pointe

Conditioning Principles to Improve Pointe Work

May 8, 2015

Is there such a thing as pushing your students too far when it comes to pointe work? I certainly believe there is, and I must admit, after reading Ruth Brinkerhoff’s “Pointe 1: An Introduction to Pointe Work”, … Read More

Conditioning Principles to Improve Pointe Work

Understand Your Students' Growth Process

April 17, 2015

The little bodies of children between the ages of 7 and 10 are going through a lot of physical changes. As teachers, we need to understand and respect the body’s need for certain parameters when it comes to teaching ballet… Read More

Understand Your Students' Growth Process

The 7 Basic Principles of Classical Ballet

April 10, 2015

The Rules of Classical Dance were first set down definitively by John Weaver in 1723. Each generation has had its great teachers of ballet who have added insights and details to these rules and principles. These principles are essential for… Read More

The 7 Basic Principles of Classical Ballet

Their First Pair of Pointe Shoes

April 7, 2015

Ballet requires that the dancer spend many years building and shaping the instrument of their art, which is their own physical body. The “Dancer’s Body” comes as a result of long hours of careful training of the muscles. Read More

Their First Pair of Pointe Shoes

The Twelve Week Rule

February 21, 2015

One of the hardest things a pointe teacher faces is the fear that their students may injure themselves. This, of course, is the last thing we want for our students. Too often the students are pushed too hard too soon, and… Read More

The Twelve Week Rule

Is My Student Ready for Pointe?

January 13, 2015

This is such a big and important question. It is one of hardest questions ballet teachers face. We don’t want to put them on pointe too early because they can really injure themselves. So, when is the right time to start with… Read More

Is My Student Ready for Pointe?