Articles

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

Using Ballet Terminology and Musicality in Class

November 21, 2015

It gets to me every time. When I begin in September with a group of students who say, “I’ve been dancing all my life” and yet, at the age of 11, cannot dance to the rhythm of the… Read More

Using Ballet Terminology and Musicality in Class

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

Planning Your Intermediate Pointe Class

October 30, 2015

The first two years of pointe work should be very carefully limited and controlled. Too much too soon has proven to be detrimental in pointe class. As with any class, there is a simple formula teachers can use to plan… Read More

Planning Your Intermediate Pointe Class

Presentation is Key!

October 25, 2015

When teaching little ones, presentation definitely counts! A young child will often reflect the amount of enthusiasm and energy you are showing them in your teaching. How can dance teachers create an environment of exploration, creativity and fun… Read More

Presentation is Key!

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

Tips For Teaching Preschool Combo Classes

September 11, 2015

Rising in popularity over the past 10 years is the idea of the “combination class”. There are teachers and studio owners who love the idea, and others who struggle with teaching all that needs to be taught in such… Read More

Tips For Teaching Preschool Combo Classes

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?

Hints for a Happy Class

July 24, 2015

Would you say you teach a “happy” class? When your students leave your classroom, are they overly tired and restless, or do they feel a sense of accomplishment? Pacing your class, implementing creative rest periods, and taking your students’ ever-changing needs… Read More

Hints for a Happy Class

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?

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

5 Principles of Classical Ballet for Young Children

December 19, 2014

Even at the earliest age, ballet students are absorbing the classical principles we instill in them. From as early as age 3, there are fundamental movement and artistic elements that can be cultivated in order to shape how that student learns and… Read More

5 Principles of Classical Ballet for Young Children

Six Choreographic Guidelines for Threes

November 16, 2014

It surprised me this year how much of a struggle it is to choreograph for three and four year olds! Doesn’t seem like a huge task; after all, they’re only preschoolers! They’ve hardly scratched the surface of ballet technique, what… Read More

Six Choreographic Guidelines for Threes

The Dance Teacher's Secret Weapon: Expectancy

November 6, 2014

It’s been one of those weeks. We all know them—toward the end of the first term, dance teachers often experience their first bouts of student burnout. Everything was great when we first started the semester, but now the students have already… Read More

The Dance Teacher's Secret Weapon: Expectancy

Preparing Little Feet for Pointe

October 13, 2014

I have an eight year-old student who loves to do tricks. She’s been dancing for two years, but this is my first year as her teacher. By the second class of the semester, she had already shown me—twice—how she can “stand… Read More

Preparing Little Feet for Pointe

The Triangle of the Foot

September 19, 2014

“Don’t roll your feet! Keep your arches lifted!” I’ve received the correction myself, but I’ve not been able to find a good way to explain it to my younger, beginner/intermediate students. Ruth Brinkerhoff’s “Pointe 1: An Introduction to… Read More

The Triangle of the Foot