Articles

The One Thing I Wish I Knew

September 19, 2014

I attended ballet class on a regular basis from the age of 6 through 18 and no one ever really explained it to me. If someone had, I’m pretty sure my dance career would have been very different. I struggled… Read More

The One Thing I Wish I Knew

Weight Placement en Pointe

September 19, 2014

When I explained this concept to my Pointe students, they were blown away! Some of them are taking pointe for the first time this year, but others have been on pointe for three years now and have never been told… Read More

Weight Placement en 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

Ballet Student Personalities: "The Sponge"

September 18, 2014

She’s your every dream come true. She’s “The Sponge.” There is one particular student that I think of when I use this term. She is not perfect. She is not there yet. But, my,… Read More

Ballet Student Personalities: "The Sponge"

Ballet Student Personalities: "The Puppy Dog"

September 18, 2014

Have you ever corrected a student and received an emotional breakdown in response? If you haven’t yet, you most likely will at some point. Children, just like adults, carry around quite a bit of baggage, and… Read More

Ballet Student Personalities: "The Puppy Dog"

Ballet Student Personalities: "The Apathetic One"

September 18, 2014

Why the long face? Though some of us would like to believe that we are bringing up the next generation of flawless ballerinas, the fact remains that they will not all love to dance, and… Read More

Ballet Student Personalities: "The Apathetic One"

Ballet Student Personalities: "Who, Me?"

September 18, 2014

Deer in the headlights, anyone? It seems she cannot comprehend why you would ever correct her in the first place. “What could I have possibly done wrong?” These “Who, Me?” students are the children who may not… Read More

Ballet Student Personalities: "Who, Me?"

Ballet Student Personalities: "Not Listening"

September 18, 2014

Even as the words are coming out of your mouth, you can see all the signs that her mind is trailing off in some other direction. The student that simply will not stay engaged with the lesson is particularly puzzling (and patience-testing). Read More

Ballet Student Personalities: "Not Listening"

Ballet Student Personalities: The "Know-It-All"

September 18, 2014

The Know-It-All This is the student that looks at you with the “what information could you possibly have for me that I don’t already know?” look. No matter how many times you may look… Read More

Ballet Student Personalities: The "Know-It-All"