Articles

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

Why the Wait?

June 15, 2015

So, what do you do when your 7 year-olds don’t want to practice tendu, they want to saut de chat across the room like the beautiful ballerinas they saw in recital last year? I’ve had… Read More

Why the Wait?

Quality in Performing

June 4, 2015

Many of us teachers are in the midst of preparation for recital season. This is such a crazy, wonderful time of year for teachers, students and the school as a whole. Recital week hits and choreography is learned, pictures are… Read More

Quality in Performing

10 Ways to Make the Most of Recital Night

June 3, 2015

An article has gone around the internet with some funny, sarcastic tips on how to make dance recitals “suck less”. In my honest opinion, the whole recital experience can be painful, drawn out and excruciating, it’s… Read More

10 Ways to Make the Most of Recital Night

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?

Progressing into Ballet Technique

May 30, 2015

Teachers sometimes spend much of the year trying to figure out what should logically come next in their teaching. How can we know what they should be learning next? Moving through the natural movement sequences and into ballet technique happens… Read More

Progressing into Ballet Technique

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

6 "Must Haves" for Teaching Ballet

May 15, 2015

Not everyone can teach, and not everyone should. As I press on in my journey as a ballet instructor, I find the truths found in the “Level 1 Curriculum Book” to be so very pertinent and… Read More

6 "Must Haves" for Teaching Ballet

Games for the Ballet Classroom

May 12, 2015

It’s not just a suggestion, it’s pretty much a tried and true fact that children need to have at least one short break during their 45 minute to 1 hour ballet class. Most children between the ages of 3 to… Read More

Games for the Ballet Classroom

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

Teaching Pre-Ballet Arm Positions

May 2, 2015

It’s not easy to create the proper lines and shapes required in classical ballet, but there are many concepts we can impart in class that they can grasp and accomplish even at a very young age. Ruth Brinkerhoff’s Article… Read More

Teaching Pre-Ballet Arm Positions

20 Ways to Create a Comfortable Class

April 27, 2015

Most of us can remember being in a class where we couldn’t focus or understand what was being presented. It wasn’t much fun, was it? A dance class can feel that way to a young child. Childrens’ brains… Read More

20 Ways to Create a Comfortable Class

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

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

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!

Pacing of Ballet Classwork

January 31, 2015

I remember the very first time I taught a pre-ballet class by myself. It was a group of crazy, beautiful, energetic 5 and 6 year-olds. They looked at me with expectation and excitement and I looked right back with sheer… Read More

Pacing of Ballet Classwork

Choreographic Advice for Teachers

January 23, 2015

“Never let an opportunity go without adding your enlightening [movement] to further the cause of the loftiest, oldest, most profound of the arts and, in so doing, I sincerely believe that you will be… Read More

Choreographic Advice for Teachers

Planning Your Lessons

January 6, 2015

Let’s face it: we don’t have time to do detailed planning for every class. Class just isn’t the same if you walk in without a lesson plan. The students don’t get as much out of the time you have… Read More

Planning Your Lessons

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

Preparing for Recital

September 29, 2014

Believe it or not, the time is fast approaching for teachers to begin thinking about what they’d like their classes to do in their year-end performance. Don’t believe me? Just ask any director of any school anywhere and they’re probably… Read More

Preparing for Recital

Ballet Began In Italy

September 25, 2014

Say what?! Yes, indeed. Some people think that, because ballet terms are in French, that France must have been the origin of ballet. Of course, we ballet teachers know this, but remember, some of our students do not know that… Read More

Ballet Began In Italy

Plan for Success

September 23, 2014

Never underestimate the power of planning ahead. Being a teacher means you must be 100% present with each class that you teach so that your students receive the best possible instruction with each passing week. In my early… Read More

Plan for Success