Articles

Win With Threes by Knowing Their Needs

June 26, 2015

Teaching a classroom of 3 and 4 year olds is completely daunting at times! Why is it that these little people can scare the living daylights out of fully-grown professionals twice their size? Most of it comes from… Read More

Win With Threes by Knowing Their Needs

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

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

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

6 Classroom "Attention-Getters" to Watch Out For

March 29, 2015

Every dance studio is different with its own set of rules and expectations, but one thing remains the same throughout: children will be children. No matter where I teach, I find that there are certain little tricks… Read More

6 Classroom "Attention-Getters" to Watch Out For

How To Talk Effectively With Children

March 14, 2015

Young children, especially children ages 3 to 5, do not understand the spoken word as well as we think they do! They have a large vocabulary of words and phrases, but the exact meanings are not always clear to them. In… Read More

How To Talk Effectively With Children

Training Your Dance Assistant

March 6, 2015

Teachers have gone back and forth on this issue forever: Is it a good idea to use a teacher’s assistant in class? Some are like I was and would prefer that the teacher be the sole authority in… Read More

Training Your Dance Assistant

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

The 3 Stages of Coordination

February 13, 2015

Ballet skills are built upon the base of natural skills that has been developed within the person. This is why extensive experience with fundamental movement skills is important for a ballet class of young children. It is surprising… Read More

The 3 Stages of Coordination

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

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?