Articles

My Simple Method of Ballet Notation

June 9, 2017

Writing ballet down on paper. What an ordeal. When I was younger, I used to make up little dances all the time, as most young dancers do. I would try to write them down but it never turned out too… Read More

My Simple Method of Ballet Notation

Screaming About Demi Pointe

June 5, 2017

Pull your heels up, dancers!” “More! Give me more with your feet!” “Where is your demi pointe? I can’t see it!” If there was ever a thing that makes me sound like a broken record it would… Read More

Screaming About Demi Pointe

Teaching the 8 Body Positions

May 25, 2017

No build up necessary. We all know how vital it is that our students grasp the concepts of croisé, écarté, effacé, and en face. The aesthetic of ballet is based in large part on these positions. Regardless of the labels… Read More

Teaching the 8 Body Positions

Knobby Knees and Hyperextension

May 19, 2017

(Note: This article is written with the young dancer, beginning around age 5, in mind.) “Let’s all stand in First Position.” All students begin to move into position. “Wonderful!  Be sure your heels are touching.” All students move their… Read More

Knobby Knees and Hyperextension

Just a Job

May 15, 2017

When I write about ballet, I tend to become impassioned. My fingers move across the keyboard with fierce speed and adrenaline surges through my body. This is because I am in love with ballet. Talking about ballet, doing ballet, writing… Read More

Just a Job

Golden Rules for Barre Work

May 12, 2017

It is common knowledge that barre work is the foundation for ballet.  Inevitably, where a dancer shows weakness at the barre, it will be magnified tenfold when they move to the centre. The essentials put in place through barre work… Read More

Golden Rules for Barre Work

Take It To The Floor

May 9, 2017

I had a teacher who would say to my class, “Dears, you look simply awful. Take it to the floor.” She would deliver this line to us after we had finished an exercise or a combination that was not… Read More

Take It To The Floor

Exposing Students to Excellent Ballet

April 24, 2017

My dance training began when I was nine years old. A year later I saw a professional ballet dancer for the first time. It changed everything for me. In my eyes, this ballerina was perfection. I had no idea such… Read More

Exposing Students to Excellent Ballet

My Approach to Tricks

April 18, 2017

The thirty-two fouettés. The manège of turns. The continuous entrechat six. These are but a few of the spectacular feats dancers are always trying to attain. And once they reach their goal, the bar is pushed that much higher. Thirty-two… Read More

My Approach to Tricks

Building Smart Dancers

April 9, 2017

What good is knowing how to do 17 pirouettes if you don’t know when to do 17 pirouettes? What good is being able to extend your leg far behind your head if you don’t understand the nuances behind lovely extension?… Read More

Building Smart Dancers

Turning Recitals Into Education

March 30, 2017

Ballet recitals aren’t going away. I get that. I know when I was a young dancer I looked forward to recital with all kinds of anticipation. It was perfectly exciting. And without that experience I would not have known the… Read More

Turning Recitals Into Education

Self Care for Ballet Teachers

March 23, 2017

Throbbing feet, bone tired bodies, and exhausted minds. Being a ballet teacher is not easy. When I first launched my teaching career, my energy levels were sky high. Nothing was going to bring me down. Six straight hours of teaching… Read More

Self Care for Ballet Teachers

Working with Early Intermediate Students

March 18, 2017

We all have the ages and levels we adore teaching. It fits. We are synced in. Our flow is easy, organic, organized—it’s just all lovely. And then… We all have the ages and levels we struggle to teach. It feels… Read More

Working with Early Intermediate Students

Teaching While Injured

March 16, 2017

A few weeks ago I did a stupid thing while teaching ballet. This stupid thing landed me on crutches for about a week. Fortunately, there was no serious damage done and the healing process rolled right along. However, I can… Read More

Teaching While Injured

Ballet's Treacherous Terrains

March 10, 2017

Ballet is harsh. Unforgiving. Brutal. We love it all the same. Likely many of us love it directly because of these trying qualities. The beauty to be discovered within the challenge of ballet draws us in. Once there, we are… Read More

Ballet's Treacherous Terrains

Dealing With Attitudes

February 24, 2017

We have all been there. Every single one of us. The arch enemy of the ballet teacher excludes no one. When this imposter rears its head in the studio we are immediately entrenched in a battle. A battle we will… Read More

Dealing With Attitudes

How Friendly Should We Be?

February 17, 2017

More specifically—How friendly should we be with our students? As is almost always the case, this question has as many answers as there are ballet teachers in the world. These are my thoughts. The Ideal Situation Obviously, in the ideal… Read More

How Friendly Should We Be?

What Do Teachers Wear?

February 3, 2017

I vividly remember my first year of ballet. I was nine years old, and my teacher, whom I adored then and still adore to this day, had an assistant. She wore a blue camisole leotard, black tights, and a long… Read More

What Do Teachers Wear?

To Demonstrate or Not to Demonstrate?

January 27, 2017

Before I jump into this topic, I would first like to say that everything I write concerning teaching is based on my own personal experience in the field. I write what I know. Obviously. I can’t write what you know. Read More

To Demonstrate or Not to Demonstrate?

Balancing Discipline and Artistry

January 20, 2017

Two dancers. One possesses all the creativity that could exist in a human being. Put her in a story ballet and she will cause the earth to quake with profound emotion. But look for the briefest moment at her footwork… Read More

Balancing Discipline and Artistry

Where to Put All the Tiny Humans

January 13, 2017

I once taught a class of three year olds who I called my Sparkly Marbles. They were very proud of their title and often referred to themselves as Miss Robyn’s Sparkly Marbles. One class a dancer asked, “Miss Robyn, why… Read More

Where to Put All the Tiny Humans

Teaching the Full Spectrum in the Same Class

January 6, 2017

Stepping into your ballet studio, you allow your gaze to fall over the group of 11 year olds lined up beautifully at the barre. After you give the first exercise, your dancers begin on cue with the music; each one… Read More

Teaching the Full Spectrum in the Same Class

Play and Ballet

December 30, 2016

There is an alert on my phone that goes off each Friday at 11:50am. The alert reads as such:  “PreBallet 12:00-1:15” If that alert reflected my reality, however, it would read: “TIME TO PLAY!!!  (and teach ballet)  12:00-1:15” Anyone who has… Read More

Play and Ballet

Teaching Ballet Really Isn't About Ballet At All

December 23, 2016

When I was five years old I decided I wanted to be a teacher. My kindergarten teacher was my hero and if I could do what she did then I figured I could possibly be a hero to… Read More

Teaching Ballet Really Isn't About Ballet At All

My Personal Secrets for Teaching Littles

December 16, 2016

Allow me to paint a picture in your mind… I am sixteen years old. I have had plenty of experience as a teacher’s assistant in ballet class. It is now my turn to take a class on my own… Read More

My Personal Secrets for Teaching Littles