I’m offering anyone who would like a download PDF version of my book, Classical Ballet: Combinations for Ten Complete Advanced Classes, a free copy! All you have to do is agree to put a review of the book on Amazon.com! The offer is good through Saturday, May 15. Please send me an email to tammy (at) insideballet.com from the address you’d like your download sent to. Happy teaching!
Classical Ballet book on Amazon
I found this fascinating quote today:
I’ve had my eye on JAM Cosmetics for a while now. Owner, Jessica Dupont (formerly Jessica Ann Michaels… hence J.A.M) is a dancer. Though she has retired from performance, she appeared on and off Broadway and toured across the world throughout a 10-year professional career on stage. During that time she pursued another passion and supplemented her income as a makeup artist, freelancing in fashion, theater, and photography. Prior to creating and developing JAM cosmetics, Jessica was even a dance teacher and studio owner and it shows in her desire to provide the dance community with the educational tools needed to look their best on stage.Michelle, Face Value — JAM Cosmetics Review and Giveaway, Mar 2010
You should read the whole article.
When I was teaching at a private dance school, there was a performance every year in May that included all the genres of dance. At that school (Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, KY) the ballet program was a bit separate from the other classes. For example, students in the ballet program were required to attend classes either twice, three times, or four times a week, whereas most other classes only met once weekly. One of my favorite things about teaching there was that I was given full control over my part of the final performance of the year, which usually included about twenty minutes of stage time.
The most memorable ballets we created mini ballets from were Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. We pulled wonderful moments from each ballet and made a story the audience could easily follow. The classes blended together without necessarily stopping for applause between each class, and some characters came onstage for parts even outside of their participation in a class dance. This way it flowed better, and at the end of the ballet segment we did a quick set of bows where each group or soloist came out for a bow in a finale with music, which normally only took about two minutes to insert.
Dubbing the music was really fun, as was making sure each student got ample amount of time on stage. Looking for or making appropriate costumes, making earrings to match for all the ballroom dancers, figuring out how to velcro diamond studs on a piece of fabric to a pointe shoe so the dancer wouldn’t have to change her shoes between appearances, and dressing up two fathers to play the parts of the step-sisters were all big highlights. But of course, doing the choreography was the most challenging and rewarding part of all. I tried to keep some of the original, traditional movements where possible, and we had a movie night at my house for all the oldest dancers so they could watch a professional version of the full-length ballet and recognize their roles in it.
Ah, those were the days!
This can be a tough age for ballet, especially depending on how long the student has been taking ballet prior to this age. When I was the director of the ballet program at Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, Kentucky, I had a dress code that seemed to get the kids excited about moving into the next level. I can’t remember the basic colors anymore, but everyone wore pink tights and shoes (the girls anyway–boys wore black leggings and white shirts with white socks and shoes), and each level had a different color and style of leotard. Some had short sleeved maroon leotards, others had camisole green, and the oldest group could wear any style of black. You wouldn’t think a simple thing such as dress code could motivate students, but it really did. And at the age of 10-12 was about the time they were allowed to start wearing camisole leotards instead of short sleeved or cap sleeves. They couldn’t wait to get into that level so they could look more grown up and wear a completely new color (it was like a forest green).
As far as exercises go, this age group is looking forward to pointe as the next big step. It may not happen for the next 2-3 years for them, but explaining how releves can be done by snatching the foot underneath or by going over to the toes (and telling them that this is important information for them to know when they go on pointe), also piques their interest, because they know right around the corner they will be looking forward to pointe shoes. Sometimes at this age, if the students have been taking ballet previously, I would allow them to get the pre-pointe shoes that have a hard box and no shank, just so they can get the feeling of working in a pointe shoe without actually going up on the toes.
Some steps I remember this age group enjoying were waltz turns that sweep across the floor, varying the arm movements and allowing them to really travel and feel like they are dancing. Also teaching them emboite turns is great at this age, and pirouettes. I always started out with pirouettes from 5th position, working on 1/4 turns first, then 1/2 turns and single full turns. They also enjoy learning jumps that have beats in them, such as royale, jete battu, as well as entrechat quatre and assemble battu.
At the barre, adding doubles to frappes is always a fun exercise, especially once they understand it and can do it. Also adding some simple turns at the barre is good at this age. It can be frustrating at first, but I think flic-flacs are great to teach to this age level, both en dehors and en dedans. Rond de jambe en l’air is great, starting out at 45 degrees so they can keep their alignment squared off, and having them do stretching exercises with a partner can also be helpful. The person holding the working dancer’s leg when it is 90 degrees side can learn how to tell if the person is using their turnout and letting go of the big muscles or not. “Let me have the weight” is a good thing to have them communicate, so the working person can relax the muscles and settle into a very square, turned out position that is right for them, before the other person lets go and allows them to imprint the feeling in their muscles.
Using fun music is always a good way to perk up class if you feel they are losing interest. Keeping them challenged is the most important thing you can do to make them feel that they are learning new things all the time and that they are getting ready for pointe work. Doing lots of releves on one or two legs to strengthen their calves and ankles is important. Working through the feet so they can articulate very clearly between a fully pointed foot and a foot pointed just at the metartarsal is good for strengthening their feet and toes.
Give them things that are too hard for them to do in the center, without the aid of the barre, such as entrechat quatre or even entrechat six, jete battu or assemble battu, sissone, etc. Maybe even allow them to observe your most advanced students in a class where they can see them doing these steps with ease will also serve to keep them interested in continuing their ballet education so they can make it to that point too.
Good luck and let me know if any of these are helpful tips. If you have more to add, please share them in the comments!
It’s not surprising, really, that I wanted to dance. My mom said when I was in the womb that I would either be a football player or a dancer, and she was right! I still don’t understand football, so it’s a good thing I liked to dance. 
My mom and dad are both pianists. Mom also played violin and clarinet. My sister is a very accomplished pianist herself, and she and my mom both teach at a Music and Arts store in North Carolina. Lori and my dad are also singers, and my dad was the drama director at my high school and directed many community theater shows as well. My sister also played the flute, my older brother the drums (still plays, too!), and my little brother played the saxophone. I played the piano (a bit) and the flute for a few years. By the time I finished my freshman year of band I was so into my dancing that I didn’t have time to consider another year of marching band, so I let that one go.
Growing up we always had music in our home. People playing piano, drums, flute, sax, and singing filled the house from downstairs in the living room, downstairs in the music room, upstairs in the bedroom, and even out on the front porch steps and upstairs balcony. I love piano music and could listen to it all day, especially when someone is sitting at a piano playing it live. My parents played a duet on one piano using two octaves and four hands, my aunt Virginia would come and she and my mom would open the doors between the music room and living room and play two piano duets. It was awesome!
My next door neighbor, Jennifer, took ballet and tap. I took some gymnastics first, but was really taken by what Jennifer had to show me when we were about 9 or 10 years old. I had a pair on black patent leather shoes that I would pretend were my tap shoes and she’d give me lessons on the front porch. I loved it, and couldn’t wait until my parents said I could start taking lessons, too. When I was ten years old and classes started in the fall, they let me begin, and I was in love.
I started out at Debbie Wilkerson’s Dance Studio in Greenfield, Indiana. Her studio is still in business to this day and she will always hold a very dear place in my heart. I began with tap and ballet, and my favorite at first was tap. Eventually we added jazz, and then Debbie recommended I start taking classes at the Jordan Academy of Dance in Indianapolis. So on Saturdays, my dad would take me to ballet where I had so many new steps to learn and had to adjust to taking class once a week with girls who took everyday together. It was awkward and I really disliked it, but somehow I knew that by going there my chances of improving and making my dreams come true were brighter.
My dad found out about a special program at Butler University while talking with some of the other parents in the waiting area one day. They had a program for high school students who attended college early, usually going half a day to high school and finishing out the day with dance classes at Butler. My dad knew this had to happen, and he made sure it did happen. He spoke to the principal at my high school and starting the second semester of my sophomore year, I began going to school early for independent study sessions, attended my other classes, ate lunch at noon, and then drove to Butler University for ballet class beginning at 2:00 until 3:20 Monday through Friday. There were a few other high school students in my position, but none were from my school, so I drove alone 35 minutes on the interstate each day. Twice a week we had pointe class from 3:30-4:30, and during Nutcracker season I stayed on for rehearsals for Snow or Waltz of the Flowers (or soldiers, my first year!) until even later.
Then, I’d go back home and get ready for play practice, because I wanted to be involved in drama club where my dad spent much of his time and where my best friends from school were every night. Sometimes I would also teach classes for Debbie’s studio, but I think those were on days when I didn’t have rehearsals at Butler or the high school, or were on Saturdays. My dad helped me put up a makeshift barre in our attic and clear out some space so I had my own little studio up there. It was hot in the summer, but it felt so wonderful to be up there doing barre, practicing my pirouettes or tap, and choreographing for the school talent show. I had a record player with lots of records and it felt so authentic.
By the time I finished high school a semester early, in January of 1986, I had 21 college credits and began my full time studies in ballet at Indiana University in Bloomington the same month. I went back to high school for graduation with my friends and classmates in June of 1986, even though I’d already been living on campus and had completed my first semester of college. It really was like a dream, and I continued dancing at the University of Arizona from 1989-1992 where I got my MFA degree in dance in Tucson. I got to do some awesome roles in Arizona, and was prepared then to begin dancing professionally.
I’m just thankful that my family is so artistic and theatrical; otherwise I’m not sure I would have been given the opportunities I was given to succeed in my area of passion.
I was teaching at a dance school that was located in a former church, and I also made little stuffed teddy bears with tutus and earrings that I sold for $10. I guess the selling bug got to me, and over the summer I had the idea to use a room in the basement of the dance school to set up a trade of shoes. Many kids outgrow their tap and ballet shoes before they are really worn out, so we painted the words Dance Exchange on a long board and attached it to the railing behind the building where steps led down to the basement. We were blown away by how many people came from other dance schools, and how many people wanted to get brand new items from us.
So, being the enterprising people that we are, my husband and I found a few companies that would sell to us at wholesale prices! All we really needed was a phone number, and we already had an address to use for shipments. The studio owner said it would be okay, so we set up a real shop. One day we were in downtown Lexington, KY where we passed this small space for rent right beside a guy who sold stained glass. We started getting excited and called to learn more. It was 600 square feet and we could have it for $350 a month! This was in 1993 right before Christmas. My mother-in-law and her sister came to help us set up, and we found an old (but nice looking) case to use for our cash register and several rounders and other types of things to hold our clothing on and attach to the walls to store our tights and some shoes. There wasn’t a back room, so we had to have all our shoes and stock right out in the store, stacked clear to the ceiling. My parents decided to invest some money into the store, so we were able to begin carrying brands like Capezio, Bloch, Danskin, etc. For credibility, we asked all the professional dancers who shopped at our store to give us an 8X10 picture of themselves that they would sign. We framed each one and hung them near the mirror at the shoe trying on area.
Shortly after starting our store, I became pregnant with our first child. We moved into an apartment right next door to the store, which came in handy because we only had one car and Arthur was still in college. The following year, after Deanna was born, my parents decided to move from Indiana to Kentucky to help us out with the store and the baby. My father retired from teaching high school English, drama, and speech, and I was so grateful to have them nearby. In addition to the store, I was teaching at two or three private ballet schools. Our store took off! The other store in town wasn’t very accommodating to the needs of dancers, and we had a professional company in town, as well as many schools of dance. We got in canvas ballet slippers, pointe shoes from Freed, Grishko, Repetto, Sansha, Gaynor Minden (to name a few…we carried over 20 brands of pointe shoes!). I got more classical leotards than the other store carried (they catered more to aerobics and cheerleader-types).
In 1996, we decided to move our store to a better location with parking and more space inside. We also moved to an apartment close to that store. It had a storage room for shoes (yay!) and for a desk to do our behind the scenes work. We got more equipment from the outlet store in Mt. Sterling so we could display even more clothing and shoes and tights. We gained quite a few more customers and it was going great guns. My second child, Deborah, was born in 1997 and my mom and I worked at the store with her in her little carrier, while Deanna attended a daycare/preschool part time during the days. My dad also watched Deanna quite a bit and read to her a lot, which I believe is why she loves to read to this very day.
A year or two later, the tenants in the small shop beside ours left, and we decided to rent that space and tear down some walls to make our store even bigger. We moved our shoe section into that space, as well as all our children’s wear. We also added a little table and chairs and a basket full of toys so that when shoppers came in with their young children they were occupied while they shopped. We made laminated discount cards for all the teachers, and were generous about giving the low paid professional dancers 25% off their pointe shoes. Many of those dancers also worked at our store part-time, and we didn’t pay a lot per hour but we gave them 40% off anything they wanted in the store. It was wonderful, because it gave our store a lot of credibility, and teachers trusted our employees to fit their students into new pointe shoes properly. We also knew the dress codes at schools that used them so we’d have those items in stock, and knew what types of pointe shoes teachers liked to start beginners out in.
It was such a wonderful time, working with my parents was the highlight, as well as being able to have my children there in the store. In 2003 we sold the store and it continued to run for a few years. The last time we drove through Kentucky we passed by the store and it was empty. Now the dancers from Lexington go to Louisville to get their new pointe shoes. It was a lot of work, and I doubt we’d have done it if we’d known what was involved! But I’m so happy that we did this as a family.
I made a mistake yesterday by publishing an article about my depression that was actually meant for my Fibromyalgia blog that I write to occasionally. However, a couple comments made me think that it might be a worthwhile subject to talk about here, although maybe not so personally.
One comment was about how many artists seem to be more apt to have mental illnesses or some type of psychological issues they must deal with. This piqued my interest, as I feel like two separate people sometimes. On one hand, I’m the creative artsy former ballerina who has a Master of Fine Arts in Dance and who absolutely loves ballet and teaching ballet. On the other hand, I’m a mother of three children who works at a bank and suffers from depression and Fibromyalgia. Many people only know one side or the other, but truly I’m not whole unless you see the bigger picture, and I do believe that giving way to our creative sides can also possibly lead to difficulty in dealing with the world at large.
It’s not so much that I’m ashamed to be depressed; it runs in my family, after all, so no one is to blame (except maybe my batty grandmother, but even she probably inherited it from higher up the family tree!). It’s just that I try to keep this blog based on ballet, making it appeal to both those who are dancing and those who are teaching. But since I slipped up, I’m thinking perhaps it might not be a bad idea to talk about this condition, as I’m sure it affects many more people than you and I might realize.
If you or someone you love have the following symptoms, I highly recommend speaking to your primary care physician, who can prescribe medication if needed or who can recommend a psychotherapist or psychiatrist for you to talk to. Below are the basics. Read the rest of the article to see what the treatment options look like.
I wish everyone a happy, healthful life while dancing and teaching ballet! There is absolutely no stigma attached to finding help if you or someone you love needs assistance with this common illness.
We just completed a contest on Facebook for fans of Inside Ballet Technique, in which Laurie LeBlanc Rickaby won a downloaded copy of my book Classical Ballet: Combinations for Ten Complete Advanced Classes. I’ve decided to make this a monthly contest on my web site! All you have to do is make comments throughout the month, and the person with the most comments will win a download of my book. All of the combinations in the book are new and have never been put on my site, so they are all fresh combinations in the easy to read format you’re accustomed to.
The winner for February will be announced on March 1! What I really like to hear if you’ve used a particular combination is how it worked out for you, for the level of class you’re teaching, and if you had to make any adjustments to make it work. Comment on any of the articles, though! Each one will count in your favor!
Enjoy!
I ordered a theracane from Amazon.com and really like it! It’s great because you can reach trigger points without the aid of another person. It can reach every trigger point in your body! I highly recommend them. I got one for my brother-in-law and he loves it. The other thing I ordered today and am eagerly waiting to receive in the mail is a pain relief neck wrap from www.relaxpack.com. The owner of Relax Pack suffers from Fibromyalgia and created these hot or cold packs out of all organic materials and herbs. It sounds really nice.
Tomorrow I meet with my nutritionist who is going to give me meal plans! Because I have Fibromyalgia, she had me buy a water distiller (the $99 one that has stainless steel inside) and a nice blender so I can make smoothies, too. Apparently this commercial blender will chop up avocado seeds and other seeds that hold a lot of nutrients. Now I’ll be able to really start getting a handle on my nutrition and stop craving things I don’t need! She said that eventually I will be able to go off some of the medication I take for chronic pain. That would be wonderful!
Here are some nutrition tips she gave me:
At my first meeting with my nutitionist, she did say I should drink 2 cups of lukewarm distilled water first thing in the morning, before eating any food. This gently awakens the digestive system. She said to use skim milk instead of 2%, to eat two halves of a walnut everyday, to get Ezekiel bread, to drink water 15 minutes before a meal or 30 minutes after (but don’t drink during a meal!), to use coconut oil for stir frying, and that I should eat dates with grapefruit instead of alone as a snack. Lastly, she said to eat two egg whites and one egg yolk for breakfast and that boiled or poached are best. I didn’t know the protein was in the egg white and not the yolk! I’ve been trying to do these things until I get my real meal plans from her on Thursday.
I hope everyone enjoys their holidays. Maybe taking a look at my post about taking breaks would be helpful, since many dancers will be enjoying some needed time off this week and next!
Many children who start beginning ballet will be coming with a background in creative movement. I think it’s important to retain some of the aspects of creative movement in pre or beginning ballet, because the fact that they are continuing their ballet education means they’ve enjoyed dance up to this point. So for the first few lessons I’d say it would be good to begin in the center instead of at the barre, doing some stretching exercises for their legs and feet. You can also work on posture in the center before bringing them over to face the barre.
Use of the Feet
There are so many things for beginning students to learn about using the feet. Try not to overwhelm them in the beginning or they won’t be able to retain any of what you say. It’s all right if they don’t do everything right, as long as they are working on the aspects of what you’re trying to teach them that day. You can also work on some of the foot exercises while seated on the floor. You can begin with flex and point, stopping midway between so they can see what it looks like when their toes are flexed and their foot is pointed (you can show them that this is demi-pointe when standing). Holding their feet in a pointed position while they are seated on the floor, you can have them practice just lifting their toes and then pointing them repeatedly, and instill an understanding of the phrase “working through the metatarsal”. I don’t think they are too young to begin hearing such references to the anatomy of the foot, as long as you clearly explain to them what you mean when you say it.
Standing at the Barre
Once they are at the barre, it’s important to teach them the proper way to use it. This might take a good portion of the first few classes, just having them standing facing the barre with a light touch and elbows bent. Teaching them how to recognize if they are too close (elbows scrunched into the body) or too far away (hips pushing back) is an important lesson that they’ll use throughout all their years to come in ballet.
Using Good Posture
It’s hard for children to stand with their tummies in and their spines lengthened for any amount of time. Making a combination of this alone would be good a good exercise to include in each class, so that when you remind them to “pull up” and “lengthen your spine” during tendus or plies they will know exactly what you are wanting them to do. I think including breathing techniques would be an excellent thing to do when children are first learning ballet, so they do not equate pulling up with holding their breath.
Use of Turnout
I have a whole post about turnout, and if ever there’s a topic for disagreement among ballet teachers this is it! My point of view may not mesh with that of the directors at the school where you are teaching, so please understand that this is only my recommendation. I don’t believe in forcing turnout. Now that I’m over 40 and suffering the effects of forcing my own body into positions it wasn’t naturally inclined to make, I’m even more against it. I think it’s possible for someone to achieve a beautiful line and to dance with great technique and grace without having perfect turnout. To me, working with what you were given should be a top priority. If anyone tells you that you should consider buying fancy contraptions that stretch your limbs to an unnatural limit, or that you should even consider surgery, cover your ears and run in the other direction! This is not necessary, and it is definitely not healthy.
Again, sitting or lying on the floor is a great way to work on demonstrating turnout before involving the traction of the floor. Having the students lie on their backs and flex their feet, then slowly open their toes as far as their hips allow will show them where their natural turnout is. Of course, dancers work on increasing and improving their range of turnout, but I’m firmly against standing in a perfect 180 degree first position or working your leg directly to the side when à la seconde. At the barre, it’s good to teach the basics of plié and tendu and degagé from a parallel position before introducing the steps using turnout. This means mostly working to the front, but there are a lot of mechanics involved in using the feet properly, lifting the metatarsal and lowering it back down when closing. And for plié, keeping the body lifted as the legs bend and not letting the torso drop forward. After they have mastered tendu and degagé to the front from a parallel position, you can introduce the steps working to the side with their feet in a V (I wouldn’t necessarily call this first position right away, or they may begin trying to force their toes out too far).
Epaulement
In addition to working on plié, tendu, and degagé, you can begin working with epaulement in pre or beginning ballet. Teaching children all the ways to use the head is important, and will greatly aid them later when they are asked to use their head and arms along with their legs and feet. Just doing exercises that involve keeping the neck long when looking up, down, side to side, and inclining the head so the ear bends toward the shoulder is good for them. Slowly adding these head movements to plié or tendu facing the barre will help them to incorporate such techniques more quickly when they become more advanced. It’s a little like teaching someone to play the piano with two hands instead of just one. You don’t want to put this off for too long, or they’ll never feel comfortable with it.
Other Positions to Practice
Second position of the feet, Sur le cou de pied, sous sus, retire. Gradually add ¼ rond de jambe á terre en dehors after introducing tendu from 1st position.
In the Center
Easy steps for beginning students to practice in the center include temps lié through second position, which is also a good preparation for glissade, which you can break down for them to learn slowly. Using port de bras with head is a good exercise to do in the center. Kids love to jump! Teaching sauté in 1st and 2nd positions usually goes over well, emphasizing the importance of keeping the arms still and the torso upright. In preparation for turns you can have them practice spotting the front of the room while shuffling their feet in a circle.
Across the floor
It’s pretty easy to transform gallops into chassé across the floor, and prancing into embôité in low attitude devant. I also enjoyed teaching this age how to do chainé turns. I usually did this with their hands either on their hips or on their shoulders so they don’t have to worry too much about what their arms are doing and so they don’t get twisted up. We would practice just stepping on the flat foot to the side with head looking over their shoulder, then flipping (like a playing card) so their body is facing the back of the room and they’re looking over the other shoulder. Getting them to continue turning in the same direction is the biggest trick!
In all, this is a very fun age to teach. I think being sure to make the transition from creative movement to the more structured ballet class slowly is what will keep them wanting to come back. If you make too drastic a change they might just lose interest in ballet. Good luck! And if you have other ideas that work well for pre-ballet or beginning ballet classes, please share them in the comments!
