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What The Ailey School’s Melanie Person Knew When She Was Twelve
In 1977, Ebony Jr. featured a photograph of a young girl at the ballet barre. The caption reads, “Dancing means everything to twelve-year-old Melanie Person, who wants to become a prima ballerina.” By...
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Confessions of a 30-year old Grade III Grad: Why Cecchetti?
As I pulled my pink tights and black chiffon skirt out of the back of my sock drawer, I wondered: Why, exactly, am I still doing this? The first post I wrote as a columnist at Dance Advantage was a...
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Protecting Your Toesies For Pointe
I started pointe at age 9 – (too young by some teachers’ opinions, but that’s another article), and my teacher was thoroughly set on having all of her students wear pointe shoes without padding. Her...
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Take A Kind Step For Animals With These Cruelty Free Slippers
Take a kind step for animals...wear Cynthia King Vegan Ballet Slippers! www.cynthiakingdance.com Cynthia King gives dancers a unique way to show their love for animals in their art by providing high...
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Historical Documentaries on DVD Help To Fill A Void In Academic Dance
I have long been concerned about the state of dance history education, especially in college and university dance programs. These days, some programs have completely eliminated any dance history...
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Reduce New Pointe Student Letdown With A Pre-Shoe Primer
Do you lead a Pre-Pointe workshop before your students are permitted to buy their pointe shoes? I do. Whenever I have a group of students who have been assessed and are ready to start pointe classes, I...
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The History of The Royal Ballet School at a Glance
Over the next 7 months, The Royal Ballet School (London) will open its doors to teachers, dance students and enthusiasts alike for a series of exciting lectures and masterclasses This series of...
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Use What You’ve Got On Hand: Towel Exercises To Strengthen Feet
Nikki White has published the first in a series of children’s books teaching dance and movement in fun and creative ways. Prima the Ballerina books inspire dancers of every age to get their bodies...
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How To Teach Your Students To Walk In Pointe Shoes
I remember one of my first teachers telling me that two of the hardest things in ballet to do well were walking and running. Now, after years of teaching, I have to agree with her! When done well, an...
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Pre-Pointe Primer: Delivering A Full Day Workshop For Beginners
Continuing from the previous article and in response to one reader’s brilliant question, I wished to offer an additional alterative suggestion for how you might wish to deliver your Pre-Pointe...
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The Perfect (and Painless) Ballet Bun – It Can Be Done!
With a host of experienced dancers and dance teachers reading this I am confident there is no need to provide any step-by-step instructions for producing the perfect ballet bun. That said, there is...
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“And Remember To Smile!”
Do you remember your teachers calling out “don’t forget to smile” just before you walked into your dance exams? Do you now remind your own students to smile as they enter their dance examinations? This...
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Developing Performance, Expression & Communication Skills in Ballet
When preparing for ballet exams dancers often hear the words ‘expression’, ‘communication’ and ‘performance’. Yet, without a character from which to draw inspiration, how exactly are you supposed to be...
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Bournonville Basics
You are probably familiar with classical ballet mainstays such as Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Sleeping Beauty. What about La Sylphide, which tells the tragic tale of a beautiful sylph who falls in love...
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Ballet Competitions On the Go
Whether you are a pre-professional ballet student, a young professional in the early stages of your career, or an instructor coaching classical ballet-hopefuls, ballet competitions are definitely on...
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Ballet Primer: The Legend of Love
Tomorrow afternoon, Bolshoi Ballet will kick off a season of special events in movie theaters all over the U.S. They are leading with the ballet The Legend of Love, which, I admit, I knew very little...
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Royals Who Crave a Ballet Buzz
Ballet was born out of the royal court pageants of the Renaissance. In those days, it was primarily entertainment performed by nobility for nobility. Kings and queens even took roles in the lavish...
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Misty Copeland Writes About Diversity in Ballet
Life in Motion, a memoir by Misty Copeland In Misty Copeland’s new memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” she writes about “white ballets” such as La Bayadere and Giselle, and in particular,...
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