So I’m a ballet teacher…
I have professional training.
I have a dance degree and I’m currently studying for my teaching certificate.
I have attended prestigious ballet and dance schools and programs.
I have received training from famous choreographers and dancers all over the globe.
I learn more and more every day about how to be an even better ballet teacher.
But what I do is controversial.
I don’t teach your “normal” ballet class. Occasionally you will hear your classical ballet music, but majority of the time you will hear the pop hits, clean rap, rock, dubstep, EDM music and more!
Some of us absolutely love ballet class. Others, we remember being forced to attend class and dreaded standing at that ballet barre day after day.
Although my mom did force me to go to ballet class, even though I tried every excuse in the book, it finally paid off. I would cry when someone would call me a bunhead or a ballerina, but now here I am. PROUD to be a bunhead and I enjoy every second of teaching ballet and passing along my passion to other young aspiring dancers.
When I teach, I teach the whole classical ballet class in order. We do all of our combinations at the barre and do a full center with petite and grande allegro, adagio, turns and sometimes we even practice our menege. I give corrections, I fix alignment, I explain movements and so on.
But how much more enjoyable can you make ballet class? How can you make them look forward to standing at that barre day after day? How can you make them use their bodies and their movements to their fullest extent and listen to all the music fully?… CHANGE UP THE MUSIC!
Think about it… when you are working your crappy 9 to 5 job, when you put on the right music in the background, 10 out of 10 times you will have a better day at work. Why? Because you are enjoying what you are doing with the fun music that moves, drives and inspires you! The same can apply to ballet class!
You can still work hard, train your body perfectly, focus on your alignment and work on your strength the same exact way that you would in any ballet class. But with different music that you can jam out to or music that makes you smile ear to ear, you can push your body even harder by enjoying it more!
Yes, I know… I’m breaking the rules of the classical ballet class. But all the greats have broken the rules. Some were even made fun of, fired for it, or not respected, until they were finally found to be geniuses and were finally appreciated for their innovation.
Some studios and teachers do not approve of my ballet classes. Some sneer at me and some just do not respect what I do at all. But my students are learning the same exact thing, they just look forward to their classes now. They have fun at their ballet barre and show up early because they cant wait to start class.
I know what I am doing. I am not doing it to be “the cool teacher.” I’m not doing it to be spiteful or disrespectful to the classical arts. I am doing it because I know what it was like to be in that strict ballet class. I know what it was like to be miserable while pushing myself to every limit possible and still never achieving the perfection that my ballet mistress wanted.
I want to change the image of ballet. We aren’t stiff robots with no feeling and no real muscles. We are dancers with passion and drive. Some younger students just need a little something extra in their classes to keep them coming and make them look forward to learning and training.
