E-News: Marisa Paull's Mindful Ballet Class
"I give my best classes after I've finished a performance run," says Marisa Paull. "It's where I get all my advice. I have such a clear concept of what I've learned from being on stage, and I want to share that with my students." On faculty at the new Peridance Capezio Center in New York City and the Logrea Dance Academy in Ossining, New York, Paull can be found bouncing about the studio, imparting to her ballet students the notion that dancing is really about making informed choices very quickly.
"As a teacher," Paull says, "I believe my role is to give students advice as to how to make a step easier, how to build strength and use their own technique to make those steps look good-but not drill the information like you would grammar or laws of science. It's an art." When teaching older students, pre-professionals and adults, class should focus on training the individual to work in ways that are in his or her own best interest. "I know what works for me, but I also realize that those nuances that feel right or look right on my body will definitely not be the same for everybody. So I give options."
"I try to give one or two examples in different combinations per class where there are choices dancers can make," says Paul. Whether it's how to stretch at the barre or choosing to coupé versus tombé, Paull presents various ways to execute a phrase. "In class, I give my students the opportunity to explore and learn how their own body works. Being a performer is about making conscious decisions based on what looks good. So my students can draw upon those classroom experiences when making choices with choreographers to layer their performances."
But above all, class must be stimulating, exciting and fun. "If we approach ballet as something that's punishable if we do it wrong, then it's not enjoyable anymore-not to practice and certainly not to watch."
Watch clips from Marisa Paull's intermediate ballet class at the Peridance Capezio Center in Union Square, New York City.
Photo courtesy of Marisa Paull
