Q: How much time should I give my students to work with pinkie balls in class?

A: Begin introducing your students to pinkie ball work by taking 15 to 20 minutes of a single class to show them how to roll on the balls against the wall and on the floor. Demonstrate all the different ways they can release and reduce muscular tension from essential areas, such as the feet and calves, pelvis and upper back.

Once they have an understanding of ball work, I’ll sometimes give my dancers five minutes during class to work out wherever they feel is most needed. If they’re going from one class straight into another, I encourage them to use the balls for a few minutes to get back into their body and check out how they feel. Generally, though, once they know how to use the pinkie balls, they can do this on their own whenever they need to.

Let your students know they need to be responsible for keeping their bodies as tension-free as possible, and pinkie balls are a tool they can use to do this for the rest of their lives.