The piqué arabesque is a ballet staple that looks deceptively simple. At Alonzo King LINES Dance Center, LeeWei Chao uses the image of standing on the edge of a cliff to inspire correct alignment, emphasizing a strong supporting side so that dancers avoid tilting and dipping forward. “Your body energy goes up,” he says. “Stay […]
No two pairs of pointe shoes are the same, from their shanks to their boxes, their color to their shine. To make an array of shoes more uniform or to get them to a shade closer to your skin tone, dance teachers might ask that you “pancake” your pointe shoes before going onstage. But what […]
With her superb musicality, dramatic skills and go-for-broke speed and risk taking, Suzanne Farrell inspired Balanchine to push the limits of a dancer’s physical capabilities. Together, the pair helped shift ballet into more creative, athletic and abstract territory. “Diamonds” (1967) As part of Balanchine’s three-part plotless ballet Jewels, “Diamonds” was his tribute to imperial Russia […]
In fond memory of a legendary teacher, we wanted to revive some timeless wisdom David Howard shared with us back in 2001. • Instead of talking to students for 15 minutes, put what you are trying to say in the steps. • Give students a physical analysis to see the kind of bodies that they […]
Running a studio is an enormous undertaking that requires you to wear many hats at once (and with expertise): pedagogy, customer service, business management and beyond. Some owners find they’re better off doing the work with a trusted partner by their side—someone to share both the responsibilities and the rewards. But finding the right person […]
After 31 years of teaching, Kim Black has mastered how to reach young dancers. Between a studio and private school, she teaches 34 classes per week in Burlington, North Carolina: That’s 238 kids from ages 2 to 6 years old. “You have to make them fall in love with dance,” says Black. The music, she […]
The back is an essential focus of Cynthia Harvey’s ballet classes, especially as a part of port de bras. Here, she offers “plain,” en face port de bras, followed by the same position with épaulement, to show the difference the back (and head and neck) can add to any position. Aspirational imagery helps students find […]
When most people think of dance students, they imagine lithe children and teenagers waltzing around classrooms with their legs lifted to their ears. It doesn’t often cross our minds that dance training can involve an older woman trying to build strength in her body to ward off balance issues, or a middle-aged man who didn’t […]
Few things are more powerful for promoting ballet performances than captivating trailers—especially in today’s visually-focused, digitally-connected world. We’ve rounded up some eye-catching ads from seasons past and present that not only make us wish we could have seen the show, but also stand alone as short films. Bucharest National Opera’s La Sylphide Magnifying the scarf […]
Master pointe shoe fitter Josephine Lee of the California-based The Pointe Shop is taking her wares on a tour of the West Coast: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. Lee is visiting dance schools along the way in her mobile pointe shoe van to fit ballet students. Check out her first five vlogs from […]