miss.pointe

I have carpets at home which of course is not ideal for home ballet practice. I have been using a piece of MDF but it's quite shiny so it's slippery and I know there are more suitable mats or coverings out there. Can anyone suggest anything portable to use as a floor when doing barre work on carpeted surfaces? Thank you

Anjuli, thanks for taking the time to reply - food for thought and look forward to trying something similar out. Yes, it's amazing how things work out when we do what we feel is right!

Anjuli, your story is inspiring and I agree with the comments that while dance is expensive at times for young people to learn, dance teachers need to make a living and you also get the quality of teaching that you want - it's hard if not impossible to get that quality for free, it's not sustainable. Does anyone have any stories of running perhaps a free/subsidised community class or project alongside their regular, paid teaching or project? I would love to develop something like this but how could you means test the applications or judge how it works? Any experience would be appreciated!

I have been thinking exactly the same thing! I have been watching most of the Olympics while on holiday in Croatia and my first teacher training intensive for dance is in two weeks' time, and I cannot wait to (one step at a time!) not only start teaching dance professionally but also think outside of the box to reach out to children with everything dance has to offer - the discipline, fitness, achievement, satisfaction, beauty, etc, that ballet and dance have to offer! Would love to hear ideas from anyone as well of how to make this work!

Anjuli I completely agree with what you're saying. In fact, I went back and looked at some of the comments and didn't realise people were actually saying things like that. From reading his website and his own comments I always thought it was in addition to professional class and not in place of. I only posted it here as I thought that knowledge would be a given in this community but you can't be too careful, thanks for pointing it out.

Hi all, I have been beginning to study anatomy a bit more and brush up on my technique as I move into teacher training (had a dance break for a few years) and found these really useful ballet tutorials on YouTube. Perhaps everyone knows about them already (or perhaps there is a reason they don't!) but I have found them very thought-provoking and useful and just thought I'd share. http://www.youtube.com/user/onlineballetclass/videos

I am going to take my first teacher training course for IDTA freestyle (and then move on to ballet!) starting next month, and would love to have a headstart and look over the syllabus. Does anyone have a syllabus DVD and/or book for the Freestyle Syllabus? Thank you!

Thanks it worked!

I've tried to find this on FB but can only seem to find one for Bristol and one for another specific city - does anybody know if there is one for London? x

Thanks amber21 - that makes sense! Thank you!

I cleaned my pointe shoes by dipping a damp toothbrush (damp, not wet) into a very little washing powder and then gently scrubbing the shoe. It takes the sheen off the satin and almost seems to bleach it, but if you are just using them in the classroom it should be fine, and if you don't get them wet they should retain their shape. Once you've used the washing powder, use clean water on a clean/rinsed toothbrush to rinse off the powder.

RK, you must be overwhelmed by questions as you seem to be a deep well of information... but I had one last thing to ask! In my research, it seems that a few dance teacher choose to take the Freestyle qualification and then go on to teach different styles of dance under that umbrella. How does that work? I am fairly new to the world of dance teaching but wouldn't you need to be qualified in ballet to teach ballet, as for any other style? How does freestyle seem to cover everything? Thanks again!

RK, thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I will be reading all through your previous posts which you linked to. Thank you again!

JulieW - certainly not only an evening by this stage! I have been snooping on the site all day at work in stealth mode! I shall be here a lot more especially since I've been made to feel so welcome!

Thanks both for your welcome! RK, thank you so much for the offer! What phrase could I search for to find the old thread? My background is in the RAD syllabus. I have also done ISTD jazz and along the way spatterings of contemporary and tap. I also did a three month intensive musical theatre course which included dance most recently. Since my last RAD/ISTD exams (about ten years ago) I have been doing adult ballet classes, yoga, pilates and pursuing a slightly different career in acting. I have found a IDTA dance teacher course which is weekly lessons and of course the course work in between. Hope that's helpful and look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks guys! I will set up an alert on eBay - I am really looking for a second hand one as the new ones are a bit out of my price range.

Hi everyone! I have recently begun training in earnest in preparation for my teacher's course/exam and need a ballet barre for home practice. It needs to be free standing and portable - anything is considered as my chairs/window sils/bookshelves are obviously not doing the trick anymore! If you have one please pm me with the details, price and location. Huuuuuugely appreciated! Thank you!

Hi, I have just joined and spent most of yesterday evening reading through some really informative posts - thank you so much for making such a great resource for dancers! I am thinking of doing a IDTA teacher's course for ballet and possibly jazz modern as well. Has anyone out there done the IDTA course/exam and can tell me more about what to expect? Both actually in the exam on the day and also what the IDTA syllbus is like. Thank you ever so!