The Best Ballet Teachers

[Michelle_Richer]

Wow Lin, How exiting a teacher with a tantrum.

[mimi66]

I would add to the list an ablity to be push students judiciously: that is, to her/his full potential at that particular moment.

 

In adult classes (as Lin mentioned above) sometimes complacency sets in.  I can say this being an adult student myself.  After all, we have all the excuses in the world: we have work/family obligations, we are stressed, our body is not made for ballet, we are not in our 20's anymore, we are doing it just for fun, it's not as if we are going to become a professional now... ad infinitum.

 

I find it nice to be shaken up from time to time, becuase then I discover what I thought was my limitation was actually only in my head.

 

And, let's face it, no matter how strict or harsh we may think, no teachers will place the demand that they would place on vocational students, or let's face it, children's class, on adult students. Not because they think we are recreational dancers (though I would find it hard to be described otherwise, if you are not a professional dancer nor training to become one), but they are well aware of our limitations.  The real one, not (wrongly) perceived one that is.

Edited October 25, 2013 by mimi66

[LinMM]

Mimi66 have run out of likes (again) just to say I love that line....."then I discover what I thought was my limitation was actually only in my head" .....

This is so true on many occasions but always a delight to break through! As adults our heads often get in the way of our dance.

[Huddsballetmum]

The best ballet teacher should be

Passionate; energetic; enthusiastic; innovative; nurture dancers no matter what their ability; instill confidence to try, and to fail and then to get back up and try again; should be willing to help students progress beyond their teaching abilities and on to others; should be teacher, mentor and friend.

 

This was my dd's dancing teacher, who very sadly passed away suddenly at the beginning of the month.  She will be remembered for ever by the pupils to whom she taught not only dance, but valuable life skills that have made them better individuals.

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

Thank you Anjuli.

 

I'm very lucky to have found a teacher who was willing to take me on. In fact I credit her for coaching me to a standard where I gained my Intermediate a couple of years ago with merit. I believe it was challenging for her to get rid of my bad habits I had picked up from teaching that did not suit me, as mentioned in my last post. In fact, she said herself that it was easier to start me on pointe since it was a new thing for me so there were no bad habits to get rid of! She believes it's always easier to teach someone new to pointe rather than try to get rid of bad habits. I think in an ideal world, all those who teach ballet would be great/'real' teachers but sadly this is not always the case. However, I think coming across an awful teacher really makes you appreciate it when you come across someone wonderful who has an eye for detail, is willing to give his/her students a chance and pass on their passion for ballet at the same time.

 

Mimi66 and LinMM - I know what you mean about finding excuses for yourself. What I find difficult sometimes is switching off from work-mode to ballet-class mode when doing class after work.

[mimi66]

Thank you LinMM...

 

Dancer Sugar Plum, I know what you mean. 

 

Some days I tell myself that it is an achievement in itself just to come and do the class  .

[BalletDad10]

Thank you for sharing all your thoughts and experiences. Do you think ballet is like sport in the way that the best performers (players) don't always make the best teachers (coaches)?

[Anjuli_Bai]

Thank you for sharing all your thoughts and experiences. Do you think ballet is like sport in the way that the best performers (players) don't always make the best teachers (coaches)?

 

I think that's true of anything..the best scientists may not be the best science teachers.  The best marriage counselors may be divorced several times.

 

It's two different worlds.

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

I agree that the best dancers don't always make the best teachers, from my personal experience. I would define 'best dancers' here as the ones who had an 'easy' body to deal with (in ballet terms), so they had minimal difficulties to overcome during their training. In some ways, I feel it's no fault of their own; since they had an 'easy' body to deal with, how could they advise someone so different from themselves?

 

For example, there is a teacher I know of who used to dance professionally in a classical company when she was younger and trained at one of the 'big four' vocational ballet schools in the UK. Although she has been teaching for at least a couple of decades now, she cannot help the ones who have some 'difficulties'. Using myself as an example, I don't have even turnout from hip to feet; I have been told I am flat turned out in the hips, which is not matched all the way down to my feet. This means it takes me a lot of thought and effort to keep turnout when I rise, releve, etc. If I don't think about it my feet will turn in. It's the same for jumps as well; if I just 'go for it' and jump as high as I can, my feet will turn in. However, when I go to this teacher, the only correction I would get is, 'jump higher' and 'get your leg higher'. She gives these same corrections to the younger/teenage students. I have seen teenage students (this is an RAD class) who sickle en pointe, 'climb up' to get en pointe for courus and bend the leg to pose, but they are never corrected. I assume she doesn't notice it and/or she is not able to advise them on how to improve. I feel it's a real shame for those students.

[Anjuli_Bai]

There is another element that could enter the picture when someone who has danced professionally retires and decides to teach.   It is a willingness to turn from concern for "self" to concern for "others."  From the competitive world of a dance company to the selfless world of a teacher.

 

When I had the good fortune to interview retired ABT Principal Dancer Susan Jaffe, she discussed this difficulty.  This interview, which included an observation of a class she taught, and then a casual conversation over lunch, was published on the "old" Ballet.co Forum and can be found here: (hope the link works!)

 

http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_07/nov07/interview_susan_jaffe.htm

 

It is in the  "conversation over lunch" during which she discusses this difficulty with great honesty.

[drdance]

I agree that the best dancers don't always make the best teachers, from my personal experience. I would define 'best dancers' here as the ones who had an 'easy' body to deal with (in ballet terms), so they had minimal difficulties to overcome during their training. In some ways, I feel it's no fault of their own; since they had an 'easy' body to deal with, how could they advise someone so different from themselves?

 

For example, there is a teacher I know of who used to dance professionally in a classical company when she was younger and trained at one of the 'big four' vocational ballet schools in the UK. Although she has been teaching for at least a couple of decades now, she cannot help the ones who have some 'difficulties'. Using myself as an example, I don't have even turnout from hip to feet; I have been told I am flat turned out in the hips, which is not matched all the way down to my feet. This means it takes me a lot of thought and effort to keep turnout when I rise, releve, etc. If I don't think about it my feet will turn in. It's the same for jumps as well; if I just 'go for it' and jump as high as I can, my feet will turn in. However, when I go to this teacher, the only correction I would get is, 'jump higher' and 'get your leg higher'. She gives these same corrections to the younger/teenage students. I have seen teenage students (this is an RAD class) who sickle en pointe, 'climb up' to get en pointe for courus and bend the leg to pose, but they are never corrected. I assume she doesn't notice it and/or she is not able to advise them on how to improve. I feel it's a real shame for those students.

Thank you for posting this. Firstly, I know that your experience may have been a one off, but I know that as someone who struggled physically with technique, I learnt many different ways of explaining or understanding placement, line and technique so I feel well equipped to teach and I believe I am a better teacher because things were harder for me as a student. Secondly, I think that the ability or knowledge to see what correct or incorrect work looks like is fundamental in a good teacher. Often a student will ask me "how can you tell .....?" And it's because my 'eye' is very well tuned to correct technique, placing etc through research, study, observing other teachers etc. I know my lack of professional experience leaves some to consider that I am a lesser teacher than an ex-professional dancer, and I know I can't offer students the 'when I was dancing with so-and-so' stories, but when I employ staff I would rather have someone that has never danced professionally but who the pupils connect with well, who has a wealth of knowledge, a good eye to see correct technique, who is able to give helpful feedback that pupils improve from, and who can teach classes with good pace where every pupil feels valued and has something to take away from every lesson!

[Anjuli_Bai]

While I do agree with what you are saying, I also think that a teacher with professional dance experience does offer a bit more than:

 

"and I know I can't offer students the 'when I was dancing with so-and-so' stories"

 

Having professional experience is a definite plus - all other components being in place.

[drdance]

Of course a teacher with professional performance experience offers more than just stories - I hope you don't think that's all I feel they offer!

[Dancer Sugar Plum]

Anjuli - I enjoyed reading your interview with Susan Jaffe.

It sounds like the 'best' dancers who become wonderful teachers are the ones who were able to stop thinking about themsevles. I was once told that the ones who do ballet 'easily' need to do a lot more thinking about the technique of ballet if/when they want to become good teachers and I think this is true. Maybe it's why some professional dancers are able to make the transition to become wonderful teachers, while others do not.

Drdance - I have a teacher who has said the exact same things as you have, that someone who has struggled with getting the correct technique could be better teachers because they have had to figure out how to get the proper line/placement in their own bodies. I like to think that someone who has struggled with the technique would be more understanding of those students who are not 'naturals' at ballet.

I have not had personal experience of (or connections with) vocational school but I have heard that they are unable/unwilling to deal with students who have physical difficulties, which is why they are assessed out (or don't get in). I don't know if this is true or not, but maybe this is why we hear of stories of students who have been successful re-audtioning some years later on, and/or they end up becoming professional dancers despite being assessed out of one vocational school in the past. They were able to overcome whatever 'difficulty' they had, but the first vocational school did not want to wait to see if the 'issue' would be sorted out.

I feel that whether someone is an ex-professional or who has never performed professionally does not indicate if they would be a good teacher. I think the best teachers are the ones who have a eye for detail and this trait is not resticted to someone's performing experience. However, at the same time, I do understand that a teacher who has had performing experience can offer students a different perspective as well. As an example, one of my teachers has given me advice on how to look your best/most turned out when travelling across the diagonal on stage. She danced professionally in the past and said that you must pay particular attention to the downstage leg, making sure the foot and leg is the correct shape as you run/walk because that is the leg the audience would notice. It does not matter if the other leg is almost pararel because of the angle you're travelling in. It's not that she's saying it's okay to turn one leg in, but if you don't have perfect turnout it is one way to look your best if you're on stage. She said it's something that students would realise as they got more and more stage experience.

[Anjuli_Bai]

I think there is yet another element to consider.  Some dancers when they retire have to teach to sustain themselves whilst others are able to do it as a choice.

 

As in any field of endeavor we are usually best at what we enjoy doing.

[Thecatsmother]

I do think that with all the professional, research or amount of years teaching experience there will always be an element which cannot be taught or gained from professional experience. Most people will relate to this from experience at school when there is likely to have been a teacher who had something extra which perhaps could not be put into words.

 

I do think the student/teacher relationship is crucial at any level and some teachers are a better fit for some than others.

[BalletDad10]

I agree with Sugar Plum that overcoming difficulties as a dancer can be a great asset for someone who becomes a teacher. But are there really some dancers who never experience problems, the 'naturals' as you call them? I find that hard to believe. Maybe it's comes down to how well they harness and use those experiences when teaching their students.

 

Have other people heard that teachers at vocational schools are under pressure to assess out rather than work students through difficulties?

[LinMM]

I think some dancers with longer careers are probably less prone to injury though obviously not entirely free from it.

Sylvie Guillem in a recent interview admitted she had been lucky.....had the right body and very few injuries. I believe it was similar for Margot Fonteyn.

 

However some dancers have much shorter careers and often this is because of recurrent injury. I'm sure of these dancers who then decide to go in for teaching they should be able to be helpful and bring their own experiences of their own difficulties to understand better their own students.

[BalletDad10]

Another aspect of teaching that really interests me is how we motivate students. And what is the best way to praise and correct them? Any thoughts or experiences to share?

[Anon2]

I would argue that as a dance student my dd has always been self motivated, even at a very young age. If she hadn't would assume she had lost her passion and no longer wanted to dance, saving myself both a fortune and hours of time.

[Anjuli_Bai]

Another aspect of teaching that really interests me is how we motivate students. And what is the best way to praise and correct them? Any thoughts or experiences to share?

 

I think we learn from our own teachers what works andd just as importantly what doesn't.

 

 

Corrections:

 

The non-informational correction:  "That's wrong."  conveys no information as opposed to "Try it this way" - or - "You are turning into your shoulder - open that shoulder as you go."

 

This tells the student that the present course isn't working, why and how to fix it.

 

Praise the act - as in:  "Suzy, your spotting was right on and that was a beautiful pirouette."  This praises Suzy's effort, tells her why it worked. It's an informational praise.   Rather than:  "Suzy you are terrific" which doesn't convey any information and might very well set up negative feelings with the rest of the class.

 

Make sure that every student is "touched" - given his/her moment during the class.

 

As for motivation -whether the student is self-motivated or not the energy of the class rides on the energy of the teacher.  I am not speaking here of physical energy - but of positive - this is possible - let's work for it - energy.

 

The nicest thing - in all my years of teaching - that I over heard one of my students say was in a class of 7 to 9 yrs olds - when one of them said to a new girl - "We work hard but we laugh a lot."

 

Wow

[drdance]

I think intrinsic motivation is vital especially for teenagers and pre-vocational students. Why do they go to ballet classes? What do they want to achieve? What do they need to do to achieve that? We use journals at MIDAS to set individual targets and review progress. The students also like to put in their inspiration

[BalletDad10]

As for motivation -whether the student is self-motivated or not the energy of the class rides on the energy of the teacher.  I am not speaking here of physical energy - but of positive - this is possible - let's work for it - energy.

 

The nicest thing - in all my years of teaching - that I over heard one of my students say was in a class of 7 to 9 yrs olds - when one of them said to a new girl - "We work hard but we laugh a lot.

 

Great post. I really agree that the teacher has to set the tone and create the energy for the class. And getting that balance between hard work and having fun is another of my goals when I teach (I'm not a ballet teacher).

 

Your comments about corrections were spot on too and chime with the thesis of a book I'm reading called "Bounce" by Matthew Syed. The subtitle is "The myth of talent and the power of practice". Believing that people are born with a special talent becomes a block to our journey on the learning curve. Either we believe we are talented so we don't have to try, or we aren't so we'll never be any good. Research shows that a "growth mindset", the idea that we can improve with the right kind of instruction and practice (the 10,000 hours), is what produces success in dance, sport or any other field. It's a fascinating read. The teacher's (and parent's) approach to corrections and praise, therefore, is crucial.

[Thecatsmother]

Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid (Albert Einstein).

[LinMM]

I love that quote Balleteacher!

 

But I do agree that thinking you should have a "special" talent in life......and wondering why you haven't ever found it can be a sort of block.

You just have to go with what you are attracted to and do your best with it. The immersion in the practice of what you like doing is the reward in itself and I think its wise to get out of the mindset that EVERYBODY is a genius. That would devalue the word! But it doesn't matter if you are not either!!

[Anjuli_Bai]

Great post. I really agree that the teacher has to set the tone and create the energy for the class. And getting that balance between hard work and having fun is another of my goals when I teach (I'm not a ballet teacher).

 

Your comments about corrections were spot on too and chime with the thesis of a book I'm reading called "Bounce" by Matthew Syed. The subtitle is "The myth of talent and the power of practice". Believing that people are born with a special talent becomes a block to our journey on the learning curve. Either we believe we are talented so we don't have to try, or we aren't so we'll never be any good. Research shows that a "growth mindset", the idea that we can improve with the right kind of instruction and practice (the 10,000 hours), is what produces success in dance, sport or any other field. It's a fascinating read. The teacher's (and parent's) approach to corrections and praise, therefore, is crucial.

 

 

Should a balance between hard work and "having fun" be a purposeful goal at all?   I think learning in a positive environment is fun.

 

 Is having fun and just allowing the natural flow of humor  - laughter - to occur the same thing?  

 

I never set a goal for "having fun."   I just allowed natural human humor and laughter to occur. Frankly, I never thought about it.  I just never liked to be in a classroom filled with fear and silence.  I treasure the freedom of honest laughter - it is no threat to me as a teacher..

 

 If the teacher promotes an environment in which there is respect rather than fear, mutual celebration of goals rather than do or die competitiveness, laughing with rather than the fear of being laughed at - there will be in the natural course of human interaction - humor and laughter.  The teacher doesn't even have to think about balances twixt "having fun" and hard work.

 

I think there is a difference between "everyone is a genius" and "'everyone is important to the whole".  Everyone is due respect and conversely is obligated to return respect.  

 

A good teacher earns respect - not fear.

 

A good teacher gives away knowledge - rather than hoarding it.

 

A good teacher doesn't pretend she/he has the keys to the kingdom - and the student never quite earns a key.

 

Regarding laughter in the classroom.....

 

I took a daily class from a teacher, Mr. Jones, who had much to offer - but he was a curmudgeon of the first order.  This was a professional level class and we had a rotation of teachers.  One day, expecting another teacher the curmudgeon showed up.  

 

One of the male dancers blurted out:  "Oh my God!  Oh my God!   Mr. Jones is teaching!"  

 

Mr. Jones standing in the doorway - overheard.  The entire class froze in fear.  Mr. Jones' face froze in anger.  No one dared to speak or move.

 

I simply couldn't stand the tension and said:  "Well, Mr. Jones, at least he called you "god - twice!"

 

The heavy silence continued a few moments longer - and then suddenly Mr.Jones' face began to crack and crinkle - a smile - then uproarious laughter. 

 

The tension broke -  I just can't stand a heavy fear laden atmosphere like that and I never wanted it in my classroom.

[BalletDad10]

"It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows."

Epictetus

[drdance]

Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid (Albert Einstein).

Nice quotation, but not Einstein's!

[Anjuli_Bai]

"We are all teachers and students at the same moment in time."

 

(not Einstein's either)

[LinMM]

So whose quote is it then Drdance!!

[drdance]

I don't know - it's one of these 'internet creations' that is just out there and so many people identified with it that it got shared and shared. At one point someone wrongly attributed it to Einstein but it's just kept going.

[Anjuli_Bai]

But.... perhaps Einstein may have wished he said it.  

 

I'm glad I didn't say it.....don't like the visual of tree climbing fish.  And I'm not sure fish ever wonder if they are stupid or not.

 

Like if one swallows a hook - would it think: "Good grief!  That was stupid!  Maybe I should have climbed a tree!"  

 

 

Back to the topic thread......

 

I think every good teacher needs a spot of silliness.

[LinMM]

well that cheered me up on this dismal day here in the UK!

 

And yes a bit of silliness is fine.

 

I did a workshop at the weekend where we were working on a piece of fairly simple choreography. But it was held in one of the studios in the ROH

So at one point the teacher said we'd nearly got it we only needed one more go.....and just in time too as the evening performance(meaning on the main stage) was not far off........(which it was in reality) ......shall I go and tell them you're ready now!

 

As if..........