Sometimes when a step or enchaînment goes great, it’s easy to tick it off your mental list and move onto the next item that could use some work. Dancers at any level can get stuck in correction mode, and miss the bigger picture.
Teachers aren’t immune to this either! In an effort to make sure our students have the technical skills to get through an exam or the stamina for a hard performance piece, we sometimes forget to celebrate everything they’re achieving.
Finding the balance between giving a productive class full of level-appropriate challenges and corrections, and creating an encouraging space for you to bask in your ballet joy is something I’ve worked really hard on, and I’ll keep fine tuning it for years to come.
I’ve written before about how getting a feel for the style and intention of ballet steps is as much a part of technique as organizing your body from an anatomical perspective. Focusing on those elements is also a great tool for teaching multi-level classes — I love seeing newer and highly experienced dancers making dynamic choices in ways that suit their level and their unique bodies.
BUT — you still might be leaving group classes without knowing where you’re excelling and the areas to focus on to make your biggest improvements.
I remember breezing through the turnout portion of a student’s pre-pointe assessment, “You have great turnout in retire and extensions; you just need to work a bit on your mobility so you can get that same rotation when your legs are underneath you.”
She stopped in her tracks and said, “I had no idea I had great turnout anywhere!”
I had another student who got her exam comments back, full of rave reviews about her port de bras. She had no idea how gorgeous her port de bras had become. Sometimes it takes getting into an assessment space where everything’s laid out, to get a full picture of your dancing.
So I have a challenge for you, ballet friend — reach out to a teacher who’s seen you in class, and ask them the following questions:
- What’s one area I should focus on improving, and how can I work on it at home and in class?
- What am I doing really well in my dancing, and how can I nurture it?
Send a message to your teacher, or ask if they have five minutes to spare before or after an upcoming class. If you’ve been to my classes, you can hit reply to any of the Inspired Motion newsletters in your inbox, and I’d be happy to share my thoughts!
I hope you’ll be brave and ask these questions! It’s a fantastic opportunity to get personalized advice, learn how to make the most out of your hard work, and learn about your strengths.
P.S. Private lessons are on sale until August 31! Buy your class packs now to get the deal and book your lessons for the fall term.