The Instructor's Dance Floor

If typical ballet barre music puts you to sleep, there is a CD with a variety of music that may be a bit more your speed. This article  highlights an album for ballet barre and center music that  is engaging for the listener, with a variety of moods and arrangements from different ballet scores. Also, the selections for barre run two times consecutively so your students can do both right and left side without you having to restart the music. This CD is definitely a huge asset for every ballet teacher who'd like to mix up their music selection!

Recently, I have seen many articles floating around social media sites claiming that competitive youth sports are not worth the steep prices and excessive hours that you must dedicate to them in order to truly succeed. Of course, included in this list was competitive gymnastics, dance, and cheerleading. While I understand that at times families must dedicate a lot of time and resources to these activities, I completely disagree with the statement that it is not worth it. As a dancer growing up, I learned the following invaluable traits and lessons: Discipline Patience Humility Sometimes you don't get everything you feel you deserve You shouldn't give up when things get hard, you should push harder You are your own best advocate True satisfaction from becoming a better athlete and person Treat others, especially your superiors, with genuine respect Use your failures to motivate you, instead of discourage you Envy is your worst enemy  These lessons translated...

Although this subject may not be the most glorifying part of dance, eating disorders are a very real aspect of the industry and they are important to talk about. Eating disorders can destroy lives. They are a complex medical and psychiatric illness that can leave a permanent pattern of destructive eating habits. Research has shown that with 20 percent, dancers are at an extremely high risk of developing an eating disorder. As dance instructors, this statistic should be alarming and eating disorders are certainly something that should be on our radar. The article linked here  highlights how complex a dancer's relationship can be with his or her eating disorder.

MuvMethod is a new form of flexibility training emerging from Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a yoga-based system designed to release muscular and fascial tension, while improving strength, balance, alignment, posture, and flexibility. MuvMethod offers an online program, weekly classes, and Flexibility Trainings. The MuvMethod website displays testimonials from a variety of different dance instructors and studio owners who have implemented in the system into their dance curriculum. Ultimately, users seem to agree on one thing, they have seen a huge improvement in flexibility, strength, and body awareness. As a studio owner there are several different options if you wish to implement the MuvMethod program into your institution. You can choose weekly classes, with onsite customized programs designed to fit within your existing curriculum. Or, you can send an instructor or multiple instructors to get MuvMethod certified and bring the practice back to your studio. As an individual instr...

As a dance instructor, it is safe to bet that you spend a large portion of your day either gently, or not so gently, reminding your dancers to point their feet. Unfortunately, all feet are not created equal. While some students have incredible natural arches in their feet, some are completely flat. For those dancers who were not blessed with natural Prima Ballerina feet, they are not doomed. Ballet Foot Stretch is a tool that students or studios can purchase to regularly stretch your feet and acquire higher, more defined arches. With many foot stretchers on the market, I prefer Ballet Foot Stretch because it was specifically made for dancers and gymnasts. It stretches the heel slightly forward as if the user is on pointe. It encourages turnout while letting the user determine how much or how little to stretch their foot, so all foot shapes can utilize this tool. There is also a bridge of support underneath the foot to relieve discomfort. It is recommended that dancers use this too...

This is an extremely interesting video from Ted Ed, which explains the physics of doing fouetté turns on pointe! I highly recommend showing this video to your dancers. There are extremely important elements in which reinforce their training with actual facts, like why your spot and your relevé are important.

Is there a secret message to make all your dancers turn like Sophia Lucia? Sorry, I don't think so. However, reminders that build muscle memory are the key to having consistently strong turners. Below are bullet points to remind your dancers of every class as to what to think of while turning. One of my favorite tactics is asking my class what they need to think about while they are turning. My dancers will raise their hands and we won't stop until all of the bullet points have been checked off. High relevé Straight supporting knee High passé Shoulders down (out) Strong spot (spot your own eyeballs or a point in the room) Strong arms (like holding oranges under your armpits) Utilizing your closing arm In second turns, turning out both your supporting leg and your working leg Closing into a high, strong croisé and not swinging your leg Leading with your heel and not gripping your turnout muscles Not dropping your heel too hard in second turns or fouettes Pulling ...