Articles

For any ballet fans who tuned in yesterday (Feb. 7th) for the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi may have been wonderfully surprised to see ballet featured in the spectacular evening.  Well, maybe its not so surprising, since these winter Olympics are, after all, hosted in Russia.  Either way, it was great…

Joffrey Ballet’s Beginnings In 1956, Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino formed an ensemble of six dancers to tour around the country to perform original ballets by Robert Joffrey himself.  Money wasn’t as abundant for them at the time, as they toured around in a station wagon that pulled a U-Haul trailer filled with costumes, supplies…

Finesse Finesse is required in ballet to look fluid, strong and in control all at the same time.  It also allows a ballet dancer to use their muscles efficiently.  Think of finesse as taking the quick route back home from work… Why take the longer way when you can get home using half the time…

For enterprising ballet students, the beginning of the new year is a particularly exciting and nerve-wracking time.  January is the start of audition season and serious ballet students set their sights on getting accepted into a prestigious summer dance program. Summer intensives provide the opportunity for students to improve significantly in a short period of…

Young dancers dream of the day they make their debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy or Cavalier in the Nutcracker and amaze audiences with their dazzling skill. The road to center stage is not an easy path however, and students must work their way up class by class. For students who are serious about their…

Once a girl has begun studying ballet, the day arrives when she becomes very excited (as well as impatient) to begin pointe work. Before a student begins dancing on pointe however, there are a few factors that need to be considered in order to ensure a safe and positive outcome. Dancing on pointe is a…

Dancers can get nervous on stage.  No matter how many times or years you’ve been performing, you may find yourself with butterflies right before the curtain comes up, or maybe even hours before! Often times, a dancer may get even more nervous than usual if he or she feels unprepared.  This unprepared feeling can stem…

Stretching and strengthening your feet have many benefits to your overall technique and presentation as a ballet dancer.  Dancers have found all sorts of ways to stretch feet over the years using all sorts of techniques like cramming their feet under a piano or couch, using tools built specifically to stretch feet, or even asking…

When most people hear the word “sickle” they likely think of a useful tool for harvesting grain.  While there may be a sickle appearing in a classical ballet or two (La Fille Mal Gardee, for example), when it comes to a dancer’s technique, they should always try to avoid it as it’s considered a mistake….

Summer is flying by, which means it is already time to think about enrolling your child in after school activities for the upcoming year.  Ballet provides great physical exercise and also instills confidence, teaches discipline and artistry and helps young students develop coordination and imaginative thinking. Many schools begin enrolling for the Fall semester during…