Have you heard of Anna May Ballet?




Anna May is an etsy shop (and we all know how I feel about Etsy). They have lovely dancewear and today they are releasing a brand new collection, called the Elegance Collection.



Elegance is composed of three long sleeved leotards with coordinating skirts, aimed to create long, elegant, and flattering lines when worn. The collection was designed incorporating velvet and powermesh to create texture, and includes leotards and skirts in shades of peach, teal, and black.

On the Stage

Imagine you're on the stage with 5 other dancers. You're all doing exactly the same thing at the same time. One person misses a cue and falls behind. It's very noticeable when this happens! Every eye in the room will be on the one dancer who is behind until they catch back up.

Now this isn't a huge deal, but it does distract from the audience's enjoyment. Things that are out of place or out of sync irritate us on a subconscious level.

Dancer on the far right is a bit behind - and you noticed right away

It's also unfair. And I don't mean this to be petty or entitled, but if you're doing a pas de trois and it's supposed to be synchronized and everyone is looking at your classmate instead of the trois as a whole, you'd feel a little bit like you didn't get the attention you deserved.

In the Studio

There are a few situations where upstaging happens in the classroom, and it can be both irritating, and dangerous, depending on the situation.

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Example - Students are going one at a time across the floor, working hard to improve their technique. Students in the corner are doing tricks, talking, or causing trouble. Any classmate or teacher who looks over at the trouble maker is no longer looking at the dancers. The dancers have been "upstaged" by the trouble.



Example - Student is at the barre wearing leg warmers, a skirt, hair in a ponytail instead of a bun, or dangling earrings. The teacher is checking her pirouette to see what is causing her to fall. Her hair whips around or her earring catches the light and the teacher's eye is drawn there instead of to the foot that isn't touching her knee. The accessory has upstaged the foot.

Photo credit: gabrielsaldana on Visualhunt.com /CC BY-SA

(By the way, this is why dance teachers make you wear nothing but a leotard and tights. Their eyes are trained to find the "out of place" thing. If everything is messy and distracting, you can't pinpoint the issue as quickly.)

Upstaging can be used to your advantage at times, for instance if you need to get to a different part of the stage, doing so when other people are moving about a bit, and nobody is frozen in place while a main character dances is the best option to do so. From a choreographically standpoint, it can be used to draw attention to something you do want the audience to see, so they don't see something subtle, like picking up or handing off a prop.

>>>>> You might like: Ballet Composition Notebook

The point is simply to be aware of your surroundings, and to think of others instead of just yourself... who knows, you might see or hear a correction that could change your dancing!

Follow up with this! Dance Class Etiquette is a printable book to hand out (or keep available) in your studio that helps dancers understand what is expected of them. Our Dress Code is a brochure that breaks down why it's important to follow dress code!

Use coupon code Etiquette18 for $5 off your order!

Did you know that anything you put on the surface of your skin can be found inyour blood within 26 seconds or less? That means all your makeup is literally being absorbed into your blood stream. Do you know what's in that stuff?


If you don't I'm going to tell you. (But just the basics because the entire truth bomb would make you cry).

• Lots of dangerous chemicals that have been proven to be toxic to humans and cause cancer, organ failure, and more
• ground up bugs for coloring
• products that are tested on animals usually have remnants of the animals left in the final product
• many skin/makeup products contain human male foreskin
• artificial fragrances so it doesn't smell like the nastiness that it is
• Some chemicals that are added in are called "fragrance," even though that's not what they are, (they just have a smell, so they're called fragrance, and the company won't even tell you what it is)
• Formaldehyde (and yes, formaldehyde is necessary for life, but you don't need excess amounts on the largest organ in your body or in your blood)

There are many curriculums out there, but there doesn't seem to be one "checklist" or "standard" that unites them all together. Should your 8-year-old be learning pirouettes? When should a child go to the barre? What should you expect from a 12-year-old who is just starting pointe?

I've decided to make my personal level expectation checklists available, in hopes that maybe different dance teachers at different studios can start unifying their curriculum a bit!



It's important for me to be clear on this - this is my curriculum, not RAD or Vaganova or whatever. This is what I expect for my students, in the demographic I have learned to teach. Is your 6-year-old doing level 4 work? Okay, great for them. But make sure they can actually do the work correctly, not just doing the steps. They need to understand the concepts and have the strength and flexibility and muscle memory to back up the technique mentioned. So don't teach a 9 year old who is Level 1 how to do a pirouette until they can do all the other material leading up to the pirouette.

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Why do I stop at level 4? Mostly, because that's all I have had time and the means to refine. Most of my students trickle off by that level, so after that, I work on a case-by-case basis (my students who are more advanced than this will work with me one-on-one or in small class settings). But also because after that level and age group, I cater my classes to my student's personal goals, skills, and limitations.

Note for this checklist - If a student is a beginner, they should be placed in level 1, regardless of age, and moved up as they complete the skills mentioned below. I've put the ages I consider appropriate in parentheses, but the levels should be followed first.

Pre-ballet 1 (ages 2-3)

Basic Skills and concepts

• Standing in line
• Taking turns
• Matching the teacher
• Remembering their spot
• Recognizing themselves in the mirror
• Bending down low vs standing up and reaching high

1. Don't stop dancing.

stretching before class

You love dance, that's why you teach it. Whatever you have to do to keep yourself excited and in love with dance, you need to do it regularly. I have started getting into the studio 30 minutes early to give myself a short barre, stretch, or work through choreography ideas. I fell in love with dancing and spent many hours pouring into it and learning about it.... and then suddenly stopped, and started to focus on my students. When I only focus on teaching, I start to get frustrated. I have to dance for me.

>>>>>You might like: Healthy snacks for on-the-go dancers only $5/month!

If you can't dance, you can still enjoy ballet! Hop on YouTube and watch a Master Class with a professional company (I have a whole playlist of them here). Attend a live performance. Watch some Prix de Lausanne pieces (those always get me inspired).

2. Remember your "why."

Photo credit: grongar on Visualhunt.com / CC BY

Why do you teach dance?  Give yourself an answer and then keep going with it. Keep asking why. Keep digging until you hit something that makes sense to you, and then put all your pieces together. Maybe that's your mission statement or your vision. Put it on your wall or memorize it. Or choreograph it if you want. But hang onto it like your own personal doctrine to keep you centered.

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Example:

• Why do I teach dance? because I like working with kids.
• Why? I think they are smart and full of potential, and I want to be part of teaching them valuable lessons.
• Why? Because the kids I have this year will be forever changed, and their lessons will affect the future.

(you could keep going with this)

completed statement: I teach dance to help change children's lives with valuable life lessons so they can go on to change the world.

3. Find your student's "why"

Photo credit: yaxchibonam on Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Even if you're burned out personally, sometimes knowing that someone else has a goal can help re-motivate you. Find out what your students want out of dance. Do they like exercise? the music? the stories? Are they focused on performance opportunities, or do they love technique class? Are they competitive minded, or focused on becoming a professional ballet dancer? Spend some time (if you haven't already) identifying what your students want, both long-term and short-term, and cater to that.

>>>>>You might like: ballet notebook for students

4. Try something different.

Photo credit: gabrielsaldana on Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA

Different could mean anything - different music, different combos, a different order of things, etc. Maybe have some students choreograph an adagio, or take turns coming up with tendu exercises. Do a floor/center barre instead of a regular barre. Or do a contemporary warm-up instead of a traditional one.

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5. Don't be afraid to take a break.

Photo credit: s7ran9er on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

If you've gotten to the point where you are so burned out that you feel you cannot do your job well, take some time off. Maybe you need a long weekend to get away and do something unrelated or out of the ordinary. Maybe you just need a sick day. Maybe you need to leave town for a week. Talk to your director and put something no the schedule for you to have some downtime to refresh yourself from the inside-out.

I can't tell you how many times I've had someone ask "which ballet books are the best?" So I figured I'd put them all in a list for you, and tell you which are my favorites and why! 

These are just 5 of my favorites - hopefully, I can do a full roundup post soon!

For Ballet Stories - Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets

I love this book! It' about three inches thick and loaded with ballet stories, photographs, and really interesting details about the ballets.

Each ballet is in alphabetical order, and has a paragraph explaining how many acts/scenes, who wrote the music and did the original choreography, where it was performed, who danced it etc. and other interesting facts for all you history buffs out there. Then each act and scene is explained. If the ballet has multiple different versions or variations of the plot, (like Swan Lake or The Nutcracker) each different version of the story is explained too! This is great for Artistic Directors who are trying to pick which version to go with, or dancers who want to know all the different variations of the same story.

This is a great book. I have the Revised and Enlarged edition. I found it years ago at my local library and I checked it out constantly. Only recently did I decide to buy it for myself.

For Visualization - Anything by Eric Franklin

I have 4 of Eric Franklin's books, and I love these two the most. They are such powerful and useful tools! Dr. Franlin has great knowledge on visualization techniques and body kinesthetics.

For Teaching Technique- Advanced Principles in Teaching Ballet

I love this book because it's a no-nonsense guide written directly to teachers in a very readable format. One of my go-to's!

For Understanding Anatomy and Physiology - The Concise Book of Muscles

the newer editions

I used the first edition in school.

This is the textbook I use in college - only it's not priced like a normal textbook! It's surprisingly affordable. It covers each bone and muscle (and exercises/stretches for each one), has great photos, and covers anatomy basics of movement like flexion, circumduction, etc, planes of movement, makeup and build of muscles,  and tons more.

For Vocabulary - Gail Grant's Classic (newest version)

You need this book. Just get it.

Gaynor Minden Sweater Tights - I've had these since I was 16. (Yeah they are a bit worn out but they still work.) They are just enough warmth without the bulk and without making you sweat your butt off.


(and they keep your whole leg and your hips warm.)

They're available directly from Gaynor, and also from Amazon, and Discount Dance.


Warmup Booties from Bloch - these are AWESOME and are just as great as they look.

Get them from Danzia - multiple colors available

Adorable sweaters and leggings from SheIn (and they have a wicked sale right now!)

Front twist sweater, $11.00

I love the open back on this!

Knit Open-back tie sweater

I love the pink on these!

Perfect as the season begins to warm up

If you haven't shopped at SheIn, you're missing out. They have rewards, great customer service, free shipping with a certain amount purchased, and a huge selection of clothing (both workout and other).

K-Deer has adorable leggings for kids and adults (and even some matching sets)

adorable dots

Mystic

I love these sweat pants and Jala pants from Evolve.

Joggers

Jala Bhakti

From Danzia, these adorable knit sweat pants - like leg warmers and yoga pants at the same time!

Get them here

pointe shoe warmup and cover

available in several colors

only $8.95

from Designer4Dance, whom I love

from Fitness Pony - she has some great leg warmers too!

Merino wool leg warmers - I can't even handle it.

Oui, j'ai parlez!

Confession - I have this shirt. also confession - I cannot wear this shirt at my studio *crying face*

This beautiful little shrug, perfect for young dancers. Photo used with permission.

100% cashmere

Available in 3 colors for a limited time

100% wool