(The word Mechanics comes from the Greek: a branch of physical science that deals with energy and forces and their effect on bodies.)
I am a ballet teacher. Choreographer is my other job description and this requires a completely different skill set.
What is teaching?
The imparting of information and personal knowledge of one’s subject that information having been obtained from a good source/teacher. Plus, reading and researching to acquire other opinions and ideas of people with different experiences and skills.
Keeping up to date on what is happening in your field. Putting ideas into practice to see what works and what doesn’t and then examining why some ideas work and some don’t. Analysing and constantly finding more appropriate and more beneficial ways of doing things.
Teaching is an ongoing work in progress, as learning is for the student, regardless of age.
To become a ballet teacher one needs to start training at an early age in the Art and Craft of Ballet. As one gains understanding of the movements and steps one needs to understand how the body works. This anatomical knowledge should increase as the dance training progresses and include an understanding of how injuries can be avoided by the use of a strong technical training
(My use of the term, Art and Craft, might have some people wondering, but that will be addressed in a future article on Choreography.)
Music is an integral part of dance and should go hand in hand with the technical training. Understanding the relationship of the quality of the music and the quality of the steps and how they enhance each other is essential.
Developing an eye for line and form and shapes that the body can create within itself as well as combined with other bodies. Ballet is a multi discipline art form comprised and well blended of dance and drama, music and art.
And How do you teach?
The methods used to impart that knowledge and experience depends on the age of learner and prior knowledge. I find it very useful to establish what the expectations of the training are, especially with older students. Young ones haven’t achieved that level of thinking so perhaps discussions with parents might be helpful. Children often indicate quite quickly what their preferences are and then it becomes possible to mix and match what they want to do and what they need to learn to do it.
Demonstration – Explanation – Discussion – Analogy
All of above provided in bite size proportions depending on what can be absorbed, masticated and digested for further use by whatever class age and level is on the receiving end. The mood of the class should be conducive to learning and often needs to be induced at the appropriate time.
Creating a learning and exploring environment, spatially and emotionally.
How one learns depends on who you are how you learn and who the teacher is and how they teach. There has to be a meeting of minds before information can be transferred, received, understood and applied. This is an area fraught with pitfalls and misunderstanding. Each one of us is different but we often expect our pupils to conform.
Some learn through the eye and some through the ear and some seem to learn via osmosis and absorb everything like blotting paper. The instinctive learners almost seem to grasp the context before they fully understand the detail. Later they will fill in bits they missed. Others will dance to the music and not be too concerned about technical accuracy and then there are those who focus on accurate sequential learning with the music being secondary in the process. This is just a brief synopsis of some of the learning behaviour I have observed.
I find how individuals learn totally fascinating. Learning Ballet is an extremely complex process that requires concentration and focus, co-ordination, numeracy, and receiving multiple commands to use different parts of the body and to keep within the musical framework.
I am dealing with living breathing, multifaceted human beings, regardless of age my inclination is to deal with what I see in each person. This might not necessarily be what is wanted. But is it necessary? Simple answer – Yes.
A colleague and examiner asked a question after I had discussed moving on from the very rigid and restricting examining structure.
But what will you teach if you don’t do exams?
The principles of classical ballet are great – it is the application under certain examining conditions that I find restrictive and limiting.
Bodies and brains are not all the same. They come in different shapes and sizes
The many myths and mystique around ballet, are not helpful as they perpetuate inaccurate information.
I have thought long and hard before committing my thoughts to print in this brief overview of the subject. If it provides assistance or is of interest to others that is great. I would value other people’s thoughts and ideas.
Let’s take Ballet forward retaining the best of the past and creating a wonderful future for our Art.