Ballet Teachers... aren't always in the studio!

 To be a ballet dancer is neither a solo, nor a singular accomplishment. Connecting with others is one of the greatest joys of dancing, and participating in the world of ballet most often starts with knowing the same basic movement vocabulary. There may be slight differences in the names given to actions and positions, but seeing a step in action will be instantly recognizable. 

Even after I shifted from dancing strictly "ballet" I continued to connect with and learn from so many iconic dancers, teachers, and directors. AND I consider them ALL my ballet teachers. 

Me with Eleanor D'Antuono demonstrating for a pas de deux coaching session.

Learning ballet often starts with the simplest of gestures with our "port de bras" (carriage of the arms) as the introductory music plays before we start each exercise. As our dancing progresses, we learn that these gestures lead to more complex and beautiful patterns that involve our heads and torsos. I often think of how we carry and use our upper bodies is like listening to the melody line of a tune, while our legs carry the rhythm and meter of the phrase.

At the end of class, we are also taught  to graciously perform a "reverence" (gracious thanks), mostly culminating in a deep curtsey or bow. I know it may be impolitic to refer to gendered methods of showing respect, but I don't entirely ascribe that you need to bow or curtsey based on your gender.

But my point is that the purpose of this "reverence" leads to the "bows" performers take to thank and honor the audiences that have offered their focus and attention. When directors take leave of their positions in leadership, in the dance world it is a wonderful event when those directors can take a bow with the dancers whom they have led, and sometimes for whom the directors have choreographed. One such director who is stepping down from the Vienna State Ballet / Volksoper Wien is Martin Schläpfer. Martin has become a dear friend over the years, and I have watched so many wonderful choreographic works he has created for the dancers in his companies. He brought me back many times to stage Paul Taylor dances for his companies, and the commonalities and the differences between the range of works he would curate alongside his own works was the REAL lesson from which we all learned.

Martin Schläpfer taking a bow for his final world premiere work as the director in Vienna.

Starting tomorrow, Saturday April 12, I will be teaching alongside another dear friend, Fabrice Herrault, at the new Taylor Dance West studios in midtown Manhattan, NYC. 

Fabrice will be teaching an open advanced ballet class at 11:00 AM.

I will be teaching an open advanced modern class at 2:00 PM.

AND we are offering semi-private "coaching" for dancers interested in receiving individual attention at an affordable rate.

My apologies if there are typos in this post... I am rushing to get this out, so that some of you might share and let others know that I have this blog, and that I am also teaching both ballet and modern technique classes in NYC!