Dance teachers, both experienced and aspiring, will find this book to be an in-depth source of original choreographed center floor combinations for a ballet class. Each chapter presents detailed explanations arranged by "difficulty level" (beginner through advanced) as well as categorized by various areas of center floor work, including: Center Floor Barre, Adagios, Warm-up Jumps, Petit Allegro, En Diagonale (across-the-floor), Grand Allegro, Port de Bras, and so on. These teaching enchainements can be adapted to, or used to supplement, any style (syllabus) of classical training. The book...

A very comprehensive and practical teaching guide for the novice-to-very experienced ballet teacher or studio owner, or any qualified professional wishing to enter the career, this book has a wealth of age-appropriate class material for all levels in 180 pages of teaching goals, lesson plans with specific exercises and activities, arranged by level of difficulty, in a progressive complete syllabus format that can be adapted to suit the needs of any teacher or studio. Beautiful color photos enhance and illustrate the content. Written in clear and concise language with use of correct ballet...

This is a uniquely specific volume that lists both the reasons and solutions for many of the technique difficulties that plague dancers in their quest for self-improvement. It will take you "beyond the classroom" to find out how to better your flexibility, turn-out, pirouettes, jumps, arms, balances, and more, and how to work on problems such as sickling ("curling" the foot), poor jump preparations (or landings), rigid (or "droopy") arms, wobbly pirouettes, or weak extensions. Detailed descriptions and exercises for each area of difficulty are illustrated with color photos of dancers....

This book is an invaluable tool for the prospective or experienced ballet teacher, college dance major, professional dancer, or dance student. It would be an ideal textbook as well for university dance pedagogy courses. Unlike many books on the subject of teaching ballet it is not merely a list of vocabulary words, a pictorial showing of steps or exercises, or written descriptions of dance combinations. Rather, the 'conceptual approach' provides insight into how a dancer's technique develops through understanding what lies behind the correct execution of steps and exercises-vital knowledge...