Rosemary Robenn: Freelance ballet teacher | Education

Rosemary Robenn: Freelance ballet teacher

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25.01.2022 When I started teaching online, back in March, it was with great reluctance and I saw it as a necessary evil to be borne for maybe a few weeks. I would never have imagined that over 3 months later I would still be at it and despite some technological frustrations here and there, be actually getting something out of it. Not only has it kept both myself and my students dancing, but we have kept learning and improving. It has shown me how resilient my students are, as I see ...them applying corrections and steadily developing many aspects of their training. I am seeing great improvement in the use of head and upper body, and also in co-ordination. They are becoming a lot more self reliant and I have particularly noticed this in some of the less advanced students; quietly working away and really developing their dancing. I have also been able to connect with new and former students from other parts of Australia and all over the world. The day we eventually find ourselves back in a studio will be a dream come true. I cannot wait for that first grand allegro! But in the meantime, I am so grateful to have been able to still continue teaching and dancing together in a positive manner. We are proving that you can learn something from any situation and that every place we find ourselves in has something good in it if we just open our eyes. See more

25.01.2022 I love this comment from one of my older adult students, who trained to a high level in her younger days, because it really confirms what I am trying to get across when I teach. Technique is so important; that never ending striving for perfection. It is a ballet dancer's vocabulary. So when it comes to technique I am "pernickity" to quote another student because without a clear and extensive vocabulary, as dancers we are speechless. But it is the ability to turn this vocabulary into poetry that makes the dancer, so that those "words" can really express what we are feeling. And that is what it should all be about.

24.01.2022 One thing that teaching has taught me over the past 50 odd years, is that the more you teach the more you learn. I look back on my first teaching days in the late 60s and realise how little I knew. Yes, I had passed my Advanced exam and knew all the steps, but there is such a difference in knowing what these steps are and how to do them, and knowing how to impart that knowledge to others. And that is something that can only develop over time as you gradually develop a deeper ...and deeper understanding of how to explain, how to motivate and how to pass your passion on to your students. How I wish I had known what I now know when I was in my 20s, and I wish I could know now what I will know in another 20 years time. Yes, when I'm 90!! And still there will be more to learn. ..... What an amazing journey ballet is......it's like riding down the road towards a mirage; the closer you get, the further away it gets. But such a beautiful ride! See more

24.01.2022 Balance. It's basically commonsense and logic with a good dash of core strength. Get your weight correctly over your supporting leg and then keep the position alive by keeping everything working. You will LOOK still, but the last thing you want to be thinking about is standing still. Keep everything active; keep that core working, keep growing on your supporting side, keep working the two sides of the body against each other, keep working your arms and back to help you and keep lengthening through your spine and before you know it you will have been so busy you won't realise you have been holding that position forever.

24.01.2022 Not only have we survived so far, 12 weeks and over 130 classes online, I feel we have still learned a lot and kept our passion alive. So often I hate technology and how it invades our lives, but I have to say that in this instance I am hugely grateful for it allowing us to continue to do what we love. We have had students join us from as far afield as China, Germany and the US as well as other parts of Australia. Thank you to all my students for your ongoing support and for ...the positive way in which you have adapted to the current situation. One of these days, before too much longer, we will make it back into a studio. But so much better prepared than if we had just sat and done nothing all this time. #balletonline #ballet #balletstudent #balletteacher #teachingballet #adaptingtotechnology #adultballet #adultballetcommunity #balletathome #adultballetmelbourne #wearethewinners #didntstopdancing #newwayofballet #balletclass #classicalballet #balletforadults See more

23.01.2022 Plié. To bend. Probably the single most important movement in ballet, as without it we simply could not dance. Yet to so many students it is just seen as one of the first exercises we do at the barre, to then be forgotten until the next class. It is not simply a bending and stretching of the knees....... While doing our plié exercise, we should not be merely thinking of warming up all the major muscle groups in the legs, we should be thinking of how this movement impacts ...on all the coming sections of work in our class including allegro. We should use it to work our turnout; really feeling that spiral working as we come up out of our plié. It is not the depth of the plié that is so important, more the quality. Our pliés should have a quality of resistance and the use of opposite forces. We should feel the hips lift away from the bend, not go down to join it. We should feel the knees pulling away from each other over the toes. We should work the plié, not just collapse into it. Give more thought to your plié and everything else will improve. See more

22.01.2022 What a wonderful achievement for Kondo Ballet in Marugame, Shikoku, Japan! Celebrating their 80th anniversary. Congratulations to Michiru Kondo and Kurumi Miyake, who have so ably continued the legacy of Michiru's father, who started the studio way back in 1940. I was very privileged to be asked to go and teach for them from Oct 2003 to May 2004. Truly a life changing experience for me and one for which I will be forever grateful to Michiru and Kurumi. Not only was this a...n incredible adventure for me, but most importantly, it put ballet back in my life. I had had 4 years with absolutely no ballet, and indeed thought that I had retired. Teaching for them quickly made me realise that you can take the dancer out of the ballet but you can't take the ballet out of the dancer. I realised that ballet is a large part of who I am, and since returning have found a whole new ballet life which I intend to continue as long as I live. Congratulations to Kondo Ballet and all students past and present. I remember all those I taught so fondly and cannot wait till I can once again return to Japan. Half my heart is still there. See more

22.01.2022 MOTIVATION creates MOVEMENT creates MEANING. Each one leads to the next which is when true dance then begins. How often do we see students whose work is merely movement. Even if well done physically, this still lacks the quality that makes dance what it is, a communication of feelings/story to the audience. Whether you are on stage or in the studio (or zooming in the confined space of your lounge room!) your dance should always have this goal. Each step should have a motivati...on or reason for its execution, whether it is a conscious thought or a more nebulous feeling. This thought will make the movement happen and it will then have meaning both to you and to the audience. Something as simple as a step towards the corner can be just that, or it can be so much more. My blind student, Genamarie once said when we were doing classical walks...."I am going to feel like Marie Antoinette walking towards the scaffold; I don't really want to go there, but I will do it with dignity." And this thought gave her walks a look of being drawn forward reluctantly, but with great poise and style. Never forget that ballet is not just steps and movements, it is a means of expressing thoughts and feelings. In short it is DANCE!

22.01.2022 50 years ago today since the day that changed my life forever. 5 dancers......myself, Waynne, Harold Collins, Madonna Maybry & Annette Hunt (plus tour manager from the Arts Council, Peter MacDonald) set off from Brisbane on a 3 month tour of Qld schools doing Act 2 of Coppélia. Up to Cairns, out to Mt Isa & back down through the middle. Waynne was Dr Coppélius and I was the Chinese Doll. Madonna was Swanhilda and Annette the one friend. Harold, so sadly no longer with us, ...was Franz. He took the top photo of our first dinner together in our Rockhampton motel. I remember being paid the princely sum of $33 a week with a $40 a week touring allowance to cover accommodation, meals etc. And no, I haven't left any zeros off those figures! God, how young were we!! (actually 19 & 21) Love the love beads. And the mini skirt! By the time we arrived back in Brisbane, Waynne and I were engaged (to the initial consternation of my poor parents) and now here we are 50 years later. And they thought it wouldn't last

22.01.2022 Some more examples of my husband, Waynne's beautiful work.

21.01.2022 Watching a wonderful corps de ballet is one of the joys of ballet. Seeing often very simple movements executed beautifully and in perfect unison never fails to delight. This takes great skill and a sense of really working together. I remember seeing a documentary about the Paris Opera Ballet in which it was obvious how proud the dancers in the corps are to be part of this. And this shows in companies like this who have these beautifully disciplined corps de ballet. So oft...en dancers look on the corps as just being a stepping stone to bigger and better things and this shows in those companies' corps de ballet just looking like a whole heap of soloists who happen to be dancing at the same time. I think the best example of corps work I have ever seen is the Paris Opera Ballet's in the Kingdom of Shades in Bayadère. Absolutely perfect repetition of simple movements repeated over and over........just mesmerising. And not a trick or over extension in sight. Check it out here....... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rihCj92hBko See more

21.01.2022 It's been a long way from the Wee Waa CWA hall in 1957, using the back of a chair for a barre to Melbourne in 2020 teaching 400 odd classes online and ..........using the back of a chair for a barre! 63 years has not only taught me that you need to be resilient, but has also taught me that no matter how long you do ballet you will never reach the stage where you know it all.The more you learn, the more you find out what more you need to learn. And I find that teaching is what has taught me the most; learning how to dissect movements and work out how and why they work, exploring the deep pool of feeling and artistry. But however much you learn, you can still do better. But what a wonderful journey this is. Truly the Never Ending Story! I cannot imagine life without it.

20.01.2022 As this whole COVID situation goes on and on, normal life as we knew it seems a more distant memory every day. But I am so grateful for the fact that I am still able to teach, albeit it in a somewhat compromised way. I love that we can still do what we love and that for a part of each day all the current woes of the world are cleared from our minds as we focus on keeping our bodies working and most importantly feeling and expressing the music through our movements. And an...other thing to be grateful for is that this situation has allowed me to teach a number of students from interstate and overseas. In this picture we have a student from China and one from Canberra. So impressed with all the students I teach and how they have adapted to this situation and that they are still learning and progressing. There is always a bright side to every situation, no matter how challenging. See more

20.01.2022 From 9th November, after 33 weeks of solely online classes we are at last able to get back into a studio. It will be great to finally be able to move freely, & to dance together again. It will also be great to welcome back those who were unable to do our online classes & have had a long break. It will be a slow & careful journey back for us all, but it will be so welcome. Classes will be as follows: Camberwell Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:30-8:00pm (Ballet) Prahran Saturdays 2:00...-3:00pm (PBT) 3:15-4:45pm (Ballet) Email me at [email protected] for more details See more

19.01.2022 World Ballet Day today! Here's a bit of a preview from the fabulous dancers at Birmingham Royal Ballet.

19.01.2022 .......and she certainly did. Every movement, every step of Fonteyn's indicated a feeling and a purpose. This is what I continually try to get across to my students. Give your movements motivation and they will have meaning. Don't just try and think, "where do my legs/arms/head go?" Give them a reason to go there and it will look and feel natural. And be much easier to remember because you are thinking of a movement with the whole body, rather than all the bits and pieces. These motivations can be something very specific or something more nebulous.........as long as there is some motivation to the movement then it will mean something. Not only to you, but to whoever is watching.#margotfonteyn #adultballet

18.01.2022 I am so looking forward to teaching this Ballet Foundations course next month at the Rain & Lucky studios in Fairfield. Rain says "It is perfect for adults new to ballet or those who want to go back to basics." I am passionate about teaching ballet, especially to adults. I find them such inspiring students and never cease to be amazed at what they can accomplish if they are just given the right tools. Ballet is simply the best thing you can do in so many ways; physically, men...tally and for your inner self. This course will assume zero knowledge, so don't be afraid to come and give it a go. Hey, if I could learn to ride a motorcycle at 57, you can do this. Contact Rain Francis at www.rainandlucky.com for details and to enrol.

17.01.2022 Progressing Ballet Technique. Such a great complement to your ballet classes & really gets results. #progressingballettechnique #balletclasses #onlineballet #adultballet #corestrength #corestrengtheningexercises #balletsupplement #improveyourballet #pbt

17.01.2022 This is definitely one of my most loved ballets, the beautiful ballet of the Romantic Era, Bournonville's La Sylphide. The English National Ballet will have this available to watch for 48 hours from 4am AEST on Thursday 2nd July. Do watch it if you have a chance.

17.01.2022 Life goes full circle! When I started learning ballet in 1957 at age 7, my first barre was a chair in the local CWA hall in the little town of Wee Waa. (in fact it was several years before I had the opportunity to work on a "real" barre.) Now in 2020, aged 70, I find myself, for the past 6 months, once more using a chair for a barre, thanks to COVID 19. Sadly, like the majority of my students, I don't have room in our small house for a real barre. One of the things I real...ly have focussed on in my teaching over the past few years is how to correctly use the arms at the barre. After having worked with Finis Jhung in New York in 2014, he really opened my eyes to the fact that the old way of using the arms is unhelpful, to say the least. The use of the arms at the barre should as much as possible reflect what you would be doing in the centre ie always being conscious of BOTH arms always working to create as nearly as possible valid arm positions; so moving the barre arm to reflect what is happening with the outside arm; when facing the barre keeping the arms wide to replicate what we would do in the centre. I have found that working like this makes a huge difference to students use of the arms and upper body when they get into the centre. It shouldn't feel like a whole different ball game, suddenly having to use both arms. So having to go back to an inadequate barre can be detrimental, which is why I am doing as much as possible in my online classes in the centre, so we don't regress. And I have to say I am seeing great improvements in the students' upper body strength. #finisjhung See more

17.01.2022 If you are looking at gently getting back to ballet in 2021, then come and try our Advanced Beginners class on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00pm at Camberwell. Whether you have had some time off over Christmas, or have had a longer ballet break through the past year, this class is the ideal one for you. It will slowly and carefully get your brain and body back on ballet track, while always focussing on developing both technique and dance quality. Come and find your way back to ballet with us!

16.01.2022 I love teaching adult ballet students, from raw beginners to more experienced ones. I am continually rewarded by seeing their passion, hard work & what they can achieve. Not just on the technical side, but also on the artistic side. But some people underestimate what they are capable of and either teach them as they would teach children, or throw them in at the deep end because they don't think they will ever be able to really do anything, so why bother. My experience has ...been so different to this. I teach students from their early 20s into their 70s & have so much admiration for what they can do if they are given the chance. Their technique might never be virtuoso, but it can be clean and strong. And if they are taught from the beginning to not just do steps, but how to actually dance, there is no limit to the dance quality they can show. I am sure there are many other teachers out there who have found this. Every single one of my students is the reason I get up in the morning & do what I love. I set the bar high & every time they rise up to meet it. You are never too old and it is never too late!#adultballetclasses #adultballet See more

16.01.2022 Music. Such a vital part of ballet, because ballet is music driven. The movement grows from the music; it should be music made visible. The music shouldn't just be something that happens to be playing as you dance. The music and movement should be inseparable. It is important to be in tune with the two aspects of the music: the rhythm, which tells you how to move and the expression, which motivates you how to feel. One without the other just doesn't work.

15.01.2022 This weekend my husband and I should have been up in Brisbane, seeing the renowned Paris Opera Ballet in Swan Lake. I was so excited when I saw they were returning to Australia and booked the tickets last December. We had seen them perform in Giselle in Sydney back in 2014 and had made a pact that when they next came back to Australia we would see them again, no matter what. Sadly, this was not to be, thanks to the COVID-19 situation. And quite understandably. So last nig...ht we did the next best thing and watched their Swan Lake on Youtube (via the telly). Do check it out if you can. It's the full ballet, the Nureyev version, from 2019. They really are such a fabulous company, not the least being their simply superb corps de ballet work. Nureyev being Nureyev, the men are really featured more than usual in this ballet. There is a great and fairly rare example of male corps work in Act 1 and a fabulous solo for Rothbart in Act 3. Do watch it if you can, and let's hope that it won't be in the too distant future before they will actually be able to return. I will be one of the first to book tickets! See more

15.01.2022 Through this situation I have not only been able to teach my students in Melbourne but am teaching students from Brisbane, Canberra, WA, Sydney, country Victoria, USA, Germany and New Zealand as well. There is a positive side even to this terrible situation. #ballet #worldwideballet #balletaroundtheworld #adultballet #adultballetdancers #balletstudent #onlineballetclass

14.01.2022 Online classes. Yes, they are a compromise. Yes, they are surprisingly exhausting but YES, we are still moving, improving our technique & still working on dance quality. Has to be better than sitting and bemoaning the fact we are locked out of a studio. You just have to make it work! So impressed with how my students are adapting. When they finally get back in a studio there'll be no stopping them!#onlineballet #keepondancing #adultballet #determination #makeitwork #stilllearning #wecanovercome #dontstopdancing #lifewithoutballetispointeless

13.01.2022 To me, these two dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet demonstrate the concept of line perfectly. See how their front arms match perfectly; the line created from his front arm to his extended leg; the line of her arabesque leg and back arm; all these go together to create this harmony. Classical ballet is all about creating beautiful line, at every moment we are dancing. There is no point in having height if this destroys the line, but to many students a high leg is al...l they aim for. Yes, height has its place, but there are times when a lower leg is more appropriate, or that we need lower legs to contrast with the higher legs. So that when we see a higher leg we have that "wow" moment. If everything is always high, then it just becomes monotonous. Line is important not just in a position, but in the transition from one movement to the other. For example, there is a beautiful line in the shape we draw in a grand rond de jambe en l'air en dehors. But if the leg is too high, this shape of the movement is lost and it merely becomes an ugly contortion. A dancer needs to develop an intuitive feel for the line they are creating and this is what defines a really great dancer. See more

13.01.2022 Class today was really a very special one. It was special not just because I had a student participating from Japan, but a person who is very dear to me and whose participation in my life has been lifechanging. Kurumi is the person who is responsible for me still teaching, when 20 years ago, after moving to Melbourne I had no ballet in my life for 4 years and thought my teaching days had ended. (how wrong was I) I had been lucky enough to have Kurumi as a student in Hobart... in the final months we lived there. She was down there for a short time doing an English course in 1998. She was an inspiration to teach and made those last few months a delight. The following year Kurumi and her mother Michiru invited me to Japan for a couple of weeks to guest teach at Kondo Ballet, their school in Marugame. At almost 50, the first time I had been overseas. But then came the life changing experience: In 2003, Kurumi was now married and expecting a baby and I was asked if I could go and teach there for 6 months. What an amazing experience that was! Luckily I was between (boring admin) jobs at the time, so there was nothing to stop me. So off I went and had the most incredible time and met the most wonderful people. At that stage I hadn't taught for 4 years and didn't even know if I could still stand on one leg. But I did. And most importantly, it showed me that you can take the dancer out of the ballet, but you can't take the ballet out of the dancer. I came home in April 2004 and haven't stopped teaching since. So to Kurumi and Michiru, a million thank yous. You really did change my life. And today Kurumi was able to join my online class. So wonderful to see her dance again. She is now the mother of 3 beautiful children. The oldest, her son Takumi (the reason for my life in Japan) is now studying at the Royal Ballet School in London and looks like a wonderful dancer. Just like his mother. So there are some upsides to our current COVID situation, being able to have Kurumi in my class once again. And I might add, she doesn't look a day older than she did when I first met her. See more

12.01.2022 Ballet is not just about doing steps. It's about learning how to do these steps well so that they can then mean something and make the audience feel something. This is what I am constantly trying to get across to my students in class and one place I feel this can really be felt is in the reverence at the end of class. I think this is so important, particularly in these days of online classes, that we can transport ourselves to the most beautiful theatre in the world so we can really feel what the reverence is truly about; a humble acknowledgement of the audiences applause.

11.01.2022 I have so much admiration for my students. When we first started doing online classes back in March I saw it as a stop gap measure that would probably be over by Easter. But here we are, heading towards October and we are still going. Every single one of them are still working, learning and improving. Online classes are not a substitute for a class in a studio by any means, but I am so glad that we have had the opportunity to keep dancing, albeit in a somewhat compromised... way. Just a few of the comments about these classes I have had from students......."As much as I hate this lockdown, your lockdown lessons have been the best thing that's happened to my ballet journey."........"if I'd had a long break from class I might not have been inclined to try and start again."......."I'm truly loving your online classes, and it's so lovely being able to have some time where everything else is forgotten."..........."they are such an important part of my week. I always have such a spring in my step when class has finished.".........."Thanks so much for the class. That's the first time I've felt seen and certainly the first corrections since lockdown." I am so grateful for every single one of the students for their strength and perseverance to keep doing what they love, because without them I would not be able to do what I love. There is always something positive to come out of every bad situation. See more

11.01.2022 It's been so good to get back to classes this week and some semblance of normality in this abnormal world. Wonderful to be back with my students again, even if it's still in an online class situation. Couldn't have made it through the past few weeks without the incredible support of my students and their concern for both my husband and myself during a pretty traumatic time. We are now in our 11th week of online classes and it has been so encouraging to see the development and growth of my students and how they have handled this challenging situation. We may not be able to do everything we do in a normal class, but we have been particularly focussing on learning how to remember exercises and on use of the upper body. And I can really see so much improvement in these areas. I take my hat off to all of them.

11.01.2022 This cropped up in my FB memories from 4 years ago when I had one of the hardest years of my life. However, it was also the year I started out as a freelance teacher, one of the best decisions of my life. In 2020, a year of unimaginable chaos and change, I feel it is again very appropriate. I would never have dreamt 4 years ago that I would be teaching ballet for over 3 months online to not only my regular students, but students from other parts of Australia and even overseas. And not only that, but that although a challenging experience, it has been one that has also been very positive and we have all learnt from it. I have always felt that it is up to us to react positively to whatever situation we may find ourselves in, and to get something good out of what is a bad situation. I guess life is what you make it.

10.01.2022 Planning our post lockdown life. Stay tuned!

09.01.2022 The new year is here, & what better way to celebrate than to get back to ballet. It's what kept us going in 2020 and it will keep us going through this coming year, whatever it may hold. How lucky are we to have ballet in our lives! Classes commence this week as follows: Tuesdays 6:30-8:00pm Camberwell /Adv Beginners Thursdays 6:30-8:00pm Camberwell /Intermediate Saturdays 2:00-3:00pm Prahran /PBT... Saturdays 3:15-4:45pm Prahran/ Intermediate Online Classes: Tuesdays 2:00-3:00pm Thursdays 11:00am-12:00pm Saturdays 10:15-11:15am Message me or email [email protected] to book in for classes. See more

07.01.2022 So today, as Victoria plunges into another 6 weeks of even stricter lockdown, we commence our 20th week of online classes. When this all started, I thought maybe we would have to do it until Easter. Now Easter seems a lifetime ago! But I am so proud of how students have adapted to, and taken onboard this new way of dancing. Of course it's not a replacement for a regular ballet class in a studio. We can't do everything we normally do in class. But we can still keep dancing ...and keep that spark inside us alive to get us through these extremely difficult times. And students are continuing to learn and to improve. I love this photo of my student Fifi, that she sent me yesterday. Despite everything, ballet is still in the forefront of her mind, even when out doing her daily bike ride. It's attitudes like this that will get us all through this. See more

07.01.2022 Good technique is vital for the ballet dancer. It is like our vocabulary. It must be clean and precise and accurate. But on its own it is merely clever. We need to add the magic of artistry and dance quality to turn these mere "words" into poetry that will touch the soul and inspire the imagination.

06.01.2022 8 of our 11 online classes this week are booked out. But we still have space in the following classes if you would like a spot this week: Mon 20th 2pm Tues 21st 11am Thurs 23rd 11am... Don't let this pandemic stop you from dancing!

06.01.2022 Having guys in class always adds an extra dimension. Always hard working and full of energy and enthusiasm.I love that these 3 do both our PBT and ballet classes on Saturdays. #adultballet #maleadultballetdancer #balletboys #adultballetclass #balletforall #comeonguys #classicalballet #balletstudent

06.01.2022 It's so true. You may be currently dancing in your kitchen, or bedroom or garage, but it's still so important to remember your basic technique. And this is why I'm limiting numbers in my online classes so I can still see & correct students so they don't slip into bad habits. #ballet #onlineballetclass #adultballet #battementtendu #grandbattement #keepondancing #dontstopdancing #weloveballet #cantlivewithoutballet #balletmakesitbetter #danceathome

05.01.2022 I am just about to start reading this again, Nureyev's autobiography (with pictures!) I bought this book back in 1964. It cost me a whole 2/13/- (the equivalent of about $5, which was a lot of money back then). I saved up all my school lunch money for ages to buy it and just lived on buttered rolls from the tuckshop for weeks. Just one of the many ballet books that have stayed with me for a large part of my life. This one for well over 50 years. Every picture is so familiar.... Rudolf Nureyev was such an inspiration to a young teenager. I remember seeing him with Fonteyn in the film An Evening with the Royal Ballet in Le Corsaire and being completely blown away. And then I was lucky enough to see them in 1965 in Giselle in Sydney. Very much looking forward yet again to embarking on this journey of his.

05.01.2022 My classes focus on securing strong technical foundations, but also teach you what is so often neglected, how to instill artistry and a sense of dance into those steps and movements. Classes at Camberwell and Prahran. Also online classes and private lessons available. #adultballet #balletforall #betterballetforadults #learntodance #techniqueandartistry

04.01.2022 So once again, William Waldinger and I are on the same page. I am constantly saying this. I first started teaching in 1968. Still going in 2020 and just about to hit 70 years old, but one thing that over 50 years of teaching has taught me, is that the 20 odd (hopefully) years that I may have left just won't be enough for me to learn everything I still need to know. What I need is a second life that starts off with what I have learned so far and then maybe, just maybe, I might have a chance. As William says, ballet definitely is the unending pursuit of an impossible perfection. Both in the doing and the teaching. And who would have it otherwise!

04.01.2022 .........and the reason I don't just move on, but make them get it right (or at least better) is because I know that they CAN. Adult students are so often not given credit for what they are capable of if only they are given the chance. When they really understand what it is they are trying to do then they have a much greater chance of achieving it. And this is why I don't adhere to the copy and follow mentality. None of us will ever achieve perfection, but we can always aim to be better than we were the last time. And this is what makes the study of ballet so rewarding. And it is these students who so want to get it better who constantly inspire me.

03.01.2022 One of my favourite dancers, the wonderful Momoko Hirata, principal of Birmingham Royal Ballet, in the Rose Adagio from Sleeping Beauty. She demonstrates exactly what I was meaning about technique and artistry in my previous post. This is such a show stopper, involving all those incredible balances for the ballerina. But sometimes it just becomes about that and is a nerve wracking process for not only the ballerina, but also the audience. Here in Momoko's performance, she uses her stunning technical skill to really show the young Aurora's delight and happiness. The balances become an indication of her confidence and joy and not just technical tricks. Exactly how it should be!

03.01.2022 "Dance with your whole body" is something I am always saying to my students. So often we get so caught up with legs and feet that all we do is "do steps" and think we will worry about everything else one day when we get all that sorted. Years of experience has taught me that this just doesn't work. Every single movement we do has to involve in some way not only the legs and feet, but the upper body, arms, eyes and head. And if the motivation for where all these things go c...omes from a deep central point within us, then we start to remember the movement as something that is co-ordinated naturally and all the various parts fit together like a mobile jigsaw puzzle. This is one thing I am really starting to see improve in my students over these past months of working online and it really makes it all worthwhile. They are not just treading water by doing online classes, they are constantly growing and achieving. So wherever you are dancing, in the kitchen or using your piano as a barre, we always have a whole body so use it all. All the time. See more

02.01.2022 This is so my philosophy. So many students want to rush ahead, and feel if they are not attempting multiple pirouettes and complex steps they are failing. I believe you have to first master the basics WELL, before moving on to the difficult steps. "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast". Master the basics and you will then be able to progress to more advanced things and do them well. If you rush straight to the difficult steps you will never do them competently. But my philosophy... is also that basic should not equate with boring. Right from the beginning I try to instil in students a sense of dance quality to match the movement. Again, this is something that you can't wait to add later, because by then being robotic will be too entrenched. So I try to get this balance between good technique and a sense of dance right from the beginning as we progress along the path of the "unending quest for an unattainable perfection." (William Waldinger) To me, this is how the journey should be.

02.01.2022 There's nothing quite like being back in a real studio class. But if you ever can't get to your regular class, or just want to squeeze an extra hour of ballet into your week without having to factor in travelling time, then an online class could be your answer. We can still use these classes to learn and improve as my students have found. Come and try a class with us on Tuesdays at 2pm, Thursdays at 11am or Saturdays at 10:15am AEDT. $10 for 1 hour. #adultballet #onlineballet #extraballetclasses #adultballetstudent #balletclassical #improveyourballet #extraballetclass

02.01.2022 I'm a freelance ballet teacher based in Melbourne and have about 50 years experience in teaching ballet. In the past I have run ballet schools in NSW and Tasmania. For the last 15 years or so my main focus has been on teaching adults, both beginners and more experienced students. I find them inspiring students and love introducing them to ballet and sharing with them the passion I have for this wonderful art. My classes focus very much on teaching correct technique as I want... my students to really understand what they are trying to achieve and not just "copy and follow". But a large part of the focus of my classes is musicality and artistry. Without these, ballet becomes merely exercises. And as an adult, there is no limit to how far this can be developed. I hold regular workshops as well as open classes in Camberwell, South Yarra and Thornbury and am also a registered teacher of Marie Walton-Mahon's incredible Progressing Ballet Technique program, which builds core strength and muscle memory and is a very valuable complement to regular ballet classes. If you are interested in taking any of my classes please message me or email me on [email protected] if you have any questions.

02.01.2022 How appropriate I am wearing my (25 yr old!) T shirt today that features this photo of Margot Fonteyn that so encapsulates her beautiful performance as Ondine. For today would have been her 101st birthday. Such a glorious dancer! I first saw her in Sydney back in 1957, when she performed with the Borovansky Ballet in Aurora's Wedding. I remember waiting what seemed like hours for "the bride"!! I was lucky enough to see her dance again with Nureyev in Giselle in 1965. What an incredible performance that was! Never to be forgotten. Thank you Dame Margot for being a constant inspiration to me as little 7 year old to an almost 70 year old.

01.01.2022 Ballet. It's who we are, and that's why we persevere under difficult situations. But one thing I am so pleased about with my students is seeing the growth and improvement in their use of the upper body, head, eyes and arms. That part of us which really MAKES us a dancer. Yes, in this current situation we are restricted to a degree with what we can do with legs and feet.......but there is no such restriction with what we can do with the upper body. There we have absolute freedom and the students are really starting to discover this.

01.01.2022 So as we keep putting one foot forward after another in this continuing lockdown, I am so pleased to see how much all my students are continuing to adapt and to keep improving regardless. This is so true in terms of core strength and resulting stability. Given that most students don't have a proper barre to work with, I have been very conscious of the need to make sure they are using the barre correctly and not reverting to old bad habits. To this end, one of the things I... have taken off the barre and into the centre, right from the beginning has been grand battements. When students are taken away from the barre they really have to find the resources they have within their own bodies to rely on to keep them standing securely; weight placed correctly over a strong, active supporting leg, core muscles keeping the pelvis correctly aligned, strength in the arms being held from the back, correct head and eyeline. It's good that although there are many things we currently cannot do, we have some positive things coming from these months of online classes. See more

01.01.2022 I was contemplating trying to get back to some face to face teaching next week, though I have to say I was in two minds with everything still being so uncertain. Anyway, that was decided for me with yesterday's announcement: 6 more weeks of lockdown in Melbourne. We are now in our 16th week of online classes, so looks like we are heading for 22! What an experience this has been; such a learning curve. I'm so impressed with how my students have adapted to this new situa...tion and how they have continued to learn and improve. Yes, it is not a substitute for a "real" ballet class, but it is far better than doing nothing at all and I have noticed a great improvement in things we have been really focussing on like weight placement and particularly the use of the upper body, head, arms and eyes. Has truly confirmed my belief that as a teacher you never stop learning and adapting. See more