Contributors

Lucinde Lane

I’m a ballet teacher based in Cambridgeshire, UK and I teach Cecchetti , RAD and free work ballet to all ages, from 3 to adult. I have been teaching ballet for 8 years after falling into teaching by accident. Before teaching, I attended Beijing Dance Academy while completing my Chinese Studies BA in China. This was Vaganova technique and was a completely thrilling environment to be in. Everyday was different – folk, contemporary, contemporary with Chinese fan work. Growing up in the UK, I attended Harlow Ballet, run by Leo Kersley, a former Sadlers Wells Theatre Ballet Principal and student of Idzikowski.

After having my first child, I attended class and was soon asked to teach late beginners ballet. It was the start of everything. Let’s be honest - I didn’t have a clue. I tried to teach professional level class to late starters and barre to babies. However, I discovered I actually did have a talent for teaching ballet, and was given more and more responsibility. I embarked upon a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance, after completing my MA in Literature which I had undertaken for fun, to keep my brain ticking over while I had the babies. Having one foot in the academic camp and one foot in vocational has always been a hindrance rather than a help but maybe, just maybe, someone will find a need for a ballet teacher with several useless academic qualifications.

Within two years I was on the CBTS tutor register and I’m about to begin the process of inspecting student teachers. This year I also begin my Masters in Teaching Dance with the RAD. I teach the pre-vocational students and also vocational Musical Theatre students at a foundation level college. I’m lucky that the school have always been supportive of my work and we the school got bigger as I got better – which was fortunate. I hold a faint hope that one day I will have the opportunity to be an examiner – I’m very nosy about the methods other teachers use.

I’m married to my long-suffering husband, whom I knew at University, and I have 3 girls, who I home-educate and who also attend my classes. This year I’m determined not to become a ‘ballet mother’ as I begin driving the eldest to a ballet school prevocational course. Aside from ballet (yes- there are other things in life) I’m keen on history and heritage and love to bake. The performing arts school where I work gain the benefits of my ‘experiments’. In Autumn, I return from work at 10pm and make chutney through the night. I’m also obsessive about Kettle Chips and have unfortunately passed this addiction on to my otherwise healthy children. (LL)

Juliette Clark 

My name is Juliette Clark, and I am ballet teacher from Mandeville, Louisiana. I studied a mix of styles with healthy doses of Vaganova, Cecchetti and Balanchine. I trained for ten years and performed with pre-professional company for six of them. At nineteen I got my first professional contract offer but had to hang my pointe shoes due to an injury... which only inspired me to learn even more about technique and how to help the body move more safely and efficiently. This is a concept that is acutely important to adult and teen dancers, because as we get older, our minds can grasp concepts more quickly while our body becomes less yielding to reformation.

I love what I do, and I particularly love when I get the opportunity to teach newer teen and adult dancers, who often combine a passion worthy of the most dedicated professional the lighthearted approach of a twirling child. I think we can all learn a lot from that outlook! (JC)

More from Juliette at: Ballet Scoop by the Classical Ballet Teacher.

Kaija 
I'm Kaija, a serious adult student of ballet living, working, and studying in a large metropolitan city in Canada.  As former athlete and music student, I love that ballet combines physicality and musicality with emotional expression, and credit regular classes as my form of personal therapy as well as challenging exercise and a good balance to my work in a research laboratory.

I started ballet on a whim as an absolute beginner (the only ballet words I knew were "plie" and "pirouette") while finishing graduate school and looking for distraction from dissertation-writing, an antidote to long days sitting at a desk or slouched over a computer, and a healthier outlet for my perfectionism :)  I was instantly hooked, and now I can honestly say that I can't imagine my life without ballet.  I recently moved internationally and found that the structure and familiarity of regular class provided a very familiar routine in the midst of much chaos, bureaucratic obstacles, and big lifestyle changes.

When I tell people I study ballet, the question of "Why?" often comes up.  Although I will never be employed as a dancer, gain external recognition, make money, or become famous (all common definitions of success or utility in modern life) from this training, I firmly believe that there are rich benefits to study and practice of something---ballet, yoga, language, literature, whatever--simply for one's own personal enrichment, sense of discipline, satisfaction, and internal growth.  I'm thrilled to be a part of Grownups At The Barre and to share this experience with other adult dancers and dancers-to-be! (K)

Johanna

Hi! I'm Johanna, and I live and dance in Helsinki, Finland. Ballet is my recreation, not my profession - but I'm seriously passionate about it. Some people (as in all non-dancing people) would probably call me a ballet-nerd, and they are absolutely right.

I was a late-starter at twenty-one, and have since taken ballet classes for some 18+ years. In August 2010 I took my first pointe class, which had been a long time coming. Love the challenge! I might be approaching the retirement age for professional dancers, but what do I care? Fortunately there is no age-limit for the adult ballet student.

With ballet you are never finished and done, that's one the reasons why I keep going to class. Maintain an open mind and continue to watch, listen and learn. Push yourself, but be kind to your body. Breathe, love, live and dance. It's my way - and I'm more than happy to share it with my fellow dancers! (J)

More of my ramblings at: Pointe Til You Drop.