How To Do An Arabesque

arabesque in ballet

If you look at general pictures of ballet dancers, you will invariably see a ballerina doing an arabesque. The arabesque is used a lot in ballet as well as in gymnastics and modern dancing. The aim of the dancer is to produce a pretty line for his or her audience, and it takes years of … Read more

First Position Movie – Why it is a Must Get

first position movie

I first found out about the First Position Movie by reading the book Hope in a Ballet Shoe, which is the story of one of the dancers in the movie – Michaela DePrince. After a lot of searching, I finally managed to get myself a copy of this movie, and it is something that I … Read more

Ondine The Ballet

ondine the ballet

Ondine the ballet is done in three acts and was choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton. The music was done by Hans Werner Henze and the decor by Lila de Nobili. Ondine the ballet was first performed by the Royal Ballet at Convent Garden on the 27th of October 1958. It has since been staged by … Read more

Ballet Dancer Feet – Why Feet are so Important in Ballet

ballet dancer feet

What do people mean when they say you need ‘ballet dancer feet’ to be good at ballet? In ballet, when you point your foot, the line from the top of your leg to the tip of your toes must curve down towards the floor as much as possible. The higher the arch in the foot, … Read more

Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe is a ballet that was re-choreographed in one act with three scenes by Sir Frederick Ashton. This version was first performed by Sadler’s Wells Ballet at Covent Garden on the 5th of April 1951. This ballet was actually done for the first time on the 8th of June 1912 by Ballets Russes … Read more

A Cinderella Theme Class To Teach

cinderella theme

Here are some ideas on how to teach a class with a Cinderella Theme going. This post is aimed at dance teachers who teach small children, but this type of class will also work for pre school, kindermusic and even gynmastics classes for small children. When I teach my tiny tots ballet class, I always … Read more

Cinderella Ballet Story

cinderella ballet story

Cinderella has been a popular story for over a hundred years, but it was only turned into a ballet after 1945, when Sergei Prokofiev finished writing the musical score.  The Cinderella Ballet Story has different versions, but the synopsis below is the most popular. Fredrick Ashton was the first person to stage a full-length Cinderella ballet … Read more