Want to know the quickest way to progress as a classical ballet dancer?
Inland Northwest Ballet News
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Do you want to know the quickest and most effective way to improve as a classical ballet dancer?
The first and foremost method to improve, is without a doubt, to apply corrections.
This guide will allow you to understand how to accept helpful corrections from your instructor, ultimately leading to fun and success in the study of classical ballet!
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ALWAYS do your best to apply the corrections you have already been given. When an instructor sees that you apply rather than ignore the correction, she or he will notice and make an effort to guide you through the most effective corrections possible. Your instructor may decide to videotape you dancing in order to show you where the improvement needs to be made.
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ALWAYS ask for clarification if you are confused. You can't correct what you don't understand, so don't nod your head "yes" when your brain is really thinking "no".
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ALWAYS write down every correction that you were given to the best of your memory, and review those corrections on the drive or as you warm up in the hallway (this is why ballet notebooks are required for B2 and up). Even better, write down corrections that others are given as well. Rarely is only one dancer in a class making any corrected mistake, but they may only be the one corrected in that moment.
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NEVER cross your arms when given a correction, this sends the message that you are closed off to improving, and does not encourage the instructor to spend time creating effective corrections to help your progress.
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NEVER pout when you are given a correction. Practicing pouting just makes you better at pouting. If pouting is a regular behavior, your instructor may feel you are not mature enough for the level you are enrolled in, and may suggest a change of levels or a redirection.
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NEVER quit in the middle of an exercise, always finish to the final pose, regardless of how badly it may have gone. Your instructor cannot give you an effective correction if you quit altogether. In addition, practicing quitting makes you better at quitting. Who has that as a goal?
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NEVER argue with your instructor about a correction. No instructor needs to invent things to correct you about, we all have faults, and most instructors could correct our own dancing for days. Also, remember that the instructor's job is...wait for it...to correct you! Read that again...:) Please note that if you have an issue worthy of a discussion, please come into the office and we will schedule an appointment to have a chat with our artistic director and your instructor.
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Thank your teacher when they give you a correction, they are trying to help you! Without corrections in ballet class, every single one of us would still be sickling our feet and sticking our bottoms, as we did during our very first days of ballet study...TRUTHBOMB. Thanking your instructor lets her or him know you are open to corrections, which encourages them to create effective corrections for you.
Work hard and focus on applying each correction, and you are sure to be progressing in your studies...:)