Firm foundations

At the request of Dancing Times, I am setting out on the multi-faceted and possibly contentious task of considering what is involved in the making of a dancer and what is currently considered to be best practice in teaching dance. In the course of the series I shall bring you the opinions and expertise of many leaders from the world of dance and creative arts, together with relevant research findings from the fields of athletics and education.

My own background is classical ballet – as a student, an avid attendee at performances, a company member, a teacher in non-vocational and vocational schools, a trainer of dancers and ballet teachers, an arts administrator and a perpetual student seeking ever better ways to teach ballet.

Dance has been described as the art of expression without hindrance of words. It is our universal language and is therefore of value for every human being. The desire to learn more about dance may be sparked off in school dance classes or inspired by a live performance, like the eight-year-old Anna Pavlova who wanted to be Aurora after seeing The Sleeping Beauty at the Maryinsky Theatre. Anthony Dowell, like many other boys, started dancing at the age of seven because his sister went to classes. Galina Samsova wanted lessons so as to be like her best friend. For Stephen Jefferies, aged ten, his inspiration was watching Fred Astaire on television. Nowadays there are even more opportunities for children to learn dance, including schemes involving educational outreach work by dance companies.

The traditional route is to find a dance teacher locally, and for this it is wise for parents to consult one of the major dance organisations/societies who provide contact details of teachers trained in the style to be studied. For all children, enjoyment is at the heart of learning and this is particularly so for toddlers where the dance class is a social occasion where they practice clapping, stamping, running and stopping and acting out little stories, beginning to jump and then jump on one foot and being able to balance on tiptoes. Each accomplishment gives pleasure and encourages control and co-ordination of movement, which are strong foundations from which to develop a dancer. As an examiner, it lifted my heart to see a youngster walk with easy grace and proud bearing the whole length of a church hall towards me. Whatever their future, this early training will serve them well.

I cannot do better than list for you Cyril Beaumont's instructions to parents on choosing a teacher. He recommended checking where they were trained, their qualifications and reputations. Important personal qualities to seek are whether the teacher is conscientious, patient, a good disciplinarian, skilled as a practical demonstrator and as a theoretical exponent of the style. Also consider how long she/he has been teaching and the successes of former students. Parents sometimes think that the more they pay for the lessons, the better the teacher, but I assure you that this is not always so. I shall return in a future article to the costs involved in the later stages of ballet training.

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