Imagine a door…

I bet the one you’re picturing is unique to you. It might have a beautiful wooden grain, vibrant paint colour, or intricate doorknob. Maybe it’s the sliding door at the grocery store.

Teaching ballet is full of imaginary doorways. Every cue I give in class is interpreted by your unique brain and body.

Cue-ing: Using different instructions or ways of thinking to achieve a desired result.

The instruction to stand tall could help one dancer find length and ease in their movement, while guiding another to hyperextend and exhaust their back. Learning the cues that work like magic for most dancers requires education in teaching, not just dancing.

Around 2019 I realized that asking my students to think “heels down” was harming their petit allegro more than it helped. Yes, your heels should move downwards as you land, but this cue didn’t make it happen. Instead, it caused dancers to tense their ankles, land hard, and lose their ballón.