Sitting down at my laptop for the first time on a Sunday morning - afternoon and trying to figure out what is a blog, how to blog and why I should blog..... it is not in my nature to write down my thoughts and feeling - a lot happens in my head and either stays there or disappears into the beyond. I do realise that I have these moments of inspiration that can then disappear very quickly, so learning to articulate this thoughts is potentially going to be really useful - if I can get into the habit of doing it.
I currently teach undergraduate students ballet at London Contemporary Dance School. This term I am teaching first years. Always a challenge as they come from all over the world. Some who have been dancing (ballet) since they were 4 years old and with what I would call an very dated approach to the technique and very set ideas. Some who have started ballet later often through the CAT - Centre for Advanced training scheme and then some students who's first introduction to ballet is in the LCDS audition. I see my responsibility in their first term as introducing the students to classical ballet in the context of contemporary dance. This often means breaking down preconceptions of the art form, helping them to dissolve their own fears and uncertainties about ballet and how the students often pigeonhole themselves because of what someone has once said to them or their fear of not having the same knowledge as other students in the studio.
So demystifying ballet is something I am really interested in and probably what I'll be blogging about for the next few weeks as I try out various ways to really engage the students in this art form that I really love.
