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Jordan is a wonderful teacher and a very nice person. I have enjoyed my ballet classes very much. Jordan is very knowledgable in dancing techniques and has an inspiring passion. Great experience. Woul
Xuanting (Ballet lessons with Jordan W.)
she is the best for my kid and yours i highly recomend
Rachael (Ballet lessons with Chrystie S)
I have learned how to do a single Pirouette today with Chrystie. She is patient and kind, a good teacher to follow along!
Qingyang (Ballet lessons with Chrystie S)
Awesome teacher and so much fun
Nicole (Ballet lessons with Jordan W.
)
Jordan is a wonderful teacher and a very nice person. I have enjoyed my ballet classes very much. Jordan is very knowledgable in dancing techniques and has an inspiring passion. Great experience. Woul
Xuanting (Ballet lessons with Jordan W.)
she is the best for my kid and yours i highly recomend
Rachael (Ballet lessons with Chrystie S)
Trending Ballet Articles
Tights, Tutus, and Shoes: Is Learning Ballet Expensive?
If your child is interested in taking ballet lessons, one of the things that is likely going through your mind right now is wondering how much it is going to cost. Many people believe that dance classes, and especially ballet classes, are quite expensive to participate in. While it's true that there are certain supplies your child will need to learn how to dance ballet, purchasing these items does not have to break the bank. Here you will find a rundown of everything your child will need, as wel
Ballet Lessons
The art of ballet is practiced in countries around the world, influencing dance and culture for centuries.
Famous ballets such as The Nutcracker are performed for large audiences to this day.
Ballet is centuries old, first originating in the Italian Renaissance period before developing into a concert dance form in France and Russia. Due to its widespread practice, ballet has developed into a highly technical dance with its own particular vocabulary. Along with this, ballet has served as a foundation for many of the dance styles that have evolved over the years.
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Certified Ballet Teachers
Because of the technical aspects of learning ballet, having a great teacher is vital. All of TakeLessons’ ballet teachers are certified and background-checked, bringing years of training and professional expertise to their students.
Signing up for ballet lessons on TakeLessons is easy. All you do is make a profile, browse through our list of available teachers, and pick one with a rate and teaching style that works best for you.
To help make your decision easier, you can read through each teacher’s background and review from students, making it easier to pinpoint your ideal ballet coach.
Rates do vary from teacher to teacher, but the average price for the best online ballet lessons and in-person coaching is $86. Sign up now to start dancing!
Online Ballet Lessons for All Ages
Ballet is a great practice to start at any age. Many children begin taking ballet at an early age, learning to master each move as they move up in skill level. Adults can learn ballet, too, whether it’s simply to improve their dancing ability or prepare for auditions to participate in shows.
For example, our selection of ballet lessons for kids help to take the mystique out of ballet. Ballet has a reputation as a difficult and strenuous art form, one that takes dedication and hard work to master. Nevertheless, our ballet teachers help kids have fun as they learn, offering them achievable steps along their ballet journey.
Sign up today for the best online ballet lessons and in-person dance coaching for kids and adults!
Ballet Lessons for All Levels
Because of its difficulty, ballet can take years to learn and decades to master. Because of this, there are many different levels of ballet lessons we offer for students.
It can be intimidating to be just starting out in ballet. That’s why our ballet lessons for beginners make it easy to understand the fundamentals, including basic terms and moves that will be essential to moving up in the ballet world. Moving up to advanced lessons, students will learn more technical moves and eventually participate in a live ballet performance.
It doesn’t matter where you’re starting out, the best online ballet lessons and in-person coaching can get you there. Sign up now!
Ballet Lessons Curriculum
Sample Curriculum for Beginner Ballet Lessons
- Classical ballet introduction
- Basic moves
- Stretching
- History of ballet
- Modern approaches
Sample Curriculum for Intermediate Ballet Lessons
- Mastering ballet movements
- Contemporary ballet
- Romantic ballet
- Various ballet methods
Sample Curriculum for Advanced Ballet Lessons
- Mastering modern ballet
- En pointe (on point)
- Choreography
- Other advanced movements
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FAQ
You can teach yourself ballet, although it can be challenging to learn on your own. These days, there are several online options to choose from, including online ballet classes, videos, and even professional dancers and coaches that live stream classes and workouts. Oftentimes, the ideal option is to take private lessons from a certified teacher. At TakeLessons, you can find the best online ballet lessons and in-person coaching for learning this famous art form.
It can take many years to learn ballet and even longer to truly master the dance form. This is complicated by the fact that there are many different kinds of ballet, ranging from classical ballet to contemporary approaches.
Some ballet experts put the number at 8-10 years to truly become a professional-level ballet dancer. It is difficult to get to that level without taking lessons from expert ballet teachers. Luckily, there are many resources for finding lessons online and in-person, such as on learning platforms like TakeLessons, which provide easy access to certified ballet coaches.
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The Discipline of Ballet Class
This article about Dance Discipline is from a dance blog written by Theresa A.
Velardi, certified to teach Classical Ballet (Cecchetti method) and Tap through Dance Masters of America teacher, Dance Educators of America and Associated Dance Teachers of New Jersey.
Discipline in ballet class simply means learning, practicing and demonstrating expected behaviors specifically associated with ballet. From the dancers’ viewpoint, discipline comes from the desire to meet and obtain the desired results in class, that is, learning and perfecting the steps taught. Taking ballet class develops self discipline of the body as well as critical thinking skills. Practicing ballet physically changes the body by teaching it a way to communicate through the choreographed movements, we call steps.
Dancers, executing the required barre, center and across the floor dance combinations, requires them to focus on the exercises and combinations in logical, orderly phrases, that create a sequence. Those phrases relate to the accompanying music. The dancer requires self discipline to meet the standards of ballet.
Sometimes, learning to commit to the study of ballet, dancers increase self discipline and abilities which may have a positive effect on learning in other areas of their lives.
The ballet teacher views discipline as a commitment to practicing the steps taught as well as structure, rules and etiquette of the ballet class. Discipline in the ballet classroom connects dancers to the history of ballet that dates back to the courts of the Renaissance period and the formal traditions that have become ballet classroom heritage The connection to tradition results in combining performance with an appreciation of the beauty of ballet.
Dance students need to understand that becoming a dancer requires accepting feed back from the teacher. Too often, teacher feed back is received by the dancer incorrectly. Dancers who are Teens, high school students, especially, believe that the teacher may be there to make their life more difficult, and take correction personally. The teacher, while applying discipline to her class is only applying discipline as a whole.
One area is class attire. The dancer’s and teacher’s attire for class contribute to professionalism and class atmosphere. The school director decides how stringent classroom attire should be to obtain professionalism. Today there are too many dance catalogs on the market and online dance stores in which the manufacturers believe how dance students should dress for class. It is not up the manufacturer of these garments to dictate what the dancers need and need not wear. It is up to the teacher of the class to promote professionalism within the classroom.
Class attire is a discipline that is important for me as a teacher. Unity in class attire gives the dancers a piece of history as well as an ease of eye, for the teacher, while she looks at her class in the mirror. With class unity, it is easy for the teacher to identify any mistakes or dancers who are out of place. Confusion comes from seeing too many colors, styles and forms of dancewear in the mirror. Hair needs to be confined and off the neck.
Bangs and short hair need to be confined. No hair should be swinging at any time. It creates a distraction to the dancer as well looks sloppy in class.
Another area of discipline is class behavior. During class, dancers are expected to be quiet while the teacher gives the instructions for combinations, or offers a correction. Talking in class to your classmates, should be prohibited. If the dancer has question, then she should raise her hand and wait to be acknowledged by the teacher to ask her question. Obviously gum chewing is unsafe and unsightly in the class and also distracts the dancers concentration. Jewelry should be absent. Small post earring are not a hazard or distraction and may be worn, but dangling earrings create not only a hazard for the dancer but a distraction for the teacher.
Classroom behavior also involves courteousness towards other dancers as well as respect for authority…the teacher. Cell phones, which are a distraction, need to remain off and tucked away and never checked during class time.
This is not only a distraction to concentration for the dancer but rude to the class and mostly to the teacher.
Discipline in ballet is a way of life, a good way to learn to lead your life outside of the dance room. Self discipline will follow your for the rest of your life and your beginning is in the ballet classroom.
Click here for a link to the original article.
Dance like life | "Friday"
Ballet dancer Sergei Mershin's recipe for success
Ruzanna Batalina , correspondent
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Sergei Mershin, a graduate of the famous ballet school in Perm, in a short time went from a corps de ballet dancer to the premiere of the Perm Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
P. I. Tchaikovsky. The audience knows him by the roles of the romantic Prince from the ballet The Nutcracker, the temperamental Romeo from Romeo and Juliet, and even the grotesque Beiburzhuev from the ballet Conditionally Murdered.
On New Year's Eve, Sergei Mershin was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. "Friday" learned how he got into ballet, what to do if you fell on the stage, and also how to succeed if you turned out to be the youngest student of the choreographic school.
- Sergey, tell us how you ended up in ballet. Did you make this decision yourself or did you decide it for you?
- I was born into a sports family: my mother was a bodybuilder, she is the champion of Russia and Europe, and my father is a sports journalist. Initially, my parents decided to send me to the figure skating section at Orlyonok, and for four and a half years I skated. We had choreography lessons twice a week, and then, after some time, the choreography teacher Viktoria Stepanovna Andrievskaya told my parents that I had good ballet skills.
So it was decided to change the sports profession for a cultural one, and I don’t regret it at all.
Previously, you were admitted to the choreographic school from the age of 10, that is, after the third grade, you had to bring a certificate of graduation from elementary school, and you could be enrolled. But it turned out that my parents were eager to send me to a choreographic school, and after the second grade I went to enter there. Lyudmila Pavlovna Sakharova (the creator of the famous phenomenon "Perm ballet", artistic director of the Perm Choreographic School from 1973 to 2004 - ed.) was alive then, and she said that I was still too small. But my parents decided not to back down, agreed with my school, and in just a month I completed the third grade program. After that, we returned to the school again, which surprised Lyudmila Pavlovna very much. So I was enrolled and turned out to be the youngest among all the students. But this did not affect our relationship with classmates.
Of course, already in adolescence there were problems when the formation of a personality began, it came to tears and abuse, I wanted to quit everything! But in one moment something changed. I began to like what I was doing, there was an incentive and a desire to win. I realized that I should be the first.
— Has your attitude to dance changed over the years of work?
- For 18 years of work in the theater, I seem to have moved to some new level. The dance came to life for me. This is no longer just a set of some movements, this is a whole life. You immerse yourself in the body, the atmosphere of the character, worry about him, and then go backstage and become yourself again. When I understood this, it became easier for me to understand new directions in the development of this or that hero, and the movements began to turn out by themselves. Of course, this does not come to automatism, no, I just live through these movements and convey the states of my hero.
- Do you have any advantages over other dancers?
- I had a good base - classes with coaches at Orlyonok helped in this, because many elements from figure skating are modernized and used in classical dance, and jumping has always been easy for me. Even now, some teachers come up to me and say: “Teach this boy!”, Or the guys themselves often come up and ask how best to do this or that movement. But I'm not a teacher yet. When I switch to teaching practice, then I will teach others.
— What is the most difficult thing for you in ballet?
- Oddly enough, but the most difficult thing is just to overcome yourself and go on stage, and then just as beautifully leave it and not show the viewer your tiredness. Indeed, for the viewer, the performance is a real fairy tale, and we are obliged to preserve it to the end. Sometimes I go to the performances of our theater, in which I myself am not involved, in order to feel this atmosphere of magic, although it is not always possible to abstract: you start to notice some nuances, shortcomings, you think about how you would do it yourself.
But for the viewer, this is always a new book that we “read” together.
- And what role do you consider the most difficult?
- Emotionally, all roles are difficult. For me, there are no identical performances. It is important to understand your character, you need to thoroughly study it, especially if you play the role of some famous person or participate in the production of a famous work. At the same time, you always want to bring something new, unusual, so that the performance comes to life. Even the seemingly plotless ballets of Balanchine have their own philosophy, and it is important to convey it to the viewer. And when you understand the characters, it becomes easier.
It's always easier to play some tragic characters than comic ones, because people are often afraid to seem funny. It is easier to play Prince Siegfried than Beiburzhuev when he grimaces to the soundtrack. You have to make the viewer laugh, but at the same time act in such a way that you are not perceived as a jester.
Each character must find his own niche in certain experiences and in the life that he lives on stage.
Physically it is now difficult to perform the ballet "Firebird". This is the first such work where a large number of different styles are combined into one ballet. We have six appearances on the stage, and each one is a new style in dance. From ultra-modern you move on to classics, and at the same time you need to have time not only to quickly switch to a new style, but also to change clothes and return to the stage. Dancers are not machines, and when you manage to do all this without a hitch, you can assume that you have succeeded.
- Do you have any favorite roles?
- Recently, I like roles "with character" more and more, when there is an opportunity to make your character more emotional. It was a pleasure for me to dance not only Prince Siegfried, but also Rothbart, because he has a large number of overflows, mood changes, you can add and add, try to experiment so that the character becomes more vivid and meaningful.
But at the same time, I can safely say that all my roles are my favorite! I cannot refuse one in favor of the other. They are all interesting: there are more complex ones, there are simpler ones, but I get pleasure from each.
I remember my first performance, it was Swan Lake. I remember that jitters, the moment when you realize that everything is over - there is nowhere else to retreat. And when the conductor stood at the podium, the lights were turned off, the first notes sounded - that's it, then only forward, there is no turning back. And the music, and the scenery, and costumes - everything helps to get used to the role and make it interesting.
— Do you have dream roles?
- I really like the music and choreography in the ballet Le Corsaire. I would like to perform a pas de slander on the big stage. Once I danced it, on my own initiative, when Larisa Gergieva invited me to the festival (International Arts Festival "Visiting Larisa Gergieva" - ed.
). I enjoyed it tremendously, but, unfortunately, I did not show the pas de cursing on our stage.
Ballet dancers have a short time to dance, we retire early (ballet dancers retire after 15 years of service - ed.). There are many modern productions that I want to participate in, and I would also like to see many ballets taken from the repertoire restored, because you never get tired of dancing classical parts. Each time they are experienced in a new way, each time you give the movements a new meaning. It may sound too ambitious, but I would like to dance everything that I have not danced before!
- In 2011, you participated in the "See the Music" project and worked on a miniature for Bach's music with European choreographers. Did this experience come in handy in your future work?
- This is, without exaggeration, a colossal experience. Any new work is a great interest, an opportunity to learn something new, to discover new directions, movements.
For the development of any artist, this is very important, you always need to grow, move forward, discover new facets in dance, this helps to reach new heights, because the options for using this or that movement are almost endless. The Perm ballet is now on the rise, and I am glad that, thanks to my work, I am involved in this.
— Have there been any non-standard situations during the years of work in the theater that you had to get out of?
- Of the latter, this is probably the premiere of the ballet The Jester. In one of the scenes there is a small duet where I had to look awkward. During rehearsals, I danced with one partner who made a certain movement, let's say, directly, and at the premiere, at the last moment, another artist was paired with me. And he did this sideways movement! And here we are standing on the stage, and I am falling, as if I have been tripped. Music is playing, I'm lying on my shoulder blades, I see spotlights and I understand: I fell! From the audience, it looked like it should be, but we literally choked with laughter, because it was not intended, but it turned out to be very funny and comical, which, in general, was what we were striving for.
After the performance, of course, the choreographer approached us, asked if everything was in order, but asked us not to do it again, although it looked spectacular.
- In December 2017, you received the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. How difficult was it, because in recent years, Perm artists have not often achieved such recognition of merit?
- We spent a whole year on this, it was very hard. I had to put in a lot of effort. A large number of people were involved in this process, it was necessary to find them all, get feedback. The documents were repeatedly returned, as the regulations were changed at the last moment.
I am glad that everything was done, but as an artist of a non-capital theater, I feel sorry for those who gave their lives to the theater, they are known, they go to them and they want to see them in performances, but because of this bureaucratic machine, not everyone ends up " worthy”, they are “kicked off”.
It is a pity that there is no simplified scheme for submitting documents.
- Sergey, tell us about your future plans. How do you see your future?
- I believe that the accumulated knowledge should be given to someone. I already had experience in teaching - I taught duet dance at a choreographic school. What will happen next - we'll see. I have a large number of plans related to my further development, there are many ideas that I want to implement. Already now we are working on one project, and maybe this year it will be implemented. I can only say that the audience is in for a surprise.
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interview / Sergey Mershin / ballet / Perm region / cultureHistory of choreographic art - online presentation
General requirements:
O General notebook - 96 sheets.
Accurate maintenance of
is checked every quarter.
O Pen, pencil, eraser (for tests).
O Diary.
O Flash drive (optional).
O Group "VKontakte" "HISTORY OF BALLET, Children's Art School No. 5"
(https://vk.com/club130366219)
HISTORY OF CHOREOGRAPHIC ART - this is the name of
subject. But the history of choreographic art has 90,007 millennia of development. In the program of Additional
Pre-professional Education for the study of subject
is given two years. Therefore, first of all, the main attention will be paid to the history of the development of ballet, as the highest manifestation of the
art of dance. I will also try to introduce the students of
to the main periods in the development of the choreographic art of
in general. within the scope of this program.
I hope that the lessons of musical literacy, listening to music
and musical literature gave the children some information
on the history of music, ballet in particular, and the initial
understanding of the main stages in the development of European art.
I bring to your attention
some wonderful statements
of famous personalities about the Dance,
about its essence, about its place
in the life of man and humanity.
“Dance is life, and everyone has something to say…”
O Isadora Duncan
American
innovator dancer,
founder of
free dance.
“Dance is the song of the soul. A song of joy or pain.
The movement never lies.
This is a barometer showing the weather
in the shower.”
O Martha Graham
American dancer,
choreographer, creator of
modern dance
"All the ills of mankind, all the tragic
misfortunes that fill the history books,
all the political mistakes, all the failures of the great
leaders arose only because of the inability
to dance"
O Jean-Baptiste Molière
French
playwright, actor,
musician,
XVII century.
“A man came to a sage and said to him:
“O sage, teach me to discern the truth
from lies, beauty from ugliness.
Teach me
the joys of life." The wise man thought -
and taught the man to dance.
O Parable
"A king can be judged by the way
dance during his reign."
O Chinese proverb
“Dance in its essence is the highest and most ancient of all
arts. It is higher than music, it is higher than poetry, because
in the dance a person himself becomes an instrument,
a song and a creator,
and his whole body sounds like the timbre of a voice.
O Trudy Shoop
dance-movement
therapist
"Better than stomp your feet in anger,
better learn tap dance."
O Fred Astaire
American actor
theater and film
dancer, choreographer and singer
DANCE has always troubled the best minds
of humanity. Evidence of this -
numerous descriptions of various
dances in Russian literature!
Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy - in their
works you can find
magnificent descriptions of dances, both folk and
fashionable ballrooms!
A.
S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
Brilliant, half-airy,
Obedient to the magic bow,
Surrounded by a crowd of nymphs,
Istomin stands; she,
Touching the floor with one foot,
Slowly circling with the other,
And suddenly a jump, and suddenly she flies,
It flies like fluff from the mouth of Eol;
Now the camp will sow, then it will develop
And with a quick leg it beats the leg.
A. S. Pushkin
The mazurka resounded. It happened,
When the mazurka thundered,
Everything trembled in the huge hall,
The parquet cracked under the heel ...
George Byron
But fashion dictates its own law
everywhere,
And the lovely waltz everyone dances
in a row -
From the proud queen to
page,
All of them bodies and heads
circle, - writes
N. V. Gogol "Taras Bulba"
“... The earth hummed muffledly throughout the entire region, and
hopaks and tropaks resounded in the air, knocked out by the sonorous horseshoes of boots. But one milestone screamed
more lively and flew after the others in a dance. Chuprina fluttered in the wind, all open
there was a strong chest ... The crowd grew; others pestered the dancers, and it was impossible
was to see, without internal movement, how everything was torn off by the most
free, most frenzied dance that the world had ever seen and which, according to its powerful inventors, was called a Cossack.
Iosif Brodsky
Classical ballet
is a castle of beauty,
whose gentle dwellers
from the harsh prose of days
are separated by a screeching pit
orchestral
.
And the bridges are pulled up.
The greatest artists of all time have
taken an interest in the art of the human
movement. body cult in antique
culture, interest in anatomical features
- the Renaissance,
Dance - like the life of the human soul!
Visual arts - an example
of reflecting the essence of the Dance in several
examples from different eras.
Pieter Brueghel. Peasant dances.
Pieter Brueghel. Peasant dances.
Nicolas Lancret. Camargo dancer.
Edgar Degas
Henri Matisse. Dance
Pablo Picasso. Dance.
And in conclusion - a few words
from the representatives of the beautiful and
an incredibly difficult profession -
dancers
and choreographers - about
WHAT dance is for them ...
What is the true face of dance
art, invisible to the audience ...
"Ballet is hard labor in flowers."
This is how Faina Grigorievna Ranevskaya, a Russian actress, once very aptly described the art of ballet
.
The life of a ballet dancer on stage
is very short and consists
of constant training
at the barre,
rehearsals until a sweat,
and all this - so that the curtain rises
in the evening,
and we see the magic
born of the unity
of beautiful music
and the magic of dance - ballet.
"Two pillars on which
my art rests -
selfless love
for what I do,
and fantastically hard work
at rehearsals.
