Beyond The Barre: Comparative Pedagogies in Early Ballet Education.
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
This presentation examines different teaching methodologies that are used to train young ballet dancers. More specifically, I explore the differences between play-based dance pedagogy and traditional ballet teaching methodologies. Drawing from my own teaching experiences as well as published scholarship on play-based instruction, I examine how these methods encourage creativity, improvisation, and collaboration. I then contrast these approaches with traditional ballet pedagogies that emphasize technical instruction and ideal outcomes. Rather than present a putative dichotomy between these approaches, I emphasize how ballet can be taught in many different ways, dependent on students' experiences and curricular structures. In addition, I reveal why play-based instructional methods may be best for particular communities, and why traditional ballet pedagogy may be damaging for certain communities. Ultimately, my project expands approaches to the study of dance education by exploring how ballet instruction can be adapted to different learning styles, cultures, and instructional settings.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Kate Mattingly
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
kmatting@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Department of Communication and Theatre Arts
College/School Affiliation
College of Arts & Letters
Student Level Group
Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Poster
Beyond The Barre: Comparative Pedagogies in Early Ballet Education.
This presentation examines different teaching methodologies that are used to train young ballet dancers. More specifically, I explore the differences between play-based dance pedagogy and traditional ballet teaching methodologies. Drawing from my own teaching experiences as well as published scholarship on play-based instruction, I examine how these methods encourage creativity, improvisation, and collaboration. I then contrast these approaches with traditional ballet pedagogies that emphasize technical instruction and ideal outcomes. Rather than present a putative dichotomy between these approaches, I emphasize how ballet can be taught in many different ways, dependent on students' experiences and curricular structures. In addition, I reveal why play-based instructional methods may be best for particular communities, and why traditional ballet pedagogy may be damaging for certain communities. Ultimately, my project expands approaches to the study of dance education by exploring how ballet instruction can be adapted to different learning styles, cultures, and instructional settings.