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.
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.