For our series Ask A Dance Teacher, we asked ballet teacher Johanna Hadley some common questions about ballet training.
Our questions were, “How to teach yourself ballet? What are the risks associated with being a self-taught ballet dancer?”
Johanna says:
There are a lot of great resources out there to help enhance a dancer’s training, but it isn’t advised that you teach yourself. While you can still pick up extra tips from a YouTube video or a book, one of the most important things that can’t be done if you learn ballet yourself, is the ability to receive feedback and corrections.
When a teacher watches a student dance, they are using their years of experience to spot common faults. They are constantly watching for things like head and eye line, arm placement, hand placement, legs, feet, control of turnout, torso alignment and musicality. Not only is this important for ensuring that the steps are performed accurately, but also that they are faithful to the historical, formalised style of classical ballet.
The main risk factor of self-teaching ballet dancing is safety.
Without a dance teacher overseeing alignment or placement of the limbs, for example, a dancer can be unknowingly performing a step in a way that could cause injury to their body. If incorrect muscle groups are being used for a step, this can mean that the wrong muscles become overworked, which usually leads to an injury. As an example, it is quite common for a beginner dancer to ‘sickle’ their foot when they point it. If this isn’t corrected from the very start, the ankle will not strengthen correctly, which will create a weak ankle that is susceptible to sprains. A sickled foot will never be able to stand strongly and safely on the demi pointe, and it is at risk of serious injury if attempting pointe work.
A qualified dance teacher will also have good knowledge of anatomy. They will have been trained in understanding age-appropriate steps and exercises for a young, developing body. They will understand how to safely build up steps at an age-appropriate level over many years of training.
Ballet resources
For any dancer receiving formal tuition from a dance teacher, there are still a lot of great resources out there, where a dancer can pick up lots of tips. Be wary of anyone offering what may seem like unrealistic goals, such as that they can get you into your splits in a day. These goals are unrealistic for a reason! Instead, here are some suggestions of high-quality resources for dance students:
Claudia Dean World on YouTube, taught by Claudia Dean, ex-Royal Ballet dancer: https://www.youtube.com/c/ClaudiaDeanCoaching
Kathryn Morgan on YouTube, who is an ex-New York City Ballet dancer: https://www.youtube.com/c/Tutugirlkem