Tag: ballet technique

Dear Katie: How Can I Improve My Arabesque?

In our “Dear Katie” series, Miami City Ballet soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, What can I do to get my arabesque above 90 degrees? I’m pretty flexible, but I feel like my leg gets stuck […]

5 Principal Dancers on the Ballet Steps That Still Challenge Them

Their technique might seem effortless onstage, but even the most seasoned ballet professionals have that one step that still drives them crazy. We asked five principal dancers to open up about the skills they still find challenging, and how they’re working to finesse them. Dana Benton as Kitri in Don Quixote (Francisco Estevez, courtesy Colorado […]

The Secrets to Smooth—and Smack-Free—Partnered Pirouettes

In theory, partnered pirouettes should be easier than regular pirouettes, right? After all, there are not one, but two of you there to make lots of smooth, glorious rotations happen. But in practice, they can be…complicated. (Just ask Kristi Capps, ballet master at Kansas City Ballet, who once broke her ring finger on her partner’s […]

Please Take a Moment to Silence Your Pointe Shoes

Few things ruin the magic of a performance faster than the sound of loud pointe shoes. “When an audience watches someone dancing, they don’t want to hear tap-tap-tap,” says Houston Ballet first soloist Allison Miller. Pointe shoe sounds can be distracting to you, too, breaking your concentration and keeping you from getting lost in the […]

Dear Katie: Why Won't My Teachers Put Me on Pointe?

In our “Dear Katie” series, MCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, I’m 14 and have been studying ballet seriously for about three years. Even though I feel ready, my teachers haven’t put me on pointe […]

Dear Katie: How Do I Stop Overusing My Hip Flexors?

In our “Dear Katie” series, former NYCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, My teacher always tells me to “lift from underneath” during grands battements, but I don’t really understand what she means. I’m overusing my […]

10 Tips For Better Grand Allegro

The high-flying leaps of grand allegro are meant to be incredibly exciting. But at the end of an intense ballet class, when you’re exhausted, it can be hard to give them the attention they deserve. Want to pump up your big jumps? Follow these 10 vital tips from Jennifer Hart, curriculum director and instructor at […]