Available Summer 2010!
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• Eight complete and progressive 1 ½ hour Classical Ballet lessons exclusively designed for figure skaters are presented for the Beginning Level and six lessons each are presented for the Intermediate and Advanced/Continuing students.

• Each lesson plan contains over 25 exercises/combinations and is designed to be used for at least 2-3 class periods to ingrain neuro-muscular imprinting and musicality. 

• A graded syllabus with tests for each level are included which can be printed out and distributed to your students.

• Each beginning level lesson plan begins with body awareness floor exercises and ends with correct stretching techniques which are fully explained in the appendix.

• Counts (instead of measures or bars) for each step in a particular combination are placed directly above the step. The number of total counts required for each combination is presented at the beginning of each exercise so the correct length of music can easily be chosen.

• Unlike many other enchainment books detailed head position, eye gaze, hand and arm movements are given within each exercise so that the entire body is being employed in a coordinated manner.

• In addition a comprehensive instructional section on Classical port de bras, hand and head training are presented with accompanying illustrations to help those who may not be well versed in these often neglected areas of training.

• Teaching notes and prompts are included in each lesson plan including “Bringing it Home to the Skater” inserts designed to help skater and teacher connect certain movements worked on in class with specific skating moves.

• Spiral bound for convenience. 

• Four ½ hour on-ice application lessons are given for the beginning and intermediate levels. 

• Annette's unique full length barre and center class utilizing one skate to increase strength and accurate whole body alignment.

• Included in the appendix is a “Points of the Stage and Placement” diagram, warm-up and stretching exercises and a section on “How to Begin and Maintain a Ballet for Figure Skaters Program for Your Skating Club” which can be used as a spring board in facilitating discussion and goal setting between the ballet instructor, coaches, club board and other off-ice instructors.

• Also included in the appendix are helpful references and resource materials for further study including music suggestions, character dance resources, books, and educational DVDs’.

Online Excerpts

The following are excerpts from Annette's upcoming book:

• Forward
• Introduction
• Table of Contents
• "Bringing it Home to the Skater"
• "Spacing at the Barre and Center"
• "Lesson Length and Time Management"
• How to Begin and Maintain a ballet for figure skater program for your club
• Lesson Plan excerpts

As a figure skating instructor and sports medicine professional, I was ecstatic to find Annette who has extensive experience in classical ballet and knowledge of skating.   With this background, she is uniquely qualified to teach ballet to figure skaters.  Her classes focus on teaching progressive classical ballet skills and relating these movements to skating.  She ends each session with character dances for added fun and culture and the bow for a sense of completion.  I believe this approach is more effective at developing a well rounded skater than merely teaching a dance routine without building a foundation of skill.   Having taken an eight week session with Annette I can say from personal experience that the classes were mentally and physically challenging with age appropriate modifications made for all skaters.  The skaters learned many valuable ballet secrets which helped them perform popular skating specific skills. In addition to teaching specific skills, her systematic approach to training emphasizes the development of the whole skater so that unlimited skills and movements can be performed. As a clinician and mom of a nine year old skating daughter, however, I was most impressed with Annette’s knowledge of functional anatomy and biomechanics.  Her classical style of teaching gives yield only to injury prevention as she has a gentle approach to improving turnout, lumbar extension and core strength.  Annette’s unique approach to ballet training for figure skaters resulted in immediate improvements in focus, confidence and posture. Teaching the skaters how to feel the movements, building critical muscle memory, is a benefit that will stay with the skaters for life. Annette has extended all of these valuable teaching methods to the skating community  in her new book “Lessons in Classical Ballet For the Figure Skater” providing the most artistically and technically comprehensive book on the market today.

Susie Christensen, ATC, CSCS Performer's Advantage LLC