Ballet for Figure Skaters

From the inception of my website “Balletforfigureskaters.com” in 1999 as well as the e-group by the same name which ran for several years, coaches and ballet instructors from all over the world have asked numerous questions on how to start and maintain a ballet program at their rinks. This is a compilation of suggestions and ideas which I have used over the years in helping others to form a viable ballet program for figure skaters. Of course every skating club is run differently and some of the issues and applications discussed will be more viable than others depending on the dynamics of your particular club.

After reading through this section of ideas you may be inspired to write up your own set of guidelines which you feel might best suit the club you work for and present it to the board or to the coaches you most frequently work with. Ongoing clear communication, mutual respect and visionary cooperation are the most important features to maintaining a workable program. Through my many years of teaching at rinks and corresponding with both coaches and ballet instructors of figure skaters around the world, I can say with some accuracy that ballet lessons most frequently fail at rinks because of lack of on-going cooperation, respect and communication between the ballet instructor and the coach.

Things to think about and discuss:

Unity of teaching method is imperative to training the figure skater…the more teachers/styles/philosophies of training methods abound the more confused the skater will become as to how to utilize the information given (especially for the very young). The result will be that a lot of money will be spent with very little artistic or technical finesse gained. This is not only frustrating for the skater; it is frustrating for the parents, coaches and club in general.

Classical Ballet Technique is not just another “Style” of dance…it is the fundamental training technique for all Western Dance. Styles may change but the physics of movement does not. Correct ballet technique addresses accurate biomechanics as well as artistry so that any dance style learned afterwards will be more easily incorporated and used by the technician. Classical ballet frees the body to express emotion and concepts.

Correct body alignment/awareness and “centering” cannot initially be taught on the ice. There is too much going on for the average person when “velocity” as well as merely balancing on a blade are added into the mixture of proprioception. Initially these concepts must be taught off-ice, flat footed, with mirrors and on the floor as unambiguous focus is required to instill these perceptions within each individual.

Immediate results do not necessarily mean permanent results….in learning Classical Ballet technique the student will obtain permanent results as the concepts are ingrained into the neural pathways (body, mind and musicality simultaneously) through repetition…..there is no other form of movement training which does this in such methodical and minute detail.

Choreography can produce “quick fixes’ to specific pose related problems (outward appearance) but only “programming” the correct neural pathways will ensure that the skater can produce consistent, biomechanically sound movement no matter what the choreography.

“The purpose for dance class is to make the interior more visible”
-Alvin Ailey

The following are excerpts from Annette's upcoming book:

"Lessons in Classical Ballet for the Figure Skater"