Hi, and welcome to my brand-new blog! After 20+ years of running a dance school and playing for ballet class with students from toddlers to geriatric, I really think I have some valuable insights to share. From my fortress of solitude behind the piano over there in the corner, I’ve been observing all of you teachers, students and parents for years, secretly (and unknowingly) gathering intel to write this blog.
Seeing kids starting ballet at 4 and going on to become professional dancers, I’ve seen just what it takes, the dos and don’ts, the ups and downs. So if you want to find out why you should make parents dance like butterflies, how to control bathroom epidemics, or why I think ballet pianists should take at least one dance lesson, then stay tuned!
I hope that this blog will be useful to anyone starting to teach tiny kids, to those who want to run their own ballet school, to parents of kids who want to try to become a dancer; to newbies or more experienced ballet class pianists, to those who are thinking of recording and publishing their own music, and to anyone who loves ballet as much as I do.
Some of it will be technical, some of it will be anecdotes, some of it will be opinions and thoughts, and I really hope there will be something for everyone. There will also be a fair amount of historical tidbits from my quite unusual life: as I mentioned in this short intro, I’ve grown up in a very unique world, surrounded by dancers, actors, clowns, polar bear trainers and circus directors.
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Lastly, I really hope that this blog will be a place to share and connect, and not just a one-sided wall of words. When I look at these maps of the world that show you where your music is playing, I am amazed at how my ballet music has managed to sneak into the most remote corners of the world; even places I’ve never even heard of before. It says something about how small and unified this world of ballet is. How the same music can be used in Sweden, Brazil, Japan and Cameroon.
I’ve often thought about how different life probably is for all the people streaming my music and wondered how similar or dissimilar the ballet classes are around the world. I’d be thrilled to hear from you guys in the comments, where you’re all from and what your experiences are with ballet classes in different parts of the world. What is universal, what is different? Let’s share some experiences.
Until next time!
