Finally, a ballet pedagogy book for teachers of all training methods
"This book, although written with the ballet teacher in mind, is equally useful to the modern dance teacher. All teachers of concert dance should have it close at hand."—Eileen Cropley, Paul Taylor Dance Company
"An original concept and a work of great necessity in the field of training in ballet. This is the best book on ballet pedagogy I have encountered."—Rick McCullough, Florida State University
There are many different methods for teaching classical ballet—Bournonville, Vaganova, Cecchetti, and Royal Academy of Dancing being the most widely known. All of these methods are effective tools for presenting the technique and art of ballet. Knowing how to use these tools successfully requires more than being a devotee of the technique; it also requires the mastering of various skills.
In Ballet Pedagogy, Rory Foster aims to share his extensive knowledge of how to teach rather than focus exclusively on what to teach. He argues that it is not enough for a ballet teacher to be well trained in technique, but that he or she must also know how to utilize pedagogical skills.
Designed as both a manual for beginning teachers as well as a reference for experienced instructors, Ballet Pedagogy is appropriate for either followers of a single methodology or for those who have adopted a more eclectic approach to technique. Foster believes that effective teaching skills—proper demonstration, counting, correcting, musicality, anatomical approach, etc.—do not come automatically just because one has trained as a dancer.
In this book, Foster—an expert in multiple ballet methods—covers all areas involving dance, from history to injury prevention, from anatomy and kinesiology to vocabulary and music. He even offers pragmatic advice on the business of starting a dance school. The result is an essential addition to every dance teacher's library.
Rory Foster is professor emeritus of dance at DePaul University. Trained with many renowned teachers in Chicago, New York, and London, he danced for five years with the American Ballet Theatre and served as ballet master for the Chicago Ballet.
