Balancing technique with artistry

How do you balance the importance of technique with the importance of artistry in your students?

Two things that I have found can quickly bring life to a technically strong dancer is directing focus to how they can use their eyes in a way that catches the audience’s attention, and emphasising those details in class exercises. I also try to highlight different qualities within the music and get them to find ways to reflect the music in their movement. I have found that including musicality and stagecraft in a dancer’s technique training provides a good framework for developing artistry.

What has changed since you were a student?

During my training, I feel I didn’t always know why things were done a certain way, so I think it’s important the dancers know that many of the things we do at the barre are building foundations for more advanced steps later.

I try to focus not just on how steps are executed but why. I also encourage curiosity in each student and encourage them to ask questions as they come to mind. I believe this gives my students a sense of the “big picture” and how all their training pieces together.

This article is just one of a suite of teacher interviews in our Focus on Teaching special issue of Dance Australia (Oct/Nov/Dec 2021). Did you miss it? Subscribe and never miss an issue!