Jacqueline Burroughs

Ballet Virtual Field Trip Assignment

 What do you observe about HOW these dancers take class that you can bring into your
own study? 

I can do more outside of class to strengthen my body. It’s important to have a solid core.
These dancers are focused and take the teacher’s correction once and apply it immediately.

 What do you observe about the specific details of technique that you, too, are also trying
to perfect every day?   Take notice of the articulation of their feet, the expansiveness of their
port de bras, the verticality of their spine, the way they are moving their limbs through
shapes, their musicality . . .

The transitions between steps are emphasized during the class. The way you get in and out of
different movements makes ballet what it is. Also, the way they hold their arms with their
back makes it easier for the dancers to utilize their core while turning.

 Which steps in the center are these dancers performing that you already know, and what
do you notice about how they execute these steps . . . which of the corrections that you are
hearing in class do you see at work here?  

One of the steps I know is the waltz turn. In the center, the dancers must stay with the music.
As a dancer, you must listen to the music and dance with it.

 What performance qualities do you observe in these dancers that you would most like to
incorporate into your own work, and how will you approach class differently as a result of
watching these dancers?

I noticed that the dancers are always alert and attentive during class. They are also always
watching their peers as they go across the floor and learning from them.