Transforming Ballet Education: Student Centered Pedagogy

Abstract:

It is well known that the hierarchy in a ballet class can suppress artistry due to its authoritarian teaching model. However, a few pioneers in higher education have been changing their ballet teaching methods to develop a more student-centered approach. This paper examines the shift towards student-centered approaches in higher education ballet training, which can be defined as students actively participating in their education through various means such as peer-to-peer feedback, community building, individualized teaching approaches, and allowing students to have agency and choice in their learning process. I observed six ballet classes in higher education and documented teachers’ and students’ behavior, including for example, how many questions the students asked, where the instructor stood in the room, and the use of touch as a means for correcting. Post-class I conducted interviews with all instructors asking about their teaching philosophy, as well as their use of specific methods I had observed. I propose that using student-centered teaching practices can effectively yield the same technical and artistic results as a more traditional authoritarian approach to teaching ballet.

Bibliography:

• Assandri, E. P. J. (2019). Is ‘touching’ essential when teaching ballet? Research in Dance Education, 20(2), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2019.1609435
• Banister, C. 2020. Exploring peer feedback processes and peer feedback meta-dialogues with learners of academic and business English. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820952222
• Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Schmid, R. F., Waddington, D. I., & Pickup, D. I. (2019). Twenty-first-century adaptive teaching and individualized learning operationalized as specific blends of student-centered instructional events: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 15(1-2), e1017. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1017

Presented by Chris Kaiser, Assistant Professor; University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

Biography:

Chris Kaiser is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. He recently finished his MFA at the University of Washington. Chris is an accomplished ballet artist and educator with experience at world-renowned institutions. He studied at The Juilliard School before receiving a contract with the Alberta Ballet. After three seasons of dancing in Canada, he finished his dancing career as a soloist with Oregon Ballet Theatre, where he had the privilege to perform works by William Forsythe, Ben Stevenson, and Nacho Duato. Chris combines a deep understanding of classical ballet and modern dance with innovative, student-centered teaching philosophies. His mission is to create a space where dancers can take ownership of their education and training while providing them with the necessary tools for success in the field and beyond.