Should you take your child to live stage performances? The short answer is yes, you should, whenever possible! As budding performers, dance students need input from many areas in order to improve and achieve their goals, including from professional dancers. Here are some important reasons why live performances will enhance students’ dancing. Inspiration and Reflection Watching professionals on stage gives ...
Exam Time – Dance For Better Grades
More often than not, dance is seen as merely an extracurricular; an after-school activity that we can afford to miss to complete homework or to study for the next set of exams. Although the physical advantages of attending classes are a given, dance also has a plethora of mental and emotional benefits that we never really think about. Dance It ...
What Ballet is Teaching My Daughter
by Melissa Arulappan In less than a week from now, my younger daughter will have completed her Grade V Imperial Ballet exam. It’s one of the reasons why she decided on a gap year after her Grade XII board exams. She did not know when she made the decision whether she would be selected for the exam. It was a ...
Exam Insight
Around this time two years ago, TLFCB held ISTD ballet exams for the first time ever in India. I sat in on all the exams because I played the music (some might even say ‘DJ-ed’) for ones that didn’t have a live pianist. In a few days, I’ll occupy the same seat next to the examiner. As the second exam ...
Our TLFCB Ballet Boys
There is no doubt that girls dominate over boys in the ballet world today. This was not the case back when ballet shifted from stately court appearances to professional performances on stage. Back in the 1660’s it was males who emerged as the first professional ballet dancers. In the Renaissance era, only male dancers would perform, using masks for when ...
Wearing Uniform in Ballet Class
Have you ever wondered why ballet schools insist on students wearing uniform? Or why we at TLFCB are so picky about the length of skirts, quality of tights, and the fitting of shoes? Here’s your answer! Students wear the uniform in ballet class for several purposes. Each part of the uniform has a specific role in helping both the teacher ...
Styles and Methods of Ballet
Ballet has evolved immensely over the course of the last 500 years. Starting off as court performances in Italy with basic technique, it is now performed worldwide in various styles. Here’s a little history and background on the style variations in ballet. In the 15th century, in the midst of cultural revival and transition to modernity in Europe, known as ...
Is Youtube a good place to learn ballet?
Have you ever been tempted by a Youtube ballet tutorial, or decided to learn a solo online? Unless you are a technically advanced dancer and are confident in your ability to perform the steps correctly, think again. It isn’t advisable to learn ballet technique from YouTube in the initial years of training. Just like any classical dance form, you need ...
Entering the World of Choreography
Choreographing your own dance piece takes a lot of creativity, patience, and hard work. Here are a few tips and pointers that will help you out as you gear up for the competition. Get inspired There is inspiration for movement everywhere. The world and your surroundings can offer so much if you just observe closely - nature, family, friends, pets, ...
Cupcakes, fairy wings , mouse hats and more – internship report
There are a lot things that go into making a ballet production. Dancers and the choreography are obviously the skeleton, but a huge part of what makes it come alive is the costume department. This is why this summer we gave an opportunity to those who are interested to come intern with us. The summer internship lasted for a period ...