Building Ballet Technique II: A Self-Improvement Guide for Dancers - Paperback

by Marilyn Z. Gaston (Author)

This is a uniquely specific volume that lists both the reasons and solutions for many of the technique difficulties that plague dancers in their quest for self-improvement. It will take you "beyond the classroom" to find out how to better your flexibility, turn-out, pirouettes, jumps, arms, balances, and more, and how to work on problems such as sickling ("curling" the foot), poor jump preparations (or landings), rigid (or "droopy") arms, wobbly pirouettes, or weak extensions. Detailed descriptions and exercises for each area of difficulty are illustrated with color photos of dancers. Finally-here is a book with some real and pro-active suggestions that will give results-geared towards dancers of every level. Using appropriate ballet terminology, it enables dancers and dance students to understand, evaluate, and perform more effectively each time they return to the studio for class, rehearsal, or performance. Dance teachers will also find it invaluable as a source for targeted corrections and practical exercises to give to students struggling with particular technique difficulties. It begins with a Dancer's Quiz that anyone can use to pinpoint the personal technique areas they want to address, then follows each question/problem with a chapter giving reasons (causes), possible solutions, and positive ways to improve. The book is enhanced with many color photographs illustrating the chapters, with correct and incorrect poses included. This is a book that belongs on every dancer's (or dance student's) bookshelf. Written by a former professional ballet dancer with an extensive national and international performing and teaching background, this is the second volume in a series, following Vol. 1, "Building Ballet Technique, A Practical Guide for Teaching All Levels."

Author Biography

Marilyn Z. Gaston began her professional performing career before graduation with a B.F.A. in Ballet/Theatre from Texas Christian University. She danced with the Ft. Worth Ballet, Casa Mañana Summer Musicals, Inc., the Atlanta Ballet Company from 1972-74 and, from 1974-1977 she was engaged as a fully-contracted company member with the German State Theatre ballets companies in Lübeck and Karlsrühe (Germany), and the Ballet du Rhin (then housed in Strasbourg, France). She later also danced with the professional company of the Maryland Ballet when it was headquartered in Baltimore until 1979. Upon returning to the U.S. from Europe, Ms. Gaston began teaching in universities, private dance schools and pre-professional studios. In 1981 she founded the Ballet Academy of Baltimore and the Ballet Concerto of Baltimore, now known collectively as the Baltimore Ballet, and continued in that capacity until 1997. She served on the dance faculties of Towson University, Goucher College, Loyola University (Baltimore), Tyler Jr. College, and other universities, and later returned to complete an M.F.A. in Dance on a teaching fellowship from 2009 to 2012 at the University of Oklahoma. Her past students have been accepted into many college dance programs, pre-professional schools, and professional dance companies. In 2008 Ms. Gaston also completed an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte. She has two fiction books also in publication, and another ballet book in this series entitled "Building Ballet Technique, A Practical Teaching Guide for All Levels". She continues teaching ballet in Florida.