 Below, you'll find a list of websites that I've found to be helpful when I need information outside of the dance studio or ice rink. That noted, it's important to remember to talk with your dance instructors and skate coaches about the information you run across online. The Internet provides us with a host of articles and stories, but it can never take the place of a personal coach, instructor, or professional. For example, one of the best ways to improve your skills is to watch professionals working.
I've listed online dance and skate wear sites, but please be sure to check out the selections at your local dance shop and talk to a sales associate who you like and trust. Develop a relationship with them, especially regarding shoes. Hopefully, the sales staff will be familiar with your teacher or coach and work in unison to help you find the best products for your goals. Nothing on the Internet can take the place of a trained professional who is familiar with the products and tools of the trade, as they are proficient in answering your questions and fixing you up with appropriate apparel. Discount sites might work for quick and easy staples, but supporting local shops will enhance your local dance community and economy. Happy shopping! 1. Need help with your classical ballet technique? Try Kathryn Morgan's Technique Tips. 2. Want to type in any ballet move and see it immediately? Try the Ballet Dictionary from American Ballet Theatre. 3. Need even more help with your ballet technique? Check out Ballet in Form or Finis Jhung. 4. How about figure skating technique? Try iCoachSkating. 5. Looking for off-ice training? Here's SK8STRONG. 6. Need to boost your confidence on ice? You'll love Ice Cool Confidence. 7. Interested in discount dancewear? Check out Discount Dance. 8. Interested in discount figure skating wear? Try Discount Skatewear. 9. Looking for information on flexibility? Check out the The Ballet Blog. 10. Need even more help with your flexibility? Here's Easy Flexibility.
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 Skaterina student working on a gentle baby stretch with Elesia Ashkenazy while learning to point her toes. The photo above features one of my preschool-aged Skaterina students. She is currently a United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) Basic 2 skater. This little one recently began private ballet lessons in order to complement her artistry in skating competitions. We have had loads of fun playing games that foster early concepts of body awareness, alignment, creativity, flexibility, and musicality.
Playing and learning go hand-in-hand for preschoolers. Children this age are often enthusiastic to interact with props like silk scarves, hula hoops, balls, wands, streamers, fairy wings, stickers, dance-themed books, or anything else that might spark creativity. A popular activity for this age group involves holding wands or pom-poms and tapping them together to the beat of songs used in classical ballets. If the child is a figure skater and has a skate program, use their program music in addition. This activity introduces the fundamentals of musicality. Another popular activity involves music and a large colored circle (or a hula hoop, or a stuffed animal). Have the preschooler run to the circle, hop on or over it, and then skitter away. After a few turns, perhaps the child can walk slowly toward the circle, hop on the circle, and then quickly dash or skip to the other side of the studio. To further build upon this activity, teachers may place down a hula hoop, step inside, and model a turn or a spin with airplane arms that rotate toward stage-right. After the child gets the hang of it, model arms that rotate toward stage-left. Children also love hopping or leaping over circles or small stuffed animals while holding streamers, wands, or silk scarves. These types of games target spacial awareness, direction, movement patterns, and memory. Anne Green Gilbert, Director of Creative Dance Center, notes that quality preschool dance instruction seeks to develop strong and healthy bodies and brains via movement and exercise. Emphasis is on body awareness, control, balance, and coordination. Physical energy is positively released through physical activity. Social skills are nurtured with directives like: "Look for the empty space as you dance in general space with other dancers,” and/or "Move strongly and powerfully when the music is loud, lightly and delicately when the music is soft." During lessons, it's important to gauge a preschooler's interest and to always be ready to switch things up. I continuously ask myself:
In moments where preschool-aged students exhibit especially deep focus and concentration, I take lightning quick advantage (who knows how long it will last!) and use it to teach something age appropriate, yet challenging. On the other hand, when a child is much more active and antsy, I tend to stick to the center of the studio and build upon/switch up active games and jumping exercises. Matching a child's level of energy often goes a long way toward a successful lesson. Having a child enrolled in both dance and skating is a big commitment, especially for a preschooler. It's a good idea for parents and teachers to continuously assess and gauge a child's level of excitement and ability to focus. For example, if you are questioning if dance and skating might be too much for your preschooler, observe their behavior. Do they hop up and show eagerness to get dressed for skating and/or dance? Do they skip or run to their lesson when they arrive? Do they practice things they have learned at home? Do they search for willing "audiences" to watch them? Do you hear, "Mommy [or Daddy], watch this!" These are all signs that your child is enjoying their lessons and that they are at a stage of physical and cognitive readiness. While some figure skating coaches advise their students to delay cross-training in dance until they graduate from basic skills levels, other coaches feel that the earlier the better. Though this is not a hard-and-fast rule, skaters who demonstrate a high level of interest, discipline, and talent are often strong candidates for early cross-training. Learning and practicing the concepts of body awareness, alignment, artistry, flexibility, and musicality during formative years, often translates to little to no time devoted in the future to correcting and managing bad habits and poor understanding of presentation and body lines, especially where it really counts in performances and competitions. Skating and dance benefit preschoolers by supporting communication and social skills, building confidence, introducing discipline and tenacity, and serving as a fantastic option for creativity, movement, and exercise. What are your favorite dance and/or skate activities for preschoolers?  Coach Autumn Lorca-Merono at Sherwood Ice Arena Autumn Lorca-Merono has coached at Sherwood Ice Arena in Sherwood, Oregon since 2012. Throughout her journey as a competitive skater she has trained with expert coaches and former Olympians. Autumn won the gold medal at the 2008 Regional Championships, as well as earned a gold medal for Moves in the Field in 2011, and a gold medal for Freestyle in 2014. Autumn's focus is now on the younger generation of skaters where she feels lucky to have the opportunity to pass along her knowledge and love of the sport.
Elesia Ashkenazy: What drew you to become a figure skating coach? Autumn Lorca-Merono: I began skating when I was 6 years old and I completely fell in love with it. I knew from a young age that skating would always be apart of my life, and what better way to stay involved with skating than to coach? As I grew up, I spent many years training with great experienced coaches. I always had a desire to give back, and to pass along my knowledge to the new generations of skaters. I love the idea of helping young aspiring skaters achieve their goals and progress in what they love to do. Elesia: What do you enjoy most about coaching? Autumn: I love watching skaters grow and improve. The excitement they feel when they accomplish something new is an incredible thing to watch. My skaters make me just as excited about their skating as they are. Sharing my passion of skating with my students creates a wonderful bond. Elesia: Do you recommend solid ballet or dance training for your students? If so, how does ballet help skaters and why should a skater should invest in it? Autumn: Yes, I definitely encourage my skaters to take ballet. Ballet is a great way for skaters to learn musicality, rhythm, and grace. I find that a skater who takes ballet is able to use their arms, head, and whole body to relate to music much better than a skater who doesn't do any cross training with dance. Ballet training helps skaters to improve their overall artistry on the ice. Elesia: What's your dance background? Autumn: I started taking ballet at four years old, before I even began skating. At the age of eight, I had to make the decision of picking one or the other. I chose skating, however, as an adult, I am taking ballet classes again. Elesia: I admire the choreography you set for your students. Tell us how you go about the process from start to finish. Autumn: I always try to find a piece of music that will best fit the particular skater I'm working with. I strive to find music that will bring out the skater's strengths. I also like to give my skaters the opportunity to select music that they like and feel they can relate to. If a skater is not connecting with their music, it will be obvious and everyone will notice. Choreography is similar. I try to involve the skater with certain aspects, such as their beginning or ending pose. It makes them feel more comfortable and excited if they get the opportunity to put their own unique style into it. Elesia: What inspires you most about choreography and how do you go about creating fresh ideas and material? Autumn: Listening to the music and "skating" around my living room. That's honestly how most of my choreography begins. I love to really get involved and do the movements myself. I find that it helps the skater to perform the movements if I can go through the motions myself. Ballet also helps me in this area. I love incorporating balletic movements into my skaters' programs. Elesia: What's your favorite program to arrange and cut music? Also, what's your go-to place for new music? Autumn: I use Garageband to cut all of my music. It has been a great program. I use a variety of different resources to find music. I don't have one particular site that I revisit each time. Elesia: What are a few of the most common tips that you give to students? Autumn: Most of my tips for choreography are about the little details that make a big overall difference. Corrections such as, whole body use, facial expression, pointed toes, and pretty fingers. Elesia: (Thank you so much for that pointed toes and pretty fingers comment!) You have been very supportive of my work and ballet for figure skaters. What improvements have you noticed in your students who take lessons from me? Autumn: Their movements have become much more graceful and they do a much better job of telling a story with their skating. Their chins are up and their arms move much prettier than before. Also, I've seen their confidence grow. It's amazing how much better skaters perform when they know that they look good. Elesia: I'll say! Is there anything I haven't asked that you would like others to know? Autumn: Working with you is a joy. You really care about the kids and put in all of your effort to help them. You also do a wonderful job of staying in contact with me as a coach. You've been great about answering questions, and you always address what I specify for my skaters. Lessons with you have been a great addition to my skaters' training! Elesia: Thank you for your time Autumn. My readers and I wish you the best of luck! See you around the rink and studio.  Jenie Lau of Young EduArts LLC (Seattle, Washington) Welcome to Part 2 of this bright informative interview! Jenie Lau is a ballet for figure skaters instructor located in the Seattle, Washington area. Her full bio has been posted below. To schedule private or group lessons with Jenie, check out her business website, Young EduArts LLC! Elesia Ashkenazy: What personal attributes do you bring to the field of teaching ballet to figure skaters? Jenie Lau: The most prominent attribute I bring is my understanding and compassion for how grueling training can be. Ballet and figure skating training are similar in that they both require hours of daily dedication, plus countless hours within a week, month, year, etc. I experienced dedicated rigorous training in ballet, dance, and martial arts. I also bring my personal thoughts on pedagogy of children from my studies in education (I am a student of the University of Washington pursuing a degree in early childhood education and family studies). The majority of my students are aged from preschool to teenaged. While the age range is wide, they are all children, and I am very cognizant of the teaching/learning relationship between student/teacher. Elesia: How do you organize and run your private lessons and group classes? Jenie: Private lessons are the ideal format for many figure skating students. They need the most “bang” for their money and schedule. I therefore individualize all private lessons specifically for each student. I begin with foundational ballet exercises that have been customized to address individual needs--for example, stronger extensions and better alignment and fluidity. There’s usually always a stretching component in addition to movement in the center/across the floor that stresses musicality and expression. Also, each student has a checklist of flexibility/strength exercises they need to complete between lessons. Group classes follow a similar format. The lessons address the technique, artistry, and musicality needed for skaters. I address the needs of the group as a whole vs. individual skaters. Elesia: What are a few of the most common tips, corrections, and advice that you find yourself giving students? Jenie: Posture, artistry, and musicality. These are big things I find to be very common when I give corrections and that skaters seem to lack consistently. Posture is critical for a skater yet many skaters seem to skate years without having learned the correct alignment (a neutral spine with the back muscles engaged, which in turn pulls down the shoulders and elongates the neck and head). Artistry is developed over time. Ballet is where a figure skater really learns to tell a story through every minute detail of the body such as the placement of their hands and fingers. Musicality is critical for a figure skater. For some, the ability to stretch the movements to illustrate the silences in the music is innate. For others, musicality must be developed over time with continuous exploration of different tempos and genres of music. Elesia: How do you involve your students' skate coaches? Jenie: I always prefer having a student’s skate coach involved, as they know the student’s figure skating needs best. From there, I can determine what elements should be emphasized in their lessons, such as extensions, flexibility and/or basic artistry (hand and finger positions, gaze, etc.). I generally like to touch base periodically--especially if there have been changes to the skater’s program--so that I may determine if there are new ballet relevant skills to be addressed. A new spin position, or a new arm position with a jump--any of those elements can be enhanced in the skater’s ballet lesson if the coach and instructor are working as a cohesive team to benefit the skater. Elesia: Is there anything I haven't asked that you would like others to know? Jenie: I strongly encourage figure skaters to start their ballet training as early as possible. In my experience, ballet is an afterthought, yet it is the ideal form of cross training as it supplements the technical and artistic skills needed for figure skating. Children--even at the age of 4 four years (such as Learn to Skate students)--should be encouraged to try a creative movement/ballet focused class. The foundational elements of ballet, inclusive of music, movement, and personal expression can be learned and then transferred more easily and earlier on to the ice. Lastly, figure skaters should look for an instructor who is willing to look at ballet as enrichment for figure skating. There is a huge difference between an instructor that teaches ballet to figure skaters solely for the purpose of continuing the ballet tradition, and an instructor that crafts ballet training for what each individual figure skater needs. Elesia: Thank you for your time and for this excellent two-part interview! I wish you the best. Your students are lucky to have you! Jenie: You’re welcome, and thank you! Bio: Jenie Lau began her dance training at the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet and Music under Artistic Director Debra Rogo in Richland, Washington. She trained in both Cecchetti (Italian) and Vaganova (Russian) styles including jazz and tap. As a pre-professional student, Jenie attended summer intensives as a scholarship recipient, inclusive of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and the International Ballet Competition program. She has studied character, musical theatre, and modern dance with renowned instructors. Jenie was also a competitive dancer and member of the nationally ranked Eastern Washington Elite Dance Team, and was also a member of Mid-Columbia Ballet where she performed soloist roles in classical and contemporary repertoire. Jenie's ballet for figure skaters background includes work as the guest ballet instructor for Sno-King Ice Arena-Renton's Figure Skaters 2015 Summer Camp. She is also the guest ballet instructor for the Tri-Cities Figure Skating Club 2015 summer class, and the 2015 Ballet for Figure Skaters Workshop. Jenie is the pending fall 2015 ballet instructor for Washington Ice Emeralds, a synchronized skate team. She is also the guest instructor for Skyline High School's Dance Team Summer Camp 2015 where she will be teaching technique class.   Jenie Lau of Young EduArts LLC (Seattle, Washington) Jenie Lau is a ballet for figure skaters instructor located in the Seattle, Washington area. Her full bio has been posted below. To schedule private or group lessons with Jenie, check out her business website, Young EduArts LLC! Elesia Ashkenazy: How did you get started as a ballet for figure skaters instructor? Jenie Lau: I was teaching at a dance studio and a few of my ballet students informed me that they were figure skaters. When I started my own business, I offered to work with them in specialized ballet specifically geared to enhance and compliment their figure skating. Traditional ballet training at a typical dance studio is designed to produce pre-professional students. Figure skaters, however, need a variation of ballet training that teaches the foundational elements of ballet but is specialized to address the technical skills, artistry, and musicality needed for their field. Elesia: How does ballet relate to figure skating and why should a skater should invest in it? Jenie: Ballet is the ideal cross training for figure skaters as it addresses the three key aspects of figure skating: technique, artistry, and musicality. Figure skaters should absolutely be investing to some degree, even if it is just one solid ballet class a week. Most importantly, ballet teaches the correct posture and technical finesse needed for figure skating. Artistry is a core component of ballet, and ballet teaches a figure skater how to be an artist on the ice and not just an individual that performs jumps, spins, and footwork. Figure skaters must also be able to interpret music and illustrate the music with their movements on the ice, which ballet communicates from the very first class. No other form of cross training matches ballet as far as what is needed for figure skating. Elesia: How do you connect with and encourage enthusiasm and development with figure skaters who dislike ballet and/or dance? Jenie: I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with 40+ figure skaters over the course of eight weeks in an intensive summer camp. Most of them came in very skeptical of ballet due to previous experiences. If there’s anything I’ve learned working with skaters, it is that ballet needs to be relevant to their skating and ballet needs to enjoyable! Yes, ballet is hard--very hard. But it doesn’t mean that ballet shouldn’t be joyful to teach and learn. When instructors hold a mindset of wanting to help these skaters become better at their craft, the enthusiasm is contagious and the skaters in return want to become better at ballet for their skating. Elesia: Have you spoken with or exchanged emails with other ballet for figure skaters instructors? Jenie: Yes! There are a few instructors out there that I have come into contact with that are doing amazing things for the figure skaters they work with. Annette Thomas, instructor at American Ice Theatre is a well-known figure in the ballet for figure skating world. She offers a Vaganova ballet based method of training for figure skaters that I have incorporated in the training I offer. Jaclyn Levine, resident ballet instructor, at Arizona Ice Den is also another colleague I have communicated with. She runs a highly successful ballet for figure skaters program and offers a variety of lesson formats that I have also drawn from. Elesia: Is there anything us ballet for figure skaters instructors all have in common? What do we bring as a whole to the communities we serve? Jenie: I would have to say that the one common element us ballet for figure skaters instructors bring is the passion to utilize and share ballet for its incredible art form! Ballet for figure skaters instructors have the innate ability to see the parallels between figure skating and ballet to enhance their figure skating students’ abilities. We also have the ability to adapt training for students that are not typical ballet students. Not every ballet instructor can, or will want to do so. It takes a certain level of technical and artistic aptitude to translate the art of ballet for a different field even one as closely related as figure skating. We bring a reinvigorated type of ballet to the figure skating community! Elesia: Many thanks to Jenie Lau for this fantastic informative interview! My readers and I are looking forward to Part 2 tomorrow morning. Jenie: Thank you! Bio: Jenie Lau began her dance training at the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet and Music under Artistic Director Debra Rogo in Richland, Washington. She trained in both Cecchetti (Italian) and Vaganova (Russian) styles including jazz and tap. As a pre-professional student, Jenie attended summer intensives as a scholarship recipient, inclusive of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and the International Ballet Competition program. She has studied character, musical theatre, and modern dance with renowned instructors. Jenie was also a competitive dancer and member of the nationally ranked Eastern Washington Elite Dance Team, and was also a member of Mid-Columbia Ballet where she performed soloist roles in classical and contemporary repertoire. Jenie's ballet for figure skaters background includes work as the guest ballet instructor for Sno-King Ice Arena-Renton's Figure Skaters 2015 Summer Camp. She is also the guest ballet instructor for the Tri-Cities Figure Skating Club 2015 summer class, and the 2015 Ballet for Figure Skaters Workshop. Jenie is the pending fall 2015 ballet instructor for Washington Ice Emeralds, a synchronized skate team. She is also the guest instructor for Skyline High School's Dance Team Summer Camp 2015 where she will be teaching technique class. 
Body alignment and finger placement bring out the stickler in me. Whether I happen to be watching my students skate from my perch in the dance studio, or instructing them during a private or a group lesson, they're going to hear about it the minute I see a finger out of place. I avidly remind my students that finger placement has a significant impact on presentation because our fingers make or break our lines. Even after the stomach is pulled in, the shoulders down, and the neck elongated, there go our fingers ready to distract or enhance.
Look at the hand as a whole and create space between the fingers. Elongate each joint. From there, allow the thumb and middle finger to be magnetized toward each other. Not enough to actually touch, yet enough to say hello: enough to begin a thousand-word conversation. |
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