A Perspective on Teaching Contemporary Ballet

Abstract

Abstract Research on contemporary ballet teaching in Finland has focused on the pedagogic perspective, but work on the teaching content is scarce. In this article, I describe my pursuit to outline core elements of contemporary ballet through two pilot workshops. I present four elements that seemed meaningful in my teaching (improvisation, interpretation, partnering and off-balance) and their nexus with classical ballet. In addition, I share my experiences of teaching contemporary ballet using these core elements to vocational dance students at North Karelia College Outokumpu. Here, I address contemporary ballet as a part of the evolution of ballet, not as a combination of contemporary dance and classical ballet. The overall aim is to develop a method of teaching that equips dancers with the skills they need when performing and co-creating contemporary ballet.