• Contributors
    • Catherine L. Tully, Owner/Editor
    • Dance Writers
      • Rachel Hellwig, Assistant Editor — Dance
      • Jessika Anspach McEliece, Contributor — Dance
      • Janice Barringer, Contributor – Dance
      • José Pablo Castro Cuevas, Contributor — Dance
      • Katie C. Sopoci Drake, Contributor – Dance
      • Ashley Ellis, Contributor — Dance
      • Samantha Hope Galler, Contributor – Dance
      • Cara Marie Gary, Contributor – Dance
      • Luis Eduardo Gonzalez, Contributor — Dance
      • Karen Musey, Contributor – Dance
      • Janet Rothwell (Neidhardt), Contributor — Dance
      • Matt de la Peña, Contributor – Dance
      • Lucy Vurusic Riner, Contributor – Dance
      • Alessa Rogers, Contributor — Dance
      • Emma Love Suddarth, Contributor — Dance
      • Andrea Thompson, Contributor – Dance
      • Sally Turkel, Contributor — Dance
      • Lauren Warnecke, Contributor – Dance
      • Sharon Wehner, Contributor – Dance
      • Ashley Werhun, Contributor — Dance
      • Dr. Frank Sinkoe, Contributor – Podiatry
      • Jessica Wilson, Assistant Editor – Dance
    • Dance Wellness Panel
      • Jan Dunn, MS, Editor
      • Gigi Berardi, PhD
      • James Garrick, MD
      • Robin Kish, MS, MFA
      • Moira McCormack, MS
      • Janice G. Plastino, PhD
      • Emma Redding, PhD
      • Erin Sanchez, MS
      • Selina Shah, MD, FACP
      • Nancy Wozny
      • Matthew Wyon, PhD
    • Music & Dance Writers
      • Scott Speck, Contributor – Music
    • Interns
      • Intern Wanted For 4dancers
    • Contact
  • About
    • About 4dancers
    • Advertise With 4dancers
    • Product Reviews on 4dancers
    • Disclosure
  • Contact

4dancers.org

A website for dancers, dance teachers and others interested in dance

Follow Us on Social!

Visit Us On YoutubeVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On FacebookVisit Us On Instagram
  • 4dancers
    • Adult Ballet
    • Career
    • Auditions
    • Competition
    • Summer Intensives
    • Pointe Shoes & Footwear
      • Breaking In Shoes
      • Freed
      • Pointe Shoe Products
      • Vegan Ballet Slippers
      • Other Footwear
  • 4teachers
    • Teaching Tips
    • Dance History
    • Dance In The US
    • Studios
  • Choreography
  • Dance Wellness
    • Conditioning And Training
    • Foot Care
    • Injuries
    • Nutrition
      • Recipes/Snacks
  • Dance Resources
    • Dance Conferences
    • Dance Products
      • Books & Magazines
      • DVDs
      • Dance Clothing & Shoes
      • Dance Gifts
      • Flamenco & Spanish Dance
      • Product Reviews
    • Social Media
  • Editorial
    • Interviews
      • 10 Questions With…
      • Dance Blog Spotlight
      • Post Curtain Chat
      • Student Spotlight
    • Dance in the UK
    • Finding Balance
    • Musings
    • One Dancer’s Journey
    • Pas de Trois
    • SYTYCD
    • The Business Of Dance
    • Finis
  • Music & Dance
    • CD/Music Reviews

Review: Behind Barres, Volume 1 (Revised)

April 14, 2010 by 4dancers

The CD: Behind Barres, Volume 1 (Revised)

The Details: Over an hour of ballet class music, 25 tracks. This revised CD has doubled the length of nine of the musical selections for the centre work.

The Review: The excellent pairing of Judy Rice and Paul Lewisteam up again for another wonderful ballet class CD featuring selections by Tchaikovsky, Delibes, Minkus and various others. The tracks are infused with emotion and Lewis once again delivers a top-notch performance; although one would expect nothing less from this accomplished ballet accompanist.

The 25-track listing includes a full barre that is suitable for any level class. Centre music is varied and offers petit, medium and grand allegro as well as an adage and pirourette selections. Sample tracks can be heard on the website, including tendu and a medium allegro. It’s a good sampling of what the album has, so if you are interested, be sure and have a listen.

This CD is a good investment since it can be used for all levels and the track lengths are long enough to used in advanced classes. If you are looking for dramatic arrangements, this is also a great pick–many of the selections are very moving. (For something lighter, take a look at Under The Palms.)

Disclosure

Share

Filed Under: 4teachers, FOR SALE, Reviews, Studios Tagged With: ballet class, barre, behind barres, CD, judy rice, music, paul lewis, under the palms

Teaching Tip: Challenging Your Students In Class

February 22, 2010 by 4dancers

Sometimes it is good to give your students a bit of a challenge in ballet class. Change things up a bit. Students get used to certain patterns, and breaking from the routine will keep them from getting complacent.

For example:

+ Start class facing the opposite way from which you usually begin at the barre.

+ Have students face away from the mirror to do their exercises in the center.

+ Teach a combination, then have the students reverse it.

+ Do exercises in both single and double time.

+ Have students come up with their own simple combinations.

Just throwing a new thing into the mix will help keep your dance classes lively. It will also challenge your students to think outside the box and stretch a bit as dancers. Try to do things like this from time-to-time and the result will be a happier class that is more able to respond to change.

Share

Filed Under: 4teachers, Studios, Teaching Tips Tagged With: ballet class, combinations, dance

Review: Musique Pour Le Cours De Danse Classique IV (Music for Ballet Class IV)

February 22, 2010 by 4dancers

The CD: Musique Pour Le Cours De Danse Classique IV (Music for Ballet Class IV)

The Details: Piano Composition & Interpretation : Ellina Akimova (Bolchoï Dance Academy 1990-1995)

Exercises & Instructions : Franciska-Elisabeth de Mikhnevitch (Opéra of Paris 1960-1984)

Sold by: Mediaphorie

The Review: I have listened to this CD now over 30 times and am currently using it for my adult ballet class. I have found it to be very refreshing–the compositions are original and extremely well-played by Ms. Ellina Akimova. There is music here for an entire ballet class, and the barre tracks are all repeated for the convenience of the instructor.

Although the music is clear and measured, this is not a CD I would use for a beginning class. It is probably too complex for new students who do better when phrases are repeated often and the music is simple. For more advanced students, however, I found the tracks to be quite inspirational–especially those for the center work. The barre music is also a departure from the typical ballet class fare.

One of the best features of this CD is the fact that the tracks are lengthy. Some ballet class CDs have short tracks that necessitate pausing the exercise to re-start the music. This is extremely distracting to the students and teacher alike. More advanced classes have longer exercises both in the barre and the center, and this CD allows plenty of time for longer combinations.

There is also a nice mixture of music here so that you can get a lot of use out of the CD. There are tracks for pirouettes, petite variation, tours en l’air and adagio, among many others. This will allow you to mix and match exercises and create several different classes while still utilizing the same CD.

Ms. Akimova’s skill is considerable, and all of the music is completely measured and steady. I’ve always appreciated the difficulty that goes with playing ballet music for students. In order to do it well, you have to be able to play flawlessly, yet infuse some emotion into the pieces you are interpreting. This is no easy task, but it is done extraordinarly well here. The tracks for small jumps and tendus have a sprightly feel to them and the slower ones have an ebb and flow that encourage artistry.

I have not heard the other CDs in this series (I, II, III), but based on my experience with this one, I would definitely say they would be worth investigating. I’ve been very pleased with this one and recommend it without hesitation.

My students enjoy it too.

Buy this CD

Disclosure

Share

Filed Under: 4teachers, Dance Gifts, Online Dance Resources, Reviews, Studios Tagged With: Ballet, ballet class, barre, ellina akimova, mediaphorie, music for ballet class iv

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

Dance Artwork

Get Your Dance Career Info Here!

Dance ebook cover

Podcast

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

This site sometimes features advertising, affiliate marketing, or affiliate links, such as Amazon Associate links and others. When you click on these links, we get a small sum that helps to support the website operations. Thank you! There’s more detailed information on ads and our disclosure policy under the About tab in our navigation at the top of the site. We clearly mark any and all posts that contain these features.

Copyright Notice

Please note that all of the content on 4dancers.org is copyrighted. Do not copy, utilize, or distribute without express permission. We take cases of infringement seriously. All rights reserved ©2022.

Copyright © 2025 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in