Beyond "Nice": Building Honest, Loving, and Healthy Ballet Classroom Culture

Building a healthy ballet classroom culture means regularly reassessing what's working and what isn't. I love the way that winter break sort of selectively wipes the slate clean in ballet class. We get to keep the progress we've made and also reset any habits that aren't serving us.

Like many dancers, my own classroom memories are pretty strict. (That's a nice way of saying I have memories of teachers who were controlling and unrealistic. I once had to tell my teacher that, according to the doctor, if I didn't sit and observe rehearsal that day the infection in my foot would likely progress to blood poisoning. Her reaction was to yell at me in front of the entire cast for being weak.)

Obviously I don't want to perpetuate that culture. I'm committed to excellent and joyful ballet training. But right now my classes feel out of balance - enjoyable but not holding students to standards of excellence that stretch them appropriately. Class feels too much like "work hard if you want, but if not, it's okay." It's not okay.

Since I can't "teach the way I was taught," I've been looking for guidance. Recently I read The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle and found transformational insights.

I do not want to be nice. Did you know the origin of "nice" meant "stupid or ignorant"? Instead, I want to be honest and loving. There are meaningful responses like "I think that concept needs to sink in a little more" or my favorite from Coyle's book: "I'm giving you this correction because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them."

I want to over-communicate my expectations. This is characteristic of healthy, creative cultures. When expectations are clear, students can act confidently toward success. Here's where my curriculum design becomes invaluable - I know exactly what each class should accomplish because it's systematically planned, but I had forgotten to share this framework with students.

This shift from "nice" to "honest and loving" is only possible when you have thoughtful frameworks to support you. My curriculum provides the clear structure that gives me confidence to set high expectations and provide meaningful feedback. When you know your learning objectives are research-based and age-appropriate, you can focus on creating the healthy classroom culture students deserve.

This systematic approach to classroom culture is built into every level of my curriculum collection. Each division includes the frameworks for balancing excellence with joy through confident, loving instruction.

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