When Ballet Student Motivation Fails: How Research Guided My Teaching Evolution

I'm at a new studio this year. I've spent the last few years directing the ballet program at a competition studio and had a wonderful experience. A lot of my work the first year there was convincing people that yes, ballet can be joyful and fun. This year I've moved to a ballet studio and my "ballet loves you" approach doesn't seem to be clicking with as many students. I have one small group in particular that really seems to give "I couldn't care less" vibes in class. I've really struggled with how to connect with and help motivate these ballet students.

In general, I am a "praise publicly, correct privately" kind of person. When a student needs a correction I try to share the information with them in a way that won't make them feel awkward or embarrassed in front of their peers. And I have a goal to praise each student in front of the whole class, every class. This is part of my systematic approach to building classroom culture that supports both technical excellence and student confidence.

I also work hard to minimize competition in my classes, following research-based principles about inclusive learning environments. In her book Dance and Belonging; Implicit Bias and Inclusion in Dance Education, Crystal U. Davis talks about how a sense of competition in the classroom creates an in-group and an out-group. That social dynamic makes it impossible for every student to feel included. My teaching philosophy prioritizes environments where everyone feels like they belong and are valued.

This approach worked great where I was last year, but I'm in a new place this year. Here's where having a clear teaching methodology becomes invaluable - my core principles don't change, but I can adapt my application strategies to serve different student populations.

This week is show week, so classes are altered for performance preparation. Last night I was teaching a mixed group - some of my regular students plus students from a level lower. The younger kids mentioned that their regular teacher runs combinations as competitions, choosing which barre did the best work. So I tried it. And oh my goodness did my regular kids perk up! They have no desire to shape their port de bras for the sake of ballet artistry, but they'll compete for recognition.

I was conflicted about this. I have intentionally built inclusive classroom systems, yet competition was clearly effective. How do I adapt without compromising my systematic approach to building belonging?

Here's the solution I developed: strategic motivation that maintains inclusion. I adapted the competition element but structured it within my systematic framework for classroom equity. The specific implementation involves careful attention to recognition patterns and ensuring every student experiences success.

This experience reinforced why curriculum planning is essential. When you have comprehensive frameworks already in place, you have the mental space to adapt and respond to student needs without losing your foundational approach to excellent, joyful training.

In case you're wondering, the younger kids were in level 3 - the Elementary Division of my curriculum - while the older kids were in level 4. Normally I use different motivation tools for dancers in the Intermediate Division; the dancers are more advanced, the concepts are more complex, and the students are older. But this was a great reminder that sometimes bringing back favorite motivation tools from earlier levels is a great way to have fun while progressing towards excellence.

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