The Art and Science of Ballet Dancing and Teaching Integrating Mind, Brain and Body

This book offers an inside view of ballet as the art form we see on stages today, detailing how expressive movement is initiated and controlled, and discussing the importance of embedding creativity and expressivity within ballet technique from the dancer’s first lesson to their final performance. Janet Karin O.A.M. promotes ballet as a holistic art form resulting from the integration of mind, brain and body, and describes the motor control factors that can enhance or interfere with achievement. Throughout, professional dancers’ personal experiences illuminate the text, from the euphoria of ‘flow’ to the search for creativity and harmony, from the debilitating effects of anxiety, trauma and pain to the reward of artistic autonomy. Teaching is presented from a philosophical viewpoint, enriching and extending the child’s innate movement skills and expressive power. Practical yet reflective, this is an essential guide for dancers as well as dance educators and students.

Introduction Part 1: Unveiling dancers’ artistry 1. Performing: a transcendent experience 2. Breath, movement, emotion and music 3. Expressivity, harmony, creativity and artistry 4. Technique, training and changes in dancers’ brains 5. Dealing with challenges Part 2: The magical motor system 6. The science behind the scenes 7. Pathways to new skills Part 3: The art of training dancers 8. Our role as ballet teachers 9. Skills in cueing and feedback 10. Discovering technique 11. The speaking body 12. Discovering the dancer inside

Janet Karin O.A.M. has been Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet, then a ballet teacher, dance educator, somatic educator, writer and dance science researcher. She has served as President of the International Association for Dance Medicine &Science and has presented numerous papers at international dance science conferences. Her collaboration with five universities has resulted in thirteen published research papers. Janet is now writing freelance and mentoring doctoral students.