Teaching Curtsies
Teaching Curtsies to Children
We've all seen it. It's recital time, and it's time for a group of little ones to line up and curtsy. (Of course, boys will bow, but for the sake of simplicity we will say curtsy in this post.) Regardless of whether they are pointing one foot in front or crossing one leg in back to curtsy, it always seems in disarray. Of course, that's partly to be expected. They may be stage-struck with so many distractions--their sparkly costumes; lights shining at them; their parents, family, and many strangers in the audience.
Here are some tips for teaching curtsies to young children so your class has their best chance of bowing with success at the end of the academic year:
Start at the beginning of the Year.
Don't wait until a month before your recital or performance to start teaching your students to curtsy. At Once Upon A Ballet, we suggest doing a story dance each month (which can be shown to parents during parent observation times). At the end of this dance, we always suggest having children curtsy. In addition, don't rush through reverence at the end of class. Always allow for time to have your class do a proper curtsy. Demonstrate it with them (in whatever style they are doing) or have teaching assistants demonstrate it with them.
Curtsies for Very Young Children
For preschool ballet classes, ages 2 through 4, we recommend teaching your students a very simple curtsy. Standing in parallel, students should bend their knees in a plié and bow their heads slightly. This keeps things neat and simple. Plus, this way students get extra practice during their plié exercise in class. Hands may be on the hips or holding the skirt. If you would like students to hold their skirts when curtsying in performance, make sure you give them plenty of practice in-class time.
Curtsies for Young Children
When students start a more standard pre-ballet class, we recommend letting their curtsies progress with their technique. This starts around age 4 or 5. If you have a 4-year-old ballet class, they may still need to do a parallel plié curtsy to keep things neat. However, they may be ready for the next step. Please use your discretion as a teacher. By the time children are in a 5+ year-old pre-ballet class, they are likely ready for the next thing: pointing one foot in tendu front then plié the standing leg. Again, we recommend having students practice this curtsy throughout the year following their story dances and during reverence. In addition, we recommend preparation for battement soutenu exercise for this age group that will really help to break down the mechanics of this more advanced curtsy and give them even a little more practice.
Curtsies for Older Children
When children are very young, anything behind them in a sense disappears. Have you ever noticed when teaching young children a traditional curtsy, some of them will try crossing their foot in front instead of behind? That's why. This is one reason why we only have young children tendu, degagé, etc. to the front and side. If you are a part of Once Upon A Ballet, you may also notice when we begin teaching arabesque, we introduce third arabesque first. But as children get older, they can remember their leg or arm is behind them and really feel what they are doing. So beginning in Ballet 1, we recommend having students do a more traditional curtsy, crossing one leg in back. Once again, have students practice curtsying following their story dance and during reverence throughout the year. Demonstrate the curtsy with them as needed.
Happy Dancing!
Ashley Hartford
Founder + Owner, Once Upon a Ballet
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