Ballet for Figure Skaters’ Coaches Course
About the Approach
Based on the Vaganova teaching method, Ballet for Figure Skaters is a series of intensive courses for figure skating coaches and ballet teachers who wish to gain a strong, working knowledge of ballet training at its finest and understand how it applies to figure skaters.
These coach’s courses are true pedagogical courses of study based on the Russian teaching methodology of classical ballet training. Ballet for Figure Skaters teaches coaches how to effectively train their skaters through slow, progressive work to improve both technically and artistically, without injury, “from the inside out.”
Ballet for Figure Skaters is taught by Annette Thomas; she has additional information for her programming on the Ballet for Figure Skaters website.
Course Levels & Descriptions
Course 1: Preliminary Level (16 Weeks)
After this course, you will have a Certification of Completion to teach the basics of the Ballet for Figure Skaters program, which includes:
- Basic pedagogy – methodology in how to teach
- Basic music theory for movement trainers
- Basic biomechanics and injury prevention for the Preliminary Level
- Basic myofascial release and resistance band exercises
- All beginning-level floor exercises for alignment, strength, warming up, and stretching
- Fundamental pedagogy in basic ballet barre and centre exercises – port de bras and epaulement
- Basic “skates-on” specialty class
- Basic on-ice class
- How to create your own lesson plans
What you can teach at this level – The essentials of the ballet program to children 5+ through adults both off- and on-ice. With the material covered and information given, you should be able to create lesson plans which will engage any age and group of skaters for at least a full year of study and practice.
Course 2: Beginning Level (6 Weeks)
This level is the culmination of the Preliminary Level and gives you a Certification of Completion to teach the full Beginning Level Ballet for Figure Skaters Program, which includes:
- Pedagogy for full beginning level ballet barre and centre exercises – there are over 70 steps and poses to be learned, all of which are beneficial to figure skaters (to learn to teach them all correctly, not just as choreography, and how to apply them all to the needs of the figure skater is “no mean feat”)
- Extended floor and stretching exercises
- Full beginning level “skates-on” specialty class
- Full beginning level on-ice class
What you can teach at this level – The full ballet program to children ages 9 through adults, both off- and on-ice. With the material covered and information given, you should be able to create lesson plans which will engage anyone in this age bracket and/or group of skaters for several ensuing years of study and practice.
Course 3: Intermediate/Advanced Level (Only by invitation of the instructor)
After this course, you will have a Certification of Completion to teach the Intermediate Level of the Ballet for Figure Skaters Program. This program is considered for advanced and elite skaters and will equip you to teach the program at any and all levels of accomplishment. It includes:
- Intermediate/advanced music appreciation and theory for movement trainers
- Pedagogical studies for selected portions of the Intermediate syllabus as applies to figure skaters
- Advanced floor exercises, barre, alignment, and stretching techniques
- Intermediate/advanced level on-ice classes
- Intermediate/advanced lesson planning and choreographic considerations
Course Details
Course Frequency and Duration
The 16-week online Preliminary course must be completed within 5 months of the students’ start date. Start dates are between June 1st and September 1st. (Courses are offered only between the months of June and December.)
Course Format and Time Commitment
As ballet training is a precise art and this is a course to certify the instructor in the method, it requires extensive “out of class” assignments in reading, study, and video work. On average, expect to have 1-2 hours of reading and study outside of class per week, plus 1 hour constructing video demonstrations of you teaching the techniques you are learning in class to at least one student. Additionally, if you are a ballet instructor taking this course in order to teach figure skaters, you will require access to a rink and a skating student to demonstrate on.
Your video demonstrations with accompanying lesson plans, along with the written exams, are the primary way in which competency is assessed. Successful completion of all assignments, proper attendance, fulfilling test averages, and passing video assessments of teaching competency will result in receiving a Ballet for Figure Skaters – Level 1 Coaches’ Certification, listing with American Ice Theatre as an authorized Preliminary Level instructor of classical ballet for figure skaters, and ongoing consultation for teaching the Preliminary Level.
Course Eligibility
To take the Ballet for Figure Skaters online course, you must have:
- some prior experience/training in ballet/dance
- basic understanding of how to count music (understanding of time signatures and musical phrasing)
A free video consultation will be set up at your convenience so that we can discuss eligibility and goals.
Course Rules
A maximum of 2 absences is allowed. There are 3 categories of certification, depending on your final grade:
- Certification of Mastery (with the instructors’ recommendation and endorsement): 96-100%
- Certification of Successful Completion (passed the course and able to teach): 75-95%
- Certification of Participation: (74% and below)
Register for Ballet for Figure Skaters
- Registration
- Course 1: $1,850 (includes all materials)
- Course 2: $500 (only available to those who have completed Course 1 with a grade of 75% or over; includes all materials)
- Course 3: TBD (lessons ONLY by invitation of the instructor)
- Course Materials: Included with your registration:
- Electronic copies of both of Annette’s books, Fundamentals of Alignment and Classical Movement for Figure Skaters and Lessons in Classical Ballet for the Figure Skater
- Coaches manual
- Annette’s 2 hour-20 minute Instructional Video “Lessons in Ballet for Figure Skaters – Level 1
- Remember, start dates for the 16-Week Certification Course are between June 1st and August 1st so secure your spot now!
Questions? Email us at info@americanicetheatre.org.