As a parent of an aspiring young dancer helping them navigate a career path can be daunting. Mentoring sessions at VVBS can help you make sense of it all!

With so many options for ballet styles, and schools and companies focusing on different elements, which is really the right way of dancing?

Like many ballet studios across the country, Miami City Ballet is shut down until it is safe to resume normal operations. This means we have a little more time to devote to our online classes and we wanted to find a way to give back to the struggling ballet community. Here are five things we are doing to help keep the ballet community active throughout COVID-19.

The only news topic in the world right now is COVID-19 and its effects on our daily life. It has hit the population extremely hard and the ballet industry is no exception. With companies and schools canceling performances and closing their doors for the next few weeks, the physical, mental and financial repercussions for everyone are eminent. We are confident that you know the safety precautions for helping minimize the spread of infection. But as dancers there are more things we can do to stay happy and healthy. Here are some tips on how to stay positive and proactive during this dire time.

As a ballet dancer these days, you often find yourself flooded with posts about summer intensive scholarships and competition results when you open your social media feeds. While these are great accomplishments to be proud of, if you aren’t one of these people, it can make an already disappointing situation into something more. We care so much about the mental and physical well being of our students, we felt it was necessary to inform our community about how they should be prioritizing their summer intensives and competitions.

Todays’ subject is close to our hearts and is central to why we started VVBS. A while ago we were contacted by a family hoping we could help their daughter with her score cards from a recent competition. Our response was that we could definitely help her with her variations in a pursuit of improved score cards. However, we also offered the option to help train her technique, in which case she would gain far more knowledge and strength while also improving her score cards! This opportunity opened our minds to the idea for VVBS with a goal of helping dancers achieve their goals AND MORE!

Here are a few simple insights for ballet dancers that we integrate into our teaching:

In our ballet classes, we often find a dancer that can take an array of criticisms whether harsh or instructional. We find ourselves comparing ourselves to these dancers and wondering if they care more than we do. In a previous article, we discussed How to Handle a Difficult Teacher but today we want to discuss the importance of developing a character that can openly accept criticism and learn from it. The ballet journey is not always the easiest and we want to give you a couple of tips to develop the characteristics of a “bulletproof” ballet dancer.

How do I deal with a difficult or mean teacher? This is a question we hear regularly and we believe this is a very important question for us to answer. Here are two things you should consider in your dealings with a “mean teacher.”

One thing I believe is, too often, not given the credit it deserves is the sacrifice a parent makes to ensure their child has the best chance at success in ballet. Sure, there have been countless hours we have put in to perfecting our technique and rehearsing for performances, but would we really have been as successful had we not received the ongoing support of our loving parents?

Hello Friends! For those who don’t already know, Mr. Francis and I are expecting our first child the beginning of July! We couldn’t be more excited as we have waited a while to begin our family due to the nature of our ballet careers. Given that I am now 4 months pregnant and officially done performing with Miami City Ballet until after my maternity leave, I thought now would be a good time to share some thoughts I’ve had during this experience that might be helpful to you all as well.

Francis Veyette has significant experience and an established 25-year history in the professional ballet community. He is well known as a former Pennsylvania Ballet (PAB) Principal dancer, the PAB 2nd Company Director and as an assistant and stager to the renowned choreographer Matthew Neenan. He is currently a revered faculty member at the Miami City Ballet School and is a nationally requested guest teacher.