ABSTRACT
Holistic development of body knowledge influences the focus of the ballet technique class: sensory and perceptual awareness, personal expression, and intentional action become the methods for learning ballet technique and experiencing one's movement potential. Through this approach, students learn how to uniquely perform and interpret the balletic vocabulary, which in turn, enhances their technical skills and capacity for creative self-expression. This chapter explores two "lessons" learned from Creative Movement teaching methods: deepening body knowledge and developing improvisation skills. Body knowledge includes a focus on developing physical and expressive skills and making purposeful decisions about one's movements. The chapter guides teachers to cue students to improvise with the concept of relever for 16 counts at the end of the combination, and play with the qualities of growing, ascending, expanding, and soaring. It also discusses the benefits of developing a ballet dancer's improvisation skills.
