Consistency is key for building knowledge and improvement in any activity. Encouraging your adult ballet students to be consistent across all aspects of their ballet class will set them on the path to success.

Consistency In Attendance

This is the most obvious way that consistency will make a difference in your students’ class work. Turning up for every class is so important for learning and retaining knowledge. It also means that skills can continue to be honed, which in turn means that students will enjoy their ballet class even more. Being consistent means that there is more opportunity for self-expression through dancing and less scrambling to keep up with the steps. Ballet technique is the basis for dance quality. Having consistency means that your students’ technique is constantly refined, giving them the freedom to dance their hearts out!

Consistency In Approach

So now that you have all of your students in class every week (a big tick for consistency!), let’s turn the attention to how your students approach their ballet class. This can swing on the scale from being very easy when life is smooth, to very difficult if they’ve had a bad day. Often ballet class is the silver – or even golden – lining to an average day, but what happens when it’s not that simple?

Consistency in approach can help. Promote a routine for your students for when they arrive at the studio. This will help to put them in the right frame of mind for class, and this is equally important for you as well. It might be sitting quietly for a few moments, taking a couple of deep breaths to become centered in the space. It might be instigating a quick ballet related chat with your students before they warm up. However every approach should incorporate a solid warm up. Warming up is physical and mental preparation, and this should not be underestimated. If your students can achieve this every time they attend class, they will be perfectly prepared for whatever you give them in the studio.

Consistency In Effort

Consistency in effort can also be very dependent on the emotions of the day, and life outside the studio heavily influences this. It can be great one week and feel less so the next. It can even swing between the two within a single class. So how do you encourage consistency in effort during class?

Ballet is truly an ‘in the moment’ experience, and when the dancing stops, that moment has passed. Ask your students to approach each enchaînement with renewed effort every time, not allowing what has gone before to color their view. Of course it’s important to hold on to the corrections and instructions that you give them, but if something doesn’t work, it’s important they learn from it, and then let it go. This is one of the most challenging aspects of learning ballet, however encouraging your students to find consistency of effort in every moment that they’re dancing will bring clarity to their movements and thoughts.

Consistency In Thinking

The last area to consider is consistency in thinking. Turning pesky negative thoughts into positive ones only takes a bit of practice. As the teacher, it’s your responsibility to create a positive environment for your students where they don’t feel belittled for their mistakes, but encouraged to learn from them. Remind your students that there is always opportunity to improve and refine their ballet technique and that learning ballet is an ongoing process – it’s not just about ticking the boxes! The beauty of the adult ballet experience is that there is always the next class to practice again.

If you can encourage your students to be consistent through all aspects of their ballet class, they will find fulfillment and success.