A very comprehensive and practical teaching guide for the novice-to-very experienced ballet teacher or studio owner, or any qualified professional wishing to enter the career, this book has a wealth of age-appropriate class material for all levels in 180 pages of teaching goals, lesson plans with specific exercises and activities, arranged by level of difficulty, in a progressive complete syllabus format that can be adapted to suit the needs of any teacher or studio. Beautiful color photos enhance and illustrate the content. Written in clear and concise language with use of correct ballet terminology, the volume is divided into four parts: (Teaching) Preschool, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and also Pre-Pointe and Pointe levels, with additional information to assist teachers in assessing or grading students, gauging student progress, and constructing a personalized curriculum. It would serve as a valuable textbook or reference book for any college dance pedagogy/education course, and prepare the transitioning professional dancer or dance major graduate with a practical guide towards becoming an effective and successful teacher. Additional topics covered include: preparation and tips for teachers, a discussion of differences in various recognized current teaching methodologies, how to create a teaching journal, and "frequently asked questions" regarding pointe work. Strong emphasis is placed upon knowing student expectations for each age and level, including physical, intellectual, psychological and parental-vs.-teacher perceptions. Written sample forms for Student Progress Letters (for parents), a teaching rubric and guides for determining student levels are also provided. The author is a former professional dancer with ballet companies in the U.S. and Europe, educator, founder of a major metropolitan professional company and school, and has taught on the dance faculties of multiple universities and private studios for thirty years. In addition to her performing and teaching credits, she holds a B.F.A. in Ballet/Theatre and an M.F.A. in Dance. She is a published author in fiction genres as well, and holds an additional M.F.A. in Creative Writing.
Marilyn Z. Gaston began her professional performing career before and after graduation with a B.F.A. in Ballet/Theatre from Texas Christian University. During her undergraduate years she danced with the Fort Worth Ballet and Casa Manana Summer Musicals, Inc., then went on to become a member of the Atlanta Ballet Company and following that, was a fully-contracted company member of the state theatre ballet companies of Germany: in Lubeck, and Karlsruhe, Germany, and did a 40-performance tour also of Romeo & Juliet with the Ballet du Rhin company of Strasbourg, France. She later also danced with the professional company of The Maryland Ballet when it was headquartered in Baltimore. Upon returning to the U.S. from Europe, Ms. Gaston began teaching at universities, private dance schools and pre-professional studios. In 1981 she founded the Ballet Academy of Baltimore and the Ballet Concerto of Baltimore, now known as The Baltimore Ballet, and continued in that capacity for 17 years. She served on the dance faculties of Towson University, Goucher College, Loyola College (Baltimore), Tyler Jr. College (Tyler, Tx., as director of dance) and Rollins College (Florida), among others. She returned to complete an M.F.A. in Dance from 2009-2012 at the University of Oklahoma on a teaching fellowship. Her past students have been accepted into many college dance programs, pre-professional schools, and into professional dance companies. In 2008 Ms. Gaston also completed an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte. She currently has two fiction books also in publication, under the author name "M. Z. Gaston." She continues to teach ballet in Florida.
