by Hannah Chang Foster for Dance Teacher | Apr 16, 2026 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
“Everything we do is plié and tendu.” Irene Hogarth-Cimino’s poetic philosophy wouldn’t be out of place on a beloved T-shirt, on a notebook cover, or as screen wallpaper—anywhere young dancers might look for inspiration every day. The principal faculty member for...
by Amy Brandt | Mar 6, 2026 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
At its most simplified, to plié (from the French verb “plier”) means “to bend.” Yet this foundational ballet step—usually the first one we learn as dancers—holds the secrets to so much more, including relevés, jumping, turning, traveling, and...
by Amy Brandt | Jun 13, 2025 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
A smoothly executed grand fouetté arabesque may look effortless to the untrained eye, but for dancers, this step can be immensely challenging. “It requires control, strong placement, and precise coordination,” says Nadège Hottier, artistic director of Premiere...
by Amy Brandt | Mar 3, 2025 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
For Christina Johnson, piqué arabesque is the step that most epitomizes ballet. “What other one encapsulates it, when you think of a photo of a ballerina? Arabesque! It says it all,” says Johnson, a former principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions...
by Katie Slattery | Oct 18, 2024 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
Philip Neal was an 11-year-old student at Richmond Ballet School when a choreographer asked him to perform 16 brisés volés across the stage. “I hadn’t even learned how to do brisé, but I just tried it,” he says, laughing. Neal later became a principal dancer...
by Amy Brandt | May 10, 2024 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
There is nothing quite as beautiful as a smooth and perfectly cantilevered penché. “I love the idea of what penché represents,” says Alicia Graf Mack, dean and director of the dance division at The Juilliard School. “It is one of the largest iterations of a simple...
by Gavin Larsen | Dec 5, 2023 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
When Carolina Ballet Theatre dancer Marja’ Miller was 13, she hit a plateau. Although she’d always been super-motivated in class, she suddenly didn’t seem to be progressing as fast as she used to. Looking around, she saw her classmates advancing and getting more...
by Katie Slattery | Sep 27, 2022 | Technique
Gen Horiuchi, Saint Louis Ballet’s executive and artistic director, achieved the type of storied career many dancers dream of: After growing up in a ballet family in Japan (both of his parents were professional dancers), he won the Prix de Lausanne and was offered a...
