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 Kyra Laubacher | Dec 29, 2025 | Audition Advice, Pointe+, Summer Intensives, Summer Study, Technique, Training
At my first summer intensive audition, I was doing a développé à la seconde when my supporting leg suddenly felt like jelly. My foot rocked back and forth, I hopped, and my working leg came down. It was frustrating. I could do a stable développé in normal class! But...
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 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 | Jul 17, 2024 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School faculty member Christopher Budzynski remembers the first time he saw dancers perform finger turns in Nutcracker as a child. “They did a lot, and it blew my mind that this was possible, and that they were doing it so easily.” Budzynski...
by Amy Brandt | Nov 21, 2022 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
There’s something uniquely exciting about coupé jeté en tournant. “I think it’s the combination of turning, jumping and traveling,” says Carlos Lopez, American Ballet Theatre’s director of repertoire and a former soloist with the company. “Usually you see it at the...
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...