Christina's Dance Journey
For the past 40+ years my teaching mission has been to share with students better ways to dance with fewer injuries, greater ease and to know when to adapt technique for their own bodies – not the ideal ballet body.
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Family Legacy
I am a third generation dancer and teacher in my family. My family has been in the ballet profession since 1919. My grandmother was a soloist with the Brussels Opera and my aunt danced with the Polish Ballet before WWII. In the 1950s and 60s my parents were what was known as a ‘Dance Team,’ akin to a ballet version of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They toured the world both as headliners and as the opening act for stars like Sammy Davis Jr. and Patti Page.
The entire family taught at my grandmother’s studio in Chicago and for decades they mentored my teaching. They taught and coached me every step of the way: instructing me on how to see alignment, structure a class, voice quality, words to avoid, words to use, tricks to discipline with kindness, pantomime, comic versus dramatic timing, how to communicate with the audience to tell a story, how to craft a story ballet, and the importance of continually learning and striving to be better both as a performing artist and teacher.
Dance Professional
My professional career started at 18 and continued full time for 13 years. I was corps de ballet with Chicago Ballet and Tucson Ballet, demi-soloist and soloist with San Diego Ballet and Nevada Dance Theater, and danced soloist and principal roles for 6 years with the Colorado Ballet. My repertoire included solo and principal roles in the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Hansel & Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as working with choreographers from the Balanchine Trust, John Butler, and Ron Cunningham.
My training lineage includes ballet mistresses and directors from some of the world’s great companies. They hailed from the Royal Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Paris Opera, Royal Winnipeg and Harkness Ballet. They taught me the richness and artistic details of ballet, in fact I still have notes from my classes and coaching sessions with them from the 1970s – 1990s!
Current History
After retiring from the stage in 1987 I began teaching full time. I have guest taught throughout the southwest, as well as teaching regularly at metro Denver dance studios, my students have ranged from 8-78 years of age. I’ve been the ballet mistress for the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble since 2006. For 30 of my 38 years at The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities I was the Dance Coordinator where my many duties included teaching, writing and collaborating on story ballets, directing, producing, and choreographing.
I am proud to say that during my tenure, the Academy’s alumni went on to win full dance scholarships at major dance conservatories, dozens had professional dance careers, and many are now teachers, choreographers and physical therapists.
Every step from plies to reverence can be a moment of learning, growing, becoming a better dancer, and artist – a way a dancer can express themselves without words. Best of all, ballet is an art that allows a shy or timid child to thrive – if taught with heart and wisdom.
Ballet has a rich tradition going back centuries and I have the honor of coming from a ballet legacy family that has been steeped in the artform professionally since 1919. While the technique is being updated the artistry is unique in how it can capture the imagination and I feel it needs to be passed onto the next generation. When we dance ballet we are transcending time and living history.
As dance has evolved it has become more athletic and places extreme demands on dancers’ bodies. During the 1950s and 1960s a 90 degree arabesque was considered perfect. Now the ideal is quite different. Our teaching methodology must adapt to prepare the body for the rigors of dance. Teaching with this knowledge is a valuable tool for both teachers and dancers.
Sometimes we get caught up in giving the same classes or cues over and over again without considering the “why” behind the exercise. When something isn’t working, the approach has to change. Applying creative problem solving to the practice of coaching ballet is crucial in helping dancers of all ages and levels achieve. Just forcing the body isn’t the way. By applying logic and problem solving and watching the details of pirouettes, glissades, tour en l’air, etc. one can study the physics behind the movement. The teacher must use their skill and experience to know when and how to apply these techniques to students, with consideration to age and body type, so they can turn more, jump higher, and dance longer. Expectations without logical instruction are ineffective.