Nurturing Teachers So They Can Nuture Students: The Benefits of Teaching with Alberta Ballet School

“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching”

Becoming a ballet teacher is a life-long commitment to learning. Not only does a career in dance allow you to continue your passion for the art, but it gives you the opportunity to inspire it in others. Nothing can compare to sharing your love for an activity and watching the love for the same activity grow in someone else.

Chloe Bennett, an alumni of Alberta Ballet School and currently enrolled in the Alberta Ballet Trainee Program, is also a beloved teacher on our Calgary Open-Division team. Chloe is no stranger to Alberta Ballet School’s professional approach – as a student she completed every program the School offered.

“I always wanted to teach after having a professional career in dance. I was given the opportunity through Alberta Ballet School to continue my training as a dancer but also take the school’s Teacher Training Program at the same time,” explains Bennett.

When she graduated from Alberta Ballet School’s Post Graduate and Teacher Training Program, she had successfully required the credentials to properly teach ballet. The School works closely with each senior student to help them find the right career path and adapt their program to promote their individual success. For Chloe, teaching was her path and we were ecstatic to provide the training she needed in order to step right into a dance career post-school.

“I found that not only did it help me appreciate class work and what it takes to teach, but I actually improved as a dancer because I could see my own technical errors through a new and more educated set of eyes,” admits Bennett. “It has been a blessing to teach while I have been dancing. It’s comforting to have options within dance and the ability to teach has given me huge opportunities to improve even more while I pursue my dance career.”

Chloe’s current teaching goals include:

• Impacting students so they can continue to grow their love for dance
• Showing students how to get in tune with their imagination
• Ensuring students understand their potential and creative capacity
• Encouraging students to express themselves through dance and music
• Guiding students in setting achievable goals and encouraging them to achieve them
• Instilling greater confidence in each student

“As a child I needed an artistic outlet. Dancing was the only way I could truly express my connection with music and feel more in tune with my imagination,” describes Bennett. “I have seen how my training has affected many other aspects of my life – there is a great amount of discipline and focus that is required for dancers to excel. It excites me to know I’m instilling these things in my students just like they were instilled in me while I was dancing at Alberta Ballet School.”

Alberta Ballet School’s Teacher Training Summer Intensive program is highly sought after each year. Our full-day program allows teachers ages 18 years and older to develop teach¬ing skills in class while also having the opportunity to study our faculty teaching our Summer Intensive students of all ages and experience levels.

“I know teaching dance is something I can always rely on for my future.” Teaching has allowed Chloe to fuel her dreams of pursuing professional dance. In turn she is helping her students fuel their own dance dreams as a teacher. There are clear benefits for students – and even more benefits for teachers.

If you are interested in furthering your career in a dance academy in Calgary or Edmonton, registration is open now.

• Teacher Training Summer Intensive

Questions? Contact our team.