Geeky Ballerina
artistry + technique

Elements of Artistry
Decoding Ballet Artistry Through 9 Essential Elements
Have you ever had a teaching moment that changed everything? For me, it was watching a student perform a technically exquisite Odette and realizing that I had failed her. There was nothing magical about her performance; it was just steps. That was the moment I realized we needed to change how we think about artistry in ballet and actually start teaching it.
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Traditional ballet training often treats artistry as something mysterious and innate--you either have it or you don't. But through years of research and teaching, I've discovered that artistry can be broken down into nine distinct elements. Each one can be taught, practiced, and developed, just like we teach technique.
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I share detailed frameworks for teaching these elements in my book, Artistry Inside Ballet Technique vol. 1. While Volume 2 is in development, I'm passionate about helping teachers bring artistry into their daily classes through:
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monthly technique and artistry tips in my newsletter
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in-depth guidance on my blog
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step-by-step demonstrations on my YouTube channel

9 Elements That Transform Ballet Technique into Art
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Breath​
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More than just inhaling and exhaling, breath transforms mechanical movement into flowing dance. When dancers learn to harness their breath, steps that once felt difficult become fluid and natural, creating artistry through ease of movement.
Somatic Awareness ​
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The journey from technique to artistry can't happen without truly understanding your own body. There is no such thing as "perfect" dancing—instead, there's discovering the perfect way for your body to create the movement. This awareness transforms copied positions into authentic artistry.
Eye-line​
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A dancer's eye-line is one of their most powerful artistic tools. When used skillfully, it can extend movement beyond physical limits, forge emotional connections with audiences, and command attention without taking a single step.
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Line​
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Line in ballet transcends individual positions, creating artistry in the space between movements. It's the combination of a dancer's current position and the anticipation of what comes next—a simple concept that takes years to master but starts from the very first class.
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Body Carriage​
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Far beyond basic posture, body carriage is the subtle artistry of presence. Through refined weight placement, micro-adjustments, and intentional bearing, dancers transform technical positions into deeper, more nuanced communication with their audience.​
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Dynamics​
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Sometimes called "quality of movement," dynamics transforms identical steps into unique artistic expressions. A tendu can be soft, sharp, regal, or playful—it's the same technical movement, but with completely different artistic impacts. This versatility turns technique into artistic vocabulary. ​
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Musicality​
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When movement and music truly connect—whether emotionally, mathematically, or both—they elevate each other into something greater. Through rhythm, meter, timbre, and phrasing, musicality transforms physical steps into visual music.​
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Carving Through Three-Dimensional Space​
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As dancers discover how to move through all the space around them, their dancing transforms from a series of positions into full sculptural art. Awareness of their whole body moving through all dimensions turns technical execution into compelling performance.
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Acting​
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Whether portraying a specific character or conveying an abstract emotion, acting skills transform technical proficiency into complete artistic expression. When polished, these skills blend so seamlessly with choreography that technique and artistry become indistinguishable.
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Geeky Ballerina has been a huge help at our studio! Our dancers are proud of their progress, the parents love seeing their kids succeed, and faculty meetings have gotten shorter now that everyone is on the same page (literally)!