Blog
AWCC Artist Business Award Winner 2017
Exciting News! Monique Feain Balletcoaching@The Dance Warehouse Awarded Alstonville and Wollongbar Chamber of Commerce Artist Business Award
[read more]The Immeasurable Benefits of Dance
A conversation with Monique’s student, Jen, and her mother Sandra.
Jen came to Monique as a teenager for further ballet coaching and mentoring over 10 years ago, having been accepted into the Interstate Australian Ballet Junior School. Today, Jen and her mother Sandra talk about how training with Monique gave Jen confidence, resilience, grace and strength, as well as many other life skills that have helped Jen become the person she is today.
Grand opening of The Dance Warehouse
After many months of preparation, and years of dreaming, together with approximately 80 friends, family and current and alumni dance students and their families, we celebrated the opening of The Dance Warehouse at Palm Shopping Centre, Wollongbar.
[read more]The doors to THE DANCE WAREHOUSE are OPEN!
(But first some blood, sweat, tears and love…)
After coaching young dancers for twenty-four years, the time has finally arrived to offer classes in our very own custom-designed dance studios in Wollongbar.
I have dreamt about this project for months – years! And we spent at least a year developing plans and gaining approval from council. Just after our concert last year, we could finally begin developing our new space in the Palm Shopping Centre, Wollongbar.
Dance Studio Grows New Wings
Alstonville/Wollongbar based dance studio, BalletCoaching, is set to sign a lease for a new studio space on the eve of its end of year show, so on the 1st of December this year, Ms Feain's pen will be poised to sign the lease on brand new purpose built premises in Wollongbar, which will become The Dance Warehouse.
[read more]Surviving Dance Auditions in Germany
Surviving Dance Auditions in Germany - A Dancers passport to the world of auditioning in a foreign tongue! - Common Class Vocabulary in a foreign language.
We are lucky as dancers that our basic ballet instruction is in the universal language of French no matter where we are in the world. All you need to then do is attune yourself to the Accent and you will hear it clearly, then add a few key words from that language and you can take a class or audition anywhere in the world!
[read more]Balletcoaching.com is EVOLVING
Balletcoaching.com is EVOLVING. Join us today!
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Join us for Dance classes in Alstonville & Wollongbar
[read more]Behind every Dancer…
Realising your potential... to be the best that you can be
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams
[read more]Teaching Your Child about Perseverance
“I always tell my kids if you lay down, people will step over you. But if you keep scrambling, if you keep going, someone will always, always give you a hand. Always. But you gotta keep dancing, you gotta keep your feet moving.” -- Morgan Freeman
Teaching your child how to persevere at a task is one of the most important life lessons they will learn...
[read more]5 Amazing Life Lessons that Ballet Teaches Children
If your child is enrolled in ballet lessons, you’re already well aware of the wonder, excitement, and physical benefits that dance brings to children.
But you’ll be even happier to know that by supporting your child’s exploration of dance, you are setting the stage for success in other areas of their life.
In fact, research has shown that dance teaches children important life skills. The skills that children learn at a young age are carried with them into adulthood – and the arts are particularly important in the formative years of their life.
Here are our favourite 5 life lessons that ballet teaches children:
[read more]Top Tips for Keeping in Shape over the Holidays by Lisa Howell
One of the best ways to insure that this is not your fate when you start back next year, is to really focus on improving your strength, flexibility and awareness over the break, and then perfecting your technique in your first few weeks back, before beginning to increase the hours again. If you have been working with me for a while then you will have loads of exercises and ideas to try and today I wanted to give you a little help in organising them to help you through the holiday season, and to arrive back in full form.
[read more]“Break a Leg” and other Theatrical Superstitions
To wish a performer prior to going on stage to ‘break a leg’ is a well-known practice. A pretty strange wish, actually it is meant magically to bring him luck and make sure that their performance will be a success.
[read more]Inspiring Mentors Valrene Tweedie and Laurel Martyn
Valrene Tweedie as an Odalisque in 'Scheherazade', Chicago, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1947-48 & Laurel Martyn in Vltava, Borovansky Ballet, 1940. Michelle Potter describes the contribution of two great figures of Australian dance.
[read more]Local dancers in demand
ALREADY it has been a successful year for local students on the international stage.
[read more]Valrene Tweedie OAM (1925~2008)
Australia lost a vital figure in its dance community with the death of Valrene Tweedie in early August 2008 at the age of 83.
[read more]“What my teacher taught me” Words of Wisdom
"What My Teacher Taught Me"
From Dance Teacher Magazine Series
[read more]“Rock the Ballet” Review by Grace Owen!
Okay.. Rock the Ballet. We didn't get Rasta and his wife we got the understudies. The male dancers were fantastic each with their own unique style and strengths. The guy understudying the lead role was VERY ballet boy style. Amazing legs, feet and TURNS!!!!! He looked quite awkard in the hip hop and jazz parts!! I was giggling not going to lie!
[read more]Daniil Simkin - Interview at the International Ballet Competition - Jackson, MS - June 2006
Daniil Simpkin at the International Ballet Competition - Jackson, MS - June 2006
The biggest story at the VIII USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi this past June was the impressive virtuosity of the young male dancers. CDA (Classical Dance Alliance) interviewed three medalists on the brink of promising careers who dazzled judges and attendees, and we strongly suspect will be thrilling ballet audiences in the very near future. We invited them to talk about their training, aspirations, and diverse perspectives on a life in Classical Dance.
DANIIL SIMKIN, 19
[read more]