Élevé Academy of Ballet

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Élevé Academy of Ballet Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Élevé Academy of Ballet, Dance Studio, Paradyskloof area, Stellenbosch.

Classical Ballet Training
😄Principal/teacher: Samantha Graham
🎓Royal Academy of Dance qualified
🎓American Academy of Ballet qualified
📌Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa

Can you guess what (in the ballet world) Jules Léotard invented?🤔 The leotard, of course! He was a French acrobat and he...
14/03/2021

Can you guess what (in the ballet world) Jules Léotard invented?🤔 The leotard, of course! He was a French acrobat and he designed the 'skin tight' leotard to allow him to move around freely while on the trapeze... and also to show off his muscles 😅😁 ("Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet" Gail Grant).

Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

Ballet is more than dancing, ballet is the ability to speak to people through movement, an expression that we cannot fos...
07/03/2021

Ballet is more than dancing, ballet is the ability to speak to people through movement, an expression that we cannot foster in our day-to-day lives. Ballet serves a different purpose for each dancer. Ballet gives the ability to escape without having to run away.

Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

Your heart is where will find your passion, your body is where you will find expression and the mind is where you will f...
24/02/2021

Your heart is where will find your passion, your body is where you will find expression and the mind is where you will find your determination.

Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

"The true artist knows that over-embellishment destroys formal beauty, and that less is often best. Simplicity is a hall...
19/02/2021

"The true artist knows that over-embellishment destroys formal beauty, and that less is often best. Simplicity is a hallmark of classicism: the dancer who moves with economy and efficiency communicates with power and eloquence" - The Foundations of Classical Ballet Technique, Royal Academy of Dance.

Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

It's almost "back to school" time after such a long break! 👏🏼 01 February here we come 💃💪 I can't wait 😁😊 Dust off your ...
26/01/2021

It's almost "back to school" time after such a long break! 👏🏼 01 February here we come 💃💪 I can't wait 😁😊 Dust off your ballet shoes and let's dance 💖🥰

Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

#2021

Games have always been an integral part of children's ballet. It introduces fundamental concepts through exciting themes...
28/12/2020

Games have always been an integral part of children's ballet. It introduces fundamental concepts through exciting themes and story telling. It always amazes me when teachers use so much excitement for their students and have vivid imaginations encouraging children to "imagine" with them.

One of the most difficult things for a teacher is to think up new games or new stories for their younger classes. Common fairytales (with which many teachers grew up) such as "Red Riding Hood" are falling away to be replaced by more modern stories (such as "Frozen"). Ballet teachers need to adapt to the change and integrate these new stories into dancing. Its challenging - but each year is different and it definitely makes for interesting teaching.

Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

"You can start late. Look different. Be uncertain. And still succeed" - Misty Copeland. I absolutely love teaching my Ad...
08/07/2020

"You can start late. Look different. Be uncertain. And still succeed" - Misty Copeland.
I absolutely love teaching my Adult Intermediate class. I think ballet changes for students when they are adults. They care less about what other people think and they dance simply for pure enjoyment. They are able to laugh when they make a mistake and able to comprehend the work on a deeper level. They are more aware of their strengths and use this to their advantage. They work on their weaknesses in class but don't let these weaknesses define them. All of this awareness makes this level of dancing such a pleasure to teach!
Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham). 📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

"Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It's the rhythm of your life. It's expression, in time and movemen...
03/07/2020

"Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It's the rhythm of your life. It's expression, in time and movement, of happiness, joy, sadness and envy" - Jacques D'Amboise.
Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham).
📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet.

Ballet history: This beautiful dance style has evolved since the early 16th Century from such humble beginnings that exc...
21/06/2020

Ballet history: This beautiful dance style has evolved since the early 16th Century from such humble beginnings that excluded modern fundamentals (such as pointe work or incredible feats of jumping) and included singing and spoken sections within the ballet.
'Ballet Comique de la Reine' was the first ballet of which there is a printed account (in 1582) and, for this reason, it is often considered the first true ballet (Durante 2018: 017). This ballet told the story of the Greek myth of Odysseus's escape from Circe, and (not only started late at night at 10pm) but also lasted 5 and a half hours!! "The dancers were not professionals but were members of the court, nobility and royalty" (Durante 2018: 017).
Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham). 📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet. Excerpts and research taken from "Ballet: The Definitive Illustrated Story" by Viviana Durante 2018.

Character work is relevant to teaching ballet as it engages with a variety of different dance styles. It also teaches st...
20/06/2020

Character work is relevant to teaching ballet as it engages with a variety of different dance styles. It also teaches students about different cultures, cultural appreciation and musicality by working through music that comes from all across the world. "Traditional character dances include czardas, mazurka, and polonaise. {...}. Many popular works, such as The Nutcracker, use balletic versions of national dance to add a contrast to the classical steps and some diversity to the entertainment. Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, or Italian dances may appear, for instance, sometimes inserted to impress foreign diplomatic visitors. Professional ballet schools still teach classes in character dance" - Durante 2018: 117
Principal, teacher and studio owner: Samantha Botha (née Graham). 📸: for Élevé Academy of Ballet. Excerpt from: "Ballet: The Definitive Illustrated Story".

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Paradyskloof Area
Stellenbosch

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