Mermaids, Unicorns and Trolls

There is always an ‘in thing’ isn’t there? As a ballet teacher I get to see and hear about all of the latest children’s trends, with some of the most popular things this year being mermaids, unicorns and trolls!

Does anyone remember the mermaid blanket which was the top Christmas present on everyone’s lists a few years ago? Everyone wanted to keep their feet cosy in a mermaid tail! Mermaid tails have actually been very useful for me when it comes to describing the position the feet travel through in the air on a sideways galop. Many of my younger dancers struggle to show ‘first position in the air’ but they absolutely do not struggle with the feeling of ‘creating a pointy mermaid tail!’ This little change of words suddenly transforms the movement into exactly what I want…magic eh?!

But mermaids aren’t the only mystical creatures which appear in ballet. This week I shared with my dancers the secret that all ballerinas are unicorns. Madness, I know, but the thing is unicorns have a pointy horn coming out the front of their head. By encouraging dancers to imagine this, it brings their body weight forwards so that three quarters of the weight is distributed across the balls of their feet with a quarter sat towards the back. It also encourages a lengthening of the neck to create a lovely long line.

Trolls are also very popular at the moment, with troll onesies, colourful hairclips and toys all entering the studio. I have to admit that I haven’t used trolls much in class yet. Some dancers dance with their eyes on the floor when they are nervous or concentrating. Maybe trolls could be used to help a dancer to dance brightly like the bright colours of the trolls hair. I could use the idea that trolls stand out and a dancer should to, so lift your eyes and go for it. If anyone else thinks of any ideas of how I could use the trolls then let me know!!