The Scoop on New York Theatre Ballet
By Jill Feigelman, New York FamilyTuesday January 1, 2013
As a veteran ballet dancer, I’m used to walking into any dance studio and seeing two things: a wood floor and an expansive floor-to-ceiling mirror. To my surprise, when I visited a class of students ages 7 and 8 at New York Theatre Ballet’s school, the requisite mirror was hidden behind a great black sheet.
Diana Byer—Founder, President, and Artistic Director—smiles at my confusion. Laughingly, she points out that ballet dancers are always looking at themselves, but she wants her students to focus on the dancing itself. “Dancers need to feel the movement within the body, and the mirror is only used to correct specific faults,” she tells me. Then it truly struck me: This place really does know children and how to introduce them to the joy of dance.
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