What makes a good ballet teacher?

There are so many different types of ballet teachers out there, certified ones ( from ABT,  Royal, Cecchetti, etc), the ones who were prima ballerinas once, the ones who graduated from a top ballet school or the ones that just graduated from a small neighborhood school. But what really makes a difference between a great teacher and, let's say " just a teacher".

Being a ballet teacher is usually very hard work. The different types of methodology usually apply to the majority of the student but it is important to remember that each student is different in all aspects, physically, mentally, spiritually, etc...

 First, each individual has a different body and they respond differently to each exercise and if a teacher doesn't adapt the class and help each student individually, probably only half of the class will get to the point it was first determined.

Second, the teacher must always be attentive to the best way her student respond to, some students do respond well when they are put under pressure, however, not all of them will respond that way, I've noticed recently that my students respond a lot better when they are encouraged via positive reinforcement. Each class and each student should be led differently depending on their personality.

So we can say that a great ballet teacher needs to be very attentive, to have a good eye for body placement alignment and some mistakes students can make that could lead to serious injuries in the future.

She also needs to be good at multitasking, inspiring and paying attention to everyone in the class and at the same time giving each individual the special treatment they need.

She also needs to be a good listener, not only to hear and understand the melody but also because of the importance of listening to the students. The best way to know what your student wants is by communicating. So having a term chat with your students is the best way to have your expectations aligned.

A great ballet teacher is also educated,  she knows anatomy, physiology, psychology, pedagogy besides other important subjects. So she is able to teach a healthy ballet preventing any future injuries or other problems.

She is always studying and looking for new ways to improve.

Lastly but no less important, the main thing is love for teaching, for her students and for the art.