“I’ve been doing your DVDs with my mother in her 60s. It’s helping her out a lot with learning to keep her balance and have good posture. Even the slightest movements have helped strengthen her muscles. We love you.”

— Trula Hudelson

“Basic Movement Skills Lesson 2 begins with port de bras. ‘Moving and shaping arms. Natural grouping of fingers. Pushing through the air with resistance. Using energy so that you don’t look as though you are doing nothing.’ In other words, grace demystified! The DVD then continues with the scary piqué arabesque! ‘Don’t think position, think balance.’ This DVD tells you exactly how. (As a dancer I remember hearing a variety of corrections. One of my least favorites was, ‘You are falling off your leg,’ as if I hadn’t already figured that out! I would have loved to have heard something more concrete.) The DVD continues with coupés (attack the movement) and pas de valse. Each uses port de bras as integral components. The waltz can be and should be elegant to both perform and watch. Even though all the same principles of physics apply to this lyrical step Finis Jhung, who does not speak in generalities, reaffirms them anew: to excellent effect. Do NOT miss the outtakes at the end of the DVD. (It is a special treat when Finis Jhung demonstrates the ‘don’ts’!) It is informative, watching Finis Jhung refining the lovely Sachiko Kankai, the demonstrator. I found myself correcting along with him. Another valuable lesson. Movement turned into dance!”

— Marie Paquette Nesson

“I’m just so incredibly thankful to have found you and only wish that I had found you 20 years ago when I was dancing! My turns are better now at 44 than ever and I’ve been dancing since I was one and a half years old. I completely owe that to you! I thought I was just a petite allegro kind of girl who couldn’t turn, but you’ve changed all of that. My turns still can’t keep up with my fast feet (which aren’t nearly as fast as they used to be), but at least I’m no longer terrified when I need to turn! You are such a blessing to me and have helped make sense of many dance steps. I’m also thankful for the refresher with ballet terminology, as I took a very long break from ballet due to a career-ending injury. It was difficult to remember all of the terminology after so long a break. Your DVDs and Guidebook have been so helpful in bringing it all back. I am a dance teacher, a personal trainer, and a Master Balletone Instructor. I’m always grateful for how you blend exercise, science and ballet. There is a method to the madness and you have found it! The world is a better place because of your incredible mind, kind heart, and love for ballet. I hope to be able to make it up to NY one day to meet you and take one of your classes!”

— Christy Cole,
Creation Arts & Athletics, Charlotte, NC

“This video is great. It breaks it down for you and slowly shows the steps from different angles. The teaching and demonstration are amazing. My wife uses it to practice her ballet moves at home. She has been looking for a step-by-step video for adult beginners for a while and is very glad to find these. She plans to study them one by one and she said it would help her better perform in class.”

— Michael Popper on Amazon

“As an adult beginner student, I may not be able to have an arabesque higher than 45 degrees, but nonetheless I can show the correct form and have a beautiful line if I apply all that is taught in this marvelous lesson where Finis teaches you HOW to obtain that desired aesthetic line in arabesque and how to give fluidity to your dancing by using the arms with softness, strength, and opposition. Happily for me, there are exercises which break down the piqué arabesque, which has always been an especially challenging problem. Sachiko Kanai is the beautiful demonstrator, and we are able to learn a lot by watching how Finis corrects and coaches her to his exacting standards. At the end of the DVD, we are treated to some outtakes where we witness the process of perfecting the tricky waltz step. I am super excited knowing that this video holds the answers to questions I’ve had for quite a while. I strongly encourage all adult beginners to get this video so they can find out what they’ve been missing!”

— Ileana L. Ray
Adult Student, The Ailey Extension

From an Australian Streaming Customer:
“How lucky are we to have you as an expert coach! As a ballet teacher for some years, it’s just fantastic that I am able to access teaching materials from you; exercises are interesting, explained in detail and easy to follow. I love that I am able to stream lessons that help me see ballet skills from a professional dancer’s experience and perspective. It’s a long way from attending dance workshops, buying many books and making copious notes, not to mention the many miles of travel when one lives in the Australian countryside! Teaching Adult Ballet is a passion of mine; thank you for your expertise and being my On-Line Coach! Cheers!”

—Ann Mader-Flowers, DMC Studio
Bathurst NSW, Australia

“I have been training with your videos now for a year and a half—six days (sometimes seven) each week. Because of your training and techniques, I have been able to improve my own technique. At age 46, I have become a better dancer and teacher. I apply your techniques in all my classes, whether they be ballet, jazz, tap, or hip-hop. After all, a turn is a turn, no matter the dance idiom. My classes run a little slower than they used to, but I prefer quality rather than quantity and my students seem to really enjoy the process and are learning the proper way to do things. Most importantly, they are understanding the reason why they do what they do. I want my students to dance ‘clean’ and don’t just ‘shake it and fake it.’ You are my hero and I want to be the teacher you are! I have gone through almost all your DVDs and have now begun learning from your pointe package. I can’t wait!”

— Sharise Parvise, Studio Sharise, San Jose, CA

“Once again, thank you so much for your encouragement and the quality instruction of your instructional DVDs. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to come back to ballet as an adult, but it has become such a meaningful part of my life over the past year. I have recently completed Basic Ballet Movement Skills Lesson 2 which has helped me to have a much more balanced and stronger pique arabesque not only on flat but on pointe as well. All of the movements on the DVD are expressed beautifully and are a great help to me in visualizing that expression in my own dancing. I recently auditioned for our local Nutcracker and to my surprise received a part dancing in the Spanish Dance. I am very excited to be a part of my very first Nutcracker!”

— Leslie Miller, Adult Student, College Station, TX

“Today as I practiced with this video I gained a sense of accomplishment in knowing that I was learning movement sequences that actually felt like I was dancing. I think that this new series is very helpful, and I like the format of the DVD. The instructions and demonstrations are clear, and the exercises complement each other. While I have found the videos from previous series helpful, this new series makes it easier for me to structure my own daily practice and really get on with actually dancing.”

— Judith Chestnut, NSW, Australia