Description
FREE! Click here to download an excerpt from the new second edition.
UPDATED AND BETTER THAN EVER! THE EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS ARE MORE PRECISE AND THE SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL HAS BEEN REVISED.
The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique: A Guide for Teachers and Students concentrates on the essentials for absolute and advanced beginners—of any age and body type—with an eye toward organic movement logic. Besides count-by-count instructions for every exercise, the author has fleshed out each exercise with time-tested, point-by-point descriptions and in-depth analyses which clarify the mechanics of movement and will enable you to turn mystery into mastery.
The book is not illustrated but provides detailed notes on every exercise demonstrated in the first four DVDs of The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique Series, as well as selected exercises from Ballet Plus, The Art of Teaching Turns, andThe Art of Teaching Jumps.
Whether you use the book alone or with its companion DVDs, we are confident you will find the answers to your unanswered questions.
Guidebook Companion Videos
Guidebook Companion Music CDs
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Discover—or rediscover—the essentials of good ballet technique in this comprehensive, accessible book.
Ballet has a reputation as a beautiful but intimidating art form, and those who lack natural flexibility or a typical dancer’s body may feel unwelcome in a ballet studio. In his first book, former professional dancer and longtime instructor Jhung dispels that notion, reminding students and teachers of the pure joy that dance can bring while offering clear guidance on how to move with grace and confidence—and avoid injury.
He talks candidly about his own struggles with demanding classical technique and explains how he eventually learned to work with his body, rather than against it, when dancing. Jhung doesn’t demand perfect turnout or high battements from his students; instead,
he emphasizes proper posture and alignment, which he convincingly argues are the real foundation of good dance. With that in mind, he moves through a series of exercises, from simple stretches and basic barre work to more advanced center work involving turns and
jumps. Lessons begin with an outline of the specific movements and are followed by a detailed analysis of each exercise so that readers will understand why it’s essential to perfect simple steps before moving on to more complex choreography. These initial lessons are clearly explained and are easy to follow even for those with no prior ballet training.
Throughout, Jhung maintains his encouraging, supportive tone while also discouraging the sloppiness and overreach that leads to strained, inelegant movement—valuable lessons for beginners and advanced students alike.
A fresh, friendly guide that demystifies classical ballet while providing clear guidance on how to be a better dancer.
— Kirkus Reviews
© KIRKUSREVIEWS.COM AUGUST 2014
“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
“The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique is not just for ballet dancers! When I was a principal with the Martha Graham Dance Company and American Repertory Dance Company, his teaching principles gave me more freedom of movement while his focus on proper breathing helped to unclench muscles and direct energy to the dynamics of speed, strength, and dimensions of phrasing. I also believe it supports injury prevention as I was able to enjoy a performance career into my early 50’s.”
— Bonnie Oda Homsey, Artistic Director, Educator, Arts Consultant, Arts Funder
“Congratulations! The book is incredible! The cover is beautiful and the inside is filled with information you can’t find anywhere else. The details are remarkable. Getting from step A to step B shouldn’t be a problem for anybody. You have made it all so clear!! Thank you so much.”
— J. Weiss, New York, NY
“I am so grateful that you encouraged me to purchase your book! I had no idea that the book was so clearly coordinated with all the videos. It is a real companion to the videos and I can even see which videos I might benefit from in which order. But then there is the whole way your book is organized – with all the personal stories and with the development of your unique teaching method which just feels so right to me – and so original. I have never read of or heard of anything like it, and yet it makes perfect SENSE – to my body as well as my brain. I laughed while reading about the question ‘How do you walk?’ because I studied ballroom dancing for 10 years and teacher after teacher would ask the same question and explain it with ‘You walk by falling forward and then your feet catch you.’ And every time they said it, it just never ever made any sense to me. I thought I just must not be walking the way other people walk! As I read that section of your book with great interest, I could actually FEEL the correct answer – just by the way you were teaching! And I was so happy that I could SENSE the answer just before you validated it. Anyway, THANK YOU for encouraging me to purchase your book. If I had purchased only the videos, I would have missed so much! I have other books on ballet technique and they are nothing like what you have written.” – Anonymous from Berkeley, CA.
“Thank you for the ballet technique book. Your instructional technique has been a great benefit to me as a person who took up ballet in mid-life. I am still flying. The environment of the airline industry is very stressful. Dance has been an enjoyable release for me, and your instruction has enriched my dance experience.” – John Daly, Pilot, Kirkland, WA
“BRAVO! This Guidebook is the perfect companion to the Finis Jhung video series and workshops. This is a MUST have for all ballet teachers, regardless of the style of ballet they teach. It’s like having Finis in class with me. Love it, love it, love it. If only I had a teacher like Finis when I was growing up. He gets me excited about ballet!” – Toni-Lynn Miles, Director, Middlesex Dance Center, Middlefield, CT
“Very excited about purchasing the guide! So many details we, teachers, forget to mention at times in class, until we are reminded of their importance!!” – Arlene O Smith
“I can’t tell you how wonderful your training manual is! I refer to it all constantly when teaching. Thank you for putting it together!” – Pili Doheny, Assistant Director, Pre-Ballet/Primary Program at The Maple Conservatory of Dance, Irvine, CA