Miss Kaye

Once or twice in a lifetime, we might be lucky enough to meet someone who will change our world forever. A year ago, I was beginning to accept the fact that I was never going to succeed as a dancer, and was wondering how much longer I would last before accepting that some dreams simply are not destined to come true. Then, I met Miss Kaye. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I haven't always had a positive experience with certain ballet teachers, but Miss Kaye was different. She was mortified that my previous teachers had barely corrected me, leaving obvious flaws in my technique- but, unlike them, she was determined to help me. Over the past year, she has given me a lot of private coaching- the only thing getting me through dreary days of A-level studies was the knowledge that in the evenings when I was in the studio, I would at last be able to learn, from a teacher who genuinely cared about me.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how Miss Kaye changed my life so much.... Perhaps simply knowing that she believed in me, and wanted me to succeed, was what gave me the confidence to keep going. 

She helped me to see my flaws in a positive way- yes, I lacked turnout, (or, as we later discovered, I have almost flat turnout but had never been taught to use it!!) yes, I held a lot of tension in my shoulders at times, and had neglected purity of line in favour of what I had naively assumed was artistry.... But these problems could, with a lot of work, be rectified, and Miss Kaye, unlike other teachers, was determined to help me to achieve my potential. 

One of the most important things that she taught me was to relax, and to appreciate the joy of dance. I have learnt to not fixate upon loathing the figure in the mirror, instead focusing my energy on expressing my passion for dance, with the ability to logically reflect upon my progress, and set realistic goals to achieve. At last, I am able to watch video footage of my ballet, without cringing and losing my confidence! Miss Kaye helped me to realise, that at times, yes some steps I dance, some enchainements, some entire pieces of choreography look crap- but the whole point of being a student is to learn, and to improve! Occasionally, I would dance an enchainement, knowing that my turnout was awful or my musicality had vanished, and admit as soon as I had finished "That was bloody awful wasn't it?" To which Miss Kaye would laugh, agree, then say "So what are we going to do about that then?!" She somehow instinctively knew when to challenge me- she wouldn't hesitate in having me dance the same enchainement ten times over until it was perfect, pushing me just far enough- but if I was emotionally exhausted, she always knew exactly what to say to help me rediscover my own inner strength and determination.
Whilst most teachers would discourage makeup, Miss Kaye helped me to discover a sense of glamour- she encouraged me to wear pretty nail polish- in particular, we like burgundy- as having long, neat fingernails finished off my arabesque lines nicely! And she especially liked my vivid red lipstick; as ludicrous as it sounds, I think I definitely dance better when I'm wearing makeup, as I feel more glamorous!!!

At the beginning of the summer, for whatever reason she was delayed in getting to class; a group of hyper 8 year olds were beginning to wreak havoc in the studio. Instinctively, I clapped my hands to get their attention, and said "Okay, warm up. In a circle, 8 skips, 8 gallops on the right....." Ten minutes later, Miss Kaye apologetically arrived, looking flustered- but grinned when she saw her Grade 2 class sitting neatly in the splits. I expected her to take over at that point, but she  invited me to continue teaching- having had no preparation time whatsoever, the class that I improvised for them wasn't exactly ideal- but they seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. By the end of the lesson, all of the children were smiling- and I had discovered a definite passion for teaching. For the next five weeks, I taught the Grade 2 classes; the children's slow but determined progress gave me the greatest joy imaginable, and has inspired me to pursue a teaching career after my vocational training. 

I am so, so incredibly grateful to Miss Kaye for all that she has taught me, and I look forward to returning to Rochelle some day!! <3