Attitude can express an entire story in a single movement - elegant, expressive, and full of possibility. And attitude is possibly one of the most complex concepts in ballet.

Ballerina Gelsey Kirkland said, "Ballet is not just a motion, it's a language." And in every studio and every company on the planet, across generations, the language is the same. Silver Swans® is no different. We warm up. We place ourselves at the barre. And we start with a plié - the foundation for almost everything else in ballet.

We often think of ballet as being all about beautiful lines, pointed toes and turnout. But underneath all that elegance is something much more fundamental: strong, well-supported feet. Each of our feet contains 26 bones and 34 joints. That's a lot of moving parts! And those little feet have a big job to do. They support our weight, help us balance, absorb shock and transfer forces between the floor and the rest of the body. When we understand where stability comes from, we ca

Silver Swans Ballet for Adults

Age 7 in my very first tutu. L for Love. It was Friedrich Nietzsche who said, “I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance.” My first ballet class took place in a church hall in South Africa. I was seven. In my frilly pink ankle socks, I was convinced that God Himself was there, dancing alongside me in the sun streaming through the windows high above my head. (At seven, I did not yet know about Nietzsche’s most famous quote: “God is dead.”) Over the years, ballet r

If you have found your way here, it's likely that you are one of the yogis who has been joining me at our local yacht club on Wednesday evenings, as the sun sets. With flickering candles and a Spotify playlist, we form a semi-circle with our mats, focus on the view (above), inhale deeply, and then - for the next hour - exhale our worries away. This is Yin. I came to Yin late in life. And, I admit, somewhat reluctantly. Yin requires a slowing down. A "being." I am, I confess