Teacher Training Programme

Being a dancer doesn’t automatically make you a good teacher of dance. There is a wide range of skills, as well as special insight and understanding, needed to train a dancer. To ensure that its teachers are well equipped and, indeed, to raise the standard of teaching it offers, DFA established a Teachers’ Training Programme in February 2011. Students on DFA’s Bridging Programme are also benefiting from the training.

 

The programme is facilitated by Gillian Joubert, who started teaching ballet after having a professional career as a soloist with Zurich Opera Ballet and PACT Ballet Company. With 20 years of teaching experience behind her, she became head of the teaching diploma and degree course for dance teaching at Tshwane University of Technology Dance Department – a position she held for 20 years. It is this wealth of knowledge that she brings to DFA’s Teachers’ Training Programme.

 

Apart from technique, one of the fundamental things for a teacher is to know how to train dancers without causing damage to their bodies. This involves understanding human anatomy and posture, as well as the physical demands on dancers today – and then being able to match these by teaching students how to move their bodies safely while achieving the desired results.

 

In the context of DFA’s outreach in the community, it’s also essential to know how to deal with children of all ages – both in terms of their physical development and how to relate to them.

Ultimately, those on the year-long programme are gaining the tools and skills they need to become proficient teachers, so they can enrich all aspects of a child’s life through dance.

 

The programme uses ballet as the vehicle for training and the syllabus includes elements such as: 

 

 

‘2011 was my first year as a full-time dance teacher at DFA and the knowledge I have gained cannot be put into words. It is not just about teaching a syllabus, but how to equip the body in flexibility and strength to be able to meet the demands of dancing today. Gillian has really challenged me to think and explore more options to achieve results as a dance teacher and not jus to plod along.’ – Nigel A. Lucas

 

‘The Teacher Training Programme has been an eye opener for me. I never knew how much was involved in being a teacher. I thought, ‘Technique, fun and discipline.’ My, I was wrong! Role model, parent, translator, admin officer etc… Sometimes, it felt never-ending. But through Gillian, I have learnt how they all combine to create a good teacher, no, a great one. She has also instilled in me a passion and love for teaching, plus a big gulp of reality.’ – Grant Puchert

 

‘The programme was insightful and I have gained incredible knowledge. I was a dancer who thought that you just show a child and they do it. Thanks to Ms Joubert, my eyes have been opened. She gave us this quote: “Ballet is a science and once mastered, it is converted into an art.” I now know much more about the art form of dance and have grown to love it even more.’ – Bradley Zeelie

 

‘One thing I know is that bringing Ms Joubert into the building was a true blessing. She's a master and I've learnt so much from her. The knowledge I've absorbed from her shall be kept and treasured in my heart forever. She a great expert. She's tough and sometimes shouts, but also laughs at us – and with us.’ – Tumi Dlikilili

 

‘Being part of the DFA Teacher Training Programme has been a big opportunity and privilege. It has taught me how to connect with my body and respect it. To me, dance is like art: you have a structure to work with and Ms Joubert started to put some paint and colour on an empty canvas.

Sometimes I felt like giving up, but Ms Joubert made me believe that reaching the top isn't easy and that life is a battle that we all have to fight. It's easy to climb the mountain, but hard to reach the top without a lot of hard work and believing in yourself and those who teach you.’ – Lewellyn Afrika

 

‘I am so thankful to Ms Joubert. She made me realise that you have to take good care of your body because it's your instrument for the art of dance. She also inspired me to keep learning and to have an open mind. She is a phenomenal woman, and I appreciate the knowledge she has and is still giving to me.’ – Byron Klassen

 

‘The Teacher Training Programme has opened my eyes a lot, not just with respect to dance. During this year, I have gained so much by discovering what my body can and cannot do. I have learnt that – to be a teacher – you need to have a lot of patience and a love of teaching. It is thanks to Ms Joubert that I could discover the heart of dance. The course helped me to have a better perspective of dance in general. Thanks to DFA that I have gained so much this year.’ – Faizel Browny

 

‘The Teacher Training Programme has taught me to respect my body for what it is capable of doing. I've become more aware of various dance styles and how the body adjusts to them. Thank you very much to Ms Joubert for her knowledge, which has inspired young upcoming dancers, like myself, not only to be great performers, but great performers with knowledge. She has also taught us a valuable lesson: that you can never stop learning.’ – Nathan Bartman