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64. Rewiring Ballet: Tim Lynch’s Somatic Perspective on Dance Education
195 Plays11 days ago
In this insightful episode, I’m joined by Tim Lynch to trace his remarkable journey from a hyperactive kid looking for an outlet for his energy to a career dancing at Pacific Northwest Ballet and beyond.
He reflects on his 10-year career at PNB, the value of corps de ballet work, and highlights like dancing A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Agon at the Kennedy Center.
We also explore Tim’s transition into education and how he built a thriving boys' program at PNB. Tim shares the philosophies that shape his teaching style, including his emphasis on somatic practices, individualized instruction, and lifelong learning.
Key “Pointes” in this Episode
🩰How Tim stumbled into ballet when his mom found an all boys class
🩰Tim’s time at SAB (including the story of how he landed the role of Prince with NYCB without even knowing what The Nutcracker was)
🩰Dancing at PNB, major roles, and memorable moments on international tours
🩰Tim’s educational philosophy: SAB discipline meets somatic wisdom
🩰The importance of building supportive, affirming environments for boys in ballet
🩰Tim’s commitment to lifelong learning: pursuing an MFA and staying active in professional development
🩰Advice for dance educators to make the classroom as more inclusive atmosphere
Connect with Tim:
WEBSITE: https://www.lynchdance.com/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/tim.j.lynch
Links and Resources:
✨APPLY to The Core Corps: thebrainyballerina.com/thecorecorps
Get 20% off your first order of ALOHA protein bars: https://aloha.com/BRAINYBALLERINA
1-1 Career Mentoring: book your complimentary career call
Let’s connect!
My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina
Questions/comments? Email me at caitlin@thebrainyballerina.com
Recommended
Transcript
Uncomfortable vs. Painful: Persistence in Dance
00:00:00
Speaker
What's the difference between uncomfortable and painful? a lot of times I see students that they want to give up when it's uncomfortable. And it's like, sometimes you have to just kind of sit in the uncomfortable.
00:00:11
Speaker
Don't just jump out because if you do that, you're going to do that not only in the dance studio, you're going to do that in life. You're going give up when something gets hard. You're just going to give up. Ballet students, the ones who do make it, they don't give up. They just keep going.
Meet Kaitlin: Host of Brand New Ballerina
00:00:26
Speaker
I'm Kaitlin, a former professional ballerina turned dance educator and career mentor. And this is the Brand New Ballerina podcast. I am here for the aspiring professional ballerina who wants to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry. I'm peeling back the curtain of professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer. Come along to gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to succeed in a dance career on your terms.
Introducing Tim Lynch: Dancer to Educator
00:01:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Brainy Ballerina podcast. I'm your host, Caitlin Sloan, and I am joined today by Tim Lynch. Tim danced professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet. He is currently the owner of Lynch Dance Institute and an incoming professor with the University of Utah.
00:01:16
Speaker
He has had an amazing career as a dancer, educator, studio owner, and mentor in the dance industry. And I am so thrilled to be able to pick his brain today. Thank you so much for joining us, Tim. And I love by starting off and hearing why did you take your very first dance class?
00:01:32
Speaker
Oh, wow. I think I was about eight years old and I was a very hyperactive kid. So I was always jumping off the sofas. i was pretty flexible and agile. So they put me in soccer.
00:01:43
Speaker
And so I enjoyed soccer a lot. But then she was at the dentist one day. randomly and heard about an all boys class that was starting and my mom asked me she's like do you want to start it it's all like young boys and so i was like i'll give it a try and it was like in a basement of a church or something like that and it was this very very strict russian woman basically it was like a boot camp and so we did like different activities but basically it was like training you to get stronger to actually do ballet. But at the time, i didn't it wasn't ballet. It wasn't advertised as ballet.
00:02:18
Speaker
So I did it for a year. a lot of the other boys kind of just dwindled out. They didn't continue, but I stayed. Her son was also in it, so I ended up staying with her son. And then we started to do more strict ballet at the bar. I stayed with her for a year.
00:02:33
Speaker
I really enjoyed the ritual of it, of as far as the discipline being very precise. I think that really like resonated with me. And so after a year, i auditioned for the School of American
Journey to School of American Ballet: Tim's Audition Success
00:02:44
Speaker
Ballet.
00:02:44
Speaker
and again, I had very little training. Literally, I was with her for a year, so I probably learned like the basics. You know, after that year, i auditioned for SAB and they took me right away. i auditioned on a Wednesday. and i think they were like, can you start on Saturday or something?
00:02:58
Speaker
And they gave me a full scholarship right away, which I was very grateful for. I was listening to one of your other podcasts and they were saying, you know, they saw The Nutcracker and then they fell in love with ballet. That wasn't me. I didn't even know The Nutcracker. And so when I got to SAB, there were like The Nutcracker auditions. And I was like, what's The Nutcracker? Like, I didn't even know anything about anything. And so I auditioned for The Nutcracker and I got the role of the prince.
The Nutcracker Role: A Prince's Tale
00:03:20
Speaker
And I didn't even know, like, that was like the biggest thing that you could possibly get. So at like 10 years old, I was Prince and The Nutcracker at new York City Ballet dancing on the state theater. I got the bug and I just started.
00:03:31
Speaker
knowing that that's what I really wanted to do. I fell in love with watching the professional dancers and like I knew that that's what I wanted to do, basically at that age. And I knew i was in the right spot to be able to achieve that at the School of American Ballet. I really owe a lot to the school. A lot of people say that they you know they'll go to a summer program or summer intensive at SAB and they're like I went to SAB. Like, I know all about SAB. I'm like, no, you you went there for for ah short period of time. I was there for 10 years. So, like, I really am a product of what SAB does produce.
00:04:01
Speaker
And to this day, I take all those lessons that I've learned there into my teaching. Can you share some of the major pieces of wisdom you gained during your time at SAB? For sure, yeah. The ballet mistress at the time, her name was Gary O. Whittle, specifically for Nutcracker. It was her first time staging the ballet for the kids.
00:04:20
Speaker
I'm sure she was trying to prove herself too, that she could do a good job. So like I've rehearsed it to the ground. Every little detail was dissected and every little detail of your fingers, hands, your head, all of it was very rehearsed so well that I felt so confident. And I tell my students now, prepare yourself for greatness. You know, if you're not really ready, your product is not going to be great.
00:04:43
Speaker
Okay. All they describe it to school, like, you know, when the teachers say, write your name on the paper, they did the whole test perfectly, but they didn't put their name on the top of the paper. I'm like, you have a hundred percent, but you didn't put your name on the paper.
00:04:54
Speaker
but How can we give you that grade? It's like the easy part, do that part and then show all the greatness that you have. Yeah. That's a good analogy. I like that. When you graduated from SAV and you're going into a professional career, what was that audition experience like for you? Did you have to audition for companies? Were you kind just seen at the school? Yeah.
00:05:11
Speaker
Yeah, it was interesting. Like, so at SAB, everybody hopes to get into New York City Ballet. That's everyone's dream. However, i realized that that wasn't going to happen for me. So I wanted to continue to dance in the similar fashion. So like the Balanchine style. So I was looking at companies that had the Balanchine repertoire and P&B was one of the next places where I felt like I would fit in. So I knocked on their door telling them that I was interested. They really wanted me to come out and be like a professional division student at the time.
00:05:41
Speaker
but I was still getting my training a good training at SAB. So I just stayed there. And I just thought, you know I'm just going to stay at SAB. It's a good place for me until I can land a job. I think it was going to be like my
Pacific Northwest Ballet: Tim's Decade of Dance
00:05:51
Speaker
11th year going back into SAB.
00:05:53
Speaker
And it was like right after Labor Day, the classes just started back. And there was a phone call from Francia Russell to the front desk at SAB. And they were looking for me. I remember the woman at the front desk was like, Tim, there's a Francia Russell on the phone from Pacific Northwest Ballet. She wants to talk to you. And I was like,
00:06:10
Speaker
ah Literally, she said to me, we're doing a new Carmina Burana and we need men. We'd love to have you. We've seen you. We were very interested in you. And like, we have an opportunity for you to join us an apprentice.
00:06:21
Speaker
Again, it was like on a Wednesday and they wanted me to start on Monday. Kid you not. So. I was like, oh my gosh, that's how my career started, professional. I took three suitcases from New York and I moved out to Seattle.
00:06:34
Speaker
I remember getting my first paycheck and I was like, wait a second, wait, I'm doing the same thing. I'm taking class, I'm rehearsing and then performing. but now I actually get paid for this now. like it was so bizarre because I wass like, I just kept doing what I've been normally doing. So from then on, i was just I knew that I was in the right place. I felt really comfortable with the dancers and the company. And there was a very family feel to it Everyone supported each other for the most part. i had a wonderful career. So I'm very grateful for the opportunities that I got. And I was able to dance so ah vast repertoire. So not just classical ballet, but
00:07:08
Speaker
contemporary as well. And toward the end of my career, I really enjoyed kind of diving into more character roles like Drosselmeyer and Gamache and all these other fun character roles. So you joined PNB in 1993. How long did you dance with the company?
00:07:22
Speaker
For 10 seasons. I retired in 2003. Like I said, I had like a very wonderful career and I danced a lot of Balanchine. I enjoyed actually being in the corps de ballet. I felt like that's where I belonged because that's where I felt like there was more of a community of people. And of course it was nice to get a chance to do a solo, but I don't know. I think I thrived on teamwork and being in line and all of those formations and things like that. That's something that I enjoy doing. Some dancers, they know they just want to be like a soloist. They just want to be by them themselves. They want to do their own thing.
00:07:54
Speaker
I think, again, going back to like my beginning, learning how to take class very precisely and each step has a count, that was ingrained in me. I thrived on being in rehearsals where things were counted out or you have to stay in line or you're the leader for this particular section or things like that. And what I felt like my role in the company was i was that person that people could count on to like know the counts or I got thrown into this rehearsal. Can you help me out? That was kind of like my role. I didn't like announce that I was that person, but people just kind of gravitated toward me for that information, which I was happy to share.
00:08:30
Speaker
Yeah. Did you have a favorite role that you danced during your career? We toured a lot internationally and we did a Midsummer Night's Dream a lot. And when I first started doing that ballet,
00:08:41
Speaker
Again, I was doing the core roles. I had an opportunity to do the bottom. So I got to do that pas de deux with Titania. And that was really memorable to me. And I did that actually with Patricia Barker, who was the famous ballerina of PMB at the time. I got the opportunity to do that for the live BBC recording of it. So If you ever watched that recording, I'm underneath the the donkey mask. That's me.
00:09:04
Speaker
To get to dance with her and to have that special moment on stage with her. For me, it wasn't a lot of dancing per se, but it was telling the story, having the comedic timing to make it really special was something that's very memorable to me. However, since we did Midsummer so many times, I did finally get an opportunity to be I would say that was one of the highlights of my career is to to get to do that role because I wasn't Tim.
00:09:29
Speaker
I had to transform into this little sprite. I was in charge of telling a story. you know, if someone came to the show, They didn't know anything about Midsummer Night's Dream. They should be able to understand through what I'm expressing what's going on. I really enjoyed those moments. And, you know, I did at the end of Midsummer Night's Dream, you get to fly, get flown up into the rafters, which is really fun.
00:09:50
Speaker
And just a side note, you do get a little extra pay for that because we were a union company. So I think I got an extra like $100 or something every time I went up. I remember when I first was doing it, the technical director was like, Tim, do you feel comfortable? And I was like, hmm, I'm not sure I feel comfortable. I did feel comfortable, but I was like, hmm, maybe I need to practice that one more time.
00:10:11
Speaker
No, it was fun. Those were some memorable moments as far as in a more character role, if you will. But I also got to dance Agon in Kennedy Center. And the story for that was one of the principal dancers sprained his ankle the day before. they weren't sure if he was going to be able to go on.
00:10:29
Speaker
That morning, he said that he didn't think that he was going to go on. I had only been rehearsing it. I never performed it ever. If you're familiar with Agon, as you know, that it's a very challenging counts. There's a lot in that ballet. And the directors were like, you're going on Kennedy Center.
00:10:46
Speaker
And it was the most scared I've ever been on stage. I just remember because it starts with your back to the audience and then the curtain rises. And then once the curtain has totally risen, you flip around and then the music starts, then you just go.
00:11:00
Speaker
But I just remember feeling the cool air on my bottom. I was like, oh oh my gosh, this is happening. And it was so exhilarating that I came off and I just felt so accomplished.
00:11:12
Speaker
And it was so fun. You got that adrenaline rush and I was just like, oh my gosh. And I got to do in the Kennedy Center too. I just felt like this was really special. So I had some really, really good moments. I also got to do a lot of contemporary work too.
00:11:25
Speaker
toward the later end of my career. I liked when choreographers came in and I was chosen as the actual first cast rather than like the third cast. Val Canaparoli used me a lot when he came to create work on the company. i got a chance to do Nacho Diwato's work and William Forsythe's work.
00:11:41
Speaker
I had a really great career. There's nothing that I said, oh I wish I'd got to do, or I wish I... I was satisfied. And that's actually kind of like one of the reasons why I retired relatively early.
Transitioning to Teaching: Tim's New Path
00:11:50
Speaker
i don't remember how old I was, but like I didn't stay until like my late 30s or anything like that. I was looking at the rep and I was like, you know what?
00:11:56
Speaker
I've done everything. I don't really need to do more. It's fine. It's okay. I felt like I accomplished everything that I needed to do performance-wise, if you will. But even prior to my retirement, I started teaching at PNB school. Francia thought I would be really good teaching in the dance chance program that they have there at the school. And the dance chance program gives opportunity to students that wouldn't normally get an opportunity to dance. And basically we go into the schools and and find them, see their potential, to see the dancers that have potential, and then they bus them in during the school day twice a week.
00:12:33
Speaker
They give them all the uniform, everything, and then provide the education for two years free. So I started teaching in the Dance Chance program prior to finishing up my career. I was put with the boys and I really enjoyed that. And I think that I just always had this kind of natural way of helping students or even company members, helping them out.
00:12:53
Speaker
And so it was natural transition for me to go from performer into teacher. As soon as I started teaching, I was thinking about all my teachers that I've had. Even that first Russian teacher, even though I just remember that she was really strict,
00:13:05
Speaker
I think really helped me to how I teach even today, like the importance of doing it correctly, not just like half-assing it, really just doing it full out. And the details are very important. The music is very important.
00:13:19
Speaker
The focus, being very present, those type of things are things that I tell my students currently. But as soon as I did retire, Francia Russell gave me a full-time teaching job at the school. And I learned the complete syllabus of PMB, creative movement, all the way up to, I was actually teaching the adults as well. So like professional division students, I taught all the levels. I mainly taught the boys. When I was there, they did have a small boys program when I first started teaching, but I ended up growing that program. Some of the students were coming from the dance chance program that I was talking to you about, but then there were also boys just coming from the community to PMB.
00:13:56
Speaker
It was very important to me that I stayed with them from year to year. Sometimes just how the classes would go, like for the girls' classes, you would have a different teacher when you move to a different level. But I kept stressing to Francia, like, I really need to stay with these boys.
00:14:10
Speaker
I felt like the more they knew that I was their teacher, they felt safe with me. They felt that they trusted me. The fact that they were all together as one boys' class and they're all moving together to the next level, that was how it grew. Because they had their own space, first of all. There was no judgment. They knew that I was a safe person, that I wasn't going to be judging them. I mean, I was going to give them corrections, but I wasn't going to judge them. Where I feel like boys that are in schools, that they're the only boy, it's hard. Some boys really like it, but I think most boys...
00:14:43
Speaker
feel singled out, they don't really feel like they belong. PNB was a great place for boys because there was a mass of boys. I really continued to build that program, but I feel like I was the advocate. I have to teach them. I have to continue to teach them.
00:14:55
Speaker
So to this day, they still do have a boys program and that's really good. They still have that dance chance program. So that's really great.
Male Dancers' Evolution and Support
00:15:01
Speaker
Yeah. Having built that program, what do you think male dancers really need most in their training and support today?
00:15:08
Speaker
Obviously, you mentioned having this one teacher who really believes in them and supports them and everything, but is there anything else you think that male dancers really are missing or that they need? They need to feel supported and feel valued in what they're doing. I think the role of a male in dance has changed.
00:15:24
Speaker
Back in the day, it was like, You're behind the girl and you shouldn't be seen. You just lift them and they, you know, make them look pretty. And nowadays the men are highlighted. They're really shown in their athleticism.
00:15:35
Speaker
It's not like, oh, you can get away with not having a completely stretched leg. Your leg has to be straight. You have to be pretty flexible. I remember when I was auditioning for companies, I was like, oh, i I had my double tour to the right. I didn't have my double tour to the left, but I always was working on my double tour because was like, i need that double tour to the left.
00:15:51
Speaker
And they're like, oh no, together as a company, you just need a double tour to the right. You're good. You're going to be fine. Nowadays, that's not the case. You need to be able to do everything. Yeah. And then also seeing each individual dancer for who they are. i feel like my role ended up at PNB was helping students find companies. Like if PNB wasn't the company for them, what companies would be good? Or I would say, go to their summer program. I think they'll like you. Go to Miami City Ballet. I think they'll like you.
00:16:16
Speaker
Or what kind of rep do you want to do? Do you want to do something more contemporary? There was a dancer that wanted to dance. He wasn't the most talented, but he wanted to dance more principal roles. And I was like, you know what?
00:16:29
Speaker
Then go for a smaller company, go for St. Louis Ballet, go for Ballet Met, go for these smaller companies. And that's what they did. I just, like a week ago, Got a DM from a former parent of a student from P&B who her son just retired from St. Louis Ballet, retiring relatively young. But she was like, you know what, thank you for giving him that start and like giving him that confidence that he could go professional if he wanted to do that. And this kid was a smart kid. And I was like, oh, I felt like the parents are going to really drive him to like go to college. The son really wanted to dance professionally.
00:17:02
Speaker
And so the mom allowed him to kind of pursue his dreams. Now he has finished his career. Now he's going to go into his college route and do his college journey now. Let's quickly pause this episode so I can share with you a brand new group mentorship program that I am launching this fall called the Core Core.
00:17:20
Speaker
We all know that your first years in a professional value company can be really intense. You're navigating casting, company politics, physical demands, and the pressure to prove yourself, often without much guidance.
00:17:34
Speaker
It's a lot, but you don't have to do this on your own. With the Core Core, you will find a space for support, community, and honest conversations that go beyond the bar. It's a 10-month group mentorship program designed for dancers in the first one to three years dancing with a pro company.
00:17:50
Speaker
We'll have monthly group calls where you can bring your issues to the table and we'll work through them together. You'll also hear from approachable for professionals in the industry who are open, honest, and here to share real insight.
00:18:02
Speaker
We all know that thriving in a company takes more than just talents. This new chapter deserves a strong start, and this program is more than just coaching. It's community. Whether you're unpacking in a new city or navigating your first nutcracker as a pro, you don't have to do it alone.
00:18:20
Speaker
Applications close August 22nd, so if you're interested in this program, head to the show notes to learn more and apply today. Okay, so you've earned both your BFA and your MFA in dance, plus a yoga certification.
00:18:33
Speaker
I'm curious what drives you to keep pursuing further education and professional development in your career.
Continuous Learning: Dance and Somatics
00:18:38
Speaker
I really feel like the students that I teach kind of inform what I need to be learning, what more information I should be researching. Going back to get my MFA really helped me to look at my students from a different lens than I had been.
00:18:56
Speaker
SAB, as great as it was, really taught me a lot about shapes and beautiful lines and how to create nice things. However, I don't feel like it really prepared me somatically in a way that touched me from the inside out.
00:19:11
Speaker
And so when I went to grad school, learned different somatic techniques, yoga was one of the classes I did take, but mainly the Alexander technique, learning how to use your body without so much effort, trying to find ways of moving with less tension and less stress, and then also using tapping into your breath and realizing that you are breathing while you're dancing, whether you know it or not.
00:19:38
Speaker
So let's start to like investigate that. So I really encourage my students to breathe. And sometimes I'll say, you know, after a releve and fifth, take a breath in, exhale, lower your heels down and stretch your legs.
00:19:52
Speaker
Okay, so they're actively making that breath. They know they're making that breath. So hopefully that will help them to cope when you know things get tough or when things get stressful. I'm constantly learning. I'm constantly finding ways to help them to succeed in their own goals. And I really feel like the more that I'm teaching to, the more that I'm seeing the student as individuals and less as a group class that I'm teaching.
00:20:18
Speaker
Whether it's a higher ed ballet class or if it's an adult class, it's like I'm going to teach the dancers the same way and treat them the same way. Because I think that's important to meet the student where they are and then help them to achieve their goals.
00:20:33
Speaker
Has your philosophy on dance education evolved since you first started teaching, or do you feel like you always had this viewpoint? No, I think that I've always tried to find new ways to get the information across to students. In the beginning, like when I was teaching the boys at PNB, I would be bringing in the rotation discs to activate their rotation and explain to them how they use their turnout. I would bring in TheraBands to be like,
00:20:58
Speaker
Look how like stretched out I am. Can you make your arabesque like that? Just these visuals, anything that will help the student to get to the result that we're trying to achieve. And I still do that to this day. i give a lot of imagery, have the dancers look at technique from a different perspective rather than making the shapes, because it's definitely not just that.
00:21:18
Speaker
It's just not. Do you have a favorite analogy that you like to use? Oh my That's so funny. For boys, it's something that I used to say for like a sauté in fifth or a super sauté in fifth position, was like, imagine you're getting like sucked up through a straw. Make sure your legs are so tight that you're not going to get stuck in the middle.
00:21:36
Speaker
If your legs are apart, you're not going to get through that straw. So you just go all the way through. There's always different things that I say, but it just kind of depends on the moment. Yep. My favorite one that I always say is don't do like the scooby-doo eyes. like And I don't know if my students even get this anymore because it's if I probably haven't seen Scooby-Doo, but it's the eyes in the painting when you just like see them moving. Exactly.
00:21:56
Speaker
And so I was like, we're doing Scooby-Doo eyes. But I'm always like, okay, I probably need to explain that analogy as I teach longer and longer because it's not even like relevant. Exactly. I know. As you get older, like some of your references don't – I remember like one time I was like – it was a dancer doing pas de bourree or something and then they were kind of just like tiptoeing. And I was like, no, they're actually steps. Make it like a grapevine. But I was like – I said, right now it looks like you're Fred Flintstone running down the building. Yeah.
00:22:20
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Like who's Fred Flintstone? yeah you know You're like, oh no. oh I've had so many of those moments. Yeah. Yeah. Just as far as teaching, a like, because I teach different populations in higher ed. Sometimes you're teaching students that don't have a lot of dance training.
00:22:34
Speaker
This past year, I was teaching musical theater students. So again, I'm seeing them in their area study. So their area of study is musical theater. So for me to give them a strict ballet class, it's not going to really serve them and what their goals are.
00:22:47
Speaker
They want to be able to land a job on Broadway. During that dance call, I'll be like, okay, you need to make sure that that pas de bourree is a back front. And I'll say, do it like a grapevine. Use different terminology that I would not necessarily use in a traditional ballet class.
00:23:04
Speaker
For them to understand pas de chah, like hit your right knee and then hit your left knee and then come down. Things like that. So they understand the one-two. Meeting them almost like in layman terms, just to understand how to do something simplistic.
00:23:17
Speaker
And then adding the extra for their specific, whatever they're going for, whatever Broadway show they're going for and or call that they're going to. yeah Let's quickly pause this episode so I can share with you one of my favorite snacks that I have been loving lately.
00:23:33
Speaker
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00:23:45
Speaker
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00:24:00
Speaker
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00:24:13
Speaker
And the best news is you can get 20% off your first order with code BRAINYBALLERINA. Head to the show notes and click the link to try Aloha Protein Bars for yourself today. Can you talk more about some of the somatic practices that you use in your teaching? Because I totally agree that as dancers, a lot of the training, especially ballet dancers, is a little bit disembodied where you aren't taught the breathing.
00:24:35
Speaker
i so agree with the effort. Like as I went through my career, I had to learn how to do things in a way that felt easier. And at first you feel like, well, this must be wrong if it feels easy. right And then you realize, oh, that actually means I'm working smarter. I'm doing it more correctly. But how do you teach dancers that?
00:24:52
Speaker
Yeah, my yoga training and certification that I have really helped me to, again, look at the dancers and see them in a different way.
Yoga's Role in Dance Training
00:25:03
Speaker
If a student is holding their breath during the whole combination,
00:25:07
Speaker
Noticing that and addressing that in the class as part of the class. In my classes currently, I usually do like a 10 to 15 minute yoga warmup. Obviously, it's to warm up their bodies physically, but also mentally and also to get them mentally in the space. And I think that's really important.
00:25:23
Speaker
A lot of times dancers are running in with their dance bags. They throw their bags down and then they plop into an external rotation, which is not anatomical. And then having to turn out and having to like be on, they're not ready for that.
00:25:35
Speaker
They're not ready for that. And so i have the students start to tap into their breath, see where they are. They might be stressed out. They might be coming from ah phone call that they just got or running from school or whatever. So this is their time to like get into their space. This dance studio is very sacred and it should be ah place that allows the student to grow, not and just in the physical place, but in that mental arena as well. And so just starting to move slowly through the joints, understanding breath, waking up all the areas of the body. I do a lot of hip mobility, warming up, laying on the floor. I love Irene Dowd's work. I like to do a lot of her exercises, ones that she specifically created for ballet dancers. And the dancers love that because then they feel ready for that plie. They're really ready to go when it's time. And I've gotten the feedback from my students to say, thank you for doing these yoga warmups.
00:26:30
Speaker
because it really did help me to get my day started or it really helped me to get focused and locked in for the class. And so I feel like the results are better when it comes from more somatic approach. The somatic is not just in the beginning of class and then regular class.
00:26:45
Speaker
As a teacher looking through a somatic lens, I'm looking at the body, I'm looking at the anatomy. And seeing a lot of things I see for dancers is displayed ribs. They're thinking of creating the position, making the positions and they're trying to please, right?
00:27:01
Speaker
Please the teacher, which they should be pleasing themselves. But understanding, okay, if you just relax your rib cage, allow you yourself to relax here. You're going to come into your back and that's ultimately going to help you. And that's exactly where you need to be when you're bringing your arms in first for a pirouette.
00:27:16
Speaker
But you're giving them this information. Most dancers want the information and they want to grow. And they're very receptive to this type of instruction, especially at a higher level.
00:27:28
Speaker
And they're like, oh, no one ever told me that. Incorporating, letting go. So like that's the whole thing about the Alexandra technique is noticing on your own body, what your habitual tendencies are. Do I lift my hip when I do my dev la pae? And if that's the case, how can I keep my hips square?
00:27:44
Speaker
And maybe I'll need to distribute my weight a little bit differently. So my hip can go up a little bit easier and maybe my hip can stay down. Finding those spaces. I had a tagline at one time, thinking bodies dancing, not just bodies dancing, but really thinking bodies. The mind is going.
00:27:59
Speaker
as you're going. And so you're consciously knowing what you're doing, where you're placing your arms, where your placement, it's not just making those shapes anymore. So if I just only had the School of American Ballet training, if I just continue to teach, like say, if I taught at SAB, I wouldn't have all this other great information that I'm passing on. Again, I'm really grateful for my trajectory in dance education. And it's not ending either. It's going to continue. I'm actually going to a conference in a couple of weeks, a ballet conference in Salt Lake City. So I'm always looking to learn what the best practices are and what's best for the students.
00:28:32
Speaker
I have a logistical question for you about your warmup process because yeah I love that and I 100% agree. yeah And I never feel like an hour and a half ballet class is enough time for everything.
00:28:44
Speaker
i don't know how I would structure that. How do you make that work? It's so funny. People would say like, what is your biggest challenge as a teacher? ah be like, time management. For sure. But how do you fit it all in?
00:28:56
Speaker
I teach a virtual ballet class. I started doing it during the pandemic. I kept it going. Anyone who's listening can join that through a platform called Ballet Together. In an hour, I've done a whole class. When I know that I have these parameters, we just go. The students start to learn my pacing. I'm either going to just say a really quick correction, we're going to go to the other side and we're going to go. With adding that little yoga component, obviously you're going to have to decide on taking some things out. So maybe you don't do the Rond du Jamal layer. I'm very good at combining different combinations together. i mean, I've done like a Grammatman frappace in the same combination, and people are like, that's crazy. Like, people don't do that. I'm like, sure. I i mean, we just did. We just did it. ah so yeah exit Right, exactly. So yeah, you know adding things you may not have a lot of time later on doing. Like if I know that I'm not going to have a lot of time to do pirouettes, maybe I'll do a pirouette at the bar or something.
00:29:45
Speaker
You're not going to get everything in in a class and you have to be okay with that. Again, you have to just look at like, what are the students needing and what's going to be the best for that particular day? And this is one thing for teachers. You can come with your plan. You can have this best lesson plan, but if your students aren't really ready for that lesson plan, it's not going to be successful.
00:30:04
Speaker
So you've really got to look at your students and you have to really feel them out and be like, you know what? This is not going to be the day we're really going to dive into alignment. They're just not ready today to do that. Or we're going to just do one combination where we're really going to focus on that. Everyone's going to gather around. We're going to work in partners and we're going to all feel this one thing. you just have to like really feel out your class and make sure that when the time is right, that's when you dive in.
00:30:28
Speaker
When they're not. just keep it moving. And I think I do very well as I can feel the room out and be able to keep the pace. When I'm teaching students to teach, I'm like, you have to have your own pace. If you're going to explain something for 15 minutes, you're going to lose your students, especially in ah like you're saying with time management, it's like, You can't spend 15 minutes talking to Susie about her tendu. You know, it's like, no Susie, make sure your foot is pointed. Let's go. yeah Everyone's going to have their vibe and everyone's going to have their way of communicating.
00:30:59
Speaker
But I'm very interested in this kind of pace. As a yoga teacher, it's really interesting coming from the dance background into yoga. My yoga students, they'll come after class and be like you know what? I really loved how you paced the class out.
00:31:13
Speaker
You had such a nice pace. And the thing is, Because I think innately from the musicality of ballet and understanding the body, I know how long to hold something and when to bring it back in.
00:31:26
Speaker
and when to go into the next thing. But this is just something that's over years of doing it, it just comes naturally. I mean, I love teaching yoga as well. There's so many benefits in yoga. It's actually really great cross-training for pre-professional students, learning that internal rotation, getting strong in your internal rotation, as well as ankle strength, balance, ankle stability.
00:31:47
Speaker
obviously flexibility, and also like my students at the studio in California, I'm getting them to use their upper body. They're doing inversions. To be a professional dancer, going to be doing partnering. You may not be doing partnering right now, but eventually you're going to need to have the shoulder stability to be with your partner. And so I'm having them do flying frog and...
00:32:07
Speaker
Some of them really get into it. They really like it. There's so many things you can do. So encouraging them, dispelling all of this idea of as a female dancer, you just have to have beautiful legs and feet. There's so much more than that. They can do so much more. It's holistic.
00:32:21
Speaker
Their body is their instrument. Their entire body is their instrument. They should look at it like that. And I really feel that anyone who's training in ballet, they should be training their body in that way. What excites you most about this generation of dancers? What are you hoping to contribute to them as they go into their
Advocating for Passion in Dance
00:32:37
Speaker
careers?
00:32:37
Speaker
I love that every student wants something different. I love seeing companies out there that are embracing all students and seeing non-binary students having the opportunity to really be who they want to be. i love that. i mean, PNB is a great example of that. If a dancer wants to dance on pointe,
00:32:58
Speaker
and they're at the proficiency of a professional dancer, why should they be held back? I enjoy just seeing dancers being an advocate also for what they want. Say they're getting typecasted as all the classical ballets all the time. This generation, they have no problem going into the artistic director and saying, hey, i really would love to learn this contemporary ballet when this choreographer comes in town. Is that okay for me to be in the room?
00:33:24
Speaker
Whether that's a yes or a no, at least they're going. And I encourage dancers... to explore what they want to explore. The dance journey can be quite small as a professional.
00:33:34
Speaker
So you have to be on. You have to advocate for yourself and do what you want to do. And if you're not getting fulfilled where you're at in your environment, try to find a place where you will experience that. It's easier said than done. I mean, if you're in a company for seven years and you're like, okay, now I feel stuck,
00:33:52
Speaker
It's like, then what do I do? I don't want to necessarily start over in another company, but maybe there's another outlet. Maybe it's something outside of dance. Maybe it's like a pickup company where you can find choreographers. That's how Seattle Dance Project was formed. It was ex-dancers that still wanted to dance a little bit, but not in a full-time capacity.
00:34:10
Speaker
And that's what we did. We brought in choreographers that we liked and commissioned choreographers and they created 20 minute works for us where we did like a pickup season and it was wonderful. And we did it for seven years. It was satisfying because we still got to be out on stage.
00:34:24
Speaker
The people who watched us dance could still see us dance. It was great. So for those dancers that are not seeing, like if you're not seeing something that's out there, create it, yeah create your own thing. I'm a big advocate for that. I've had students that want to start something completely different and new. And I'm like, go for it.
00:34:41
Speaker
But look at the whole picture. Don't just say, I have this great idea and I don't know how it's going to happen. Show me the plan. Let's talk through the plan. I enjoy doing that for students or anybody, really, if anyone who's interested in pursuing projects or wants to do something different.
00:34:56
Speaker
I've always been very entrepreneurial. What I feel like is missing in the dance field right now is that everybody's still not welcome or it doesn't feel welcome in the dance studio. Disabled dancers, have you ever seen disabled dancers in ballet class? No. However, in Europe, it's normalized. It's fine.
00:35:12
Speaker
How can we here in the States make sure everybody feels welcome? I've had students just in this past two years, non-binary students, for example, didn't feel always 100% comfortable coming into this dance studio.
00:35:24
Speaker
I would ask them, how can I make you feel more comfortable addressing them and seeing who they are, seeing each student as individuals, making sure the students feel seen, like they're not just in the room.
00:35:36
Speaker
That's not enough. That's not enough. As educators, our job is not just that. It's not just them in the room. Our job is to help each student wherever they are. Everyone's goals are different.
00:35:47
Speaker
You know, somebody is interested in doing a triple pirouette and one student just wants to do a nice tendu, you know, and that's it. And that's fine. I think there's so much comparison. You see it a lot with the teens. They feel like they need to compete against each other. And it's like, celebrate each other.
00:36:01
Speaker
You're good. You have really high legs. You can get your leg up here. I can only do here, but I can do four turns. Be okay with your leg being here, but really turned out. would Be like, really turned out though.
00:36:13
Speaker
And very well placed. Then it's fine. That's why i i appreciate the adults because they're not looking to achieve a certain look. They want to get the information.
00:36:23
Speaker
They want to be challenged. They want to be challenged. it's like finding that joy of dance. They just want to enjoy the joy of dance. And it's interesting. It's so interesting how when you first start dance or when you hear like young students starting dance with the scarves and they're not really noticing themselves in the mirror. They're just dancing. It's just like this free expression, like Louie Fuller. But then as soon as like you get into like a ballet one class or like eight years old, it becomes serious. And then you're staring at yourself and then you become hypercritical. Then you get to this when you're like teen or 15, 16. like,
00:36:54
Speaker
Now you have to have artistry. You're performing. It's like, wait, I feel like there's this gap in between where we kind of lose that joy. And then when we get older, you either find it through the artistry and you get coached and like you show that joy through your dancing or you don't get that. And then later on in in your life, you come back to dance and be like, okay, now I just enjoy it just to...
00:37:15
Speaker
Have fun. How can we still have the joy throughout those formative years, you know? So that may be even something to really research down the road. That's so true. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Young dancers naturally have artistry and then we kind of beat it out of them. Exactly. I expect them to be so perfect.
00:37:32
Speaker
And that is just the model that we've developed to build really strong technicians. But then later down the road, we're like, okay, well, now actually dance. yeah I totally agree that there needs to be some shift there.
00:37:43
Speaker
yeah You know there are healthier competitions out there where you get that feedback. You can work on the artistry on a like particular variation or something without the pressure of doing it perfectly.
00:37:54
Speaker
Working on something or working on choreography, there is a benefit in that. And I think that that can help. Naturally, I do that. You know, if I'm teaching an advanced ballet class, for example, at the end of their semester,
00:38:06
Speaker
Instead of doing a jury of combinations, I choreograph a piece and then I video it and then I'll watch them. I'll watch them perform it, how they performed it. And also I'm grading them on the process too. Like how were they learning the material?
00:38:20
Speaker
Did they go back and watch the video from the last time? They're doing the requirements of the course through the choreography. And so they're getting all the material in. through the choreography and how they performed it. So it's not just ballet bar, ballet center. Dance has evolved from that. Yeah, it's so much more than bar and center. Yeah. But there's a lot of old school out there still.
00:38:41
Speaker
Yeah. For sure. And I think for me as a teacher, that's partly how I was trained. I had amazing training, but that is the model, right? And so it's just trying to figure out as a teacher how you can keep growing. And I'm really inspired by everything you've talked about here. And I'm feeling like, okay, I'm learning so much that I'm trying incorporate, you know? And I think that is the constant journey. Yeah. You can't just go, this is how I did it as 12-year-old. So now this it needs to always be done.
00:39:05
Speaker
i can take what I thought was really great about that and keep evolving and keep making it better. It's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. i love talking about dance education. I love talking about pedagogy, dissecting steps, all of that. And that's what I'll be doing you know at
Inclusive Dance Education for All
00:39:20
Speaker
the University of Utah. So I'm i'm really excited to like dive into research and more pedagogy and then also you know researching ways of getting more diverse populations into the studio.
00:39:31
Speaker
That's really important for me to make sure everybody is welcome. Ballet has a kind of negative stereotype with a lot of the contemporary dancers. They only have what they thought of ballet from their own ballet experience, which could have been positive or negative. And so how can myself as an educator help to make them feel the information that I would give them can help them in their own genre, if you will.
00:39:58
Speaker
I feel like I can do that. I've had students that have said, I hated ballet. I hated i hated ballet until I took your class. i mean, I really like, just because they've had such a negative experience with a teacher, either like body shaming them or physically manipulating them. And ballet's not that anymore. Again, like I'm saying, there's some old school philosophies out there still, but it's like, for the most part, I think People are getting the education that is needed. And the dancers do have voices.
00:40:25
Speaker
And you can ask them, how does this feel in your body? Where did you feel it? What's the difference between uncomfortable and painful? A lot of times I see students that they want to give up when it's uncomfortable. And it's like, you know, sometimes you got to have to sit in the uncomfortable a little bit at yoga. Like, I hate doing the camel pose. It's like, oh my Oh, that's like the worst posture for me. I hate it.
00:40:46
Speaker
But I know that there's so many benefits in it. The opening of the chest, the heart, being very vulnerable here. It's a very vulnerable place to be. And I tell my students, I'm like, sometimes you have to just kind of sit in the uncomfortable.
00:40:59
Speaker
Don't just jump out. Because if you do that, you're going to do that not only in the dance studio, you're going to do that in life. You're give up. When something gets hard, you're just going to give up. Ballet students, the ones who do make it, they don't give up. They just keep going. They're focused in where they want to go.
00:41:13
Speaker
They don't stop. It's really nice to see my students, even if they don't end up going into dance, they're taking these life skills with them. They're understanding the discipline. They're understanding the follow through. if you're going to present something, say your marketing portfolio, they're going to do it so well. You know how it's going to be presented just because you know that student.
00:41:31
Speaker
You know how They're always on time. They're always listening. They're very organized in how they move through space. i mean, how their physical body moves through space.
00:41:42
Speaker
So if they're creating something, we know where things are going to be in space on their portfolio. It's going to just be really nice because of how their mind has always been trained over the years.
00:41:53
Speaker
Yeah. It's really fun to see my students and where they go. And it's really nice that when they do send me a little message like, hey, I'm a lawyer now or doctor, or I ended up going into higher ed or I opened my own dance studio. I had a student last semester or last summer. She come back from the fall and She was like, guess what? And I'm like, what? She's like, I got my yoga certification. I was like, holy cow, that's great. So like, you never know. like And so I think as an educator, it's like, it's really important. The students do trust you. What you're saying is being heard.
00:42:25
Speaker
So it's really important. Language is really important.
Non-Tactile Teaching: Independence in Dance
00:42:27
Speaker
I feel like also yoga training. helped me as a teacher to express through my words rather than the physical demonstration.
00:42:36
Speaker
Because when I first started teaching ballet, I was teaching full out all everything. And there was a teacher at the school at the time. And he was like, you know what? You have to stop. that You're like doing too much. Like he's like, you have to just sit on the stool like me.
00:42:48
Speaker
And you just talk it out. I'm like, well, that's not me. That's you, but that's not me. You know, in some ways I do still demonstrate because I feel like it's good to have the visual. But with the yoga, it really has helped me to communicate cues, to give students that I don't need to touch them.
00:43:04
Speaker
I can just explain it through my words and they understand and they can make adjustments without me touching them. I think that's really important. And I think that's a skill that current teachers should have. Maybe down the road is something like ah create a workshop for teachers on how to teach and cue to students without touching. Might be a thing. Who knows? Yeah. I love that.
00:43:25
Speaker
Okay, last question I have for you. Yeah. What advice would you give to aspiring dancers who are pursuing their career? I would say come into any environment, whether that's the studio, the theater, an audition.
00:43:38
Speaker
Come in being very present, very present in the moment. Don't think about what the results are going to be, who's going to be watching you. Don't set up your scenario, your scene.
00:43:50
Speaker
Just be in the moment. Be present with whoever is in front of you. Be yourself, be your true authentic self and do what you know and be confident in your ability and what you have.
00:44:03
Speaker
A lot of students, I feel like they lack that confidence in who they are. As educators, what students hear are all the negative. Well, they hear the corrections as negativity, which as educators, we know that that's not the case.
00:44:16
Speaker
but that's what they're hearing. So I try to balance that out in my delivery with the students. So like they're hearing the positive, they're seeing that they're worth it. You are worth it.
00:44:27
Speaker
In yoga, we do this star pose. And I said, reach out to your distal ends. Fill up this entire room with your own presence. When someone hears that, you see the students like smile. They're like, whoa.
00:44:38
Speaker
I'll say, fill up the room with your presence. And I'll say, you're all worth it. You're worth being here. Take up that space. Do your best. That would be my advice. Amazing.
Connect with Tim: Online Presence
00:44:46
Speaker
Okay, Tim, if anyone listening wants to learn more about you and your work, where can we find you?
00:44:51
Speaker
I am on Instagram at tim.j.lynch. And also you can find me on lynchdance.com. That's my dance studio. Like I said, I do have um a virtual ballet class that I teach each Sunday.
00:45:07
Speaker
There's two classes. One class is more of an intermediate ballet bar. And the second class is more of a ballet beginner bar. And those are opportunities for you to just log in to Zoom. It's a donation-based class, so anybody can join. And you can find that information on Instagram.
00:45:23
Speaker
And I also do offer private virtual lessons in yoga and ballet. So if anyone is interested, please send me a message or email me. And again, you can find all information on my Instagram page.
00:45:37
Speaker
Amazing. Thank you so much for this, Tim. This was awesome really a great conversation. i learned so much from you and I am really grateful for your time today. it was so fun. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity, Caitlin. I appreciate it. of course.
00:45:48
Speaker
Yeah. Awesome. You take care.
Podcast Closure: Dance Career Guidance
00:45:50
Speaker
of
00:45:53
Speaker
Thank you for tuning into the Brainy Ballerina podcast. If you found this episode insightful, entertaining, or maybe a bit of both, I would so appreciate you taking a moment to leave a rating and hit subscribe.
00:46:06
Speaker
By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode. And you'll join our community of dancers passionate about building a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry. Plus your reigns help others discover the show too.
00:46:19
Speaker
I'll be back with a new episode next week. In the meantime, be sure to follow along on Instagram at The Brainy Ballerina for your daily dose of dance career guidance.