Wholeballet education: exploring direct and indirect teaching methods

The purpose of this study was to explore teaching methods for whole ballet in Korean ballet education. This study built upon a first phase of research that identified the educational content of whole ballet. Four dimensions were identified as the educational content: physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual. This study employed a qualitative research method to collect data through in-depth interviews (with nine teachers and six students) and observations (in four university technique classes). Ten teaching methods were identified and divided into two categories: direct and indirect teaching methods. The direct teaching methods included the following techniques: hands-on correction, intensive practice, first-hand demonstration, Q&A explanation and imagination stimulation. The indirect teaching methods included the following techniques: experience recommendation, reflective stimulation, musical sensation, milieu creation and character transference. The final phase of the study combines the first two phases and develops a replicable whole ballet education programme for implementation.