Cultivating Critical Thinking in Dancers with The Brainy Ballerina

I’m not sure when and where the unfortunate stereotype began that dancing doesn’t require brains, but I do know that there’s a new brand of dance entrepreneurs out there on the rise who are working their tails off to crush this stereotype, while also empowering dancers, educators, and communities at large that brainy = badass.

Caitlin Sloan is one of those people, and today’s Backstage Blog is all about her company, The Brainy Ballerina! Caitlin creates amazing resources that are invaluable for any educator or dancer (which you can check out here), and she’s sharing her knowledge and passion with us today - read on!

KC: What's your background with dance? 

CS: I started dancing at the age of 10 at Rochester School of Dance in Michigan. My most formative teacher growing up was Cornelia Sampson, a former dancer with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She gave me all of the tools I needed to succeed as a professional dancer and I am so grateful to have found her!

I earned my B.A. in Dance from Grand Valley State University, where my education was focused on ballet and modern. I also danced on the Laker Dance Team, performing at all home football and basketball games! After graduating, I joined Ballet Tucson from two seasons under the direction of Mary Beth Cabana. While with Ballet Tucson, I was so lucky to also be able to work closely with amazing artists including John Gardner, Amanda McKerrow and Chieko Imada. 

I joined Missouri Contemporary Ballet (MCB) in 2011 under the direction of Karen Mareck Grundy. MCB is where I spent the bulk of my professional career and really grew into myself as an artist. I was honored to dance notable roles including Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Stepsister in Cinderella and The Bride in The Big Day. I was able to work with phenomenal guest artists including Shannon Lee West, Thang Dao, Autumn Eckman, Penny Saunders, John Mark Owen, Christian Denice, Lindsey Matheis, Fernando Rodriguez and Kameron Saunders. I retired from the stage in June 2018 after dancing for seven seasons with MCB.

Missouri Contemporary Ballet gave me so many opportunities to expand my career beyond the stage. I taught at the School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet since its inception in 2011 and was named School Director in 2014. As School Director, I founded the Missouri Contemporary Ballet Youth Ensemble, aimed at giving advanced students professional performance opportunities to further prepare them for a future career in dance. I also served as lead instructor for the School of MCB’s adaptive dance program. Upon my retirement, I was named Associate Executive Director of Missouri Contemporary Ballet. All of my experiences as a professional dancer on and off the stage left me feeling prepared to transition from the spotlight to a role behind the scenes when I retired.

KC: Was it love at first plie?

CS: Actually, no! I attended my first ballet class at age 3 and the instructor told my mom that I wasn’t ready and should come back when I was a little older. I didn’t enroll in ballet classes again until I was 10. My first teacher when I came back to dancing was named Miss Deanne and I adored her. The second time around I was absolutely hooked! 

KC: Who are your dance heroes, and why?

CS: This is a great question! I spent a long time thinking about this one because truly every single person who has given their time, energy, and experience to my dance career is a hero to me. However, I kept coming back to two people: John Gardner & Amanda McKerrow. John & Amanda had a legendary career with American Ballet Theatre. Do any other 80’s babies remember the movie ABT Now? I must have burned a hole in my VHS watching it over and over as a young ballerina. I was obsessed with John & Amanda performing Anthony Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading.

Cut to my first professional contract with Ballet Tucson and I get to work with John & Amanda on a daily basis as our Artistic Associates. The very first thing I learned at Ballet Tucson was the corps de ballet in Giselle from Amanda herself! I truly have never met a more talented duo. Both amazing teachers, they taught me so much about ballet technique but even more about the type of dancer I wanted to be. John used to begin ballet class by saying “How lucky are we that we get to start our day with pliés?” This is a mantra I repeated to myself many times throughout my dance career.

In an industry dominated by egos, John & Amanda could not be kinder and more encouraging to the dancers they work with. They demonstrated it’s more effective to lead with love than fear. Even though the ballet world likes to prop up the narrative that you have to be cruel or harsh to train amazing dancers, they showed me how powerful it is to be a loving and safe presence in another person’s life. Working with them really shaped the way I built my career as a dancer and instructor. 

KC: Tell us about The Brainy Ballerina.

CS: The mission of The Brainy Ballerina is to empower dancers to be curious, thoughtful, capable and prepared to meet the challenges of the dance world. I provide resources specifically designed to assist instructors and studio owners with developing well-rounded and well-educated dancers.

KC: What was the inspiration for creating The Brainy Ballerina?

CS: As a dance educator, I am so passionate about teaching my students to become smart dancers. To excel in the field today, dancers need more than beautiful lines and turns for days. They need to be critical thinkers, able to analyze and evaluate situations on a moment's notice. They need to be curious, able to ask the right questions and offer creative solutions. They need to be self-aware, able to recognize how their mental health affects their physical well-being. They need to be sharp, able to fill in for a role or make a correction quickly. They need to be thoughtful, able to radiate kindness and support to their teammates. And they need to be prepared, able to show up everyday and put in good work.

I have always believed there is so much more to learn about the dance world than how to point your feet (don't get me wrong, I am a stickler for pointed feet!). Dancers need to know terminology and ballet history. They need to know about music, choreography, and what goes on behind the scenes. They need to know how to write a résumé, take a quality headshot and show up prepared for an audition. The thing is...I had a hard time finding resources to support my teaching beliefs. Through talking to my peers, I discovered many of us felt the same way. And thus The Brainy Ballerina was born! 

CS: How has COVID affected your teaching and business?

CS: The timing of the COVID pandemic aligned with a time of significant change in my personal life. I had my first baby in December 2019. A week later, my husband was offered a job promotion and we prepared to move to Wisconsin. Because of all this, I had already stepped away from most of my classes when the country entered a shutdown. I had initially planned to find a new dance home and begin teaching this Fall once we moved, but I have put this plan on hold.

This is the longest I have been away from a dance studio since I was 10 years old. I miss teaching, sharing my love of ballet and making connections with my students. However, there have been blessings with the time away as well! I have been able to eat dinner with my family every day for 9 months...which is unheard of for a dance teacher! 

Of course, I could never completely step away from the dance world! It is so much a part of me I don’t know how to disconnect the two. I have taken advantage of this opportunity to grow The Brainy Ballerina and see where my new dance journey takes me!

KC: Are there any cliches or preconceptions about dance you try to correct in your work?

CS: I work to correct the conception that having the perfect facility and being naturally gifted is all that matters in the dance world. Though these things may get your foot in the door, they won’t keep you employed. I have seen far too many truly talented dancers not hold on to jobs because they didn’t have the necessary skills to succeed in the professional world. I want dancers to know that you don’t have to be a prodigy at the age of 10 to become a professional ballerina. How you work in class and rehearsal, your relationship with others, your attitude...these things matter more than 180° extension and perfect turnout. The ballet world is so small and your reputation WILL precede you. Make sure you pay attention to your character just as much as you work on your fouettés.

KC: Is there one thing you think the dance community needs more of, less of, or to get better at?

CS: The dance community needs to work on developing more critical thinkers. Historically, ballet training is designed to make dancers fall in line. I see so many dancers who truly cannot think for themselves when presented with a problem...they are so used to being told exactly what to do at all times. 

When training well-rounded dancers, instructors need to think about developing their minds as well as their bodies. We are really doing them a disservice by giving them all the answers all the time. I saw a quote recently from John Warren, shared by the National Dance Education Organization, that summarized my thoughts on this topic perfectly: “The teacher’s task is to initiate the learning process and then get out of the way.” 

This generation of dancers has endless potential. We need to allow them the opportunity to grow into that potential by providing a safe space to develop not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

KC: What's next for you and your businesses? Do you have any exciting projects on the horizon?

CS: Yes! I am so excited to be hosting a series of workshops throughout the month of May titled 'The View from Backstage'. I truly believe dancers need a well-rounded understanding of ballet beyond the steps in order to succeed in a professional career. I have brought together four incredible professionals in the dance world to give dancers a deeper understanding of what happens behind the scenes and how to forge successful relationships! Workshops include:

May 1: Jessica Winter-Troutwine (professional makeup artist/licensed esthetician and founder of Beautifully Balanced Makeup Artistry): "Putting your Best Face Forward": Stage Makeup for Dancers

May 8: Nancy Paradis (artistic director of LA Dance Moves and adjunct professor at Moorpark College): "See the Big Picture": What you can do right now to re-invent, fine tune and become a more employable dancer.

May 15: Lorel Leal (accompanist for Alberta Ballet and founder of The Barre Pianist): "Top 4 Music Secrets Every Great Dancer Knows (and uses!)": Becoming a more musically aware dancer

May 22: Marissa McCullough (dance costume shop director at University of North Carolina School of the Arts): “Behind the Seams”: What you’ve always wanted to ask a Costumer

You can attend one or all of the workshops! This information is so valuable for aspiring ballerinas and I can't wait to see you there!

For tickets and more information visit: http://thebrainyballerina.eventbrite.com

And now, just for funsies…

KC: Burritos or tacos?

CS: Burrito bowls (I probably make a burrito bowl for lunch 3 days a week)

KC: Legwarmers or ballet skirts?

CS: Legwarmers...I love to be cozy!

KC: Disco balls or rainbows?

CS: Rainbows

KC: Center Stage or Flashdance?

CS: Center Stage...I saw it in the theatre!

KC: One word to describe yourself?

CS: Passionate

Make sure you and your dancers follow Caitlin and The Brainy Ballerina on Instagram and Facebook and see all her amazing resources on her Etsy shop! Thank you, Caitlin for sharing your time and expertise with us!