Six Students, Three Ballet Masters

Some afternoons are planned down to the minute. This was not one of them, and that is exactly what made it special.

On what began as an ordinary class day at the studio, ballet masters Wang Jiahong and Tang Xiuyun arrived unexpectedly. With no rehearsal and no preparation, they stepped straight into the room and began teaching.

What followed was an unplanned masterclass alongside our own Balletmaster, Jiayin Du: six students and three ballet masters in the one studio.

Every child was seen

From port de bras and the placement of an arm, to turn-out and the length of each line, the smallest details were noticed and shaped. Nearly every student received personal corrections, and each one took the few moments given to them and made them count.

You could watch it happen: the children straightened, their eyes lit up, and each correction landed with the quiet weight that only a true master carries.

Moments like this cannot be scheduled. They happen because teachers who love ballet keep finding one another, and because a love of the art is always passed from one generation to the next.

Thank you, masters Wang Jiahong and Tang Xiuyun, for walking in and giving our students a lesson they will remember for a long time. We hope to welcome you back to the studio very soon.