Hello :)
My name is Deirdre O Neill and for the last two and a half years I have lived and worked in Freiburg teaching Ballet. I am fortunate and very happy to make my career from a passion that developed when I was five years old.
I began ballet classes thanks to my Mum, she had a liking for ballet and so it began. By the time I was seventeen I had left home (Dublin, Ireland) to train professionally at The Bush Davies School in England and then further at Laine Theatre Arts. I had some great and famous teachers but one stuck out in particular. Her name was Susanne Hobbs. She spoke about the bones and muscles and the "inside story" of the movement. I was fascinated. Since then I have pursued my curiosity to understand more the mechanics of the movement and to offer to students a deeper and more personal understanding of their movements. The Irish poet, Yeats wrote "...how shall we know the dancer from the dance..." this inspires me to seek out the artistry of a movement.
After college, I worked in Ireland and in South Africa in Modern and Ballet Companies. It gave me a different kind of education from my ballet training. Rehearsing, performing and working on new choreography was a "hands on" learning that covered new areas of lightening, costume design, performance preparations both physical and mental. Also, most important the ability required to connect the studio to the stage. To perform on stage makes for a very different kind of working in the studio. It needs attention to technical details, the dynamic of each movement to be developed and enhanced for the theatre space and to consider the emotional connection to your audience through your movement and feeling.
I began my teaching career after my teacher training with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). I focused on their Vocational or Professional level as my speciality. I eventually merged my own ballet school with an established ballet school in Dublin and taught the RAD syllabi, coached students for exams and choreographed for the schools bi-annual performance. This was a great learning experience in the coordination and planning required to bring together over three hundred of our students for a performance and to successfully produce such an event.
I was offered a position as Dance Coordinator at Sallynoggin College of Further Education. It is a Vocational Training Authority under the Department of Education in Ireland. It was another fantastic experience. I first re-shaped the curriculum, established a vibrant and enthusiastic dance faculty and developed connections to the professional dance scene in Dublin. The course gave the student technical training in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz and Hip-Hop. Other subjects included Drama, Choreography and Singing. A professional level performance was given at the end of each year in the local theatre. Alongside my Coordinator responsibilities I taught Ballet, Coached for RAD exams, Pointe Work, Body Conditioning, Yoga, Anatomy and Step Analysis. Over the nine years I worked there, the Dance Course gained a new and respected image with many graduating students continuing further in the field of dance both in Ireland and internationally.
I then moved to Freiburg. Since I have been here, I have taught in several schools and have met many ballet students and dance professionals. It seems here in Freiburg there are many ballet students who invest alot of time and effort into their training and when they leave academic school the possibility to continue with ballet training and performance changes. It also seems through the University, many of their students who move to Freiburg have made ballet training to a good standard and would like to continue. For the younger ballet student living in the Freiburg area, to have the opportunity to train with other like minded students and work towards performances would be an insightful experince into a possible career in ballet or the arts.
So, it was with these observations came the idea "Pointe of Balance". It is a project that I envisage will connect dancers with musicians and artists to create a new artistic platform here in Freiburg. There is certainly the potential to "connect the dots" between the various art forms and to offer a wonderful creative experience for all involved.
Love to hear from you soon,
