Kerryn’s love for ballet is ‘En Pointe’
Kerryn is always striving for perfection - not just for herself but her students as well
Ballet is one of the few art forms where blood, sweat and tears can be made to look elegant and graceful.
This level of professionalism is one that dancer and teacher Kerryn Shapiro aspires to reach.
Kerryn fell in love with ballet at an early age. Not only has she been doing it for seven years now, but she also passes on her knowledge to her students at En Pointe Ballet Studio. “I never want to stop. I love the feeling that dance gives me, and I miss my young and old ballerina students too much over the holiday periods.”
Not one to settle for just ‘good’, Kerryn is always striving for perfection – not just for herself but her students as well.
“The biggest misconception people have is that ballet is easy. If you don’t give it your all, you are not going to make it. You have to put in the hours to get further in ballet. It’s a lot of strain on your body, but it’s worth it.”
Through her dancing and teaching, Kerryn also hopes to attract new faces to ballet. “Ballet is not just good for your physical health, but also plays a role in your mental health as well. I always believe you are never too old to start ballet because of the benefits you receive from it. Dancing helps your concentration, your confidence and your development. It’s an all-rounder really.”
While the Covid-19 pandemic has forced Kerryn to close her studio doors for the time being, it hasn’t crushed her spirits. Far from it in fact!
“Your whole world can come crashing down, but as soon as you dance to a piece of music, you feel all the worries fall away.”
The only thing the pandemic has done is delay students getting prepped for the end-of-year exam session.
However, they are still staying fit and perfecting their form through zoom classes. This has made teaching more difficult, but hasn’t stopped that feeling of pride Kerryn gets when she sees how much her students have accomplished.
“The best part about teaching is seeing the sparkle in a child’s eye when they have accomplished a step or dance they have worked so hard to learn.”
Kerryn hopes to see that sparkle soon when ballet is allowed to resume, but for now she encourages young and old to get on their feet and dance their troubles away.
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