Peter Schabel New York Ballet Teacher
If you are one of the many dancers or teachers who come to New York to study, one of the ballet classes you should try is Peter Schabel's at Broadway Dance Center. No matter what your level, background or experience, his extensive knowledge of ballet, music and theater will benefit you greatly.
Even though Peter is now primarily a ballet teacher, he got his start in dance at age 11 studying ballroom in New Jersey. Among his teachers was Fred Kelly, Gene Kelly's brother. Also a student of the violin, Peter was first exposed to ballet while attending performances at the Metropolitan Opera House in nearby New York City where his violin teacher played in the orchestra. At the time both he and his dance partner were a bit heavy. Therefore, even though he was fascinated with ballet, he couldn't see himself entering that profession because of his weight.
At the age of 15 Peter entered New York University to become a film maker. It was not long before he decided he needed to look better. He began to eat a healthy diet and exercise vigorously. By the time Peter was 16, he had lost 75 pounds. Then he decided, "now I don't look that bad. Maybe I could put on a pair of tights."
He then began taking ballet class in New Jersey with Mae Picinich and Joan Wolfe. When Peter had studied ballet about two weeks, he was cast in "Sleeping Beauty" starring Violette Verdy. The local boy that was to partner her turned out to be unsatisfactory. Violette looked around, saw Peter and said, "put your hand there." He reached forward. She put her hand in his and said, "use this boy." Because he had been a ballroom dancer, he was very accomplished at partnering. Peter remembers, "I wound up doing the Rose Adagio with Violette Verdy after studying about two weeks. It was my first time on stage in ballet. I don't know if she would remember it, but I certainly do."
His next teacher, Betty Swenson, a Royal Academy teacher, advised him to take class with David Howard who was teaching at Harkness House in Manhattan. At that time Peter had been studying ballet for less than a year. Peter says he looked around and not only observed the elegant studio, but also the marble staircase, the grand piano and the incredible music. He thought to himself, "this is what ballet class is like in New York?"
"In a way the rest was history," he relates over a late night dinner. "I didn't go directly to Harkness at that point. I first took class at the Graham School and a little bit at The Joffrey. I even went to The Royal Winnipeg Ballet for a little while, but when I came back to New York, I auditioned for Harkness and got into the training program. While there, I was exposed to a lot of great teachers, but working with someone like David [Howard] was wonderful!"
When David left Harkness to open his own studio, Peter didn't go with him which he now feels was a mistake. "I didn't feel that I was very talented and thought that David was much more interested in the great dancers. But he never held it against me. I thought it would be better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond, but now I know it was a mistake.
Instead, Peter went into Bejart for a while followed by a short time in Houston and then the Los Angeles Ballet. While on tour, he started having back problems. He was almost 30, and began to realize that his body would not allow him to take performing much further. That's when he started teaching company warm-up classes.
He was soon asked by David Howard to come back to New York, at first managing his new studio and later teaching. When the studio moved to 61st Street, they expanded to three rooms which opened up more teaching opportunities. Peter did more administrative work and started a children's program, a summer program and worked on an expanded teacher training program. Referring to David, he says, "I think he always saw me as a teacher. He would see how well I understood things, and I think he always saw down the line that I would be teaching. He is incredibly generous in many ways, and I owe a great debt to him. Not only did he allow me to teach in his studio with some of the greatest dancers in the world, but he never made me feel that I wasn't worthy of doing it." After ten years in that location, the studio closed, and the faculty dispersed; Peter to Broadway Dance Center, Nancy Bielski to Steps, Diana Cartier to ABT and David taught internationally.
Peter says his teaching method is a combination of what he learned from many wonderful teachers and mentors such as Stanley Williams, Ben Stevenson, Ben Harkarvy and, of course, David Howard. He has combined elements of the different pedagogies and incorporated his understanding of kinesiology and bio-mechanics. After reading the books of Legat, Messerer and most of the great teachers, he realized that what they did was very scientific even if they didn't think of it in that way. He says that Legat's book talks about eye patterns, and only now scientists understand the relationship between eye patterns and coordination. This was in the 1920's and 30's. Teachers have always said things like 'take a breath'. That is now what a kinesiologist would call 'a release movement.'
As a student of Peter's for many years, I never cease to be amazed at his brilliance. His personality is quiet, under-stated and somewhat stoic. Underneath that calm exterior lies a wealth of knowledge, not only about ballet and technique, but about music, art and many related fields. He is extremely observant and can zero-in on dancers' deficiencies. When he sees mistakes, Peter instantly has a clear, understandable correction to impart to the class as well as the individual dancer.
When asked about his thoughts on teaching, he has many interesting and helpful observations. He begins, "I think that those of us who teach children are dealing with a very different sort of physicality than they had 20 or 30 years ago. We know a lot more scientifically, but are often dealing with a less phys-ically active child with a shorter attention span. The powers of concentration for the body are poor. They seem more interested in the 'quick fix'. One positive thing I have seen recently is that children will read an 800 page book like Harry Potter. Of course, I run into kids that get right into my heart, and I love working with them, but in general, children today have less energy and long term concentration."
Giving corrections is the obligation of a teacher. This is one of Peter's strong points, but at the same time, it can be troublesome. He says that it is a bit of a fine art since these days there is so much emphasis on being positive. "My being positive is trying to hold people to a standard of their best possible work, whereas I think some feel being positive is encouraging students no matter what they're doing. You have to say to people, 'I think you can do better.' That, in the long run, is a lot more positive than accepting what people do." He also reminds us that not all people will improve because there is the element of talent involved, but everyone can learn to work well.
Peter says to be a good teacher, you must be honest. He feels that if you praise someone and it's honest, it means something. "Sometimes we're dealing with an unrealistic element. Some people are being taught badly, so they think they are much better than they actually are. Others just can't see themselves realistically. They want to be en pointe or in the advanced class when they really need to learn the fundamentals of dance. It's not that they have been pampered, but have been dealt with in a dishonest way."
In today's world demanding excellence is not a popular thing to do, yet some people still work at upholding standards. Peter is one of them. "There's a standard, a precedent and a history that you have to be mindful and respectful of," he reminds us. "When you go into class, you have to take some of that with you. You're not teaching aerobics............. you're dealing with ballet, and ballet is an art form. It can be fascinating, it can be wonderful, and it can be beautiful. I think you have to say that to a class, and you have to hold them to that standard. I don't think there is ever anything wrong with holding people to a higher standard."
Janice Barringer is a ballet teacher and writer. Her books, The Pointe Book and En Pointe are published by Princeton Book Company. She tours across the country teaching ballet for MusicWorks, the workshop that teaches teachers to teach.