In the final episode of our four-part bullying series, we're joined again by Kelsey Fyffe, a therapist who works with pre-professional dancers, and Suzette Takei, a veteran academic school administrator and educator, as we get into the messy stuff. Lobby politics, ballet parents behaving badly, peer conflict between students, nepotism at the dance studio, and yes, that one kid who thinks the entire barre belongs to her. We also tackle some bigger questions: how do you know when a ballet training environment has turned toxic? What do you do when your dancer is being bullied by a classmate, a teacher's pet, or even another parent? And what does any of this have to do with your own stress and mental health? The conversation we didn't expect to have and couldn't stop having was about you, the ballet parent, and the stress that quietly leaks onto everyone around you without you even realizing it. If you're new here, start with Parts 1 through 3 first as this series builds on itself.

• Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
• Buy Corrections Journals
• Support Ballet Help Desk
• Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
• Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
• TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk

Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

What does it actually feel like to train at the Vaganova Academy, the school that produced some of the greatest dancers in history, and then go on to perform at one of Russia's most storied companies? Elena Kunikova has lived that story, and she's generous enough to share it.

In this episode, we talk about what serious Vaganova method training actually looks like from the inside, why character dance matters more than most ballet training programs realize, and how the pandemic turned her into one of the most sought-after online ballet coaches working today. We also get into the questions ballet parents of pre-professional dancers tend to lose sleep over: when to start thinking about a professional path, whether early specialization in one style helps or hurts, and what it actually means to teach a student how to work.

Elena has been in ballet for, as she puts it, about 300 years. She has the stories to prove it.

Interested in working with Elena? Learn more here.

• Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
• Buy Corrections Journals
• Support Ballet Help Desk
• Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
• Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
• TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk

Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

In part three of our bullying series, we tackle some of the toughest conversations ballet parents face: what to do when teachers make harmful comments about weight, body image, or use abusive language in class. Psychotherapist Kelsey Fyffe and educator Suzette Takei give parents the exact roadmap for addressing these issues at ballet schools and pre-professional programs.

Kelsey, who specializes in eating disorders and works with Houston Ballet Academy, explains why pre-professional students should never be put on diets, what questions to ask about a studio's approach to body image, and how to tell the difference between giving corrections and promoting disordered eating. She shares specific language for approaching ballet teachers and administrators, starting with curiosity instead of accusations.

We dig into the real fears ballet parents have about speaking up. Will your kid get blackballed from summer intensives or trainee programs? How do you know when to stay and when to run? Suzette and Kelsey walk through scenarios and discuss cultural and generational differences that can complicate conversations with non-native English speaking faculty.

The episode covers handling abusive language from ballet instructors, including when teachers single out students in class. We talk about how bystander parents can step in even when it's not their kid being targeted, how to teach young dancers to set boundaries around body comments, and why building supportive lobby culture matters. Suzette and Kelsey also address why anxious, perfectionistic ballet students struggle to speak up and how therapy can help dancers build their mental toolkit before problems escalate.

If you've ever felt paralyzed about confronting a problem at your ballet studio or pre-professional program, this episode gives you the questions to ask and the confidence to advocate for your child's physical and mental health.

• Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
• Buy Corrections Journals
• Support Ballet Help Desk
• Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
• Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
• TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk

Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI