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BIO
Author of three internationally successful books: “Fundamentals of Alignment and Classical Movement for Figure Skaters”, “Lessons in Classical Ballet for the Figure Skater”, "Ballet for Figure Skaters Coaches Manual"; and instructional video “Lessons in Ballet for Figure Skaters Level -1”.
Annette T. Thomas has been a dance teacher and choreographer since 1970. After a successful professional performance career, Annette switched her focus to education.
Annette has lectured and published numerous freelance articles on dance pedagogy, injury prevention, Somatic training, imagery, and creative movement, and has worked extensively with both handicapped and gifted children in the areas of creativity, art, and movement. She currently teaches adult ballet students as well as ballet teachers and figure skating coaches.
She received her Pedagogical Certification for the Teaching of Classical Ballet (Vaganova Pedagogical Training) from Dr. Peggy Willis-Aarnio. And Janet L. Springer of Classical Dance Alliance (A direct line from John Barker and Vera Kostrovitskaya)
Annette currently teaches online certification courses for the Vaganova Methodology in conjunction with The Ohio Conservatory of Ballet, and conducts workshops worldwide in her exclusive “Ballet for Figure Skaters”. Floor-Barre, and Russian Method Classical ballet.
Training and Professional
Occupations
Background
Dance Training
Pre-Professional
Dance Training
Professional Dance
Performance Career
Classical Ballet
Pedagogical Training
Transitional Focus
to Figure Skaters
As her mother, Mika Mingo, was an international professional dancer, singer, and teacher who also studied Vaganova Pedagogy with John Barker, Annette traveled the world gaining extensive training in various forms of dance such as Flamenco, Modern, Folkloric and Character Dance, Bharata Natyam, and Mime.
Trained at Carnegie Hall by the late Maria Nevelska of the Bolshoi Ballet, she continued her studies with Ana Garcia of the San Juan Ballet Company, Marguerite De Anguera of the Connecticut Regional Ballet Company, and Mme. Alexandra Danilova of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Annette, who is also a classically trained professional singer, moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1975 and performed with The Florentine Opera Company, The Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Music Under the Stars, and Skylight Comic Opera. She was also the director of Russian Ballet at Brookfield Centre for the Arts.
She received her Pedagogical Certifications for the Teaching of Classical Ballet (Vaganova Pedagogical Training) from Dr. Peggy Willis-Aarnio in 2005, and Janet L. Springer in 2023 and 2026. Both Leading Pedagogues of Classical Ballet in the United States.
Annette began working with figure skaters in 1998 and continues to conduct off-ice workshops, group, and private online lessons for figure skaters and coaches in the areas of conditioning, injury prevention and artistry.
Mission Statement
& Teaching Philosophy
As primarily a “teacher to teachers” I have dedicated my professional life to helping teachers and coaches become all they can be in their field. The vocation of teaching is both art and science - and it takes a lifetime of honing to perfect. Learning how, why, and when to impart acquired information to your students is a learned process. I believe that each individual who comes to me has a unique perspective on life, themselves, and their profession. Your journey and experiences as a teacher are also unique and my teaching method speaks to the individual and to the whole person. Through my one-on-one courses and lessons, each student receives the undivided time and attention to really delve into what you need with someone who will witness, teach, guide, and encourage you to be the very best you can be.
*All lessons are based on the original Vaganova (Russian) Methodology with an emphasis on individual safety, science-based injury prevention, observation, and personal analysis, all with significant results.
– Annette T. Thomas
Get in Touch
What is Classical Ballet Pedagogy
and why is Pedagogy vital to successful
Movement teaching practices?
Without pedagogy, we tend to teach close to what we ended learning, but slower – possibly broken down randomly as the individual teacher looks to their own journey, improvises or looks to “tips and trick” to get better results. This approach merely passes down the outward appearance of a movement but disregards the building block process (Methodology) of forming an intelligent, aware and self-motivated learner. In the dance and sports world, this is also why few but the very gifted actually become “world-class” because the understanding and impartation of the full pedagogical process is missing.
Having a Syllabus is not the same as having a Curriculum – and having a Curriculum is not the same as having the Pedagogical understanding of when to teach, how to teach and in what manner to reach:
- Every person who comes into your classroom
-At the appropriate mental and physical developmental stage
-At the appropriate pace and "level"
- No matter what the body type
- With understanding of what biomechanical markers to look for
- In a science and somatically based approach
- No matter what their "learning style might be"
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