Carole Alexis - Director Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres / Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters Carole

 

 Alexis's approach to teaching is rooted in a love of the art of dance and the arts in general. She passionately offers and passes on to her students many years of rich knowledge and experience from three continents. Carole Alexis reminds her students, whatever their age, that the individual is at the service of the art of dance to become an artist and a person eager to advance society through constructive and positive actions, as opposed to the individual who uses the arts for the sole purpose of his or her recognition or success.

 

Carole Alexis is renowned for her approach to teaching classical ballet, modern, and contemporary techniques, as well as dances from the African diaspora, through the study of the understanding and decomposition of movement, the in-depth study of the foundations of the techniques, and the study of dance-related anatomy. Drawing on her extensive experience, Carole Alexis has created a methodology with exercises that promote body alignment, strength, flexibility, and stamina, as well as the correct use of the turn-out muscles, even for students lacking certain initial abilities. She even instills in her students respect and care for their bodies through physical preparation, understanding of the necessity of hydration and a healthy, balanced diet—essential for high-level sport—and the practice of numerous cross-training exercises.

 

Carole Alexis has created numerous barre au sol exercises designed to prevent injuries, enabling students and professional dancers to become advanced athletes or return to dance after an injury. She is also a specialist in the Boris Kniassief technique. Alexis has regularly trained students who began pre-professional dance studies later than most and has brought young adults up to the level, allowing them to access prestigious programs and universities, win competitions, and gain positions within professional companies. It has been observed on several occasions that her students, having followed other paths than dance and deciding to return to it for pleasure or other reasons, whether after a few months or several years, quickly and spectacularly regain a good level, thanks to an understanding of the anatomy of the body, self-discipline, and a solid foundation.

 

She prioritizes emulation over competition, convinced that self-confidence lies in developing one's abilities and talents without comparing oneself to others, which can lead to insecurity, negativity, resentment, anger, as well as a lack of joy and inner freedom. Alexis knows, after many years of teaching, that a confident person can admire and celebrate the talent and success of their peers and, thus, continue to progress and flourish. She sometimes had to redirect some students (more so lately because of social media) who compared themselves to dance stars or other people with a different physique from their own, by introducing them to other exceptional dancers who looked more like them, thus offering these students heroes with whom they could potentially identify.

 

She encourages and guides her students to study dance history, languages​​, and the arts and to recognize all those who have come before us and contributed to the art of dance. Carole Alexis encourages her students to demonstrate curiosity, imagination, observation, and open-mindedness in order to become performers with the artistic sensitivity necessary for dancers and theater performers and to be able to convey the complexity of emotions in the interpretation of any role.

 

Carole Alexis's current and former students embody her unique signature: clean lines, beautiful dancing, exemplary alignment, impeccable technique, a keen sense of theatricality, artistry, commitment, and human values.Each year, Alexis and her wonderful team work hard, beyond the required conservatory hours, to prepare students for auditions, workshops, and, if necessary, university admissions by helping them build a strong portfolio.

 

Carole Alexis sends her students to participate nationally and internationally in workshops and masterclasses that allow them to deepen their knowledge with other teachers and students from other schools. Whether it's the theater staff, international or national teachers from other programs, academic teachers, or anyone who visits our conservatory, everyone praises the ethics and the qualities of our students, particularly their discipline, politeness, concentration, diligence, elegance, and sense of humor.

 

Carole Alexis's students have been accepted into and regularly participate in the prestigious programs of the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, the Netherlands Dans Theater, the American Ballet Theatre, the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, the Juilliard School, the Martha Graham School, as well as the prestigious Varna International Ballet Competition. Her students have won numerous competitions and performed with the English National Ballet, the Paris Opera, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Atlanta Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre.

 

Carole Alexis remains in touch with many of her former students, who share stories with her of how they apply their dance training in life and various fields of profession.