Workshop Evaluations 2011 – 2014
PHILIP EDWARD PEGLER
Master teacher elected to the Board of Examiners and Trustees
of the Royal Academy of Dance
Philip Pegler trained classical ballet at the Bush-Davies School, the Vaganova Choreographic Institute and the Royal Ballet School. Completed the Royal Ballet's Teachers' Training Course.
Appointed Assistant Professor in the College of Theatre and Dance at the University of Florida.
Philip's career has been dedicated to the training of students in Classical Ballet in many schools including the Elmhurst School for Dance in Birmingham.
In 2005, appointed to the Board of Vocational Examiners of the Royal Academy of Dance and in 2010 elected to their Board of Trustees.
"I first met Judith in 2004 at the American Academy of Ballet's Summer School in New York and almost immediately it was clear to me that I was in the company of a teacher of the highest calibre.
I soon invited her to present her workshop at my school. The effort and research that had gone in to the preparation of the seminar was quite simply astounding. Her ability to guide the students to a point of heightened awareness of the anatomical process of their bodies was initially beyond my comprehension. The students were grasping the concept of torso stability and isolation of the limbs, the simplicity of movement and complete articulation of the arms and legs in a way that they never had before.
Judith's work has impacted my career as a dancer and teacher in a highly significant way. Although I was fortunate to have studied under some of the greatest teachers, none were able to enlighten me to the true and real functionality of the human body in Classical Ballet. I was taught with many mythical tips and corrections, such as 'pull up' and 'tuck in'; two such remarks that actually make no sense whatsoever and are proven to be anatomically impossible.
Judith's workshop is the culmination of a lifetime's experience in professional dance, not only as a Principal Classical Ballerina, but later as a disciple of Marika Besobrasova and now as an internationally acclaimed Classical Ballet Teacher. Her desire to convey her unparalleled understanding of the body's anatomical process in classical technique has motivated her to research and develop a unique workshop designed for students, dancers, and teachers where all can gain significantly from the experience.
Judith's workshop deals with facts and only facts. Her work focuses on what the dancer must do rather than what he or she should try not to do. Her work guides the dancer to command his or her body in the right way and in the right order. There is a clear and logical process of how one must stand, how one must rotate and how one must isolate and articulate. Her work must be experienced physically; after all, dance is a physical experience."