centerfoldSTUDIO · EST. 2026

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Salma

Die Ballettpädagogin

Die Ballettpädagogin, die ihren Körper als ihre ehrlichste Sprache kennt.

Salma · Die Ballettpädagogin

The story

After the last student, she went to the barre once more. The stockings had yielded after stretching and slipped down. She left them where they were. The cardigan only needed to be half unbuttoned. Then she directed her gaze upward again. She felt the floor beneath her bare soles and the cool draft on her thighs. In the mirror, the evening sun swept over her shoulders one last time.

The setting

Old ballet studio with tall windows. The wooden floor shines where light falls. The mirrored wall reflects the entire room again, only sharper and calmer.

Who she is

Die Ballettpädagogin

Salma is 33 years old and teaches ballet in a small studio near Beirut. Her Lebanese family has lived in the same neighborhood for generations. The teaching days are long. In the evenings she often stays alone to train further. On such evenings the door sometimes remains open.

Her world

  1. In Beirut, a studio like the Caracalla Dance School sits in the heart of the city, nestled between busy thoroughfares and apartments, so that you step directly from everyday life into the dance space.[1]
  2. There, classical ballet, contemporary, hip hop, breakdance, and folklore sit side by side on a schedule that fills the day from dawn until dusk.[1]
  3. Such a studio carries its own signature, the so-called Style Caracalla, a hallmark that fuses classical technique with modern energy.[1]
A short glossary
Barre
The fixed rail along the wall used to practice basic exercises, warm-ups, and technique.
Centre Work
Exercises in the center of the room without the barre, involving balance, turns, and jumps in open space.
Plié
The bending of the knees with legs in an open position and a long spine, serving as the foundation for almost every movement in ballet.
Adagio
Slow, controlled sequences of movement, in which you maintain strength and stillness throughout the entire line of the body.
Sources
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