As a dancer, I had sworn to myself that I would never become a ballet teacher...

My life had often been plagued with embittered teachers taking out their frustrations on their students. 

It was only by chance that, after a six year break away from the dance world following the accident that terminated my career, I came back to the studio as a teacher thinking I was only substituting for a friend.  How surprised I was to discover that I was absolutely intrigued, passionate and inspired by teaching others about movement and anatomy.  I realized that as a dancer I had given very little thought to what had come so easily to me.  To be able to explain to others what I instinctively felt, I needed more information and started studying anatomy on my own.  Soon after I heard about Spiraldynamik® and, being intrigued, went to an introduction workshop.  This workshop changed my life.  I had finally found a scientific and anatomically based explanation for all that I had instinctively felt but had found difficult to explain to others.  Since starting my studies of Spiraldynamik®, I can no longer conceive of teaching otherwise.  

I have my own ballet school in the town I live in outside of Zürich.  My goals with this school are to form people who dance who can contribute to their society in a positive way.  For more information, please go to the Tanzschule Shonach Mirk button on the left.

Very important to me in my development  has been the long collaboration I have had with the Bates Dance Festival.  I have been teaching there every summer since 2000.  This festival joins together artists, teachers, dancers and musicians of high caliber and provides them with a safe, non-competitive environment for research, experimenting and learning.  The visionary thinking of Laura Faure, the artistic director, has made this festival of high quality that has helped so many dancers in their development   Her faith in my teaching has given me confidence to explore the route of anatomically correct ballet, integrating Spiraldynamik® into classical ballet. 

For more information on the Bates Dance Festival go to http://www.batesdancefestifal.org/

The comments collected below from some of the dancers attest to the success this metnod is having with my students: 

 "...Shonach is by far the best ballet teacher I have ever had.  Her knowledge of the human body is extraordinary.  She corrected bad habits I didn't even know I had.  I learned so much about my body's alignment in regards to dance and life.  It was a joy to have a "thinking" ballet class that challenged traditional notions of ballet vocabulary."

 "...she is one of the most enlightened ballet teachers I've ever had.  She has brought a completely new awareness to my body and has healed many injuries just by placing my body in the correct alignment and teaching me how to dance in that alignment."

 "...really attuned me to the kinesthetic experience of ballet.  I came to understand and be aware of my body in a way I'd never been taught before.  Shonach is a fantastic teacher and great at making the body easy to conceptualize."

"...she created a whole new approach to moving that I was unaware of.  Incorporating Spiraldynamik® really helped me find my weight, center and arm coordination..."

"...Shonach is life changing.  She has taught me a lot about anatomically functional ballet and how to deal with my injuries."

 "...a true treasure.  She is intelligent and articulate.  Her investigation into how to teach ballet technique is genius"