|
SAY BALLET, SEE BALLET: iPhone application shows steps: iPhone application shows steps
Nov 27, 2009 (The Monterey County Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A Carmel dance instructor and a software engineer have developed an iPhone application for teaching more than 140 ballet terms.
The application, SayBallet, is a way "to get to the students on their own level," said Carol Richmond, who has seen even the youngest of her students using iPhones.
The application is a joint venture of Richmond and Phillip Corrigan of Corral de Tierra, whose wife, Connie, and daughter, Stephanie, 16, are students at Richmond's Carmel Academy of Performing Arts.
"We've had sales in 15 countries" since the $9.99 application went on the Apple iTunes store eight weeks ago, said Corrigan, who once worked for Apple. Sales haven't been as good as he had hoped, Corrigan said, but the marketing campaign isn't in full swing yet.
The application is a sort of electronic update to the flashcard system that Richmond developed about seven years ago. She has used them in her own classes and sold them to other ballet studios.
When she and Corrigan developed the application idea early this year, "I didn't even have an iPhone," Richmond said. Now, she sees it as "a whole new teaching tool."
Richmond said she can easily show her students a move on the iPhone, and they can look at it when they're away from the studio. Richmond hasn't stopped using flashcards, but she expects the iPhone application will eventually replace the cards.
Corrigan said he wanted SayBallet on an iPhone application rather than via the Internet because "a lot of studios
are in basements" and don't get phone signals. The application can be used without connection to a phone line.
Half of the ballet terms are accompanied by videos, activated by voice. Say "plie," and the iPhone will show a short video of a girl performing the deep bend. All the words are in French, the way ballet is generally taught.
The videos are all performed by Sydney Jang, 13, a student of Richmond's.
"I used a high-definition camera and all the technology I could find" to make the video work well on the iPhone, said Corrigan.
There are other ballet applications on the market, Corrigan said, but he's not aware of any as complete as SayBallet.
"Over time, we will build up a user base," Corrigan said, and provide updates to those who have bought SayBallet.
And even though the ballet application is barely started, Corrigan and Richmond are working on similar applications for tap dance, hip-hop and jazz.
Lane Wallace can be reached at 646-4478 or mhbusiness@montereyherald.com.
To see more of the Monterey County Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go
to http://www.montereyherald.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Monterey County
Herald, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For
reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or
847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group
Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
[ Back To iphone.tmcnet.com's Homepage ]
|