Interview with dance and Pilates teacher, dance artist and choreographer Pirkko Ahjo.
Who are you?
I am Pirkko Ahjo, a dance artist, dancer, teacher and choreographer. I have a Master of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Education, majoring in Education. I have also studied dance teaching at the Stockholm Danshögskolan. I have also studied dance in Paris and London, where I discovered and fell in love with Pilates in 1986. I teach all ages, from 6-year-olds to seniors. I currently work as a teacher at the Helsinki Adult Education Institute, the Free Dance School (which continues the work of the dance department at the East Helsinki Music Institute) and the Helsinki Region Summer University, where I teach specialization studies in dance pedagogy. I also supervise teaching trainees and am involved in various dance-related committees and working groups, including the board of the Finnish Dance Artists' Association.
How long have you been teaching at Helsinki Adult Education Center and what do you teach?
I have been teaching at the Helsinki Adult Education Institute since 1994. I currently teach Pilates to adults and seniors at the adult education institute.
What made you become a teacher?
When I started working as a dancer, dancers often also worked as teachers and choreographers. At that time, there was no dance teacher training in Finland. The training was acquired by working as a dance teacher and from abroad. So teaching came naturally, also because I studied education at the University of Helsinki as my major. I was part of the Praesens group, which “took” dance from Helsinki to other parts of Finland, performing and teaching.
What do you want to give your students?
As a dance teacher, I want to share the experience and joy of dance, and help and encourage everyone to find their own dance. Over the years, I have learned that the saying: “the most important task of a dance teacher is to make oneself unnecessary” is true. However, that does not mean making oneself unnecessary only at the end of a course, but my task is to open up opportunities, guide and lead the dancer to the knowledge of the body, and at the same time make myself unnecessary all the time. I have the same task as a Pilates teacher.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is both body care and mind care. In Pilates, breathing is used as an aid and movements are initially performed in small, slow, precise and focused movements. Later, faster and more challenging movements can be built on top of the slow movements. With Pilates, the aim is always to achieve change. The body usually uses the strongest muscle and the most mobile joint first. The purpose of the Pilates method is to achieve balance in the body's functioning by building new, purposeful models in the movement memory. It may take some time before a functioning whole is achieved, as the body easily returns to its previous state. Pilates is also mind care, as focusing on breathing and movement calms the mind. The aim is for the use of the body learned in Pilates classes to be transferred throughout life (to support well-being).
Why is it worth studying at a community college?
The courses at the civic college have a very good price-quality ratio. The teachers are qualified and the course-based teaching ensures that the teaching progresses from the beginning to the end of the course and that learning can also be continued from one level to another. The civic college also has a good atmosphere.
What would you like to say to the students?
Come to the courses with an open mind and joy. The students I have met over the years have a positive attitude towards teaching and learning. We don't train in a frown!
What is your motto in life?
I have two mottos in life: “What you focus on, increases” and “Be careful what you wish for, because that's what you get.” The latter was said by Andy McCoy and the former is one of the principles of NLP.
Pirkko Ahjo
dance artist, dancer, teacher and choreographer
Photo: Junseong Lee, Unsplash