“Everything we do is plié and tendu.” Irene Hogarth-Cimino’s poetic philosophy wouldn’t be out of place on a beloved T-shirt, on a notebook cover, or as screen wallpaper—anywhere young dancers might look for inspiration every day. The principal faculty member for youth ballet and ballet trainee programs at New York City’s Joffrey Ballet School believes that the two fundamental steps are like DNA, building blocks for every subsequent step learned in ballet technique.