Suggested age: 5-7 years

Attire: Light Pink leotard, pink or skin tone tights, and ballet slippers.

Class requirement: once per week.

Children explore the introductory stage of basic ballet skills and vocabulary with encouragement, praise, care, creativity, and fun while increasing their cognitive development. Skills become more challenging throughout the year.

Prerequisite: No previous experience necessary.

Graduation Criteria: At this level, we work on establishing a solid first position, straight legs, and pointed feet. Three or four short combinations at the barre is usually a good start, as students’ attention span does not allow for too much more. In the center, students have their hands on their hips or shoulders or arms in the first position.

Suggested age: 7-9 years

Attire: Light Blue Leotard, pink or skin tone tights, and ballet slippers.

Class requirement: once a week.

At this level, students begin learning the basic ballet positions of the feet and arms. Throughout the school year, students will develop the basic principles of turnout, leg stability, and torso strength. This level will also focus on technique and creativity while working to prioritize the child’s joy, spirit, and individuality.

Prerequisite: Pre-Ballet (2 years) or its equivalent from another institution; evaluation may be necessary

Graduation Criteria: In Ballet I, students should learn to use turn-out anatomically and mechanically, emphasizing movement from parallel to turn-out from the hip, not the knees or the ankles. Students may need assistance maintaining their turn-out without their feet and knees rolling in. They learn to stack their spine to activate their middle. Exercises should begin in the first position until students have a good, strong sense of rotation from the hip. The third and fifth positions may be introduced incrementally. Students should learn how to move their bodies through space and respect the personal space of their peers. Learning to count in 8s and rhythm work are essential, as are free movement and/or creative dance moments to encourage joy and individuality.

At this level, “turn-out” is bringing awareness that rotation sources from the hip and not the knees or the ankles.

Suggested age: 9-11 years

Attire: Light Yellow Leotard, pink or skin tone tights, and ballet slippers.

Class requirement: twice a week

At this level, students work on musicality and executing movement sequences with a beginning, middle, and end. They also learn about the body’s orientation in space and how to apply these patterns to their dancing. Throughout the year, students learn the basic etiquette of barre and center exercises. Students develop knowledge of different movement categories and the music corresponding with each type of movement, such as adagio and petit allegro.

Prerequisite: Ballet I (2 years) or its equivalent from another institution; evaluation may be necessary.

Suggested age: 11+

Attire: Purple Leotard, pink or skin tone tights, and ballet slippers.

Class requirement: twice a week

At this level, dancers build a more extensive movement vocabulary, concentrate on the placement of the spine and pelvis, and strengthen the legs and feet. Instructors emphasize students’ use of turn-out from the hips and using the correct muscles to rotate the legs, promoting stability and strength while teaching students about their anatomical abilities and limitations. Dancers focus on developing total body coordination, clean execution of steps, and comprehension of complex rhythms and their relationship to movement.

Prerequisite: Ballet II (2 years) or its equivalent from another institution; evaluation may be necessary.

Graduation Criteria: Complete grand plié in all positions with a straight spine and pelvis; demonstrate precise use of feet in 5th position, coupé, and coup de pied position; perform a clean single pirouette from fifth and fourth positions; and display an aptitude for picking up and retaining combinations, as well as prompt application of corrections.