Class Descriptions and Information The Lower School Classical Ballet Program (Pre-Ballet I, II, III, IV, Intro to Ballet, and Ballet 1) offers 6 levels of Introductory Ballet for children ages 3 through 4th grade. This curriculum focuses on strength, coordination, and flexibility while mastering basic ballet steps. Students are taught the correct French terms for each step along with their translations. These classes involve a lot of imagination and creative exercises which blend a large dose of fun into the learning process! The Upper School Classical Ballet Program (Ballet 2A, 2B, 3, 4A, 4B, and Pointe) for 2nd to 3rd graders through adults teaches the fundamentals of classical ballet with a curriculum strongly influenced by the 8 Year Vaganova Syllabus (Russian style of ballet). Students who are expecting to progress through these levels in a timely manner will need to take at least 2 ballet classes per week. Ballet 2A and Ballet 2B are required to take twice per week. Ballet 3, 4A, and 4B are strongly recommended to take 3 classes per week beginning at age 11. By age 15 or 16, dancers who are seeking to fulfill their highest ballet potential would want to take 4 or more classes possibly traveling out of town for some of them.  (Please see the note at the bottom of the page concerning pointe readiness) 4-6 year old Tap is designed as a 30 minute add-on class for those Pre-Ballet students who are also interested in pursuing tap. Learning foundational tap steps is a fun way to continue to grow as a dancer in coordination and rhythm! Mini Tap/Jazz, Junior Tap /Jazz, and Senior Tap /Jazz are 60 minute combination classes designed to expand the dance horizons as well as enhance the dance experiences of students (6 years old & up) currently attending an Intro to Ballet class or higher.This class helps create a flexible and well-rounded dancer through the introduction of basic Jazz and Tap techniques. Tap and Jazz encourage continued growth and development in rhythm, movement dynamics, balance, control, and stage presence. Music and movements will be chosen from a Christian perspective and world view. Hip-Hop  is a 45 minute class designed to to introduce the fundamentals of this popular form of street dancing to students ages 10 and up.  Music and movements will be chosen from a Christian perspective and world view. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note: - Generally, students may be enrolled in Pointe classes only if they have reached the age of 12 (exceptions may be made in certain cases for younger students), have the instructor’s permission, and if they are also enrolled in Ballet 3 and taking class at least twice a week. All dancers on pointe are strongly encouraged to take ballet a minimum of 3 times a week. It is necessary to attend class more often at higher technique levels to preserve muscle memory which begins to be lost every 48 hours. This is also a safety issue to make sure the back, leg, and core muscles stay at peak conditioning to prevent improper alignment habits. Pre-pointe and pointe classes are hard work and involve extra time commitment, financial commitment, and physical commitment from the dancer. Pointe classes should not be started until a dancer has had a minimum of 2 years of intensive training (taking class at least twice a week) and has passed a strength test. Starting pointe too early can cause possible foot, leg, and back injuries. The following is a general list of some of the criteria used to decide if a student is ready for pointe work… - How much natural stretch and bend does the ankle have? - When the foot is pointed, does it create a straight line from the knee to the tarsal arch? - Are back , thigh, and abdominal muscles strong enough to lift the body out of the hips and off the feet? - Do a student’s knees straighten completely? - Is the general body structure aligned correctly to insure proper body placement over the pointes? - Is the student’s overall technical ability advanced enough to begin pointe work? - Can the student do a grand plie in 5th position in the centre and hold a releve in retire while maintaining correct alignment?