Pre-Professional Ballet
The Pre-Professional Division offers a serious training program. As these students progress, they take on more demanding steps and complex sequences of movement eventually mastering advanced technical skill, articulation, musicality and expression. We offer classes in both classical and contemporary ballet. Please note; when ages are provided, it is merely for reference. Students are placed by skill level, not by age.
Dancers train in a variety of techniques - Vaganova, Cecchetti & Balanchine (see below).
Ballet Cecchetti - Grade 1 Ages 9 - 11
Suitable for students with 3 to 4 years of classical ballet training. Classes employ the Cecchetti Method, which develops the essential skills of dance - balance, poise, strength, elevation, elasticity, and ballon.
Minimum study requirement: twice weekly.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 4 Ages 9-11
Suitable for students with 3 to 4 years of classical ballet training. Classes focus on increased center floor work and the refinements of technique and style.
Minimum study requirement: once weekly. Two classes per week strongly recommended.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 5X/Grade 2 Cecchetti Ages 10-12
Level 5X builds on the Ballet 4 curriculum. At the discretion of the faculty, students may advance to level 5X after being assessed by the School Director. Curriculum content includes accelerated ballet.
Minimum study requirement: twice weekly.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 6X Ages 11-13
Level 6X builds on the Ballet 5X curriculum. Students may advance to level 6X after being assessed by the School Director. Curriculum content includes accelerated ballet and pointe technique.
Minimum study requirement: twice weekly. Third class strongly recommended.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 7 By Ability
Level 7 builds on the Ballet 6X curriculum. Students may advance to level 7 after being assessed by the School Director. Curriculum content includes accelerated ballet and pointe technique. Variations are introduced.
Minimum study requirement: twice weekly.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 7X Age 12+
Level 7X builds on the Ballet 7 curriculum. Students may advance to level 7X after being assessed by the School Director. Curriculum content includes accelerated ballet and pointe technique.
Minimum study requirement: twice weekly strongly encouraged.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 8 By Ability
Level 8 builds on the Ballet 7X curriculum. Students may advance to level 8 after being assessed by the School Director. Curriculum content includes accelerated ballet and pointe technique.
Minimum study requirement: twice weekly. Third class strongly recommended.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Ballet 8X By Ability
Level 8X builds on the Ballet 8 curriculum. Students may advance to level 8X after being assessed by the School Director. Curriculum content includes accelerated ballet and pointe technique.
Minimum study requirement: 3 ballet technique classes per week. Fourth class strongly recommended.
Please see our Class Schedule for corresponding classes.
Techniques
The Vaganova method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Russian dancer and pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova. It was derived from the teachings of Marius Petipa. It was Agrippa Vaganova who perfected and cultivated this form of teaching classical ballet and turned it into a viable syllabus. The method fuses elements of traditional French style from the romantic era with the athleticism and virtuosity of Italian technique. The training system is designed to involve the whole body in every movement, with equal attention paid to the upper body, legs and feet. Vaganova believed that this approach increases consciousness of the body, thus creating a harmony of movement and greater expressive range
The Cecchetti Method of Ballet, is a structured system of leveled syllabus classes taught only by certified teachers. Each level provides attainable goals that build self-confidence and help students develop strong technique, artistry, and quality of movement. Examinations are offered at the end of the year for those who wish to participate, but are not mandatory.
Balanchine Style - George Balanchine was a choreographer. Styled as the father of American ballet, he co-founded the New York City Ballet and remained its Artistic Director for more than 35 years. Balanchine took the standards and technique from his time at the Imperial Ballet School and fused it with other schools of movement that he had adopted during his tenure on Broadway and in Hollywood, creating his signature "neoclassical style". He was a choreographer known for his musicality; he expressed music with dance and worked extensively with leading composers of his time like Igor Stravinsky. Balanchine was invited to America in 1933 by a young arts patron named Lincoln Kirstein, and together they founded the School of American Ballet. Along with Kirstein, Balanchine also co-founded the New York City Ballet (NYCB).
The Cecchetti Method of Ballet, is a structured system of leveled syllabus classes taught only by certified teachers. Each level provides attainable goals that build self-confidence and help students develop strong technique, artistry, and quality of movement. Examinations are offered at the end of the year for those who wish to participate, but are not mandatory.
Balanchine Style - George Balanchine was a choreographer. Styled as the father of American ballet, he co-founded the New York City Ballet and remained its Artistic Director for more than 35 years. Balanchine took the standards and technique from his time at the Imperial Ballet School and fused it with other schools of movement that he had adopted during his tenure on Broadway and in Hollywood, creating his signature "neoclassical style". He was a choreographer known for his musicality; he expressed music with dance and worked extensively with leading composers of his time like Igor Stravinsky. Balanchine was invited to America in 1933 by a young arts patron named Lincoln Kirstein, and together they founded the School of American Ballet. Along with Kirstein, Balanchine also co-founded the New York City Ballet (NYCB).