Children's Classes

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Minimum Age Requirements must be met by Sept. 1, 2020

Rhythm & Movement (18 months. - 3+ yrs. with an adult)—An interactive creative dance class for a child with parent/ caregiver. Dance activities are built on the innate need of children to explore being with and without the influence of an adult. Activities include moving to nursery rhymes, music, and occasionally singing. The use of props such as balls, hoops, and scarves is also included. Wear comfortable, stretchy clothing, and children should wear ballet slippers (adults may wear socks, but not children as socks are too slippery). ASB may be able to lend gently used ballet slippers to new students... please contact us about this.

Our Early Childhood Curriculum is specially designed to provide children between 3 and 7 years of age with a strong foundation in dance and movement. It teaches the basic physical elements of dance and such intellectual concepts as self-awareness, creative expression through movement, imagination, teamwork, and fundamental body/health awareness. Students also learn the basics of classroom behavior and manners, which remain the same throughout their dancing years. Educators now know that training young children in the concepts of movement sequencing, patterning and spatial relationships lays a strong foundation for the later development of reading, mathematics and other educational skills. Children in our Early Childhood classes work actively in all these areas, each year learning dance skills with appropriate progressions which are based on knowledge of early childhood development.

- Our Early Childhood classes are divided by age for the best benefit of the students. Classes in each level include basic dance steps, stretching, large locomotor movements, musical games, and creative movement.

Our Early Childhood classes are:

Kinderdance (for 3 - 4 yr. olds)

Primary Dance 1 with Tap (for 4 - 5 yr. olds)

Primary Dance 2 with Tap (for 5 - 6 yr. olds)

Primary Dance 3 with Tap (for 6 - 7 yr. olds)

Classical Ballet (7 yrs. old & up) All Levels—Ballet is the foundation for almost all other types of dance technique. Proper training enhances coordination, and creates balance and flexi- bility. The emphasis is on clarity, precision, correct technique and body mechanics. Classes consist of barre work, adagio and allegro center floor work and traveling combinations. Proper French ballet terminology is used in all classes. We encourage and recommend that the serious ballet student who wishes to progress into pointe shoes begin her training for this next logical step by taking ballet classes at least twice a week. This extended training should begin no later than Ballet Level 3. Students at higher levels should consider taking a minimum of 3 ballet classes per week. Students who have mastered the necessary ballet technique and are entering Ballet Level 4 may be recommended by their teacher for demi- pointe or pointe shoes and for our Demi-Pointe and Pointe classes. All students must have permission from their teacher(s) to begin and continue demi-pointe and pointe classes.

Pointe/ Demi-pointe Twice per Week (11 yrs. old & up)—Students are chosen for dmii-pointe or pointe class on an individual basis at the discretion of their teacher(s). All Demi-pointe / Pointe students must also take ballet class at least twice a week or they cannot take Demi-pointe / Pointe classes.

Jazz/Tap/Lyrical/Contemporary/Modern Dance (All Levels)—These classes will include warm-up exercises and stretching, center floor exercises, traveling combinations and choreographed routines.

Jazz (7 yrs. old & up)—Jazz is an exciting form of dance seen on television, on stage, and in films, combining the discipline of correct technical training with an emphasis on over-all conditioning, stamina, and developing different performance styles. The latest dance moves are taught using popular music as well as show tunes.

Tap (7 yrs. old & up)—Tap is a dance form that expresses an intricate rhythmic pattern to various types of music. It develops flexibility, coordination, balance, musical timing and is fun! It is very useful to those interested in musical theatre or professional performing.

Lyrical (J&T 4 & Ballet 4+ levels & up)—Lyrical is a form of dance that expresses emotions through smooth and controlled movements. Using the lyrics of songs as inspiration, students will express themselves as well as learn poise and correct placement of the body.

Modern Dance (9 yrs. old & up) Modern dance is more experimental than classical ballet. The technique develops a free use of the body using concepts including contraction and release, fall and recovery, floor work, use of spiral, weight shifting, and isolations.

Contemporary Dance (J&T 5 & Ballet 5 levels & up) This is a dance form combining both modern dance and classical ballet elements, and may include elements from jazz, postmodern, somatic movements, and lyrical dance. It also uses the modern dance concepts of spiral, weight shift, contraction, fall and recovery, etc., and often incorporates gesture and staccato movements in opposition to more fluid movements.