Developmental Skills

2 Year Olds: Two year olds are quite new to learning how their bodies move, as well as how to behave in a classroom. Because this age of child loves and needs repetition, the same class is repeated several times before being changed.
Some of the concepts taught are stretching the feet (the foundation for balletic battement tendu), balancing on one leg, weight transfers from one foot to the other (the basis for balance), jumping, simple arm movements, stretching and traveling across the floor.
3-5 Year Olds: The program for the three to five year olds continues to work on the same concepts and builds further on work done the previous year. Students at this age have a better knowledge of how to control their body movements and now begin to learn more complex movements. Weight transfers are done in all directions and in more complex patterns. Balances are more sustained. Traveling steps across the floor are done on half-pointe. Students also begin learning the concepts of counting music. They utilize opposite arms and legs while skipping, galloping, marching, and balancing.
6 Year Olds: At age six, children move into the Primary Level, a transition class between the Early Childhood Program and the study of the classical ballet technique, which begins in ernest at age eight. Essentially, this class takes the concepts learned in the Early Childhood Program and begins to put them into the format used in an actual ballet class. Remember, your child has already been participating in a class that is structured around a classical ballet class. By the time students have turned eight they are ready both physically and mentally to begin studying the beautiful and disciplined theatrical art form that is called classical ballet.