Acro

Classes Offered: Acro I, Acro II, Acro III, Acro III+ (extra skills)

This class focuses on strength, flexibility, and the fundamentals of acrobatics. Note: This is not a gymnastics class. Each year, dancers will be placed in an appropriate Acro level based on their current command of the acrobatic skills and will work progressively towards developing more advanced skills throughout the program.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing that does not inhibit movement. (Please no skirts or exposed midriff.)

Footwear: Bare feet.

Ballet

Classes Offered: Ballet PD I, Ballet PD II, Teen Beginner Ballet (10+), Ballet I, Ballet I/II-II Ballet II/III+, Pre-Pointe / Beginning Pointe, Intermediate/Advanced Pointe, Variations, Adult Ballet Basics

After age seven, students will be placed according to ability and experience rather than age through a yearly placement audition by the senior ballet faculty. Most students will begin in our Ballet Primary Division (PD) I or II classes. These levels help build the foundation for intermediate and advanced classes, Ballet I and above. Levels are based on the Russian Vaganova syllabus; see the “Ballet Progression” section for more information.

Ballet Level Progression (for dancers age 7+):

• Ballet PD I (for dancers who have just completed the Foundations program or who have little to no experience), serious students should be taking at least two classes per week.
• Ballet PD II (for dancers who have completed all the goals set forth in the Ballet PD I syllabus as determined by the Artistic Directors during a placement class/audition), serious students should be taking at least two classes per week.
• Ballet I (for dancers who have completed all the goals set forth in the Ballet PD II syllabus as determined by the Artistic Directors during a placement class/audition), serious students should be taking at least two classes per week.
• Ballet II (for dancers who have completed all the goals set forth in the Ballet I syllabus as determined by the Artistic Directors during a placement class/audition), serious students should be taking three classes per week.
• Ballet III+ (for dancers who have completed all the goals set forth in the Ballet II syllabus as determined by the Artistic Directors during a placement class/audition), serious students should be taking three classes per week.

Students can be (and often are!) placed “between” levels above Ballet I. This means that the dancer has achieved at least half of the goals set forth by the prior syllabus, but they aren’t quite ready to move on to the next level. Ballet I/II and Ballet II/III are treated as independent levels that may come with personalized class suggestions, such as a Ballet II/III student attending both the class designed for Ballet II and the class designed for Ballet III. While levels above Ballet III exist within the Vaganova syllabus, we end our evaluation of the students at Ballet III.

Dress Code:

• Female Identifying and Non-Binary Students: black leotard, pink or flesh toned tights.
• Male Identifying and Non-Binary Students: fitted white t-shirt, black shorts, leggings, or tights.

Footwear:

• Female Identifying and Non-Binary Students: pink or skin tone ballet shoes.
• Male Identifying and Non-Binary Students: black or skin tone ballet shoes.

Choreography

Classes Offered: Choreography (Adv)

This class is designed for experienced dancers who are interested in learning how to choreograph their own work. Goals of the class include the mastery of complex movement patterns, musicality, and performance quality, while learning about artistic expression, movement texture, dynamic control, and storytelling through movement.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing that does not inhibit movement. (Please no skirts or exposed midriff.)

Footwear: Bare feet.

Contemporary

Classes Offered: Contemporary (Adv)

Contemporary dance is an expressive, fluid style that blends various techniques, emphasizing creativity and individual interpretation. It incorporates elements from ballet, modern, jazz, and hip-hop, and is defined by its versatility, use of improvisation, and focus on emotional expression through movement.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing that does not inhibit movement. (Please no skirts or exposed midriff.)

Footwear: Bare feet.

Irish Dance

Classes Offered: Irish (Beg./Int.), Irish (Int./Adv.)

Irish Step Dancing is one of the most beloved types of heritage dancing, with roots in traditional Irish music and dance. Dancers will learn the steps and forms of Irish soft shoe, the percussive rhythms of Hardshoe, and the formations of céilí dances. Serious students are encouraged to take a ballet class in addition to their Irish classes to help with flexibility, turn out, strength, and technique.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing such as tights, leggings, leotards, and tank tops. Shorts and clothing that exposes the abdomen are not permitted.

Footwear: The traditional footwear for Irish Step Dancing is the Irish Ghillie (or soft shoe) and the Irish Hardshoe.

Jazz

Classes Offered: Jazz I, Jazz II, Jazz III

Jazz dance is a high-energy, stylized genre that emphasizes musicality, flexibility, and technical skill. Drawing from styles like Broadway, Street, and Contemporary, dancers develop complex rhythms and performance skills through isolations, leaps, and turns. Each class includes a comprehensive warm-up, progressions, and combinations that grow increasingly intricate as students advance.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing such as tights, leggings, leotards, and tank tops. Shorts and clothing that exposes the abdomen are not permitted.

Footwear: Jazz shoes or bare feet.

Modern

Classes Offered: Modern I, Modern II, Modern III, Modern IV, Adult Modern

Modern is a highly expressive style of dance that was created to challenge the structure of other formal dance techniques, though modern dance movements have historically been inspired by other dance styles such as African dance, ballet, and folk dance. Modern dance focuses on cultivating strength and artistry, exploring elements such as level, using the floor, changing the shape and orientation of the body to space, and inverting the body in relation to the floor. Modern dance ranges widely in styles from release-technique and Limon to Horton and Graham, and has a history that dates back to the late 19th century.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing that does not inhibit movement – tank tops, leotards, tights or leggings. Shorts and clothing that expose the abdomen are not permitted.

Footwear: Bare feet.

Strength & Conditioning

Classes Offered: Strength & Conditioning (all levels)

Elevate your technique, endurance, and power in this all-levels strength and conditioning class designed specifically for dancers. Through a targeted blend of core stability, dynamic flexibility, and bodyweight resistance training, you’ll build the functional strength needed to improve your technique and prevent injury.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing that does not inhibit movement –leotards, tights or leggings. Shorts and clothing that expose the abdomen are not permitted.

Footwear: Bare feet.

Tap

Classes Offered: Tap I, Tap II, Tap III, Adult Tap

Tap classes develop rhythm, style, and sound. Students will learn a variety of tap styles from Broadway to Rhythm tap. Exercises focus on building flexibility of the knee and ankles, coordination, and speed of movement, with a goal of developing proper tap technique, producing clear tap sounds, and having fun.

Dress Code: Form fitting clothing that does not inhibit movement – shorts, pants, t-shirts, and tank tops. Shorts and clothing that exposes the abdomen are not permitted.

Footwear: Tap shoes.