MBA students ages seven and a half and above can further their ballet training in our Pre-Professional Division.
This training division provides a well-rounded curriculum aimed at preparing students for the demands of a professional career or for entry into college at the end of their training. Through daily classes and optional competition preparation, students work on their overall technique using a progressive, codified curriculum.
Students are evaluated by our faculty at the end of each school year on their readiness to progress to the next level and receive personalized feedback on their strengths, artistic and technical development, and areas needing improvement.
Students in the Pre-Professional Division have the opportunity to perform in two full-length ballet performances throughout the year, including The Nutcracker. Students also have the opportunity to work with our professional company-in-residence, Deos Contemporary Ballet, in their professional productions throughout the season.
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Level 1
Level 1 is a student’s first introduction to our Pre-Professional Division. Students in this level continue developing their mastery of body, leg, arms, and head placement, while learning new movements and steps. The exercises are longer, and students repeat the previously learned steps in an increased number. The tempo of the exercises is slower to allow students to concentrate on correct placement and lengthening of the body. Increasingly more time is spent in center work where students have to learn to move without support from the barre.
Level 4
In Level 4, students will begin to work on stage presence and artistry. As technique improves these students will have the opportunity to perform more complicated steps with difficult tempo and accent changes. Students at this level will also start to work more intensely on pointe work, with classes in pointe shoes 3 times a week.
Quality of movement will be stressed as dancers
Pointe
One of the defining elements of classical ballet, female students attend multiple classes on pointe a week including classical repertory.
Contemporary Dance
The Contemporary Dance Technique is based upon the principles formulated by Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham, Lester Horton and Martha Graham, with emphasis upon the concepts of breath, weight, fall and recovery, and spinal articulation. Strength, flexibility and creativity are the major components.
Level 2 & 3 Combined
In these combined Level 2 & 3 classes, students will continue to strengthen their stability in turns and other exercises executed on demi-pointe. Strong emphasis is placed on developing smooth coordination of the arms, head and body. Increasingly more complex combinations of steps can be expected, as well as an increase in tempo. Pre-pointe is also introduced in this level and students will begin to develop the necessary strength to hold themselves “en pointe” as they move to the next level.
Students can also expect the following elements to be worked on:
Mastering the technique of beats (beating steps)
Turns executed in various ways
Flexibility, mobility, and strength in extensions
Developing the smoothness of graceful movements
Developing elevation in big jumps.
Level 5 & 6
At this level, the execution of all fundamental movements is carried through with finishing touches to reach the perfection of classical dance. The accompanying tempo picks up speed, in comparison with the preceding lessons. Class load increases to prepare students for a professional or college setting, and students will be expected to wear pointe shoes 5 days a week.
Students in this level may also have the opportunity to perform with our company in residence, Deos Contemporary Ballet, in occasional performances.
Variations
In variations class, students are exposed to the classical ballet repertoire by learning historically accurate choreographies from the great ballets. Students will learn excerpts from Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, The Sleeping Beauty and many others.