Students at this level take two ballet classes a week, conditioning and creative dance.

Focusing on posture, coordination and musicality, students will begin to control the rotation in their legs, articulate through their feet and feel the alignment of the spine.

Students at this level take two ballet classes a week, conditioning, character, prep for pointe and boys class. Creative Dance is an elective class. Students are expected to sustain their alignment to allow them to strengthen use of rotation in the hip joints. More sophisticated awareness of body directions, feeling for line and development of classical ballet vocabulary is introduced.

Students at this level take four ballet classes a week, Progressing Ballet Technique conditioning class, character, boys and pre-pointe. Contemporary Dance is an elective class. Students’ posture and alignment should be sustained throughout all exercises and students are expected to take responsibility for personal corrections through awareness of their unique gifts and challenges.

Students at this level take four ballet classes a week, Progressing Ballet Technique conditioning class, character, contemporary, boys and pointe. An extra ballet class is an elective. Students should be aware of artistic and musical nuance to develop and enrich quality of movement. The strength to sustain directions of the body en l’air with a feeling of line in the port de bras is important at this level together with the ability to coordinate allegro with use of épaulement.

Students at this level take five ballet classes a week, Progressing Ballet Technique conditioning class, character, contemporary, boys and pointe. Students in Prep 5 should be competent in the vocabulary of the previous levels and have the artistry, technique and musicality to develop more complex movement patterns with confidence and performance quality. They should have the maturity to work independently and be self-motivated.

Preparatory Dance Program students can audition for children’s roles in UNCSA’s annual performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ giving them the chance to experience the inner workings of a major professional performance and the opportunity to work alongside remarkable dancers.

Students who are not participating in the UNCSA production of The Nutcracker have the opportunity to dance in The Nutcracker Tea Party. This Preparatory Dance Program production gives students the chance to expand their performance experience in an intimate setting in the Arts Based School’s black box theatre on December 7 & 8, 2019. As Drosselmeyer recounts the story of the Nutcracker from his book of memories the Prep students mime and dance the story to a young audience, many of whom are experiencing the joy of The Nutcracker for the first time.  Students will be cast according to Prep class level and their ability to pick up the choreography in rehearsal. All Prep students who attend rehearsals will perform.

Nutcracker Tea Party Performance Ensemble
Saturdays, 11:15am – 3:45pm                      September 28 - November 16

Performance Ensemble classes give students the opportunity to study age-appropriate choreography in different dance styles and to hone their performance skills. Classes will be held on Saturday in the Spring and choreography studied will be performed in the Spring Festival and other performance opportunities.

Junior Performance Ensemble: Prep 2 - 3
Saturdays, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
January 11 – February 15
February 29 – April 11
April 25 – May 16

Senior Performance Ensemble: Prep 4 - 5
Saturdays, 11:15 – 1:15
January 11 – February 15
February 29 – April 11
April 25 – May 16

This is a coaching class designed to prepare students graduating from the Preparatory Dance Program into the UNCSA High School or other pre-professional dance programs. The focus will be on strengthening personal details of artistry, technique and vocabulary. The course will be run by Prep Director Susan Brooker in the Fall, with guest faculty from the UNCSA High School Program during the Spring session.

8^th & 9^th Grade Coaching Class
Saturdays, 9:30 – 11:00am
September 7 – December 21
February 29 – May 9

These dynamic jazz classes allow students to broaden their versatility and range of movement by studying a variety of age-appropriate jazz styles. Choreography studied will be performed in the Spring Festival.

Junior Jazz: Prep 2 & 3                    Saturdays, 12:15 – 1:15pm

Senior Jazz: Prep 4 & 5                   Saturdays, 1:30 – 3:00pm
January 11 – February 15
February 29 – April 11
April 25 – May 9
May 23 - 30