- A fun and imaginative introduction to the world of dance, not just learning dance steps.
- Includes creative movement, imagination (pretend costumes, pretend makeup, pretend props, etc.), pantomime, body awareness, spatial awareness, familiar songs and music as well as introduction to classical musical and learning about story ballets.
- Classes challenge the children and let them feel like real ballerinas, but always in fun and age appropriate ways.
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- No skirt or decorations
- May be long or short sleeve
- Light pink or white tights
- Light pink or white ballet slippers (with no strings is preferable)
- Hair in pony tail or bun
- Any solid color leotard
- Boys:
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- White ballet slippers
- Similar to BippityBop1, but more time spent on each activity.
- Increased complexity of skills and instructions.
- Ballet terms are used, but we also continue with creative movement and some jazz.
- We continue to build on their natural love of dance with fun and active classes, but do not underestimate their ability to learn real skills.
- We challenge them with learning series of instructions, working together, hearing music and rhythms, and all sorts of body and spatial awareness skills; all while having lots of fun!
- BippityBop 2 students may also audition for our Nutcracker for Kids.
Dress Code:
*Same as for BippityBop1
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- No skirt or decorations
- May be long or short sleeve
- Light pink or white tights
- Light pink or white ballet slippers (with no strings is preferable)
- Hair in pony tail or bun
- Any solid color leotard
- Boys:
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- White ballet slippers
- Recital costume is included in our tuition fee.
- Dancers always wear the same light pink or white tights and ballet slippers that they wear for classes so there is nothing extra to buy.
- We have a separate show for our BippityBop classes that consists of their own story ballet and is less than one hour long.
- They are either onstage posing, dancing, or backstage getting ready to come on again the entire time so there is no waiting around!
- We believe it is unfair to keep this age group backstage for hours, so for our show, they arrive, line up, dance, and are picked up in a little over an hour total!
- Each class has at least 2 of our older student volunteers (their own ‘big girls’) with them at all times so family can enjoy the show.
- We feel it is important that the fun and magic of performing is emphasized, so to ensure that there is no stress about performing, the teacher is onstage with the students for BippityBop1 classes and the teacher prompts from the side for BippityBop2 classes.
Please purchase ballet slippers at a dancewear store like Ms. Dancewear (located in Mohegan Lake). ‘Imitation’ ballet slippers do not work well on their feet. Thank you!
Since ballet is the foundation for all other dance, students start with ballet classes, and then can add jazz, modern, and contemporary classes. Note that students must be taking ballet in order to take any of our additional offerings.
- Four beginner levels for ages 7 to 10, plus a separate class for older beginners.
- One hour, once a week
- Combination of RAD, Ceccetti, and Vagonova methods of ballet.
- American Academy of Ballet performance awards levels are learned.
- Students to progress at their own pace.
- Challenging and fun!
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Light pink ballet slippers (with no strings is preferable)
- Ballet skirts when in pointe shoes
- Boys:
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- White ballet slippers
- Students must pass a physical readiness test to progress to intermediate level classes.
- Ages 10 and up.
- Twice a week classes; Intermediate 1 class is 1 hour and 15 minutes, all other levels are 1.5 hours.
- Pointe work is included, starting very slowly in the younger levels.
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Light pink ballet slippers (with no strings is preferable)
- Ballet skirts when in pointe shoes
- Boys:
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- White ballet slippers
- Classes are by audition only.
- Auditions are held in June, although additional students may be moved up in the fall if they seem ready.
- Twice a week classes for 1.5 hours.
- Students are required to take a Saturday Honors (ballet technique) class in addition to their two ballet classes and at least one class of another genre (modern, contemporary or jazz).
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Light pink ballet slippers (with no strings is preferable)
- Ballet skirts when in pointe shoes
- Boys:
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- White ballet slippers
- Honors classes are held on Saturdays as an additional technique class to assist students in reinforcing and practicing skills learned in their primary ballet classes.
- Students are recommended for Honors by their teachers.
- Students in Advanced Ballet are required to take Honors.
Dress Code:
*Same as for other Ballet classes
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Light pink ballet slippers (with no strings is preferable)
- Ballet skirts when in pointe shoes
- Boys:
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- White ballet s
- Students may start jazz classes as soon as they start beginner ballet, or may wait until they are older.
- Level for jazz coincides with ballet level.
- Once a week for one hour.
- Includes a variety of jazz styles (classical jazz, Broadway, Luigi, Hip Hop, etc.).
- Jazz enhances flexibility, quality of movement, and performance.
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Bloch tan slip-on jazz shoes
- Solid color booty shorts if desired
- Boys
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- Bloch tan slip-on jazz shoes
- Offered at the Intermediate Ballet level and up.
- A variety of modern approaches introduce our students to all the elements of modern dance.
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Foot undies
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Solid color booty shorts if desired
- Boys:
- Foot undies
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- Offered to our more advanced dancers.
- Elements of ballet, modern, and jazz are brought together in a ‘contemporary’ approach.
- Previous modern class required.
Dress Code:
- Girls:
- Any solid color leotard
- Light pink tights
- Bloch tan slip-on jazz shoes
- Solid color booty shorts if desired
- Boys
- Solid color t-shirt
- Gym shorts or bike shorts
- White socks
- Bloch tan slip-on jazz shoes
- All Beginner classes through Advanced are in our annual Spring Recital.
- Program first act consists of jazz, modern, contemporary, pointe, alumni and company pieces.
- Second act is a story ballet with all ballet levels included.
- Entire show not over 2 1/2 hours.
- Story ballets have included a Midsummer Nights Dream, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Don Quixote, The Summer King, The Firebird, Alice in Wonderland, and many more!
- Graduating seniors perform the lead roles.
- Adults may take Honors classes if the classes are not too full.
- Adult Ballet classes are offered as our schedule permits.