BALLET I (First Year) – Ballet I provides students with opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills in basic ballet techniques. The content includes knowledge and application of basic barre warm-ups, center techniques, turns, and knowledge of basic terminology. After school rehearsals, special engagements, and performances are required. PREREQUISITE: Teacher recommendation by audition.
BALLET II (Second Year) – Ballet II provides students with an opportunity to extend the acquisition of knowledge and the development of technique in ballet and provide an opportunity for performance. The content includes further development of knowledge and application of barre and center warm-ups and techniques, turns, combinations across the floor, knowledge of performance, and knowledge of ballet terminology. After school rehearsals, special engagements, and performances are required. PREREQUISITE: Ballet I or teacher recommendation.
BALLET III (Third Year) – Ballet III provides students with opportunities to extend the acquisition of knowledge and the development of technique in ballet and provide greater opportunity for performance. The content includes further development of knowledge and application of barre and center warm-ups and techniques, turns, choreography, basic pointe technology, turns from 4th and 5th positions, advanced ballet terminology, and public performances. After school rehearsals, special engagements, and performances are required. PREREQUISITE: Ballet II or teacher recommendation.
BALLET IV (Fourth Year) – Ballet IV provides students with opportunities to extend, refine, and further develop technique in ballet. The content includes study of musical form, further development of skills with emphasis on choreography, advance pointe technique, turns, leaps, correct placement of shoulders, grand adage and allegro, and partnering techniques (pas de deux). After school rehearsals, special engagements, and performances are required. PREREQUISITE: Ballet III and teacher recommendation.
DANCE REPERTORY I (First Year) – Dance Repertory I provides students in dance with opportunities to develop skills in the areas of modern, jazz, and tap dance techniques. The content includes application of fundamental principles of modern, jazz, and tap technique, including barre, center floor, axial center, locomotor and physiologically sound movement progressions. The course will include the introduction of the history and terminology of these dance idioms. After school rehearsals, performances, and special engagements are required. PREREQUISITE: Teacher recommendation by audition.
DANCE REPERTORY II (Second Year) – Dance Repertory II further improves the dance technique and skills of students in dance. The content includes transitional movements, qualities of movement, lyrical, and staccato movement, accents at longer and more advanced movement combinations, dance history emphasizing major styles, dancers, and choreographers of the 20th century. Musical form and technical theater will be covered during this course. After school rehearsals, performances, and special engagements are required. PREREQUISITE: Dance Repertory I and teacher recommendation.
DANCE REPERTORY III (Third Year) – Dance Repertory III provides students in dance with opportunities for in-depth instruction and specialization in jazz, modern or tap dance and to provide opportunities for performance to further enhance and develop techniques of dance. The content includes instruction in anatomy and physiology as it relates to the dancer, dance injuries and their prevention, fundamentals of choreography, pedagogy and critique. After school rehearsals, performances, and special engagements are required. PREREQUISITE: Dance Repertory II and teacher recommendation.
DANCE REPERTORY IV (Fourth Year) – Dance Repertory IV provides students in dance with opportunities to further enhance their skills and to further their knowledge of choreography. The content includes elements of space, time, and body dynamics. Acquisition of in-depth choreographic skills will serve to enhance the student’s own performance. After school rehearsals, performances, and special engagements are required. PREREQUISITE: Dance Repertory III and teacher recommendation.
DANCE HISTORY APPRECIATION I & II (Fourth Year) – The purpose of this course is to provide students with opportunities to study Dance History, its relationship to other disciplines, Dance Criticism, the Theory of Movement, and to help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to value the role of dance, and its contribution to life. The content should include, but not be limited to; the study of the history, criticism, and theory of dance movement; the value of dance as an important realm of human experience; the study of dance fundamentals, styles and periods; and development of dance judgments of aesthetic merit. PREREQUISITE: Dance Tech IV and teacher recommendation.
AESTHETICS I & II (Fourth Year) – This course explores the theory of dance in several major forms. Students should understand the theories of dance composition through the physicality of the art, as well as the theory of craftsmanship resultant from emotion. Students should acquire the knowledge and skills to value the role of legitimate dance in society, different from the role of commercialized dance in society. PREREQUISITE: Teacher recommendation. Paired with Aesthetics II. NOTE: This is an advanced dance course for seniors only.
DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY/ PERFORMANCE I – This course provides the talented and skilled dancers with opportunities to acquire in-depth knowledge of the techniques of choreography while continuing to refine their skills in performing. The content includes in depth knowledge of the elements of music, creating movement sequences exploring space, time, force, and flow, improvisation, lighting, costuming, make-up for dance, and performing. PREREQUISITE: Teacher recommendation. NOTE: Required for all Junior Dance Majors.
KINESIOLOGY (Third Year) – The purpose of this course is to study the physical systems that contribute to the science of movement with reference to dance. Students should be able to research dance technical development using knowledge of exercise physiology, kinesiology movement taxonomy, anatomy, and principles of athletic training. Students will be involved in the study and application of the biological and physical principles of human movement to identify situations requiring correctives for the dancer. PREREQUISITE: Audition/teacher recommendation.
DANCE CAREER PREPARATION (Fourth Year) – The purpose of this course is to prepare the dancer to successfully complete a dance audition. Through extensive technical and marketing preparation the student will be able to develop a resume, a portfolio, and research the methods of obtaining an agent and securing audition information. The student should also develop the knowledge for intelligent selection of auditions to meet individual strengths and abilities. Students will study the creative elements of choreography, sound score and design and how they interact with the practical elements of personnel, materials and procedures in presenting dance theatre. PREREQUISITE: Teacher recommendation. NOTE: Paired with Choreography II and required for all Senior Dance Majors.