STUDIO 9 DANCE ACADEMY CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

TINY TOTS
18mo to 3yo- Toddler- Parent involvement class. Tiny tots class gently introduces your child to the joy of movement and rhythm through fun activities centered around dance and movement. This class offers development in coordination, musical awareness, and listening skills while encouraging your toddler’s natural creativity.


BALLET
Preballet 1: (3-4yo) Preballet 1 is an introduction to ballet basics using methods designed for young imaginative minds and bodies. Students are given the opportunity to move, stretch, and improve self-confidence while being introduced to basic ballet concepts, body alignment, posture, locomotor skills, as well as develop self-expression through creative movement.

Preballet 2: (5-6yo) Preballet 2 is a continuation of preballet basics using methods designed for young imaginative minds and bodies. The class emphasizes proper placement, vocabulary, etiquette, and ballet-based movement and technique.

Ballet 1: (5/6-10yo) Must have completed Preballet 2 Ballet I focuses on the fundamentals of ballet technique. The class emphasizes proper placement, developing strength, building endurance, and increasing flexibility through center and across the floor exercises.

Ballet 2: (8-12yo) builds on the skills introduced in Ballet I. introduces a traditional ballet class structure. Students learn fundamental ballet technique through barre work, center exercises, and across the floor combinations designed to improve coordination, flexibility, endurance, and musicality.

Intermediate Ballet: (10-15yo) This class focuses on intermediate barre work, center exercises, and across the floor combinations. Students learn technique and placement, while emphasizing musicality. Combinations to strengthen the legs, feet, and ankles are introduced to prepare students for pointe work. We highly recommend students at this level take class twice a week for optimal growth. Additional technique classes are recommended with intermediate jazz classes.

Advanced Ballet: (8th grade+) This class focuses on advanced barre work, center exercises, across the floor combinations, pointe work, and ballet variations. Students learn advanced technique, while emphasizing musicality, discipline, and professionalism. We highly recommend students at this level take class additional technique classes with Advanced jazz for optimal growth.

Pointe: (11 +) Beginning pointe class can be taken on flat or in pointe shoes at the instructors’ discretion. Advanced will all be in pointe shoes. All pointe classes are designed for students with previous ballet training. Students will utilize previously learned ballet technique while working in pointe shoes. Each class includes barre exercises, center floor work and across the floor combinations. These exercises focus on strengthening the feet and ankles.

JAZZ
Jazz 1: (4+) Students will warm up and learn basic jazz technique. Center work includes isolations, arm and head moves in basic patterns that are fun and challenging. Traveling exercises are geared to develop coordination and flow of movement. This class focuses on developing strong lines, strengthening the dancer’s technique, and understanding the body’s center of movement while building strength, technique, and character expression.

Jazz 2: (7+) Jazz 2 builds upon technique learned in Jazz 1 and are presented with a more complex warm up, center routines, intermediate turns, and jump combinations. This class focuses on developing strong lines and technique, strengthening the dancer’s core, and challenging the body’s center of balance.

Intermediate Jazz: (4th grade- 7th grade) Dancers will be challenged to reach their full potential with diverse isolations, turning combinations, and jump sequences. Routines are more complex to increase coordination and memory skills.

Advanced Jazz: (8th+) Dancers begin each class with a fast paced warm up followed by center floor work. The floor work includes complex isolations, turn, jumps, traveling exercises and combinations. Advance skills are required for this class with a focus on building strong technique, strength, and stamina. (Class placement determined by skill level- Usually 13 yo and up- 7th grade accepted by invitation only)

TAP
Tap is a rhythmic style of dance that uses shoes with metal taps attached under the toes and heels to make clear percussive sounds. Tap technique emphasizes coordination and speed of movement while maintaining balance and upper body control. Steps include shuffles, flaps, cramp rolls, time steps, and pull-backs. Tap is a style accessible for all ages and all levels, is great exercise, and can be a fun introduction to dance.
 

Tap 1: 5+

Tap 2: Based off skill level must complete tap 1( unless approved by teacher)

ACRO
Acro students will focus on acrobatic and tumbling moves that will enhance their dance skills and routines. An emphasis will be placed on flexibility, stretch, and balance to increase technique on an individual level. Students will be taught proper technique for landing and supporting one another in partner work. Placement based of skill levels but general age groups below.
 

Beginner Level: 4+

Intermediate Acro: mid to late elementary (Younger age by invite)
Advanced Acro: Middle school and high school age levels based off skill level


HIP HOP
Hip Hop dance is a high-energy style of movement created by breaking, locking, popping, and tweaking. Each level provides appropriate body movements as well as covering body placement, technique, stylization, rhythm, and musicality. As the levels progress new complex material is combined with the previous levels work. Placement based of skill levels but general age groups below.

Hip hop 1: 4+ to 3rd grade
Hip Hop 2: 8+ 2nd/3rd grade to 5th grade
Hip hop 3: Middle school/High school age level


CONTEMPORARY
Contemporary dance is a style of interpretive dance that embraces innovation, blending techniques from various genres, including classical ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical dance. It relies on improvisation and versatility, and is characterized by freedom of movement and fluidity, letting dancers explore the mind-body connection and ideally evoking emotion in the audience. Placement based of skill levels but general age groups below.

Beginner Contemporary: 4+
Intermediate Contemporary: Late Elementary levels (Earlier ages by invite only)
Advanced Contemporary: Middle School/High school level

STUDIO 9 DANCE COMPANY
AUDITIONS ONLY (Ages 5+) Studio 9 Dance Company is a competition team that competes in the Spring at 3-4 dance competitions as a group as well as solos, duets, trios, small groups, large groups and production pieces. We are a large dance family. The atmosphere at dance competitions differs greatly from what a dancer will experience in the studio. While that brings a special set of challenges, the uniqueness and level of emotion at a competition will inspire dancers to excel at new levels, learn constructive criticism, set goals for new skills, and form valuable connections and friendships that can last a lifetime. Dance competitions are about much more than wins and losses. It’s about learning beneficial lessons that you can use to improve as a dancer and as a person.