I love helping dancers decide which classes will best help them reach their dance goals. Dance is truly its own world – and I know it can be confusing to decipher what classes are the best fit for your dancer. We’re here to help!
At The Pointe, we have a structured progression for students built on the goal of safely and correctly training versatile, well-rounded dancers and performers. Students use the dance skills built in classes at The Pointe far beyond our studio walls. We have students who excel in their school’s show choirs, in theatre and musicals, and on school dance teams in addition to performances through the studio. Here’s a short guide to choosing the best class for your dancer:
For dancers age 2 – 5, we have a clear progression and classes sorted directly by age. At this young age, we are certain to only teach and perform movements that are developmentally safe and OK for each age group. As bones are still hardening, it’s important to not over-stretch or over-stress the body! We have a Dance With Me! Class for dancers age 18 months – 2 years old to dance with a parent, then students age 3+ enter our Dance & Discover program. Dance & Discover classes teach building blocks of tap and ballet technique plus some tumbling exercises to develop strength and flexibility. Dance & Discover 1 is for dancers age 3 (turning 4) and 45 minutes per week, Dance & Discover 2 is for dancers age 4 (turning 5) and 60 minutes per week, and Dance & Discover 3 is for dancers age 5 (turning 6) and 75 minutes per week.
Dancers in first grade begin our Graded Technique classes. These classes use nationally recognized curriculums in ballet, tap, and jazz to ensure strong and safe technical development for the dancer. We always recommend that a dancer takes ballet first – a dancer can apply ballet training in any dance genre, and the body control learned in ballet is incredibly beneficial. Of course, it is best for a dancer to take all three core classes – they all serve each other. Musicality and rhythm learned in tap helps ballet and jazz, the strength and flexibility built from great jazz warm ups benefit our ballet movements, and the control and body awareness from ballet training shows in every other genre. Some dancers want to sample and try everything – which is great – but moving back and forth between dance disciplines is difficult. I often compare dance genres to different sports – the endurance and strength gained from playing basketball is helpful in soccer, but to really grow as an athlete in a sport, consistent practice at that sport is required.
Specialty classes such as hip hop, lyrical, musical theatre, acro, modern, and contemporary become options for dancers as their Graded Technique Level increases. Dancers in Level 1 can start hip hop, in Level 2 they can add Lyrical, in Level 3 they can add Acro and Modern, in Level 4, Musical Theatre is a new addition, and Level 5+ dancers can add contemporary. These classes are choreography based and focus on specific performance skills for that genre. Specialty classes should be an add-on to Graded Technique classes. Our graded technique classes focus on building technical skills – and while there is a technical element in our specialty classes, the focus is on choreography and performance.
Dancers who take more classes will progress at a quicker pace than dancers who only focus on one genre. Just like an athlete may excel further in football after running track for a season, though the study of one dance genre cannot replace another, they absolutely benefit each other. There is simply no substitute for practice and repetition when training the body.
Beginners of any age up to 18 are welcome to jump into dance in our Building Ballet, Tap, and Jazz classes. These classes will tailor their curriculum and lesson plans around the goals of the dancers in the class. Some recreational dancers will take the Building Ballet, Tap, and Jazz classes for several years – some others (especially dancers who haven’t kept up in all three core techniques and want to audition for our competitive program) will use the classes to funnel in to our Graded Technique classes.
I hope this short overview is helpful – if you are not sure about the best fit for classes for your dancer, we would be happy to answer any questions you have! Give our office a call and we’ll be sure to help you and your dancer find the best mix of classes to help your dancer accomplish their dance goals.
-Miss Vanessa