*SPECIAL NOTE: Students are placed according to ability, not age or grade level. Students learn at different

          rates, and each person has unique capabilities – coordination, timing, attention span, strength, stamina, and

          determination and are advanced to the next level when they are ready as determined by the Director and/or

          Teacher.

BALLET:

    Intro to Ballet (ages 4 & 5's; 6 & 7's) are classes designed to introduce the basic principles of ballet,

including foot placement, body alignment, arm carriage, balance, rhythm, musicality and locomotive steps across the floor.

    Ballet Technique Classes (ages 7 to adult) are designed to develop a solid foundation of proper technique.

Emphasis on correct foot placement, body alignment, use of turn out, arm carriage (port de bras), building core

strength, coordinating the movements of the upper and lower body, and building ballet vocabulary. Classes begin

with barre work followed by center work including petite and grand allegro (aka across the floor).

    Pointe is offered by Director’s permission only. Strong enough back, abdominals, legs and feet, evenly held

turnout, “spot”, 11+years of age, and a positive attitude in class are some of the requirements; pointe must be

preceded by a ballet technique class.

    Western CT Youth Ballet Company (WCYBC) ~ a registered 501 (c) 3 not-for profit  organization ~ by Audition ~ advanced intermediate and advanced ballet students, ages 12 - 18, with a minimum of three years classical training.

          *Art of Dance, LLC students successfully audition for and attend prestigious Summer Dance Intensives at

          Walnut Hill, The Rock School, Briansky Saratoga, Pittsburg Youth Ballet, and The Rockette Experience

JAZZ:

    Jazz is a style of dance very visible in society today, i.e. Broadway Musicals, Commercials, Music Videos and

Movies. It draws its inspiration from a wide range of music including, jazz, pop, soul and funk.
   Jazz Classes (ages 6 to adult) begin with a warm-up to teach proper body alignment, build core strength increase

flexibility and develop coordination Isolations (moving one part of the body at a time) are taught followed by

progressions (stylized walks etc.) across the floor. The class culminates with an extended dance combination.

TAP:

    Tap is a style of dance that combines music, dance and percussion created with the feet. Students learn

coordination, rhythm, musicality, phrasing and vocabulary.
    Tap Classes (ages 5 to adult) begin with a Floor stretch to warm up the muscles, move to the Barre and/or center to

create specific sounds, followed by progressions across the floor. The class culminates by working on a tap routine.

Hip Hop:

    A highly stylized and popular form of “street“ dancing that can also be seen in music videos.

Hip Hop Classes (ages 11+) are rhythm-pounding, heart pulsing with an emphasis on isolations; it is an explosive

style of dance using mostly remixed pop, hip-hop and rap music.

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