Ballet Curriculum
Ballet
Skills, Goals, and Development Timelines for Ballet classes. Reminder that each level can last 2 to 3, and in some cases 4 years for certain dancers. You will always have a range of experience even within one level that you will need to work with and progress. Understanding which dancers are close to moving up to the next level vs. which dancers are newer and have more time to work on particular skills will be key.
NOTE: This site is still a work in progress. We will continue to add and develop timelines and what we want to work on as a studio each month of the year. Your input as teachers is always valuable. If you see something that can be added or improved upon please bring it to a head teacher or director’s attention.
Typical Class Structure – This may vary depending on where we are in the season.
- Warm up
- Floor work and floor barre
- Barre work
- Stretching
- Center work
- Traveling Work
- Choreography or Movement Sequence
- Reverance
List of skills that need to be mastered before moving up to Level II. Skills that need to be introduced but not necessarily mastered also included.
* Note- Please make sure to introduce, include, and break down any other vocabulary during regular class time that will be added to choreography.
| Mastered Skills | Introduced Skills |
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August: Flexibility Stretching
○ Combre front to flat back and combre back
○ Use barre to stretch the leg side
○ Leg on barre stretch with proper alignment
September: Alignment / Placement Positions
○ 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th positions
○ Croise, efface, en face facings in 5th position
○ Epaulement
October: Foot Articulation Barre Work
○ Pliés and élevés in 1st, 2nd and 5th positions
○ Tendus from 1st
○ Degagés and rond de jambes
○ Barre etiquette
○ Floor barre
November: Upper Body Shaping Port de bras
○ Positions of arms and their names
○ Port de bras combinations in center
○ Epaulement
December: Professional Connection Nutcracker
○ Learn part of Nutcracker or other classical ballets (Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, etc)
○ Show pictures and videos as appropriate
○ Progress Report
January: Recital Choreography / Turns Spotting & Turns
○ Begin Recital Choreography
○ Spotting
○ Chainés
February: Recital Choreography / Balance Adagio
○ Continue Recital Choreography
○ Use barre passé, relevé lents, developpé devant
○ In center incorporate port de bras, slow tendus, pliés, élevés, etc.
March: Recital Choreography / Rhythm Waltz
○ Recital Choreography halfway completed/taught by March 1
○ Clapping and counting waltz
○ Simple stepping: down up up traveling
○ Add turnout and brush with working leg
○ Balancés
○ Progress Report
April: Recital Choreography / Jumps Allegro
○ Recital Choreography completed by end of April
○ Petit Allegro: simple sautés and échappés, add changement, soubresaut, glissade ○ Grande Allegro: pas de chat, saut de chat
May: Recital Choreography / Staging Performance Preparation
○ Stage directions: upstage, downstage, stage left, stage right
○ Formations
○ Cleaning
○ Retention
○ Memorization
June: Recital Choreography / Staging Performance Preparation
○ Formations
○ Cleaning
○ Recital
○ Progress Report
July: Style Exploration Contemporary Ballet
○ Introduce mobility in upper body, flexed feet, turned in movements
○ Short contemporary variation / center exercise
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this level II ballet class is to refine the technique of the basic skills already learned in the level I ballet class, expand their movement vocabulary and difficulty, build strength, continue to work on flexibility, and begin more work on quality of movement and performance. They will also build on the ability to pick up and retain choreography, as well as corrections given in class. They should be primarily working in 5th position as their home base for exercises at the barre and center (unless of course it is something like a sauté or plié in 1st position). They should be primarily working with one hand on the barre with exceptions made for pliés, relevés/sautés at the barre, and for several weeks when you are introducing a new step. There will be a general class structure that should be followed each week. The class will also have a theme for every month and a progression in order to develop that theme within the class. Imagery is still a really important tool to engage and give explanations of what you are teaching.
* Note- Please make sure to introduce, include, and break down any other vocabulary during regular class time that will be added to choreography.
| Mastered Skills | Introduced Skills |
|
|
August – Stretching: Include different muscle groups using their names as you go (ex quadriceps, hamstrings). Use both the barre and the floor making sure to emphasize proper alignment while stretching (hip stays down at barre on working leg and turned out). No bouncing! Combré should be included at the barre in this month with focus on flat back on the way into and out of combré front and lifting up to bend from mid back for combré back. Can incorporate some directed partner stretches for a change. Make sure dancers are properly warmed up before any stretching.
- Week 1 & 2- Focusing on barre stretches with proper alignment.
• Week 3 & 4 – Trying some partnering stretches and work on the floor. Incorporate the idea of breath into stretching so they learn how to focus on breathing as a tool to help their bodies in dance. Breath into the tight areas and try to find release with their exhale.
September- Alignment/Placement of the body- Positions of the body and feet: With épaulement, review croisé, effacé, and en face then adding on.
• Week 1 – Review from previous level
• Week 2 – Finding écarté devant and derrière in the center. I would suggest taking separate counts for feet and head in the beginning. For example: Start croisé right foot front preparing arms on 7, 8. Tendu écarté devant count 1, hold tendu and arms and just move head into épaulement count 2, close tendu 3 (head/arms stay), tendu écarté devant 4, close 5th on 5, head straight 6, change arms to 1st on 7, change arms to fourth over on count 8. Repeat the same thing with écarté derrière for 2nd count of 8.
• Week 3 & 4- Repeat exercise from week 2 and add on tendu à la seconde en face with épaulement dessous/en arrière and dessus/en avant. Same idea at first as above where tendu gets one count and head gets one count so they can focus on the placement of one thing at a time before combining them as one movement. Can use arms in bras bas or in 2nd position.
October- Foot articulation- Barre Work, can include floor barre
• Week 1 & 2 – Floor barre & review barre etiquette (ex. no hanging on the barre, gently place hands. how to use to stretch, no talking)
• Week 3 & 4 – Peeling the foot & come back to the barre. Make it a theme to come back to the barre when something becomes difficult in the center so they can learn how it is a tool for getting to the more difficult steps that they want to achieve. Say you are working on Soubresaut but can’t get them to find the cross of the legs or the shape of the feet and knees in the air yet have them come and try it at the barre. This gives extra stability from the barre and a push with the arms to get more height therefore giving them more time in the air to control the legs and feet. Do from 1st position facing the barre and then in the center: demi pointe, hold, point off the floor (low height though), hold, demi pointe, close 1st. 4x R, 4x L
November– Upper body shaping- Port de bras and Épaulement: Paying attention to positions, shaping of the arms and fingers, and names of arm positions.
- Week 1 & 2- Work on a port de bras only exercise in the center using the arm positions they already know. Keep the same exercise for both weeks. Take time to work on the positioning and quality of the hands, shoulders, and fingers along with reminders to hold their knees lifted and feet in position. Use épaulement as part of the combination.
- Week 3 & 4- Add on to previous exercise using new positions of the arms in 4th under (downstage arm in croisé up looking under) and 4th over(upstage arm is raised in croisé looking over the arm in 2nd) and taking time on épaulement in both of these positions. Good place to work on combing head and arms moving together and coordinating so they will be easier to add onto feet later down the line.
December – Nutcracker and other Classical Ballets (Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, etc). It may be nice to mention Company names as well like San Francisco Ballet and a bit about the professional world of ballet. You can even incorporate a video or book if there is access to it. **Dancers must sign up for performance participation before the winter break. This month is shorter due to winter break. Can do a short variation from a ballet you chose or just incorporate the music from a ballet into class and talk about it.
January- Spotting & turns.
• Week 1 & 2 – Spotting/chaîné: Can use a partner to spot standing facing each other, Spotting self in the mirror, and or spotting a classmate across the floor with fingers up and they have to say how many fingers they are holding up during each turn, changes after a full chaîné. Do without relevé, then with relevé and start to incorporate arms after going over the arms separately first.
• Week 3 & 4- Pirouette Prep- Focus on pirouette prep spending extra time on it these two weeks.
February – Balance: Adagio
• Week 1 & 2 – use barre movements such as passé, relevé lents, and fondu.
• Week 3 & 4 – Adagio in the center. You can incorporate port de bras, slow tendus, pliés, elevés, arabesque. You could even set up an adagio exercise at the barre that you then challenge them to transfer to a center exercise.
March – Rhythm: Waltz and Polka (timing of waltz in a 3/4, Polka in a 2/4, waltz step, balancé). Helpful to clap & count.
• Week 1 & 2- Polka and reviewing waltz step with brush and balancé focusing on the feet. Work on waltz traveling en avant and en arrière.
• Week 3 & 4- Combine them into a traveling combination: waltz steps forward RL, balancé RL, waltz step traveling back RL, then balancé RL. 8 counts of 3 in total. Start to work with arms in 2nd and épaulement with combination.
April – Jumps: Allegro- emphasize fast speed of an allegro and difference between petit allegro and grand allegro.
- Week 1 & 2- Petit Allegro- Work on Assemblé, jeté, and glissade changement.
- Week 3 & 4- Grand Allegro- Big Jumps- review pas de chat, saut de chat.
May – Staging- Performance Prep: Stage Directions/house directions, memorization and retention, formations, and cleaning.
June – Performance Prep: Focus on performance quality and expression.
July – Style exploration: Balanchine & Contemporary Ballet – Can use video if available to help, or use your own dancing to demonstrate.
- Week 1 & 2 – Watch, learn about, and try a little bit of Balanchine movement. A good section for this level could be the opening of “Serenade” (you can find PNB video on youtube of the mostly port de bras section)
- Week 3 & 4 – Give them a chance to create some contemporary ballet combinations/ improvise.
Objective: The goal of this level 3 ballet class is to refine the technique of the basic skills already learned in the level I and 2 ballet class, expand their movement vocabulary and difficulty, build strength, build muscular endurance, build speed, extension through the legs, continue work on quality of movement and performance, and working on coordinating the arms with the head and feet. They will also build on the ability to pick up and retain choreography, pick up quickly and retain corrections given in class, as well as being able to begin self correcting. They should be primarily working in 5th position as their home base for exercises at the barre and center. They should be primarily working with one hand on the barre, with exceptions made for new steps or when needed, with full preparation of the arm and port de bras during all exercises. There will be a general class structure that should be followed each week. At this level they should begin to understand the structure of barre and center in a traditional ballet class and begin combining more steps together into slightly more complex combinations. The class will also have a theme for every month and a progression in order to develop that theme within the class.
* Note- Please make sure to introduce, include, and break down any other vocabulary during regular class time that will be added to choreography.
| Mastered Skills | Introduced Skills |
|
|
August – Stretching: Include different muscle groups using their names as you go (ex quadriceps, hamstrings). Use both the barre and the floor making sure to emphasize proper alignment while stretching. You can incorporate some directed partner stretches for a change. Make sure dancers are properly warmed up before any stretching.
- Week 1 & 2- Work on jambe à la main a.k.a. heel stretch at the barre making sure to have proper alignment and turnout. For an added challenge if they are properly aligned have them release the leg from the hand and see if they can maintain the height.
- Week 3 & 4 – Assisted stretches: use the barre, the wall, a partner, or any other creative things you can think of to help bring some new stretches into the mix.
* Note- Please make sure to introduce, include, and break down any other vocabulary during regular class time that will be added to choreography without exceeding the level of the ballet class.
September- Alignment/Placement of the body- Positions of body and feet.
• Week 1 & 2- Review positions from ballet 2 (écarté devant and derrière, effacé, croisé, and à la seconde dessous and dessus) and create center tendu combination with port de bras and épaulement for them.
• Week 3 & 4- All About Arabesque! Focus on the alignment of the arabesque. Work on arabesque facing the barre as well as with one hand on the barre, and 1st and 2nd arabesque in the center. Make sure shoulders are square and down (right shoulder reaching toward left toes or visa versa), belly button to spine, the leg is right behind the belly button, standing and working leg fully stretched and turned out, pinky toe reaches up for the sky in working leg, torso is lifting up and not diving forward, and the seat/hips get back down before the toes do from arabesque. For extra help feel free to throw in some great floor work to strengthen the back extensors and gluteal muscles.
October- Foot articulation- Intrinsic muscles of the foot: Isolation exercises and Keeping arches lifted
• Week 1 & 2 – Foot isolation exercises barre and center. Focus on things like peeling the feet and relevés. Give a nice combo that can be done both barre and center to break down the movements of the feet. The other thing you could introduce is a tendu exercise that isolates the movement of the ankle, metatarsals, and tarsals in it (ex. tendu, pull back slightly to demi pointe, fully stretch back to tendu, maybe add some flex and points while in tendu as well)
• Week 3 & 4 – Try some arch lifts to get the dancers aware of those little muscles in the foot and help them not to pronate. This is tricky! The foot starts flat with toes spread, try keep from crunching them under. Then simply pull up the arch of the foot and relax it again. If struggling try to find a creative way to have a partner help like putting fingers under partners arch and then tell them without moving the foot on the floor have them lift the arch off of their partner’s fingers to see if that helps. You could have them try it sitting in a chair first also.
November- Upper body shaping- Port de bras with Épaulement: Perfecting their port de bras and strengthening the muscles to support it.
• Week 1 & 2- Work on a port de bras only exercise in the center using the arm positions they already know. Keep the same exercise for both weeks. Take time to work on the positioning and quality of the hands, shoulders, elbows, and fingers, along with reminders to hold their knees lifted and feet in position. Use épaulement as part of the combination and get specific about their focus as well as the position of the head.
• Week 3 & 4- Focus on some arm and core strengthening in floor and conditioning work along with perfecting their arm preparation at the barre. (5, 6, 7, 8 before each exercise, start bras bas and on 5 breath and slight allongé, on 6 back to bras bas, 7 come to 1st, and 8 open to
2nd position or wherever the arm will be for the beginning of the exercise). After taking time to perfect the hands and arms for the preparation add the épaulement. Try it without music first and slowly coordinating the movements together as well as their focus. Coordinating arms with the head and the legs makes a big difference in turning and power/ballon of jumps while moving in the center so it is important! Slight incline back and turn the head over the hand on 5, on 6 return the head, on 7 head inclines and look into the hand in first, on 8 open to second and head turns toward the hand with focus changing up and out instead of into the hand.
December – Nutcracker and other Classical Ballets (Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, etc). It may be nice to mention some professional dancers as well. You can even incorporate a video, pictures, or book if there is access to it. **Dancers must sign up for performance participation before the
winter break. This month is shorter due to winter break. Can do a short variation from a ballet you chose or just incorporate the music from a ballet into class and talk about it. Keep the variation at their level with steps they know, or adjust accordingly.
January- Spotting & turns.
• Week 1 & 2 – Traveling turns: Chaîné and piqué.
• Week 3 & 4- Pirouettes: En dehors and en dedans prep and turns- Focus on pirouette prep spending extra time on en dedans these two weeks.
February – Balance: Adagio
- Week 1 & 2 – Fondu developpés en face center work: try the fondu exercise from the barre in the center and spend time on quality of movement, artistry, and fighting for balance (no wobbles or hops).
• Week 3 & 4 – Center fondu en relevé or developpé
March – Rhythm: Accents out vs. in and waltz focusing on balancé en tournant
- Week 1 & 2- Accents: Degagé, tendu, and/or other combinations using alternating accents. For example degagé accent out on the count 2x, then degagé accent in closing on the count 2x ( 8 counts total). Degagé out 1, hold 2 close 5th &, degagé out 3, hold 4, accenting changes in: close 5, hold six out &, close 7, hold 8. This gives a good chance to also work on dividing a beat from 1, 2, 3, 4 to 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & or if it’s in a 3/4 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a.
- Week 3 & 4- Waltz rhythm: Balancé entournant- Start by just introducing a balancé with the foot coming front instead of back. Then without arms introduce the balancé turning. Foot goes back when facing back (up stage) and front when facing front (down stage). Review balancé and waltz step as well.
April – Jumps: Allegro- emphasize fast speed of an allegro and difference between petit allegro and grand allegro. Make sure to pay attention to how they land their jumps.
- Week 1 & 2- Petit Allegro- Work on Glissade jeté and glissade Assemblé in a combination. Work on broken down sissone fermé. At this level another good exercise is 3 pas de chats with the third one ending in coupé then pas de bourrée to switch sides. It could even be combined with other steps to make an 8 count petit allegro. Pay special attention to how they land (for example are they in a true 5th position, is their whole foot eventually on the floor including heel and pinky toe to prevent injury and rolling), using a deep plié, and pushing the floor away all the way through the foot and, if applicable, massaging the floor to create a good brush for initiating the jump (like in a jeté).
• Week 3 & 4- Grand Allegro- First true grand allegro across the floor (instead of just working on a single step like saut de chat) Sauté arabesque, sauté passé. Take time to break down the movement of the arms and the épaulement without the feet. Head and eyes over the front arm in 1st arabesque and then en face/to the audience for the passé. This is a passé derrière so they really work on the bottom foot pushing into the floor to push away to a straight leg and point the foot. Also make sure they slide their foot through the floor into the passé sauté. There should be so much energy in the bottom leg and foot, that’s what makes a good jump
May – Staging- Performance Prep: Stage Directions/house directions, memorization and retention, formations, and cleaning.
June – Performance Prep: Focus on performance quality, expression, and épaulement.
July – Style exploration: Comedy/Jerome Robbins & Contemporary Ballet – Can use video if available to help, or use your own dancing to demonstrate.
- Give the students a chance to experience some comedy in ballet. Talk about Jerome Robbins and try to do a section of the concert, maybe the mistake waltz (or maybe you own adaption of it). Should be a fun experiment and challenging for them to make something funny. A different side of the artistry that may be needed in ballet. Don’t overdo it, and everyone that isn’t making the mistake has to be so precise and together so it makes the mistake obvious. There is a lot to have fun with and work on here.
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