Youth Ballet Program
Ages 7-18
The Youth Program is where formal training begins. When completed in succession, it lays the foundation of our curriculum and the technique of classical ballet and other forms of dance.
The focus is on developing strong, coordinated, musical, and artistically educated students who have the ability and versatility to further their education beyond NSB to pursue a career in the arts and/or other related fields.
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Youth Ballet Curriculum Outline:
Beginner Ballet I (generally ages 7-9) is the first level of academic ballet training at Northeast School of Ballet. Upon entering this level students are expected to have respect for the classroom and learning process. Dancers will be introduced to elementary ballet steps both at the barre and center. Stretching, coordination, strength-building, and musicality will be major components in the student's dance education. All students are encouraged to learn terminology and practice exercises at home. Students at this level have the choice to attend three ballet classes a week and have the option to study jazz, tap, and ballroom. Beginner students have the choice to participate in NSB’s Annual Ballet Lecture-Demonstration and Showcase in May.
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Beginner Ballet II (generally ages 8-10) builds on the steps previously introduced in Beginner Ballet I and will evolve and incorporate different positions, patterning, and coordination. All students are encouraged to learn terminology and practice exercises at home. Students at this level have the choice to attend three ballet classes a week and have the option to study jazz, tap, and ballroom. Ballet II students have the choice to participate in NSB’s Annual Ballet Lecture-Demonstration and Showcase in May, and during the Fall/Winter semester are also given the opportunity to audition for NYB’s The Nutcracker. Acceptance and casting for the production are at the sole discretion of the Artistic Staff of Northeast Youth Ballet. Students In Ballet II are encouraged to attend at least two ballet classes a week and study jazz, tap, and ballroom to strengthen their training.
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Intermediate Ballet I, II, and III (generally ages 9-12) builds on the steps previously introduced in Beginner Ballet and will evolve and incorporate more advanced steps and training. Students will begin to study pre-pointe work which is a practice designed to prepare them for pointe classes in the future. All students will need a green Thera-Band for foot and ankle strengthening and are required to bring a single subject spiral notebook to class to notate ballet terminology and practice exercises for homework. Students have the choice to participate in NSB’s Annual Ballet Lecture-Demonstration and Showcase in May and during the Fall/Winter semester are given the opportunity to audition for NYB’s The Nutcracker. Acceptance and casting for the production are at the sole discretion of the Artistic Staff of Northeast Youth Ballet. Students are required to attend as many ballet classes during the week that are offered at their level and are strongly encouraged to study modern, jazz, tap, and ballroom to strengthen their training. Studying different forms of dance at this age allows for technical and artistic growth that is pivotal for a young dancer's training.
Intermediate/Advanced Ballet I (generally ages 12-15) offers a large amount of material and vocabulary to explore with increased expectations. Participation requires generally more than three years of classical ballet study. As a result, students should expect to remain in Int/adv ballet for consecutive years at minimum. Students will be offered pointe technique classes. All students will need a green Thera-Band for foot and ankle strengthening and are required to bring a single subject spiral notebook to class to notate ballet terminology and practice exercises for homework. Students have the choice to participate in NSB’s Annual Ballet Lecture-Demonstration and Showcase during May and are also given the opportunity to audition for NYB’s The Nutcracker. Acceptance and casting for the production are at the sole discretion of the Artistic Staff of Northeast Youth Ballet. Students are encouraged to attend as many ballet classes offered during the week at their level and strongly encouraged to study modern, jazz, tap ballroom and cross-training for versatility in their training.
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Intermediate/Advanced Ballet II (generally ages 14-18) offers a large amount of material and vocabulary to explore with increased expectations. Participation requires generally more than four years of classical ballet study. As a result, students should expect to remain in this level for years at minimum.The students are encouraged to continue studying the previous dance disciplines with the addition of modern, contemporary ballet, jazz, ballroom, yoga, and cross-training for versatility and building strength in their training. Students at this level will have the physical ability to study classical and contemporary works, as well as choreography in complementary dance disciplines. In addition, artistry and self-expression will be largely emphasized at this level. Performance opportunities include a choice to participate in NSB’s Annual Ballet Lecture-Demonstration and Showcase during May and the opportunity to audition for NYB’s The Nutcracker. Acceptance and casting for the production are at the sole discretion of the Artistic Staff of Northeast Youth Ballet. Students In Int/Adv II are required to attend as many ballet classes at their level during the week and strongly encouraged to study other disciplines to advance their training.