Mid JuneOpen
Week 1: Ballet technique
Barre and center work every morning.
Mornings are technique in two studios. Afternoons are repertoire, and families come in on Friday afternoon for an informal showing.
- Ages 12 to 15
- 9 am to 3 pm
Pre-professional ballet and contemporary
Serious training, with the hours in plain sight
A program for dancers aged 11 to 18 who want to train for college dance programs, and for the parents who want to know what that asks of a family. Start with a placement visit: dance a class, meet the teachers and see the rooms.
Levels
Four levels, named for what a dancer does in them
Ages are a guide. Teachers place every dancer at a placement visit, and move them up one level at a time.
Foundation
Ages 11 to 13SkillsBallet barre and center work in order
First contemporary and conditioning classes
Learning to rehearse: marking, spacing and counts
About seven hours of class a week
Moving upTeachers review every dancer in the spring and talk with the family first. A dancer moves up when class work is steady and the teachers agree.
Intermediate
Ages 12 to 15SkillsLonger ballet combinations at a steady pace
Turns, jumps and traveling steps
A first repertoire class, learning a short piece
About nine hours of class a week
Moving upThe same spring review, with a written note on what to work on. The family hears the decision in a letter in May.
Advanced
Ages 14 to 17SkillsPointe and variations, when a teacher says a dancer is ready
Contemporary technique and floor work
Rehearsing a piece for the spring performance
About twelve hours of class a week
Moving upTeachers look at technique, rehearsal habits and how a dancer works with the group, then meet the dancer and family together.
Pre-professional
Ages 15 to 18SkillsBallet every weekday, plus Saturday technique
Repertoire and audition-style classes
Time with the director on audition choices and a plan for the year
About fourteen hours of class a week
Moving upBy invitation, after a meeting between the teachers, the dancer and the family. It is the highest level here, and ages are a guide, not a rule.
Where to startBook a placement visit
Sample levels.
The year
Auditions, the spring performance and the year by month
The dates that shape a year here, in the order a family meets them.
This school year
Placement visits
July and August · A class with our teachers and a talk about the level that fits.
Auditions
Late August · An audition is a class in the studio. Dancers wear practice clothes and bring ballet shoes, and pointe shoes if they have them.
Fall session begins
Early September
Winter break
Late December · The studio closes for two weeks.
Mid-year check-ins
January · A short meeting with each dancer and one parent about hours, school load and the spring.
Spring performance
April · Every level dances, and guests need tickets.
Level letters
May · Each family hears the teachers' decision on next year's level in writing.
Summer program
June and July · Three weeks of full days, open to dancers from other studios.
Sample dates.
Summer
The summer program
Three weeks of full days in the studio. Each week stands alone, and dancers from other studios are welcome after a placement visit.
Summer
Late JuneOpenWeek 2: Contemporary and floor work
Floor work, partner work and a short new piece.
A guest teacher joins our own on contemporary classes in the morning, and the group learns a short piece to show on Friday.
- Ages 12 to 18
- 9 am to 3 pm
Early JulyWaitlistWeek 3: Pre-professional week
Audition-style classes and time with the director.
Long days of ballet, pointe and contemporary, and one afternoon on what an audition class asks of a dancer.
- Ages 14 to 18
- 9 am to 4 pm
Sample sessions.
Weeks and hours are set each year; the placement visit has the current list.
An honest picture
What a pre-professional program asks of a family
Before you book a placement visit, here is the whole ask, in the order a family feels it.
Hours
About seven hours of class a week at the first level, rising to about fourteen at the top. The schedule lists every class.
Evenings and Saturdays
Classes run on weeknights from 3:30 pm and on Saturday mornings. School comes first in exam weeks, so tell us early and we plan around it.
Rehearsal season
From January, Saturday rehearsals grow for the spring performance. Families get the rehearsal calendar in December.
Costs beyond tuition
Costumes, shoes, the performance, audition fees and travel to outside auditions are each named, with their purpose, on the how tuition works page.
How tuition worksRest and pain
The studio closes for two weeks in December and a week in March. We ask dancers to tell a teacher about pain before or during class, and we change the work.
Two meetings a year
A level conversation in the spring and a check-in in January, with the dancer in the room. We talk about hours, school load and what comes next.
Teachers
The people in the room
Six teachers lead classes. Three of them lead the levels, and you will meet them first.
Lenore Webster
Director
Lenore danced with ballet companies before she began teaching, and has directed the program since it opened. She teaches the Advanced and Pre-professional levels and meets every family at the placement visit.
Danilo Carrera
Ballet master, Foundation and Intermediate
Danilo teaches ballet technique and repertoire at the first two levels. He is the teacher most dancers meet first, and he runs the Saturday morning classes.
Misaki Hattori
Contemporary and conditioning
Misaki teaches contemporary technique and floor work at every level, and the conditioning classes in the week. She asks every dancer to tell her about pain before or during class.
Questions
Questions families ask before a placement visit
What is a placement visit?
It is a class with our teachers at the level they think fits, followed by a short talk with the director. Every new dancer starts with one. Book it on the placement page.
How many hours a week does the program ask for?
It grows with the level, from about seven hours at Foundation to about fourteen at Pre-professional, with extra Saturday rehearsals before the spring performance. The schedule lists every class.
Can my dancer take classes at another studio too?
Yes. Tell us at the placement visit so we can plan the week together, and tell us again if the other studio changes its hours.
Does the program help with college dance auditions?
Dancers who plan to audition for college dance programs talk with the director about audition classes and repertoire, starting the year before. We make no promise about any program's decision.
What are the extras beyond tuition?
Costumes, shoes, the spring performance, audition fees and travel. Each is named on the how tuition works page with what it covers, and the enrollment packet lists them before you register.