SCHOOL of DANCE CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

See also: Tuition, Attire and Schedule

Time to Dance 2 and 3 year olds
Child and caregiver enjoy 30 minutes of music and movement while working on gross and fine motor skills. The class explores the concepts of space, time and energy. Social skills are enhanced in a fun, nurturing environment that encourages self expression through movement improvisation

Creative Movement Pre-Ballet ages 3 and 4
This class builds on skills introduced in the Time to Dance class, but the children are now working in the class without a caregiver. This class explores the concepts of space, time, and energy, while developing self-awareness, flexibility, and coordination. This class begins to introduce the basics of ballet and bar work. This class continues to promote self expression through movement improvisation.

Boys Dance Ages 4-7yrs.
This class focuses on the physicality and artistry of the young male dancer. Dance principles such as space, time and energy are taught, while developing self-awareness, flexibility, and coordination, using Ballet and Modern Dance vocabulary.

Ballet 1 Grades K and 1
The fundamentals of ballet technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. This class promotes self expression through movement improvisation and student choreography.

Ballet 2 Grades 2 and 3 / Ballet 3 Grades 4 and 5
The fundamentals of ballet technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. This class promotes self expression through movement improvisation and student choreography. The dancers begin to spend more time working in the center building dance phrases.

Ballet 4 Grades MS / Ballet 5 Grades HS
The fundamentals of ballet technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. This class promotes self expression through movement improvisation and student choreography. The dancers continue to expand their ballet vocabulary while building longer dance phrases, focusing on movement quality and musically. Demi-pointe work is increased to begin basic preparation for pointe work in the upcoming years.

Ballet Repertory
Ballet Repertory is a class that will explore choreography from famous ballets, broken down for a dance classroom setting . This class will also focus on stage presence, performance quality, and stage craft. Work will be shown through-out the year through open classes. This class must be taken in conjunction with Ballet 5 class.

Cecchetti
Cecchetti technique is a graded system of ballet from grade one through professional level grade seven, based on the teachings of Enrico Cecchetti.. This class will focus on the 1st & 2nd grade syllabi and will offer students a formal evaluation of their work at the end of the term. The class will be taught by Janet Taisey Craft, a certified Cecchetti teacher.

Modern 1 Grades 4-5 / Modern 2 Grades MS
The fundamentals of modern technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. The students begin to understand how to move their bodies through space, working on movement with no boundaries, through movement phrases and improvisation.

Modern 3 Grades HS
The fundamentals of modern technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. The classes will focus on proper alignment, use of breath, oppositional energy, moving through space, directional changes, fall and recovery. The class works on longer phrases of choreography and dancers begin to find their own movement style.

Contemporary Jazz 2nd-12th grade
A fusion of both Jazz and Modern technique with emphasis on style, musicality and commitment to unconventional movement. This class will increase flexibility, strength and coordination while encouraging the students to move freely. This class will focus on body awareness, build their technical strength as well as dance vocabulary.

Adult Ballet
The fundamentals of ballet technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. This class is beginner level, and a large portion of class is spent working at the bar. The class is rounded out with center-work and traveling combinations which build from week to week.

Adult Modern
The fundamentals of modern dance technique are taught to enhance strength, flexibility, creativity, and artistry. The class will focus on proper alignment, use of breath, oppositional energy, moving through space, directional changes, fall and recovery. Each class will begin with a set floor warm-up

Youth Dance Ensemble
Youth Dance Ensemble was formed to provide students the opportunity to study and perform concert-length dance pieces to the north shore community and to share their love and appreciation of dance as an art form. Students of the ages of 12 years old and older, who are committed, physically able, technically qualified, and passionate in their love of dance will audition in the spring. Please know Ipswich Moving Company School of Dance is dedicated to giving as many willing students the opportunity to be a part of the Company. Program size, however, is limited and those who will be accepted depends greatly on the level of interest they have in the program.

Once a member, all dancers must attend ballet class, modern class, and rehearsal every week. Ensemble members have the opportunity to perform throughout the year, attend master classes, and create their own choreography.

Instead of competitions, the focus is on the process, technique, and artistic expression.

Email: Jennifer Carlson, Director