Peak
An all-inclusive program that enables students to excel in multiple different genres of dance. Dancers train in a variety of styles including, ballet, jazz, contemporary and Broadway, as well as Pilates. This diverse training allows students to enhance their performance in all styles of dance.
- Level I (Ages 7-9)
- Level II (Ages 9-11)
- Level III (Ages 11-13)
- Level IV (Ages 13 and Up)
- Level V (Ages 14 and up)
- Open Ballet (For Levels IV and V)
Level I (Ages 7-9): Program includes 4 hours of training per week in the form of
2 Ballet classes,
1 Jazz class,
1 Pilates class.
Ballet
Classes introduce barre work with students facing the barre. Correct posture and placement are still emphasized with more focus being placed on proper turnout and alignment of the feet and ankles. Discipline and etiquette will be emphasized to help students maintain focus and learn a variety of new coordinations. The three basic directions of the body will be introduced as well as movement directions and their french terminology. Musicality concepts will be used to help develop muscular strength and coordination in preparation for more complex movements in later levels.
Jazz
Classes include isolations, stretch and strengthening, and the ability to differentiate multiple styles and ways of moving. More complex dynamics in movement through levels, direction changes, spinal articulation, and sharp vs. smooth qualities will be emphasized. Progressions will gain more complexity relevant to their motor skills. Balance and turning elements will progress as well as larger jumps requiring more height and flexibility. Musicality and phrasing will be used in choreography to represent different styles of Jazz such as Commercial, Lyrical and Broadway.
Pilates
Classes at this level will focus on movement fundamentals of pelvic, cervical, rib cage and shoulder girdle awareness and alignment. Special attention will be given to the breath and the different kinds of breathing as well as spinal mobility and core stability.
Tap (optional for Ages 7-11)
Lyrical (optional for Ages 7-11)
Jazz Funk/Hip-Hop (optional for ages 7-12)
Level II (Ages 9-11): Program includes 6.75-hours of training per week in the form of
2 Ballet Classes,
1 Jazz class,
1 Contemporary class,
1 Broadway Class,
1 Pilates class.
Ballet
Classes focus on correct posture, turnout and placement at the barre and during center exercises. Students will now execute barre work with one hand on the barre and only facing the barre when introducing new curriculum steps. Épaulement will be utilized with more consistency at this level and executed in more directions of the body as well as adding more positions of the arms. A strong emphasis in discipline and etiquette will be maintained to help students focus and achieve a variety of coordinations through jumping, turning and developing a heightened awareness of one’s balance. Flexibility and balanced strength to support the muscular-skeletal system will be enhanced. Pre-pointe concepts will also be introduced in Level II.
Jazz
Classes include isolations, stretch and strengthening, cardio-vascular training, and the ability to differentiate various styles and ways of moving. More complex dynamics in movement through levels, direction changes, spinal articulation, and sharp vs. smooth qualities will be emphasized. Progressions will gain more complexity combining balance and turning elements with large jumps in a wider variety of musical tempos. Musicality and phrasing will be used in choreography to represent different styles of Jazz such as Commercial, Lyrical, Fosse and Funk.
Contemporary
Classes incorporate current dance trends based on Ballet, Jazz and Lyrical disciplines. Creative improvisation will be introduced at this level. Discovering how to think creatively to encourage body awareness and style will be emphasized.
Broadway
Classes utilize proper dance techniques while exploring different styles used in Broadway shows. Learning different performance skills to connect with an audience through storytelling and facial expressions is emphasized. Classes may include viewings of specific excerpts of Broadway shows to help clarify material and discuss dance history.
Pilates
Movement fundamentals of pelvic, cervical, rib cage and shoulder girdle awareness and alignment will be refined. Special attention will be given to the breath and the different kinds of breathing as well as spinal mobility and core stability to enhance flexibility, strength and endurance.
Tap (optional for Ages 7-11)
Lyrical (optional for Ages 7-11)
Jazz Funk/Hip-Hop (optional for ages 7-12)
Level III (Ages 11-13): Program includes 9.5-hours of training per week in the form of
3 Ballet classes,
2 Pointe classes,
1 Jazz class,
1 Broadway class,
1 Pilates class,
1 Contemporary class.
Ballet
Classes focus on correct posture, turnout and placement at the barre and during center exercises. All 8 directions of the body will be used at this level as well as all 5 positions of the arms and their variations. A strong emphasis in discipline and etiquette will be maintained to help students focus and achieve a variety of coordinations through allegro movements, pirouettes, and adage movements developing a heightened awareness of one’s balance. Flexibility and balanced strength to support the muscular-skeletal system will continue to be developed. Pointe work is also introduced in Level III.
Pointe
Classes are available to students starting in Level III of our Peak program upon faculty approval. Strength and articulation of the feet and ankles is emphasized. Beginning pointe students will work at the barre only. Second year pointe students will progress to exercises in the center.
Jazz
Classes include isolations, stretch and strengthening, cardio-vascular training, and the ability to differentiate multiple styles and ways of moving. More complex dynamics in movement through levels, direction changes, spinal articulation, and sharp vs. smooth qualities will be emphasized. Progressions will gain more complexity combining balance and turning elements with large jumps in a wider variety of musical tempos. Improv will be used to help develop a sense of musicality and personal style. Floor work and flexibility elements will begin to become more complex. Choreography will represent different styles of Jazz with influences blended across Commercial, Lyrical, Fosse, Funk, and Hip-Hop fusion.
Contemporary
Classes incorporate current dance trends based on Ballet, Jazz and Modern disciplines. Creative challenges in improvisation and dance connections within one’s self and others will be explored in this class. Creative thinking skills will be enhanced to encourage total body connectivity and awareness of others to create physical artful connections with others. The concept of grounding and utilizing the floor through both floor work, and large progressive movements will be emphasized.
Broadway
Classes utilize proper dance techniques while exploring different styles used in Broadway shows. Learning different performance skills to connect with an audience through storytelling and facial expressions as well as learning actual repertoire from Broadway and other musical theater type shows is emphasized. Classes may include viewings of specific excerpts of Broadway shows to help clarify material and discuss dance history.
Pilates
Classes consist of low-impact flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. Proper postural alignment, core strength, muscle balance and spinal articulation are all emphasized with special attention to the breath and how it can enhance performance in all areas. Movement fundamentals of pelvic, cervical, rib cage and shoulder girdle awareness and alignment will now be connected conceptually to specific movements in all styles of dance.
Jazz Funk/Hip-Hop (optional for ages 7-12)
Level IV (Ages 14 and Up): Program includes 12 hours of training per week in the form of
3-4 Ballet classes,
2 Pointe classes,
1 Modern class,
1 Jazz class,
1 Contemporary class,
1 Broadway class,
1 Pilates class.
Ballet
Classes focus on correct posture, turnout and placement at the barre and during center exercises. A strong emphasis on discipline and etiquette will be maintained to help students focus and achieve a variety of coordinations through allegro movements, pirouettes, and adage movements developing a heightened awareness of one’s balance. Flexibility and balanced strength to support the muscular-skeletal system will be developed over time to achieve graceful athleticism that will enhance all styles of dance. Pointe work in the center will also be added during class time.
Pointe
Strength and articulation of the feet and ankles will be strengthened and refined. More complex center work will be introduced. Choreographic concepts and variation coaching will be a regular part of class time at this level.
Jazz
Classes include isolations, stretch and strengthening, cardiovascular training, and the ability to differentiate various styles and ways of moving. More complex dynamics in movement through levels, direction changes, spinal articulation, and sharp vs. smooth qualities will be emphasized. Progressions will gain more complexity combining balance and turning elements with large jumps in a wider variety of musical tempos. Improv will be used to help develop a sense of musicality and personal style. Floor work and flexibility elements will begin to become more complex. Choreography will represent different styles of Jazz with influences blended across Commercial, Lyrical, Fosse, Funk, Hip-Hop fusion and African. A focus on style diversity will be emphasized more at this level as well as strategies on how to pick up choreography more quickly and accurately.
Modern
Classes focus on a variety of modern techniques including Horton, Graham, Limon, Taylor and Cunningham methods. Within these methods, students will understand concepts of movement such as head/tail connection, contracting and high release, grounding, expansiveness within the body, and transitional movements.
Contemporary
Classes incorporate current dance trends based on Ballet, Jazz and Modern disciplines. Modern concepts from Horton and Graham techniques will be utilized in this level to help with stability and precision of lines as well as expanding concepts of floor work. Creative challenges in improvisation and dance connections within one’s self and others will be explored in this class as well as how to make physical and artful connections with others. An emphasis on creative thinking skills will encourage total body connectivity and fusion of styles. Partnering and weight share concepts will be introduced and developed at this level.
Broadway
Classes utilize proper dance techniques while exploring different styles used in Broadway shows. Learning different performance skills to connect with an audience through storytelling and facial expressions as well as learning actual repertoire from Broadway and other musical theater type shows is emphasized. Dancing in character heels will be introduced as well as basic tap concepts commonly used in Broadway shows. Audition preparation and strategies will be explored at this level. Classes may include viewings of specific excerpts of Broadway shows to help clarify material and discuss dance history.
Pilates
Classes consist of low-impact flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. Proper postural alignment, core strength, muscle balance and spinal articulation are all emphasized with special attention to the breath and how it can enhance performance in all areas. Movement fundamentals of pelvic, cervical, rib cage and shoulder girdle awareness and alignment will now be connected conceptually to specific movements in all styles of dance. At this level we will focus on the deeper intrinsic muscles of the body and how they can enhance performance in all areas and minimize injury.
Jazz Funk/Hip-Hop (optional for ages 13+)
Level V (Ages 14 and Up): Program includes 12.5 hours of training per week in the form of
3-4 Ballet classes,
2 Pointe classes,
1 Modern class,
1 Jazz class,
1 Contemporary class,
1 Broadway class,
1 Pilates class.
Ballet
Classes focus on correct posture, turnout and placement at the barre and during center exercises. A strong emphasis on discipline and etiquette will be maintained to help students focus and achieve a variety of coordinations through allegro movements, pirouettes, and adage movements developing a heightened awareness of one’s balance. Flexibility and balanced strength to support the muscular-skeletal system will be developed over time to achieve graceful athleticism that will enhance all styles of dance. Pointe work in the center will also be added during class time.
Pointe
Strength and articulation of the feet and ankles will be strengthened and refined. More complex center work will be introduced. Choreographic concepts and variation coaching will be a regular part of class time at this level.
Jazz
Classes include isolations, stretch and strengthening, cardiovascular training, and the ability to differentiate various styles and ways of moving. More complex dynamics in movement through levels, direction changes, spinal articulation, and sharp vs. smooth qualities will be emphasized. Progressions will gain more complexity combining balance and turning elements with large jumps in a wider variety of musical tempos. Improv will be used to help develop a sense of musicality and personal style. Floor work and flexibility elements will begin to become more complex. Choreography will represent different styles of Jazz with influences blended across Commercial, Lyrical, Fosse, Funk, Hip-Hop fusion and African. A focus on style diversity will be emphasized more at this level as well as strategies on how to pick up choreography more quickly and accurately.
Modern
Classes focus on a variety of modern techniques including Horton, Graham, Limon, Taylor and Cunningham methods. Within these methods, students will understand concepts of movement such as head/tail connection, contracting and high release, grounding, expansiveness within the body, and transitional movements.
Contemporary
Classes incorporate current dance trends based on Ballet, Jazz and Modern disciplines. Modern concepts from Horton and Graham techniques will be utilized in this level to help with stability and precision of lines as well as expanding concepts of floor work. Creative challenges in improvisation and dance connections within one’s self and others will be explored in this class as well as how to make physical and artful connections with others. An emphasis on creative thinking skills will encourage total body connectivity and fusion of styles. Partnering and weight share concepts will be introduced and developed at this level.
Broadway
Classes utilize proper dance techniques while exploring different styles used in Broadway shows. Learning different performance skills to connect with an audience through storytelling and facial expressions as well as learning actual repertoire from Broadway and other musical theater type shows is emphasized. Dancing in character heels will be introduced as well as basic tap concepts commonly used in Broadway shows. Audition preparation and strategies will be explored at this level. Classes may include viewings of specific excerpts of Broadway shows to help clarify material and discuss dance history.
Pilates
Classes consist of low-impact flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. Proper postural alignment, core strength, muscle balance and spinal articulation are all emphasized with special attention to the breath and how it can enhance performance in all areas. Movement fundamentals of pelvic, cervical, rib cage and shoulder girdle awareness and alignment will now be connected conceptually to specific movements in all styles of dance. At this level we will focus on the deeper intrinsic muscles of the body and how they can enhance performance in all areas and minimize injury.
Jazz Funk/Hip-Hop (optional for ages 13+)
Open Ballet (For Levels IV and V):
Class is available for our Level IV and V students to help enhance technique. Classes will focus on refining barre and center work capabilities with appropriate curriculum concepts for both levels.