Shannon's School of Dance

(To see our class schedule please go to the Registration page)

Classes will start the week of October 5th!!!

Cosmetically we are not ready....however, we are still starting classes! Please keep in mind that we still need to replace a ceiling , paint etc...so pardon the decor!!! :) If you have not yet registered, we prefer you do so prior to coming to class in order to minimize the confusion..It is hard to put a class roster together when we don't know your child will be there! If you have paid your first payment....your next payment will not be due until November, however your installment fee will be slightly higher, due to the fact that we have to reconfigure payment plans because of the delay. Classes will be guaranteed, however yearly fee will be broken down into 9 payments instead of 10- this will make your payment per month slightly higher ( around $5) because we are spreading out one payment over nine months. We did not think that it was fair to ask for two months of payments when we are just starting classes,so we surveyed some parents and came up with this solution.

We didn't anticipate the tremendous delay, and look forward to starting classes! :)

~Shannon Smith, Director

CLASSES

Classes are offered in Classical Ballet, Tap and Jazz to students ages 3 & up- Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced levels. (Students must be potty trained in order to begin lessons!!)

Intro to Dance - (ages 3 - 6 years) Creative Movement/Pre-Ballet/Pre-Tap Pre-Jazz(6 yr olds)
60 minute class ( 30 minutes for ballet-30 minutes for tap- 6 year olds will have a pre-jazz segment before tap) These classes focus on creative movement , introduce students to ballet steps, rhythm, and tap steps. Classes begin with warm up, and then move to the repetition of steps already learned and/ or and introduction of a new step or movement. Students learn to travel across the studio individually and with partners or as a group. Center work is also concentrated on so that students learn to work together. Cooperation, discipline, structure, listening skills, patience and self-confidence are emphasized. Class encourages Free expression and the child’s imagination and self esteem are encouraged and strengthened through dance. Classes are structured so that as the child increases in age, their level of ability and dance vocabulary progresses according to their ability.

The following classes are offered at a variety of levels for students ages 7 and older. Length of class will vary depending on the level of instruction.

If a student chooses to take Jazz, it is preferred that they also take Ballet, however Ballet is no longer mandatory.

Ballet – (Combination of Vaganova and Cecchetti Methods.)
Classes emphasize the development of classical ballet skills with a focus on proper body placement and alignment. Students will learn ballet vocabulary through barre, center, and across the floor work, while building strength and flexibility

Ballet’s strong technical basis is the foundation of ALL dance, and is central to a student’s study of any dance form.
Understanding and mastering the skills and discipline that are emphasized in the Ballet class develops musicality, technical understanding of dance movement and it’s vocabulary, body mechanics, and the ability to connect different movements together with ease. A student who studies ballet, will be more confident to pursue other forms of dance.
Between the ages of 10-12, depending upon their level of advancement (in Ballet), students are required to take no less than 2 Ballet classes per week.

Any student who wishes to only take one ballet class in order to improve their technique in other classes can do so, and will not be obligated to be in our student performance in June for that ballet class.

Once a student meets the teacher’s criteria for advancing to pointe` work, they may eventually be required to take no less than 3 Ballet classes per week. (2 technique classes in ballet shoes and one pointe class)

*Students on pointe` MUST attend a minimum of 2 Ballet Technique classes in ballet shoes per week , in addition to their Pointe class or they will not be allowed to do pointe` at all.

Pointe work will not be taught to a student who does not adhere to, or respect, the technical requirements or discipline involved.

*ONLY the Ballet Teacher determines when a student should advance to Pointe work. If you would like more information in regards to pointe work, and the anatomical, physical, and technical requirements which must be met to be able to dance en pointe`, contact us and information will be provided to you.

Tap -
Tap dance focuses on percussive rhythms of the feet and helps develop coordination, balance and musicality. SSofD’s tap program follows the Al Gilbert Syllabus which teaches the students a sense of rhythm, timing and sound accuracy as well as musical appreciation.

Jazz -
An energetic, fast moving, enthusiastic dance form, Jazz is both transitional and traditional. Varied styles of movement are explored with attention to basic jazz technique, terminology and movement quality with an emphasis on proper execution of jazz isolations and flexibility. Our curriculum ranges from Classical Jazz to L.A. stylized Jazz and Hip-Hop.

*Students who do not take ballet will not advance as quickly as those who do – We cannot guarantee that a student will be moved up to another Jazz class level with their group, if they do not take ballet.

*Ballet is no longer a requirement to take a jazz class, however if a student wishes to do a solo as a graduate, or they would like to be eligible for our performance team that we are finally putting together, they must take ballet. We cannot guarantee advancement in jazz without a ballet class being taken. Students who take ballet will excel at a faster rate.

Students wishing to “catch up” to a different class level may have to take an additional class/classes at a discounted price.

Once the student shows that they have mastered the necessary skills, they may not have to continue with the extra classes- This is totally up to the discretion of the teachers.