Leveling Progression By Age

• We have a full academic year curriculum with two distinct enrollment periods: Fall Semester and Spring Semester  

• Technique class leveling is determined by prior experience in the respective dance form, and students are expected to stay in the same level for one academic year (2 semesters) at a minimum, with some students staying at the same level for two years. 

• While there is no penalty for absences, the more a student attends class, the more quickly they will progress through the levels.  
• View our Level Chart for guidance.

Program Descriptions

We Dance – for toddlers and their caregivers 18 months to 4 years

Explore movement together through dance, music, and play!

• We Dance is designed to give caregivers and our youngest dancers an opportunity to cultivate a love of dance and music while developing fine, gross and locomotor skills through play-based activities. 
• Led by early childhood educators and accompanied by live music, classes include singing, games, and movement activities. 
• We Dance encourages caregiver participation to strengthen bonding while modeling movement and creative play. Classes introduce healthy movement habits for both children and adults in a joyful, welcoming community environment.
• For our youngest dancers – newborns through newly walking children – activities support their developing coordination while helping caregivers move comfortably and safely through daily routines and self-care through dancing in community with others.

Classes are designed to meet the highly specific developmental needs of children at these young ages, therefore students will not be permitted to register outside of their suggested age bracket. Content varies in each session, even when it is for the same age group, based on the focus determined by respective teaching artists.

For the Postpartum parent and baby, we offer a 6-week Postpartum Series. Learn more here.

Creative Dance – Ages 4-6

Creative Dance classes (our first drop-off option) introduce children ages 4–6 to the joy of dance and music through movement, creativity, and play. Students explore basic dance technique, musicality, and improvisation while building motor skills, confidence, and social connections, all with live musical accompaniment.

At age 5, dancers may also choose to explore a specific genre of dance – Ballet, Modern, Hip-Hop, Broadway Jazz, or Tap – through our Creative Explorations classes

Adaptive & Sensory Friendly Dance – 4 to 18 years old

The School is committed to bringing the joy and benefits of dance and music to students with and without disabilities. While all our programming in The School is inclusive, our Adaptive and Sensory Friendly classes are designed for students with disabilities.

What makes our Adaptive and Sensory Friendly Classes different?

• Classes are kept small with a greater student to teacher ratio to allow for a more intimate learning experience.
• Parent participation is allowed, although optional.
• Classes allow for individualized pacing to better meet the unique needs of the students in the room.

Technique Classes – 6 to 18 years old

Ballet

Ballet is a classical dance form that originated in the 1500s. Our classes are accompanied by a pianist and follow a traditional structure, with a focus on developing strength, moving in alignment, building musicality, and the grace that is inherent in the form. Students begin at the barre, progress to the center, and culminate with traveling exercises across the floor. Terminology, alignment, balance, artistry, sequencing, and pushing through space are emphasized at each level. 

Pointe class is an optional add-on, though not required, for students who have studied ballet to an intermediate level. Students who are 11 or older and are new to The School will need to register for pre-pointe in addition to a Ballet technique class. A Pointe-Readiness assessment will be made during the first 4 weeks of the academic year.

Hip-Hop

Born in New York City in the 1970s, Hip-Hop dance is an element of Hip-Hop culture. Our classes begin with a community building warm-up, followed by skill building exercises and drills in the center of the room. Students will explore their personal voice through freestyle as well as through a wide range of codified styles, including breaking, popping, and locking. Classes culminate in choreography and a cypher style improvisation.

Jazz & Broadway Jazz

Born out of African dance, American tap dance, ballet and theatre, Jazz dance places a strong emphasis on musicality, rhythm and dynamic movement. Classes draw from a variety of historical and contemporary jazz styles including influences from the techniques of Dunham, Giordano, and Luigi. Our students are encouraged to develop their artistic voice through the lens of popular music and a variety of movement styles, while also honoring the history of the form and its roots.

Rooted in the traditions of jazz, theatre, and classic musical performance, Broadway Jazz blends the expressive power of storytelling with dynamic, stylized movement. With its foundations in African dance, American tap, ballet, and theatrical traditions, this genre emphasizes character, precision, and stage presence. Our students explore iconic choreography and musical interpretations inspired by legends like Fosse, Cole, and Robbins, while incorporating contemporary influences that bring the Broadway stage to life.

Modern & Contemporary

Modern dance is a concert dance form that arose out of ballet in the early 20th century. Our classes are accompanied by live music and draw from a variety of classical and contemporary techniques. Students begin with a warm-up that combines floorwork and standing center exercises, focusing on skill-building with proper technique, musicality, and spinal articulation; followed by sequencing steps in the center and across the floor, as well as the development of improvisation and composition skills.

Contemporary dance is an expressive, evolving dance form that brings together elements of modern, ballet, and postmodern movement techniques. Our classes encourage physical exploration, emotional expression, and creative risk-taking. Dancers begin with a full-body warm-up that incorporates floorwork, strength-building, and improvisational play. Emphasis is placed on dynamic alignment, fluid transitions, and the development of personal movement vocabulary.  

Tap

Tap dance is a percussive style that originated in the United States in the 1700s and is practiced using shoes with metal plates to create sound. Our tap classes draw from both Broadway and contemporary Rhythm-Tap styles and emphasize precision and musicality. Classes begin with foot isolating warm-ups, progress to rhythm and step-based skill building in the center of the room, and end with traveling across the floor. Students will also learn choreography and practice improvisation

Music & Singing

We offer singing classes to our community because we believe in developing musicality as a dancer. In our classes, students learn songs and sing them together, with a focus on musical theatre and popular literature and song interpretation.