Ballet

About Mini Ballet in Irlam / Cadishead:

We love that we can bring ballet kids dance classes to Irlam / Cadishead. Our Ballet dance classes are currently for 4 to 6 year olds, but we intend to open further classes, so feel free to get in touch, even if your child is outside those age groups.

Ballet encourages self-discipline and self expression, developing listening skills, encouraging children to follow instruction, learning to work as an individual and in groups, developing  co-ordination, good posture, strength and suppleness. Ballet also provides a nurturing environment for the development of artistry and musical appreciation.

Ballet Gear

The academy can order these on your behalf. You do not have to have these specific items, but a pink leotard, pink shoes and pink tights will be compulsory. If your child continues ballet after the trial, and doesn’t have ballet gear, then these items will be ordered on your behalf and added to the direct debit. 

-Shoes: £11 https://www.ids.co.uk/cbt-1st-position-canvas-ballet-shoe

-Tights: £3.50 https://www.ids.co.uk/ad134-silky-essential-footed-ballet-tights

-Leotard RAD approved: £30 https://www.dancedirect.com/rad001-rad-approved-sophia-princess-line-skirted-leotard 

-Toddler leotard: £27 (size 2-4)

Delivery: £2.95 UK Standard Tracked (3 – 5 Working Day lead time)

 

The total cost for the full ballet gear:

-for 4 year olds and above: £45.50 (not including delivery)

-for 2 year to 4 year olds: £41.50  (not including delivery)

 

There are many ballet dance techniques to be learnt. Here are a few that our Irlam dance class learnt in their first month:

 

BOUNCE AND PIQUET
GALLOPPING
SKIPPING
WALKING ON TIP TOES
SPINNING. 

Ballet Tendus

Plie - First Position

Plie - second position

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REC AND Y1- MINI BALLET - AGE 4-6 - Pre Primary

On successful completion of a course of study of 40 hours of Mini ballet, students, through participation and practice, will be able to:  articulate parts of the body, demonstrate awareness of positions of the body, perform with an awareness of space, demonstrate control and co-ordination, demonstrate elevation, demonstrate use of appropriate movement dynamics, respond to the elements of music, perform expressively, perform a sequence of simple steps to depict a story and confidently recall the settings.

-first 2 years of ballet – 40 hours of learning required-

The Syllabus aims to develop motor movement and balance. Fun exercises and ballet music are used to train the children to articulate their feet, and gain control of various actions. Basic movement rhythms are introduced in hop, skips and gallops. 

Basic ballet technique: Turned out knee bend, Tendu position, Plies

Ballet positions: 1st position

Steps: Skipping, Jumping, Galloping

Performance Content:

Bounce and Jump 

Picked-Up Galops 

Legs and Feet 

YEAR 2 - AGE 6-7 - (LITTLE STARS) 40 LEARNING HOURS REQUIRED

Skills: Walking with stretched feet, Stretching the feet and legs with correct alignment and use of turnout, Hops, Jumps, Springs and Leaps

Content:

Legs and Feet 

Arms and Head  

Bend and Run 

Bend and Point 

Transfer of Weight 

Galops and Skips 

Run and Leap 

Dressing-Up Dance

YEAR 3 - AGE 7-8 - 40 LEARNING HOURS REQUIRED

Spatial awareness of the placement of the limbs as well of the floor pattern is a new skill but controlling the turnout is the biggest and most difficult ask of all the techniques learned in this grade. It takes maturity of the body to get control of the turnout and some children are also starting to struggle with growing muscles. It is very important to give them the time to find their own path through.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamental and relevant technique, demonstrate co-ordination, control and accuracy in a range of sequences  perform with an awareness of line  perform with spatial awareness of the body in travelling movements and turning actions  demonstrate an awareness of the appropriate dynamic values in the performance of the vocabulary. 

Ballet terms:

Vocabulary:

Demi plié – half bend, Battement – beat, Tendus -stretch, En croix -in the shape of a cross, Grandes -large, Grandes battements en croix -l arge beats in the shape of a cross, Retire – draw up, Port de bras -carriage of the arms, Dégagé -disengage/point, Devant -front, Derriere -behind, A la seconde -to second, En avant -forwards, En arriere -backwards, De coté -sideways, Chasse -chase, Posé -step, Temps levé -hop, Petit -small/little, Jetés -throw, Petits jetés devant -little throws in front, Petits jetés derriere -little throws at the back, Saute -jump, Retiré saute en arriere -skips backwards, Changement -change, Allegro -brisk, lively. Jumping section, Adage -slow controlled movements.

Arm positions?

Bras bas -arms low

En avant -forwards (opposite tummy button)

En couronne -shaped like a crown

A la seconde -out to the side

Attitude -one arm above head and the other out to the side in seconde

Bras croisés -arms crossed, one arm in front of tummy, the other out to the side

Demi bras -half arms, presenting a bunch of flowers