The levels

Five levels, and how a student moves up

Levels are named for what a student does in them. Ages are a guide. A teacher places every new student at a placement visit.

01
Foundations
Teens and adults, new to ballet
Skills
The barre, in the order it is taught
Positions of the feet and arms
A short combination in the center
Moving up
Your teacher moves you up when the barre is steady and you can follow a center combination without the steps being called. It is a conversation, never a test.
02
Elementary
Teens and adults
Skills
A longer barre with turning and balance
Small jumps and traveling steps
Port de bras that joins the arms to the legs
Moving up
A teacher tells you what to work on and says so when the class above would suit you. Nothing here is decided by age.
03
Intermediate
Teens and adults
Skills
Adagio and allegro combinations
Pirouettes and longer turning sequences
Pointe work, when your teacher says so
Moving up
Teachers look at how you work at the barre and in the center, and at how you take a correction. Alfonzo talks with each student before a move.
04
Advanced
Teens and adults
Skills
A full barre and a long center
Variations taught as classes
Conditioning built into the week
Moving up
By agreement between the teachers and the student. Advanced is the highest class level, and students stay in it as long as it serves them.
05
Performance group
By audition, teens and adults
Skills
Rehearsals for the spring performance
Learning choreography at pace
Classes beside the Advanced level
Moving up
By audition in spring. An audition is a class in the studio, and students wear practice clothes.

Where to startBook a placement visit

Sample levels.

Where a new student starts is the teacher's call. Adults who danced as children often start above Foundations; tell us at the visit.

How a student moves up

The same four steps at every level.

01
Step 1: Class work
A teacher watches the barre, the center and how you take a correction, every week.
02
Step 2: A note from your teacher
When the class above would suit you, your teacher says so and names what to keep working on.
03
Step 3: A conversation
Alfonzo talks with each student before a move. Teens bring a parent if they like.
04
Step 4: A new class
You join the next level at a time that works for your week.

Start with a placement visit

A teacher places every new student, so you begin where the work suits you.

Book a placement visit See the schedule