Ballet and Tap Classes

Spring 2024 registration is open until mid-February 2024.  New students are welcome!

Please call/text us at (703) 338-1330 or email us at [email protected] with any questions. We welcome your inquiry.

CLASS SCHEDULE  —  BY AGE

Grade Level and AgeDay and TimeClass NameTeacher
PreSchool
Age 4-5
Must be 4 by September 1, 2023
Monday 4:45-5:30pm

BEGINS JANUARY 15

Creative MovementErin Nelson
PreSchool
Age 4-5
Must be 4 by September 1, 2023
Monday 5:30-6:15 pm
*FULL*
WAITLIST ONLY
Creative Movement
*FULL*
WAITLIST ONLY
Erin Nelson
Kindergarten
Age 5-6
Must be 5 by September 1, 2023
Monday 6:15-7:00 pmPreBalletErin Nelson
Kindergarten & 1st grades
Ages 5-6
Tuesday 4:15-5:15 pmBallet 1 + Tap 1
(30 min. of each)
Rachel Goldberg
1st grade
Ages 6-7
Wednesday 4:15-5:15 pmBallet 1
Cindy Bragg
2nd grade
Ages 7-8
Monday 4:30-5:30 pmBallet 2Erin Nelson
2nd & 3rd grades
Ages 7-9
Wednesday 5:15-6:15 pmBallet 2Cindy Bragg
2nd through 5th grades
Ages 7-10
Thursday 4:00-4:45 pmBeginning Contemporary Dance

NEW CLASS-COME TRY IT!

Erin Nelson
3rd & 4th grades
Ages 8-10
Thursday 4:45-5:45 pmBallet 3/4Erin Nelson
2nd through 5th grades
Ages 7-10
Thursday 5:45-6:30 pmTap 2
(a little experience preferred/helpful)
Rachel Goldberg
4th and 5th grades
Ages 9-11
Tuesday 5:15-6:15 pmBallet 4/5
Rachel Goldberg
4th and 5th grades
Ages 9-11
Tuesday 6:15-7:00 pmTap 3 (Intermediate Tap)
Rachel Goldberg
6th grade and up
Ages 11-17
Wednesday 6:15-7:00 pmTap 4
(Advanced Tap)
Cindy Bragg
6th grade and up
Ages 11-17
Wednesday 7:00-8:15 pm
and/or

Thursday 6:30-7:45 pm

Last 15 min. of class on pointe

*All students taking pointe must take twice per week: either Monday/Wednesday, Monday/Thursday, or Wednesday/Thursday

The Monday night class is on Zoom and is 45 minutes long.

Ballet 6 & 7
(Advanced Ballet with Pointe)
Students taking pointe are required to take twice per week, adding either the Monday Pointe class on Zoom or the other Ballet 7 class in the studio.
Cindy Bragg, Wednesdays @ 7pm

Rachel Goldberg, Thursdays @ 6:30pm

6th grade and up
Ages 11-17
Open to all dancers on pointe
Monday 7:00-7:45 pm

*on Zoom

Pointe Strengthening
on Zoom

**This a required 2nd pointe class per week to strengthen feet and legs. Required for anyone in Ballet 7.

Elenaluisa Alvarez
Adults
Age 18+
Monday 7:05-8:05 pm

*Offered on a drop-in basis @ $25/class

Adult Ballet

*some experience preferred/helpful

Erin Nelson

Grade Level and Ballet Level Equivalent

School for Swans is a small, welcoming, neighborhood school that emphasizes the joy of dancing and performing. We provide enrichment classes that allow young dancers to learn alignment and technique and explore artistry in a nurturing environment.

We believe that dance is for everyone and that it’s never too late to start dancing! Our class progression allows for flexibility in age and experience levels. If coming from another school or with no experience at all, it may be necessary to try out one or more classes to find an appropriate placement.

Dancers will typically move up a level each year until they reach Ballet 6. By the time a dancer has reached Ballet 6, she or he has learned the fundamentals of Ballet. Dancers in Ballet 6 and 7 continue to refine their technique. These classes offer different and new challenges for the students each week. The intention is that dancers will remain in these classes for 2 or more years.

Dancers pursuing pointe work in Ballet 7 are required to take Ballet class twice a week. Taking Ballet class twice a week will make pointe work both safer and more successful. It is very difficult to build the necessary muscle strength to work on pointe when only training once a week. Building that strength in all areas of the body, but especially the feet, requires work both in and out of pointe shoes. For example, the relevés we do in regular Ballet slippers build muscle in our calves, ankles, and toes, which later supports the dancer when she goes on full pointe. Moreover, that dancer needs to instinctively understand how to hold her upper body so that she can balance. Dancers build that instinct through taking regular Ballet class.

Pointe work is a highly demanding art form. As an enrichment program, we aim to provide our dancers with the opportunity to *safely* explore basic pointe work. Advanced pointe work (turns, hops, etc.) requires a conservatory program with hours of training each week.

Required Class Attire and Hair Treatment

© 2024 School for Swans, LLC
BALLET + TAP CLASSES FOR CHILDREN IN OLD TOWN, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

430 S. Fairfax St.  Alexandria, VA 22314
703-338-1330 | [email protected]

Photos by Louise Krafft