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 Age | Day and Time | Class Name | Teacher |
---|---|---|---|
PreSchool Age 4-5 Must be 4 by September 1, 2023 | Monday 4:45-5:30pm BEGINS JANUARY 15 | Creative Movement | Erin 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 pm | PreBallet | Erin Nelson |
Kindergarten & 1st grades Ages 5-6 | Tuesday 4:15-5:15 pm | Ballet 1 + Tap 1 (30 min. of each) | Rachel Goldberg |
1st grade Ages 6-7 | Wednesday 4:15-5:15 pm | Ballet 1 | Cindy Bragg |
2nd grade Ages 7-8 | Monday 4:30-5:30 pm | Ballet 2 | Erin Nelson |
2nd & 3rd grades Ages 7-9 | Wednesday 5:15-6:15 pm | Ballet 2 | Cindy Bragg |
2nd through 5th grades Ages 7-10 | Thursday 4:00-4:45 pm | Beginning Contemporary Dance NEW CLASS-COME TRY IT! | Erin Nelson |
3rd & 4th grades Ages 8-10 | Thursday 4:45-5:45 pm | Ballet 3/4 | Erin Nelson |
2nd through 5th grades Ages 7-10 | Thursday 5:45-6:30 pm | Tap 2 (a little experience preferred/helpful) | Rachel Goldberg |
4th and 5th grades Ages 9-11 | Tuesday 5:15-6:15 pm | Ballet 4/5 | Rachel Goldberg |
4th and 5th grades Ages 9-11 | Tuesday 6:15-7:00 pm | Tap 3 (Intermediate Tap) | Rachel Goldberg |
6th grade and up Ages 11-17 | Wednesday 6:15-7:00 pm | Tap 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