Age 3
-Works and plays with others.
-Knows how to take their turn.
-Knows NOT to hang on the barre.
Age 4
-Recognizes a 4/4 beat.
-Knows their five ballet positions.
-Knows that their feet can point!
Age 5
-Knows how to skip, gallop, march and leap.
-Recognizes a 3/4 beat.
-Knows how to plié with knees over toes.
Age 6
-Knows that all jumps begin and end in plié.
-Knows that their feet point every time they leave the ground.
-Knows that it is fun to stretch.
Age 7
-Can plié with their backs straight and knees over toes.
-Can relevé with their weight in the middle of their toes.
-Can pull their tummy in and lengthen their back.
Age 8
-Can do frappé, rond de jambe en dehors and en dedans, knows the difference between a passé and a retiré, and an elevé and a piqué.
-Can cambré devant and derrière with straight knees.
Age 9
Knows glissades, jeté, sissonne, assemblé, échappé, rond de jambe en l’air, entrechat quatre, and most importantly, the ten body positions.
-Can tell you which Tchaikovsky music is The Nutcracker and which is Swan Lake.
-Knows what allongé means.
Age 10
-Can show you the difference between a pirouette en dehors and en dedans.
-Knows where the ballet term faille got its name.
-Knows what an adagio is.
Age 11
-Knows why they are or are not allowed to go on pointe.
-Knows what soubresaut means and how to spell it.
-Is starting to look at summer programs ‘away’.
Age 12
-Can perform good consistent double pirouettes with a turned out passé.
-Uses both legs in his/her entrechat quatre and is working on entrechat six.
-Knows to try everything each teacher tells them, without debate.
Age 13+
-Can recognize the music for Mr. Balanchine’s Serenade.
-Can pick up choreography quickly and accurately.
-Loves every minute of class, rehearsal and performance
