YOUTH DANCE CLASSES

Pre- Ballet introduces students to ballet concepts and vocabulary, developing confidence, coordination, strength, flexibility, and creativity in movement. Students explore musicality and body awareness in an environment that fosters an appreciation of ballet.

*In the spring session, these classes participate in the May Showcase, May 15-16, 2027, or in a guardian observation day at the end of the session.

Designed for students new to dance, these classes offer an age appropriate foundational understanding of ballet and/or contemporary technique. Students learn the fundamentals of the dance form, while delving into sequencing, terminology, and dance etiquette.

• Youth Contemporary I-IV (Ages 8-13)

ODC's contemporary curriculum incorporates full use of the body, expansive use of space, momentum, gravity, and gesture across all levels. Students develop strength and flexibility, and explore new pathways of movement with opportunity to explore improvisation, composition, and creative expression. Students in Youth Contemporary classes are required to simultaneously enroll into Step Onstage (see below). 
Step Onstage***
Group A (Ages-8-9)
Group B (Ages 10-12)
These yearlong classes are an addition to contemporary technique classes, rehearsing weekly and culminating in  a full-length piece to be performed in  May, with a preview performance in December. Students rehearse most of the year with their age groups, 8-12 (Groups A and B) and 13-18 (Group C). Students learn choreography from the directors, as well as offer their own creative contributions.  Teachers will mentor each individual student, encouraging imagination, and exploration while valuing their curiosity. This class is essential to ODC’s Youth & Teen Contemporary Class curricula, providing performance training and preparation. Tuition for Step Onstage is included in these class prices.

ODC’s ballet curriculum prioritizes a healthy, body-positive approach to ballet study with emphasis on alignment, strength, flexibility, and the cultivation of solid and healthy technique. Pre-pointe technique begins in Ballet III, with Ballet IV students training for potential pointe work. Students enrolled in Ballet II and III are automatically enrolled in Dance Around the World. Classes get the opportunity to perform in the dedicated Ballet Performance in May.

DAW offers exposure to dance forms from around the world, which have previously included Afro-Brazilian, Kathak, Flamenco, Cuban Salsa, Chinese Dance, Bollywood, Afro-Peruvian, West African Guinean, American Jazz, and more. Material learned in these classes will be used to create choreography to be performed in the December and May Showcases, while providing students with an understanding of the origins and cultural context of each dance form. This class is incorporated into the curriculum for all students enrolled in Ballet II and III. 

* This class participates in the December Showcase, December 5-6, 2026; and May Showcase, May 15-16, 2027

• Youth Tap I and II (Ages 7 & up)*

Tap is a percussive dance form that emphasizes musicality through keen listening and the embodiment of rhythm. Students explore coordination, precision of movement, weight shift, balance, and choreography, while also enjoying the physicality and exuberance embodied in this dance form.

*This class participates in the May Showcase, May 15-16, 2027, or in a guardian observation day at the end of the session.

ODC's hip hop curriculum encompasses various techniques and street styles, including pop-locking, breaking, and freestyling in the cypher. Movement phrases learned in class are used to create choreography in a noncompetitive environment where students develop movement quality, musicality, and expressive personal style.

*This class participates in the May Showcase, May 15-16, 2026, or in a guardian observation day at the end of the session.

• Youth Boys’ I (Ages 7-9)* and Youth Boys’ II (Ages 9-12)*

  These classes offer an engaging introduction to various dance forms, including contemporary, hip hop, and creative movement, with an emphasis on physicality and dynamism. Themes include coordination, spatial awareness, athleticism, ensemble work, and improvisation. 

  *This class participates in the May Showcase, May 15-16, 2027, or in a guardian observation day at the end of the session.