School of Minnesota Ballet

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School of Minnesota Ballet student handbook

2021 Fall Covid-19 Safety Protocols

Class Descriptions

Creative Movement: (For age 3 by September 1st, 2022) Our enthusiastic and skilled faculty will use imaginative methods to introduce these young dancers to the elements of dance, spatial awareness, musicality, and playful movement while exploring the concepts of space, time, and body shapes. Students must be potty trained!

Pre-Ballet 1-3: (Pre-Ballet 1 for age 4, Pre-Ballet 2 for age 5, and Pre-ballet 3 for age 6 – ALL ages are by September 1st, 2022) In Pre-Ballet classes, young students will begin learning the foundational basics for ballet technique. More emphasis is placed on learning details like right and left, good posture, pointed feet, and straight legs. Basic ballet positions and vocabulary will be introduced.

Ballet 1-3: In our beginner levels, we design our classes to achieve a balance of the joy of dance and the introduction of excellent foundational training in ballet technique. Using a progressive syllabus, dancers will gain a solid technical base of training, including correct positions, proper technical execution, use of the upper body, beginning knowledge of the art of dance, and a sense of musicality. By the completion of Ballet 3, our students will have reached a level of mastery of basic ballet technique that allows them to move on to more complex ballet classes, as well as succeeding in other disciplines of dance.

Ballet 4-6: Intermediate levels will continue to highlight the highest standards of technique while learning additional, more advanced vocabulary. Students will continue to gain confidence and a mastery of skills and dance knowledge. Pointe, Jazz, Character, Men’s Technique, Variations and Repertoire will be incorporated into the schedule at this level.

Ballet 7-8: Our advanced levels will continue to hone their skills and technical mastery. In our final levels, students also increase their focus on artistry, dynamics, and performance. Jazz and Modern are included, as well as more complex variations and contemporary choreography. At the completion of training, students should be well prepared to take their dreams into their own hands, whether further pursuing a dance career, dance related career, or another path.

ABLE Dance: Children age 8+ with physical/developmental challenges can improve flexibility, strength, and coordination while enjoying dance. Placement to section is by class teacher. ABLE Dance has its own web page here.
Class supported by Van Gorden Fund, Miller-Dwan Foundation.

Dress Code

All students registered for Creative Movement through Ballet 8 must follow the assigned dress code during classes. For Summer Classes and Summer Intensive, ladies may wear black leotards in traditional styles (no criss cross straps, lace, rhinestones, or high cut leg styles) rather than their dress code color and style.

All gentlemen wear black tights, white socks, black or white technique shoes, and plain white T-shirt, tucked in.

All ladies wear colored leotards as designated for their level, full length, footed pink tights, and pink technique shoes.

Jazz shoes are recommended for jazz classes. Character shoes are recommended for character classes. Tap shoes are recommended for tap classes.

Long hair should be pulled back and worn in a neat bun or secured off of face in the case of short hair. Gentlemen should maintain a neat hairstyle with no hair in the face.

Color and style leotards are described in the list below. These items can usually be found at discountdance.com and dancesupplies.com. If you have any questions or concerns please email Principal Teacher, LilaAnn Coates White at [email protected] or Artistic Director, Karl von Rabenau at [email protected]

Creative Movement-Pre-Ballet 3: Capezio cap-sleeve leotard style CC400C in Pink

Ballet 1: Capezio cap-sleeve leotard style CC400C in Light Blue

Ballet 2: Capezio cap-sleeve leotard style CC400C in Lavender

Ballet 3: Capezio cap-sleeve leotard style CC400C in Royal Blue

Ballet 4: Capezio cap-sleeve leotard style CC400C in Burgundy

Ballet 5: Capezio cap-sleeve leotard style CC400C in Hunter

Ballet 6: Capezio Cap-sleeve leotard style CC400 or Camisole Leotard style CC100 in Navy

Ballet 7: Capezio Cap-sleeve leotard style CC400 or Camisole Leotard style CC100 in Black

Ballet 8: Capezio Cap-sleeve leotard style CC400 or Camisole Leotard style CC100 in Black

Demi wrap skirts may be worn in pointe classes and jazz pants in jazz classes with the teacher’s permission. Jazz shoes are recommended for Jazz class. Character shoes are recommended for Character class.

Open Classes and ABLE Dance do not have a specific dress code. Proper shoes are recommended, along with comfortable clothes that move easily, but are not too baggy.

Tuition Policies

Tuition can be broken into monthly installments using the autopay option on our online registration network. Tuition must be kept current in order for the student to continue taking classes. No refunds. No transfers. No prorating (exceptions can be made when due to injury on a case by case basis by arrangement with the office). A monthly finance charge will be added to tuition not received by payment deadline. A $50 late registration fee will be charged to any student taking class before registering. Parents with 2 or more students in the school in the same semester will receive a 5% discount on combined tuition total, which is automatically applied upon checkout in our online registration network. Some financial aid may be available to qualifying students. To apply, fill out a financial aid application (available at the Ballet office or online). financial aid application 20-21 PDF Download the 2020-2021 Financial Aid form, due September 19, 2022.

Snow Day/Weather Event Policies

The School of the Minnesota Ballet does NOT hold in-studio classes on days or evenings when Duluth public schools are closed for snow days and significant weather events. Weekend classes at the Depot will be cancelled anytime the Depot building closes because of snow and significant weather events. Tuition will not be refunded for weather related closures. Students may have opportunities to make up lost time — please inquire at the office.
Please call the Ballet office at 218-733-7570, check our our Instagram and Facebook page for updates.