Tammy Palmer's Center Stage

In order to dance on pointe, a dancer must have had time to achieve the form, strength, and alignment needed to make a successful transition onto pointe work. Proper technique is required to be able to properly rise on the toes without risk of injury. All dancers should be formally evaluated by their ballet teacher to determine if they are physically ready to meet the demands of pointe work. The teacher will check for correct body position and alignment, sufficient turnout, strength and balance, and mastery of basic ballet techniques. Offered to students at least 12 and older with a ballet background.

This class is designed for a student who wants a variety in the type of dance they participate in from week to week. This is a “teacher choice” class, meaning the teacher will select from the above listed classes as well as musical theatre, jazz, or LA street jazz styles as to the instruction taught any given week. The focus of this class will be to better the students’ ability to interpret multiple types of choreography and to do it at a quick pace. This is a great class to prepare for an audition of any kind. This class will not be in the Revue at the end of the year. Offered to students 8 and older.

This class is for the student that aspires to be on their school dance line. They will learn the various techniques of a school dance line such as kicks, leaps, and turns. The goal of this class is to have the student adequately prepared for dance line try-outs. This extended class will combine both the Dance Line prep as well as what is covered in our Turns and Progressions class as listed above. There will be an increased focus on flexibility as well as strengthening for turns and progressions. Our advanced version of this class is meant specifically for students that are current members of their high school dance team. Offered to students 10 and older.

This class will be almost entirely across the floor combinations, especially in the older levels. In the younger classes they will learn pirouettes and various leaps. In the older classes, they will learn how to build on their turns and leaps and learn varieties of them. This class is very good for someone with aspirations to dance competitively on our company, or on their school dance line. It is always a very challenging class because there is so much concentration on technique and advanced skill. Offered to students 5 and over.

Lyrical/Contemporary is a form of dance that takes great control, technique, and grace. It allows dancers to interpret music and learn to display their emotions through dancing. This style is a very emotional form of dance, and it can be happy, distressed, or even angry. This style of dance is a great supplement to our ballet and jazz program, enhancing the dancer’s technique as well as their connection to music. Students will learn to use their bodies in a variety of ways, while focusing on breathing, posture, and emotional state to establish a mind-body connection. Offered to students 6 and older.

Hip-Hop is a “funky” and less formal version of jazz. There is less concentration on technique, and more of a focus on movement. Due to the relaxed structure of the class it is done in tennis shoes and less formal dance attire. Offered to students 4 and older.

In this class, students will be enriched with the technique of tap dancing. At age 4 and 5 students will learn very basic tap technique and be challenged to connect it with the beat of music. They will complete simple across the floor and center exercises. As the age of the class progresses, so does the technique. They will learn harder and more complex combinations of steps the older they get. Barre may also be incorporated, especially in the older classes. Depending on the age and size of the class, there will be one teacher and possibly one or two apprentices. Offered to students 4 and older.

This class will focus on many elements including flexibility, isolations, across the floor combos, and jazz choreography. They will also work on turns and leaps. They will gain knowledge of how to pick up the beat in fast-paced music through various patterns and exercises. Depending on the age and size of the class, there will be one teacher and possibly one or two apprentices. Offered to students 4 and older.

Students in this class will learn ballet technique and terminology and will be pushed to complete it successfully. After age 4, they have a greater understanding of the capabilities of their bodies, and therefore will be expected to understand the concept of turnout and working through their centers. At the age of 8, they will begin use of the barre. In the 6-7 year old classes, this is subject to the teacher’s opinion of the level of the students. If the whole class is ready to use the barre, it will be introduced. In older classes, there will be a strong devotion to barre, across the floor and center floor exercises. There is normally one teacher and two or three apprentices, depending on the size of the class. Offered to students 6 and older.

This class is for 4 to 6 year olds. It is similar to the creative movement class, but students will learn more complex technique and terminology as well as be expected to complete across the floor exercises and understand the importance of stretching. They will continue their understanding of the connection between music and movement. The main purpose of this class is to prepare them for a full-fledged ballet class. There is normally one teacher and two apprentices in the class.

This is a class specifically for 3-4 year olds. The main purpose of this class is to get first year dancers acclimated to a classroom setting and the idea of a ballet class. They will learn very basic ballet technique and terminology through a creative and fun approach. They will learn to connect music and movement and attain motor skills through songs that they will dance and sing to each week. Group activities will also be completed, helping them learn the meaning of teamwork. There is normally one teacher and two apprentices in the class.