Rising Stars School of Baton, Tumbling and Dance

This first portion of class incorporates the fundamentals of ballet movement for the pre-school level dancer. Individualized attention to our youngest dancers is given as they learn beginning ballet and tap terminology & steps. Students will learn use of barre, warm-up exercises and combinations as well as listening skills, how to take turns and follow directions. While enjoying dance class, students are learning to work on basic motor skills including running, skipping, hopping, leaping & jumping. In tap, students will begin to learn single & double sounds with an emphasis on musicality and music awareness while learning rhythms and enhancing their fine motor skills. This class develops not only movement, flexibility and balance, but also individuality and peer group skills.

In this class we will learn about singing, acting, creative movement and performance technique. Students will learn about voice, acting skills, stage presence, creative movement and more. Students will gain and increased confidence through performance. We will focus on creativity through songs, theater games, stories and dance. Students of all levels will enjoy this fun and creative class.

Tap is often referred to as making music with your feet. This fun and upbeat class increases coordination, rhythm and musicality. An emphasis will be placed on explanation of terminology, execution of basic steps through more challenging rhythms, precise tap sounds, improvisational techniques, coordination, syncopation and technical execution. Classes include a warm-up, center technique and combinations, as well as steps traveling across the floor.

Pointe class is performed wearing special pointe shoes with a hard box toe and is for experienced ballet dancers only. Special pointe preparation classes are offered to prepare students for pointe work. Students are evaluated beginning at age 11, must complete at least 2 years of technical ballet technique training and demonstrate technical competence prior to going on pointe.

An energetic fun form of dance that showcases a dancer’s individual style and originality, jazz consists of unique moves, fancy footwork and big leaps and turns. To excel in jazz, dancers need a strong background in ballet. Technique for stability of movement and a strong understanding of body placement and center are focal points of jazz class. An emphasis will be placed on explanation of terminology, warm-up, isolations, and center work with emphasis on strengthening turns, jumps, flexibility, technical execution, and combinations.

Clogging is truly an American dance form that began in the Appalachian Mountains and now enjoys widespread popularity throughout the United States and around the world. Clogging, or clog dancing is related to tap dancing, but it has a different style. Cloggers have a distinctive up and down body motion, emphasize the downbeat of the music and their shoes are equipped with a double tap. Clogging classes, as with tap, will emphasize terminology, execution of basic steps through more challenging rhythms, precise sounds, improvisational techniques, coordination, syncopation and technical execution.

Twirling is a great activity for developing spatial awareness (left, right, up, down, front, back), fine motor skills (which help them use pencils, scissors and keyboards), as well as hand-eye coordination. Children also develop strength, flexibility and stamina, as well as poise and a positive body image, by participating in the sport of baton twirling.

Ballet is the basis of all dance. The technique that is taught in the ballet classroom will give a jazz dancer or twirler the strength and control needed to excel. The quick movements mastered in ballet will increase a clogger or tapper’s speed and agility. The flexibility, extension and toe stretch of a ballerina will make her a gorgeous tumbler, pommer or cheerleader. All in all, the art of ballet will greatly increase your student’s ability to excel in any dance form while giving them a graceful posture to make them a STAR!

Introduction and continuation to ballet, tap and tumbling in a structured but friendly, music-filled class. A variety of age-appropriate music is used to make this class fun and educational! Dancers will start out the year with the 1-hour-long combo class described above. Once they have adapted to their Kindergarten schedules we begin to gradually lengthen the class to an hour-and-a-half, introducing all of the other classes that we offer at Rising Stars, better preparing them for our half-hour “school-age” classes that they will take next year.

Pre-school dance classes for ages 3 through adult. Our studio represents a positive learning environment where dancers can experience the incredible world of dance.