We’re just a few days away from Thanksgiving break, and you know what that means… It’s Nutcracker season! This beloved holiday classic puts ballet on the front of everyone’s mind, but what exactly makes it so special? Do you have a budding ballerina just itching to get into class after watching the mice and fairies dance on stage? We’re here to help. From pliés to pirouettes, passés and piques, consider this your complete guide to ballet — and why Turning Pointe offers the best ballet classes in Colorado Springs.
What is Ballet?
Ballet is a type of dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century. It later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia before becoming popular worldwide. It’s a highly-technical art form with its own vocabulary that can be seen on stage during operas, stage productions and classical performances.
Why take Ballet?
Besides being the quintessential form of classical dance, ballet balances length and strength, building essential skills and muscle tone alike. It also provides the basic foundation for most other forms of dance, meaning what you learn in ballet class will translate to values that can be used to pursue other styles like turnout, toe point, core strength, alignment and musicality.
Why Turning Pointe?
Whatever you’re looking for in a ballet class, Turning Pointe has the perfect fit. And as Colorado Springs’ premiere faith-based studio, taking class at Turning Pointe ensures ballet students will be taught by warm, caring Christians who lovingly instruct and provide excellent role models of Godly young women and men.
The Enrichment Division offers a carefully constructed curriculum which introduces ballet steps and concepts at an age-appropriate pace. Students in ballet class learn skills from the categories of technique, concepts and etiquette, working through monthly progressions to meet the targets and objectives of each level.
The Recreational Division, which includes ballet classes for students age 5 to adult, offers an in-studio performance at Christmastime, and a formal recital in May.
The Twirl Program introduces preschool-age dancers as young as 2 to ballet terminology through a balance of focus and fun, spatial awareness, flexibility, coordination, balance, expression, and hearing music/rhythm are explored through the joy of movement while worshiping God.
The Training Division is for dancers, ages 10 through 21, who are interested in studying Classical Ballet. The structured program provides students the opportunity to gain an appreciation for art, preparation to pursue dance in college, and the ability to springboard into additional training for a professional career.
Ballet students can even supplement their training with ballet technique classes, pre-pointe and pointe classes, and even learn what they’ve seen on stage in ballet variations class.
How to Get Started
Are you or your student ready to hit the barre? Head to TurningPointeSchoolofDance.com for the 2022-23 School Year Session schedule, dress codes, studio policies, times to stop by the front desk, how to tour our facility and more. You’ll be on your way to becoming a prima ballet dancer before you know it!