• SCPA Dance logoMission

    SCPA’s Dance Department features an incredible faculty teaching in gorgeous facilities overlooking OTR’s Washington Park. The Dance Department focuses on developing classical ballet technique as a strong base for dancers to excel in the dance field. The dance program at the School for Creative and Performing Arts is a pre-professional training program dedicated to preparing students for careers in dance or in dance-related fields or to pursue higher education. 

    Major Objectives of the Dance Department:

    • To offer premier training from a faculty of former professional dancers dedicated to instilling a strong foundation of classical dance skills in students. 
    • To challenge dancers to meet rigorous training standards.
    • To offer ballet technique, pointe, Pas de Deux, variations, Pilates, related seminars and repertoire that broaden experience and understandings of dance.
    • To expand curriculum to include contemporary dance styles as dancers progress.
    • To inspire our dancers to achieve individual bests in a caring and nurturing environment.

     

    Curriculum

    The Dance curriculum starts at the beginner level, in which dance steps and traditional exercises are introduced in their most basic forms. As a student progresses, these steps and exercises evolve into more complicated patterns and techniques requiring greater strength and flexibility. Each level of the curriculum perfects the movements to develop better placement and line, more flexibility and greater extensions, more intricate jumps and higher elevation, greater degrees of turnout, better articulation of feet, a heightened kinesthetic fluidity, more accurate musicality, better focus, and the ability to perform the steps accurately.

    We supplement each level with stretching and age-appropriate Bowflex, Pilates, Yoga, and theraband work to increase strength/flexibility and to help prevent injury.

    The Dance Department offers the following courses:

    Beginning
    Dance Fundamentals 1
    Dance Fundamentals 2
    Dance Fundamentals 3
    Technique 1
    Technique 2
    Style

    Dance Department courses progress by ability level, not by grade level. Students may spend multiple years in the same class or skip over a class if their technique is more advanced. Class level is assessed by the faculty of the Dance Department.

    Auditions

    Students interested in attending SCPA as part of the Dance Department must pass a dance audition. For more information on the audition process or how to sign up, please visit the Audition Process & Procedures page.

    Dance Audition Requirements

    • Dance students must be appropriately dressed for the dance audition.
      • Girls: Leotard and tights or shorts and a tee shirt. 
      • Boys: Tee shirt and tights or tee shirt and shorts.
    • These should be of stretch fabric to allow a full range of movement. 
    • Students should bring ballet shoes if they have them. 
    • Students who have been on pointe should bring their pointe shoes to the audition. 

    In-person Audition process:

    • For beginning and entry-level students, the audition will consist of an assessment of flexibility, strength, coordination, musicality, focus, and discipline. Basic ballet and modern positions will be demonstrated, and the students will be asked to imitate them to show evidence of kinesthetic sensibility, awareness of space, and ability to turn, jump and move with ease. 

    • For students with dance experience, please bring a photo in first arabesque and be dressed in a leotard, tights, and ballet shoes. Students will be asked to demonstrate combinations to show their level of dance technique. Students will be rated on physical ability, focus, and aesthetic sensibility.


    Boards

    Proficiency assessments known as Boards are given each year in a student's artistic discipline. These assessments take various forms depending on the department, but are designed to test skill and knowledge progression in a student’s chosen arts field. Students who fail to pass their boards with a satisfactory rating will be placed on arts probation. Students who fail to pass 2 out of a series of 3 boards may be asked to leave SCPA, change the artistic discipline they are studying, or complete an arts intervention plan. For full policies and procedures, please see the Artistic Handbook on the Handbooks & Forms page.
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  • Student Expectations

  • Assessments for Grading

  • Intended Learning Outcomes

  • Psycho-Motor Skills

  • Sources

  • Legacy of the Course's Content

  • Themes

  • Formal Canons of the Arts Area

  • Information Seminars

  • Proficiency Boards

  • Projects, Performances, Certificates, Competitions