Week 10 of each term is always an exciting time at Ellenbrook Ballet Academy, especially for our Budding Ballerinas. Last week, our Budding Ballerina classes invited all of their parents, siblings, family members and friends into the Ellenbrook Ballet Academy studio to watch a special recital of their Term 3 choreography and exercises. Our teachers and dancers were absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase all of their hard work and progress made during our first ten week term of the year!
Read below to find out all about the choreography and exercises our smallest ballerinas learnt in Term 3:
“Good Toes, Naughty Toes”
This exercise is designed to enhance foot flexibility and strength. It encourages our dancers to refine their technique, and to engage and develop their muscle memory. The extension of the legs encourages our dancers to engage their core muscles, allowing them to maintain correct posture. In addition to this, singing the lyrics keeps them in time with the music, assisting with coordination, musicality and recognition of beat and rhythm.
“Leaps Over The Flowers”
This exercise is focused upon coordination in the lower body with an emphasis on the legs and feet. Leaping over a stationary object assists our dancers with the development of gross motor skills, such as running and jumping. We focus upon leaving and returning to the floor through one foot at a time, rather than a two footed jump. This truly encourages students to extend their legs, point their toes and push off the ground with power.
“Ballerina Runs”
This exercise encourages students to coordinate between their upper and lower body. Students engage their muscles in order to maintain the positioning of the arms in Fifth Position whilst moving through the space. We focus on encouraging our little ballerinas to remain on their “tippy-toes”, which assists them with that delicate gliding movement that we adore in all Classical Ballerinas.
“Marches”
Our Marches assist students with practising the movement of retiré; bringing the working foot up to the knee of the supporting leg. This movement is seen all throughout Ballet, including in turns and specifically pirouettes.
“Ballerina Fingers”
This exercise is focused upon coordination in the upper body, with a focus on the arms and fingers. Touching each finger to the thumb in time with the music enhances students’ fine motor skills. This includes the pincer grasp which is the type of grip is used when holding a pencil. Raising the arms in front of the body prepares students for learning basic Classical Ballet arm positions. Synchronising all of this with the song assists with musicality and rhythm.
“Choreography – Ballet Dance”
The moment all of our Budding Ballerina families wait for – our Ballet dance! This term our dance was all about “Princess Things”. We incorporated early foundations of Classical Ballet technique and steps including plies, tendus, rises, jumps, port de bras (positions/carriage of the arms) and more!
“Choreography – Jazz Dance”
Our Jazz dance this term was called “We Go Together”. It incorporated fast paced, upbeat and fun movements. These were all synchronised with the counts of the music, and was definitely a crowd pleaser with all of our Budding Ballerina families!
Whilst Budding Ballerinas’ main focus is, of course, Ballet, we also incorporate Jazz choreography and movements into our program. It allows students to control and engage different muscles, and further develop their musicality. It is also a chance to get an idea of the different genres of dance that they can pursue once they move into our Bronze level.
We are so proud of how hard all of our Budding Ballerinas have worked over the past 10 weeks! We cannot wait to see all of them shine onstage like the stars they are at our Ellenbrook Ballet Academy End of Year Stage Spectacular in December!
Tickets are available for our End of Year Stage Spectacular by CLICKING HERE
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Did you know we also have a studio in Joondalup? Visit www.danceclassesjoondalup.com.au for more information!