The Leap ‘n Learn program is designed to be an effective, safe, progressive, and developmentally appropriate way for 3-12 year olds to learn dance. The curriculum was designed by master teacher, Beverly Spell and expert child psychologist, Dr. Annie Spell. It combines the healthiest practices for teaching children ballet and encourages pretend play with the students to maintain a positive and fun environment. It provides tools and knowledge necessary for a successful learning environment and skills that will benefit the students for roles later in life.
The structured classes have four basic sections to each class. The beginning of class is used for sharing time and stretching. Next comes Center and Barre work where the students work all muscle groups and learn basics of dance they will continue to use in classes. Following that is work across the floor, which practices loco-motor movements and also provides foundations of dance that they will continue to use. The students will gallop, skip, and march across the floor, as well as learn fun ballet leaps and turns. The last section of class is creative expression, where students participate in a variety of free movement exercises. Young dancers who are exposed to this type of activity are generally more creative and freer in their movement and styles as they develop.
There are three groups of concepts that are covered in each class of the Leap ‘n Learn curriculum:
- Basic Elements
The students learn about physical space and how we relate to it as an individual and in a group by learning to dance in their space and not get in the way of other dancers. They learn musical awareness such as following cues in the music of when to start dancing. They learn opposites, directions, and loco-motor/non-loco-motor movements. They also learn elementary positions and movements of ballet, such as demi-plies, port de bras, passé, and sautés.
- Intellectual Concepts
The students learn teamwork, creative expression, imagination, basic body and health awareness, classroom behavior and manners, taking turns, following the leader, waiting patiently, and having a positive attitude.
- Classroom Exploration
The students learn more about musical awareness, relationships to the working space and stage, expressing emotion through movement, pantomime (which includes activities like showing different emotions and moving as they think an animal might in a certain situation), and classroom etiquette.
If you are interested in our Leap ‘n Learn classes, please visit our website for more information or to register for classes today! https://omahaschoolofmusicanddance.com/ballet-classes-leap-n-learn-ages-6-9-omaha-ne/
