Ballet Level 3
Ages 9–11 | Technical Refinement & Artistic Awareness

In Ballet Level Three, young dancers begin to refine everything they’ve learned — transforming coordination into artistry and focus into freedom. This is the level where the classroom begins to feel like training for the stage.

 

Students at this stage have built a strong foundation through Ballet Level Two and now demonstrate clean execution of the five positions, balanced posture, and growing control of turnout and alignment. Ballet 3 encourages precision and expression to exist together — where strength supports elegance, and discipline becomes art.

 

Parents continue to be part of this shared journey, supporting consistency and patience as dancers begin to take more responsibility for their progress. The lessons of focus and humility learned here extend far beyond the studio — shaping perseverance, awareness, and self-respect.

 

This level also begins the introduction of self-awareness as a developing artist. Students learn to apply corrections, coordinate port de bras with legwork, and explore musical phrasing with intention. Each movement becomes a reflection of maturity — not just what they can do, but how they do it.

 

 

Curriculum Overview

Ballet Level Three strengthens technique and expression while introducing more advanced combinations and artistic responsibility. Students are asked to bring a notebook and take notes regularly to track progress and vocabulary.

 

• Warm-Up / Floor: Full splits (right, left, center), core activation (planks, V-sits), Theraband resistance for ankle strength, and safe turnout conditioning.

• Barre: Demi and grand pliés in all five positions, tendu and dégagé en croix, rond de jambe à terre, fondu, frappé, petit battement, developpé to 45°, rond de jambe en l’air, grand battement, échappé relevé, soutenu turns, balances in retiré and arabesque, piqués, promenades, and port de bras coordination.

• Center: Adagio with développés and arabesques 1–4, full port de bras with épaulement, pirouette preparation and single en dehors turns, sustained balances, petit allegro (assemblé, jeté, glissade, sissonne), and grand allegro including chassé → grand jeté, saut de chat, and coupé jeté en tournant.

• Traveling / Across the Floor: Waltz en tournant, chaîné turns en diagonale, step-over piqué turns, coupé jeté en tournant, and piqué arabesque sequences.

• Artistry & Habits: Focus on Musicality — learning to play with phrasing and pauses — and Performance Awareness, projecting clear épaulement and balanced presentation.

 

 

By the end of Ballet Level Three, students perform with strength, coordination, and control. They will confidently demonstrate pirouettes, développés, rond de jambe en l’air, petit allegro combinations, and grand allegro sequencesthat reflect artistry and precision.

 

This is where discipline becomes expression — and dancers begin to move with intention and soul.

 

 

 

Ballet Level 3A (Pre-Pointe)

Ages 10–13 | Strength, Readiness & Confidence

 

 

Ballet Level 3A marks a defining moment in a dancer’s journey — the bridge between foundational ballet and the beginning of pointe readiness. This level demands consistency, self-discipline, and an understanding that artistry and strength must grow together.

 

Designed for students with four to five years of continuous ballet training, Ballet 3A refines alignment, stamina, and articulation while introducing structured pre-pointe work. Here, dancers learn that technique and care go hand in hand — that protecting the body is part of becoming an artist.

 

Parents and teachers work together to support this transition, encouraging balanced nutrition, proper stretching, and mindful recovery. Students learn that progress requires both effort and patience — and that readiness for pointe is earned through daily consistency, not speed.

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Curriculum Overview

Each class blends advanced technical vocabulary with pre-pointe conditioning, preparing students to safely and confidently progress to pointe work. Dancers are expected to maintain notes on strength, corrections, and self-care routines.

 

• Warm-Up / Floor: Theraband ankle work (point, flex, wing), calf raises with eccentric lowering, doming and intrinsic foot strengthening, and core stability exercises.

• Barre: Full barre with épaulement; pliés and tendus in all positions, dégagés with musical precision, pas de cheval, balançoires, ronds de jambe à terre and en l’air, fondu at 45°–90°, frappé with clear beats, petit battement, développés above 90°, penché prep, grand battement, échappé relevé, and sustained balances in retiré, coup-de-pied, and arabesque.

• Center: Adagio with full 8 body positions and promenades, développés on relevé, arabesques 1–4 held at 45°–90°, pirouettes double en dehors and en dedans, soutenu turns, petit allegro (soubresaut, entrechat, royal, assemblé, glissade, jeté, pas de chat en tournant), and grand allegro with saut de chat, contretemps, pas de poisson, and grand jeté diagonals.

• Across the Floor: Piqué arabesque, coupé jeté en tournant, chaîné turns en diagonale, travelling assemblés, and emboîté en tournant.

• Pre-Pointe (in class): Strength and endurance focus — 16 relevés in each position, sous-sus balance holds, échappé relevé progressions, passé balances, Theraband winging drills, and articulation from demi-pointe to flat.

• Artistry & Habits: Focus on Self-Care — injury prevention, journaling progress, and responsible practice. Goal: present a clean adagio with expressive port de bras and confident eye focus.

 

 

 

By the end of Ballet 3A, students demonstrate maturity, poise, and readiness. They understand how to blend strength with artistry, applying every correction with focus and integrity. Most importantly, they begin to realize that being a dancer isn’t about perfection — it’s about discipline, consistency, and grace under effort.

 

This is where strength becomes artistry — and readiness becomes confidence.