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The Kansas City Ballet curriculum, as taught by an experienced faculty, emphasizes a strong classical ballet technique and experience with complimentary dance forms. It is a style that creates an open mind and readily adapts to meet the demands of any choreographer, any company, any type of movement. In the Threshold Program (Creative Movement through Pre Ballet II) the youngest children take class one day a week. Curriculum is developmentally appropriate and introduces students to the structure of class as well as stretching, coordination exercises, musical forms, improvisation and limited ballet vocabulary. Beginning with Levels I – VII, girls and boys, attend the number of classes indicated by their level. Students are placed in one of seven divisions according to age, experience, and ability. They follow a structured sequence of training stages designed to increase their technical skills, stamina, and discipline in accordance with their age and physical development. The program includes classical ballet technique, pointe work, pas de deux, men's technique, variations, flamenco, jazz, pilates and coaching. Classes are taught to live piano accompaniment, a crucial element in developing the child's understanding of the relationship between music and movement. Inherent in the teaching of ballet are frequent corrections. Students are verbally and/or physically guided by the teacher to ensure proper body alignment and body placement. It is also important for students to see the final goal of their study by attending performances. It provides them with an example to emulate and develops their imaginations. For that reason, each student who attends Kansas City Ballet School receives one complimentary season ticket to Kansas City Ballet Repertory performances (click here for information on KCB's current season) with the purchase of another season subscription. Students are encouraged to attend Kansas City Ballet company performances. Additional children under the age of 21 will be given half-priced season subscriptions. School is in session from September through May with a Summer Intensive in June/July, and parents receive evaluations of their child's progress in the Spring with their Fall placement. Advancement to the next level is not automatic from one year to the next. It is determined after great deliberation by the teachers involved in the child's studies, and is based on a student's technical aptitude, commitment, and physical development. For those who desire a career in ballet, Kansas City Ballet School is home to the MidWest Youth Ballet directed by Alecia Good. The Youth Ballet offers a training program of rehearsals and performances that help prepare a student for a professional career. Auditions are conducted in June for the following year. Upon completion of their studies at Kansas City Ballet School, students neither receive diplomas nor are they considered graduates. Although they have finished their formal studies, dancers never stop learning: after all, they begin each day with a class. Ballet education is an ongoing process, one that continues throughout a dancer's career. Even those students whose paths lead to non-dance careers gain immeasurably from having studied at the School. They develop self-motivation, self-discipline, poise, grace, physical adroitness and an appreciation for the arts, which they carry with them throughout their lives.
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