Classes for Children at Center For Movement Arts

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Classical Ballet
Classical Ballet is the heart of our children's program. Mark Morris said that Ballet is "sort of wonderful Latin for dancers." The idea being that proficiency at ballet strengthens the ability of a dancer to learn and perform other styles of dance at a faster pace.

At CMA we guide children through Creative Movement classes and Steps I and II before they begin traditional study of ballet. We offer nine levels of a graded classical ballet syllabus from beginning thru advanced levels. Techniques are drawn from English, Danish and Russian schools of ballet. Classes are taught in a positive and encouraging atmosphere. Children reaching appropriate ability and maturity can elect to study pointe, partnering, men's technique and variations.
Creative Movement
Two levels of Creative Movement classes for ages 4 to 6 let children discover pleasure in developing physical skills in a safe and fun environment. Basic skills in dance and music, movement games and body awareness are emphasized. The goal of the class is to instill an early and lifelong love for Dance.
Steps
Steps is a series of movement exploration classes including basic skills in ballet, modern and jazz. The class is geared for children ages 7 through 10.

In Steps One, techniques are alternated on a weekly basis to introduce the work of dance to children with little or no dance experience. Steps Two is for children with previous experience or students who've attended Steps One. While Modern and Jazz techniques are still studied there is more emphasis on Ballet to prepare children for Ballet One. Steps Two is also the youngest class to perform in our recital.
Workshop Class
Four levels of Dance Workshop class provide an optional additional class for CMA students beginning at the Ballet One level at CMA. Adding to a strong base of classical ballet training, the Workshop series endeavors to create dancers who are versatile, open-minded and fearless. Acting as the pinnacle of our Steps series, students in Dance Workshop study a variety of techniques including Tap dance, various styles of Modern, Jazz and Hip-Hop, Ballroom Dance, Applied Pilates, Flamenco, African and other ethnic dance styles, Mime and Dance Composition.

Guest Artists are drawn from top teachers and choreographers in the Portland metro area. Past instructors have included Gregg Bielemeier, Habiba Addo, Laura Haney, Jae Diego, Summer Morgan, Laura Onizuka, Sekouba Soumah, Tracy Broyles, Tino Nozaki and Bobby Fouther.

"Nobody is born a dancer; you have to want it more than anything."

~ Mikhail Baryshnikov, dancer