Dance: Middle School
(students currently in 7-8 grade)

American Ballet Theatre, America’s National Ballet Company® (ABT) is the cultural partner for dance in the Summer Arts Institute. Students will work to improve their dance technique, skills at improvisation and choreography, and performance qualities. Exploring collaborative approaches in dance composition and attention to proficiency in dance technique are primary instructional goals. Classes in ballet, taught by ABT master teachers, and modern dance techniques, taught by an experienced Department of Education dance teacher and guest teachers, will be enhanced with workshops in complementary styles and genres. Students will be exposed to works of classical ballet, modern masterworks, and the work of emerging choreographers. Technique classes and compositional studies are designed to prepare students for specialized high school and college dance programs. Visiting guest faculty and choreographers will offer valuable insight into the professional dance world. Weekly opportunities for students to present their work in progress will hone performance skills. The program culminates in a performance of a new piece created during the Institute and will include student-generated work. For more information on our partnering organization, American Ballet Theatre, please visit their website, www.abt.org.

Video Requirements:  Video submission should be no longer than 3-5 minutes.

STEP 1: Begin your video by stating your name, age and your current school.

STEP 2: Film two (2) dance exercises you’ve experienced in your school, dance studio, or observed from researching online virtual class offerings.  You may use musical accompaniment, or film yourself while using an online virtual class example.

• Center Floor Ballet Adagio: 32 counts

  • Dancers should perform a 32-count center floor ballet adagio exercise:  Dancers must execute a develope, arabesques, and at least a single pirouette turn.  This can be done in any order along with other adagio movements they chose to put in their combination.  

• Center Floor Petit Allegro: 32 counts

  • Dancers should perform a 32-count petit allegro phrase.  Dancers can select any combination of quick small jumps they chose (glissade, assemble, jete, changement, sissonne etc.)

Begin by stating the goal of each exercise.  Ex. "In this ballet adagio combination, my goal is to show my understanding of stretched legs and feet, maintain my rotation or trying to create a straight line in each of the three directions of the body", or "In this modern or contemporary exercise, my goal is to show off the dynamic range of my movements and to be rhythmically accurate", or "in this turning combination, I wanted to show my understanding of balance, rotation and moving directly to my retire or passe position."

STEP 3: Create a one-minute modern or contemporary original solo dance study showing both your creativity and your technical proficiency, reflecting what you have learned in dance.  Base your solo on a theme, idea or mood.

• Show a clear beginning, a middle section that develops the idea, and a clear ending

• You may use musical accompaniment or film your original solo dance study in silence.

STEP 4: Conclude your video by stating what your dance is about.  What was your choreographic process? If you encountered a challenge when trying to create a solo, how did you resolve that challenge?  Your answer should resolve this question in more than three sentences. Some sentence beginners might include: 

• “My choreographic process included selecting a theme to explore for my solo…….. “

• “I tried……”

• “I learned..."

• "I was challenged by..."

• "I was encouraged to consider..."

• "I filmed and shared with my teacher for feedback..."

• etc.

Reminders:

• Your video must be less than 5 minutes in length.

• Present yourself as a dancer through your movement vocabulary, clarity of intention and use of focus.

• Edit carefully to stay consistent with your chosen theme, idea or mood

• Develop and vary your movement phrases to display your craftsmanship in dance composition.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 2, 2025