This class is designed to help teachers find different ways to make ballet more palatable for beginner students and to help them gain strength and confidence.

A beginner Ballet class for pre teens or teens is an important class and not always an easy one to teach. Students who have not taken Ballet before or perhaps took it as very young children are usually extremely apprehensive about venturing in to the world of classical dance. They very seldom view it as something "cool" or interesting and so, as a result, I have found that by incorporating the use of props it makes it more fun for the student and keeps their interest until they are able to master some of the technique.

Here are some ideas to help you keep your beginner Ballet students coming back for more.

1) Barre work that develops strength and not boredom!

Use 4 exercises at the barre

a) Plies, demi and grande facing the barre

b) Tendus, front, side, back. Start facing the barre and then graduate to holding with one hand

c) Ronds de jambe a terre facing the barre.

Start in 1^st position, take the R foot front and then slowly to 2^nd and close 1^st

Take the right foot to 2^nd and slowly rotate to the back (en dehors)

Repeat on L foot

Repeat entire exercise in reverse (en dedans)

d) Grands Battements devant and a la seconde

Holding the barre with one hand, one grand battement to the front finishing in tendu, close in 3^rd position, rise up onto demi pointe and bouree to face barre finish in 1^st position, one grands battement to 2^nd close 1^st, rise onto demi pointe and bouree to face the other side landing in 3^rd position

Repeat exercise

e) Grands Battements derriere, facing the barre, feet in first, 3 grands battements to the back with R leg close 1^st

Repeat with L leg

2) Utilizing props to emphasize the shapes of port de bras.

Create a simple port de bras exercise facing the front using the basic arm positions of

1^st, 5^th and 2^nd. Later add more arm positions

Incorporate the movements that you have created adding scarves or sticks with streamers on so that the students can see the shape of the movements

3) Developing spatial awareness with runs, turns and leaps

It is a good idea to get your beginner students to move by giving them simple combinations of runs, spins and basic leaps.

Develop their awareness of space by devising these combinations to come from and go to different directions, i.e.: using diagonals, circles and figure 8 movements.

Add props to help them focus on shapes and movements.

If you have boys in class make sure that you have more masculine props such as flags and balls.

Part 2 Lesson Plan will include center combinations for pre teens and teens