Website Updated 9/5/23
Our Dance Studio
121 Ashmun Street, Suite E
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Entrance is located on Ashmun Street, facing the side of the 1668 Winery. Parking is available in the Pavilion across from Island Books & Crafts.
For the Studio Room: Turn Right at the top of the stairs; our lobby is on the left up there.
For the Office: Turn Left at the top of the stairs, we are the office on the end.
Recreational Styles Offered
Grown Up & Me
This is a class designed for dancers under age 3. It focuses on safe stretching, ballet basics, and introductory acrobatic skills, through rhythm and creative play with an adult.
Ballet
Age 3-6
Dancers at this age learn fundamental body mechanics, basic steps, and introductory French terms, with a review of basic positions through ballet-based curriculum. Our curriculum introduces barre exercises with a combination of center floor work and across-the-floor activities. Class also included imaginative-based learning to promote future choreography skills and keep dancers engaged, as well as action-based dances to promote rhythm and musicality through the Ready Set Dance Program.
Age 7-9
This course reviews fundamental body mechanics, basic steps, and body positions. Skills and combinations were taught in French, with English translations, following mainly the Cecchetti Method. Curriculum utilizes barre exercises and a combination of center floor work and across-the-floor activities; while emphasizing that Ballet is a highly technical form which requires hard work, dedication, and discipline. Dancers focused on building the strength, flexibility and control needed to execute Ballet moves.
By Skill Level (Age 10+)
This course focuses on advancing body mechanics, intricate footwork, and elevating displays of body positions. Skills and combinations were taught largely in French, with minimal English translations. Dancers were exposed to the Cecchetti, Vaganova (Russian), Royal Academy, and Balanchine methods. Curriculum utilizes barre exercises and a combination of center floor work and across-the-floor activities; while emphasizing that Ballet is a highly technical form which requires hard work, dedication, and discipline. Dancers focused on building the strength, flexibility and control needed to execute highly advanced Ballet moves, through batterie, jumps, leaps, and turns. As dancers progress through the year, curriculum became increasingly intricate.
Lyrical
Age 7-9
Lyrical class curriculum is based on ballet technique layered with continuous movement, learning to express breath through movement and communicate emotion through dance moves. Dancers learned to interpret song lyrics and apply them to real life experiences. Skill development (jumps, leaps, turns, kicks) is a crucial part of the curriculum, to include seamless progressions between skills and through varying levels of space. Dancers also learned to create improvisational movement through cue cards, as well as special awareness in moving formations.
By Skill Level (Age 10+)
Lyrical class curriculum is based on ballet technique layered with continuous movement, learning to express breath through movement and communicate emotion through dance moves. Dancers were taught to then express the depth of meaning in songs through movement, with the intention to evoke emotion from viewers. Skill enhancement (jumps, leaps, turns, kicks) is a crucial part of the curriculum, to include seamless transitions through varying levels and directions of space. Dancers also learned about improvisational techniques through the Teddy Forance curriculum of CLI Studios.
Pointe
Beginner (PrePointe)
This course is designed to help dancers understand the dedication and safety precautions needed for successful pointe dancing. Dancers learn the parts of the shoe, and how to adequately strengthen and tone the body to work through that shoe with proper alignment. Dancers practice sewing, gluing, and tying pointe shoes properly while learning about foot care and shoe maintenance. Dancers also learn classroom etiquette and structure for advanced ballet dancing.
Intermediate / Advanced
This course focused on advancing body mechanics, intricate footwork, and elevating displays of body positions. Skills and combinations were taught largely in French, with minimal English translations. Dancers followed the CLI Studios “On Pointe” curriculum by professional dancer Melissa Sandvig as well as the “Perfect Pointe” program by dance physiotherapist Lisa Howell. Dancers focused on building the strength, flexibility and control needed to execute Ballet moves with proper foot care and shoe maintenance. As dancers progressed through the year, curriculum became increasingly intricate.
Acrobatic Dance
Age 3-6
This class focused on increased flexibility, balance, strength, muscle control, taking turns, and self-awareness; lessons were completed at each student's individual level of experience. Dancers learned the foundations of Acrobatic Dance art through the Acrobatic Arts Primary & Levels 1-3 Syllabus. Class included imaginative-based learning to promote future choreography skills and keep dancers engaged, as well as action-based dances to promote rhythm and musicality.
Age 7-9
This class focused on increased flexibility, balance, strength, muscle control, taking turns, and self-awareness; lessons were completed at each student's individual level of experience. Dancers learned the foundations of Acrobatic Dance art through the Acrobatic Arts Levels 2-5 Syllabus. Class included imaginative-based learning to promote future choreography skills and keep dancers engaged, as well as action-based dances to promote rhythm and musicality.
By Skill Level (Age 10+)
Acro is not a gymnastics class; it is a dance class. Class included upper and lower body conditioning as well as a rigorous warm-up to help prepare dancers for intense skills. This curriculum focuses on increased flexibility, balance, strength, muscle control, musicality, rhythm, smooth transitions, discipline, and concentration. This level followed Acrobatic Arts Levels 3-8 and Pre-Professional Syllabus, with additional supportive materials from the Acro Dance Teacher’s Association and CLI Studios; lessons are completed at each student's individual level of experience. These courses meet twice per week and focus on seamless transitions through varying levels and directions of space.
Tap
Age 4-6 & 7-9
Tap class is designed to develop rhythm, style, and sound. Exercises focused on building flexibility of the knee and ankles, coordination, and speed of movement to integrate musicality and percussion. Dancers learned how to articulate their toes and heels to make a variety of sounds as well as how to combine them to make musical patterns. Class included imaginative-based learning to promote future choreography skills and keep dancers engaged, as well as action-based dances to promote rhythm and musicality through the Ready Set Dance Program.
By Skill Level (Age 10+)
Tap class is designed to develop rhythm, style, and sound. Exercises focused on building flexibility of the knee and ankles, coordination, and speed of movement to integrate musicality and percussion. Dancers learned terminology from a variety of tap styles as well as how to combine them to make advanced musical patterns. As dancers progressed through the year, curriculum became increasingly intricate.
Jazz
Age 5-6 & 7-9
Jazz dancers focused on learning proper dance technique, improving performance quality, and developing complex choreography to various rhythms. Dancers were exposed to various styles of jazz to help develop a well-rounded dancer. Class curriculum is based on ballet technique layered with traditional jazz movement and includes a proper warm-up, stretches, across-the-floor progressions, and combinations. This class worked on skills such as turns, leaps, jumps, kicks, footwork, and smoothly transitioning them to the music rhythm.
By Skill Level (Age 10+)
Jazz dancers focused on learning proper dance technique, improving performance quality and developing complex choreography to various rhythms. Dancers were exposed to various styles of jazz to help develop a well-rounded dancer. Class curriculum is based on ballet technique layered with traditional jazz movement and includes a proper warm-up, stretches, across-the-floor progressions, and combinations. This class focused level changing floorwork, double to quadruple turns, specialty leaps, jumps, kicks, and complex footwork.
Modern
This class incorporated many of the foundations of modern dance technique, including suspension and release, fall and recovery, the use of momentum and connecting breath with movement, as well as specialized styles by well-known choreographers. Adapting skills to varying schools of thought is a crucial part of the curriculum, to include turns, kicks, leaps, and jumps. This course went through a variety of codified styles; to include Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham, Isadora Duncan, Lester Horton, and Katherine Dunham.
Technique
Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) is an innovative body-conditioning and strengthening program that has been designed to enhance students' technique by focussing on training the muscle memory required in each exercise in all forms of dance. It is a unique training system using ballet-technique specific exercises to train skill acquisition in a graded and progressive manner from junior through to advanced levels. PBT helps teachers around the world prepare their students to receive the strength they need to achieve their personal best. The program helps with injury prevention and rehabilitation and enhances the ability of athletes to perform at their best. It can be difficult for students to feel which muscles initiate the correct alignment in training. However, with the use of an exercise ball, the students gain a great sense of posture and weight-placement whilst feeling each correct muscle group working throughout each exercise, which then stays with them when whilst performing in dance or their chosen field of sport PBT focuses on core strength, weight placement and alignment of the body with a gradual approach of carefully designed exercises and repetitions of these exercises that trigger their muscle memory.