South Suburban offers challenging, comprehensive dance training which instills grace, discipline, and self-confidence! Academy of Dance is a progressive program with classes designed for young students, ages 3-18. Students receive quality studio instruction at a fraction of the cost of other studio classes. Our instructors keep classes fun and engaging without the pressure found in a dance studio setting.

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Over the course of a semester in the Academy of Dance program, instructors cover the basics of ballet. These vary from class to class and level to level. We recommend parents contact the Academy of Dance Coordinator about the best placement for their child based on their previous ballet experiences. This is a progressive program with class levels designed to be taken multiple times before advancing.

Ballet Level 1 (ages 3-12): This instruction instills grace, balance and confidence. Students work on basic ballet movements, vocabulary, choreography, and floor work.

Ballet Level 2 (ages 5-12): Students continue to perfect their ballet technique, posture, and balance in this class. All students must have previous ballet experience and instructor permission to join.

Ballet Level 3 (ages 8-14): This class continues to work on technique, strength, and choreography. All students must have previous ballet experience and instructor permission to join.

Ballet Level 4 (ages 9-16): In this class, students work on body alignment, barre and floor work. All students must have previous ballet experience and instructor permission to join.

Ballet Level 5 (ages 12-18): This advanced class continues to work on technique, body alignment, advanced barre and floor work. All students must have previous ballet experience and instructor permission to join.

Strength and Conditioning (ages 12-18): Students practice technique, correct stance, turnout, body structure and fully pointed foot extensions. Once achieved, dancers will practice on pointe shoes.

Girls should wear a solid-colored ballet leotard, pink tights (with feet) and leather or canvas ballet slippers (pink preferred). We recommend that Ballet Level 1-2 dancers wear a pink leotard and Ballet Levels 3-5 wear black leotards. Boys should wear black pants or shorts, a white T-shirt, and black ballet slippers. Street shoes are not permitted in the dance room.

We strive to give our students the chance to explore and experience all types of dance; the following classes are also currently offered:

Ballet Level 1/Tap Combo (ages 4-7): Students continue ballet education in this class and add tap to dance knowledge. They wear tap and ballet shoes, leotard, and tights for class.

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Hip Hop (ages 5-18): Dancers learn hip hop moves while working on coordination, strength, and teamwork. Boys and girls wear loose comfortable clothing and sneakers that attach firmly to dancer’s foot. Dancers will need previous hip hop experience and instructor permission to join the intermediate and advanced levels.

Jazz/Tap (ages 5-7): This combo class is an introductory class for both styles of dance. Jazz dance combines techniques of classical ballet and modern dance with the current forms of popular dance. Tap is often paired with jazz and focuses musically on percussion. Students wear tap and jazz shoes.

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Jazz (ages 5-18): Jazz dance combines techniques of classical ballet and modern dance with the current forms of popular dance. Jazz also has its own movement vocabulary ranging from the isolation of certain body parts to the movement of the entire body with the accents of musical rhythms. This is an upbeat, fun dance style. Dancers will need previous dance experience and instructor permission to join the intermediate and advanced levels.

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Tap (ages 6-18): Tap dance is an exciting and rhythmic style of dance. Dancer’s wear fitted tap shoes and work on making specific sounds and rhythms, while doing choreographed footwork. Dancers will need previous tap dance experience and instructor permission to join the intermediate and advanced levels.

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Lyrical (ages 6-18): This is a class for students who may not have any dance experience. Lyrical is a form of dance that uses movement to express emotions. Students work on balance as well as technique. Girls and boys can wear clothing that is easy to move in and can either dance barefoot or wear lyrical or jazz shoes. Dancers will need previous dance experience and instructor permission to join the intermediate and advanced levels.

Beginning/Intermediate and Advanced Leaps & Turns (ages 7-18): This is a technique class where dancers focus on leaps, turns, and jumps. This class will help dancers perfect their skills used for other dance styles including ballet and jazz. The class breaks down the basic steps of dance moves to fine tune the dancer’s technique. This class will not perform in the spring or winter shows to allow the dancers to focus on improvement.

The following describes our year-round dance semesters and accompanying performances. Performing is not required for the Academy of Dance program.

The Spring Recital Semester of Academy of Dance runs January through May with a recital performance at the end of the session. Registration fees include the costume for each dancer for this recital performance. Registration for this semester opens in October. Each class learns and performs their own dance for the Spring Recital. Parents and friends will need to purchase tickets to watch the performances.

The Summer Semester of Academy of Dance runs from June through August and does not include a performance. Registration for this semester opens in April. We encourage all dancers to continue taking classes year-round to keep up with flexibility, strength, and knowledge of dance. This semester is valuable because it focuses on technique and form without the pressure of a performance.

The Winter Showcase Semester of Academy of Dance runs from September through December with a showcase performance at the end of the session. The Winter Showcase has holiday-based songs and students borrow tutus or other holiday/dance performance gear to perform with no extra costume fee. Registration for this semester opens in July. Each class learns and performs their own dance for the Winter Showcase. Parents and friends will need to purchase tickets to watch the performances.

The Academy of Dance Competition Team is the ultimate experience for students who love to perform! Our dance team is available to students ages 4-18 years old. All participants must attend an audition to be placed on the appropriate competition team (usually in June). Students will be placed based on age and ability level. Members of the dance team must participate in South Suburban Academy of Dance classes at any location throughout the year.

Dancers are expected to compete in three regional competitions in the spring. The team will compete in a variety of styles, including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and hip hop. Dancers must attend weekly rehearsals starting in the fall to properly prepare for the competitions. This is a one-year commitment for dancers that wish to join.

Buck Recreation Center, 2004 W Powers Ave, Littleton, CO 80120

Goodson Recreation Center, 6615 S, University Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121

Lone Tree Recreation Center, 10249 Ridgegate Cir, Lone Tree, CO 80124