Beginners Ballet skills checklist.
Level 1 – age 5-7
The Ballet Skills checklist was developed as I think we as dance teachers can all agree that it is far easier to teach a chid from scratch than it is to undo poor training. It is for this reason that it is vitally important that you start your young ballet students off on the right foot. When it comes to planning your beginners ballet classes the main thing to keep in mind is less is more. From the ages of 5-7, young dancers don’t need to master a wide variety of steps, what they need to do is master a small subset of steps and master them well. Once they have a solid foundation they can then build on this as they progress through their training. This ballet skills checklist for 5-7 year sets out what you should be covering in class at this age. It is based on the Ballet Blueprint – a complete downloadable curriculum for beginning ballet students 5-7 years. The Ballet Blueprint is a teaching manual and fully choreographed curriculum including handy technique checklists and recommended imagery to make sure all your teachers are on the same page. It includes a report which you can use for your own records or share with parents. You can download a copy of the Beginners Ballet skills checklist below and find more information about the Ballet Blueprint here.
The Ballet skills Checklist can be used to structuring your beginners ballet class
Structuring your beginners ballet class
1, Entering the room routine.
2. Articulation and stretching phase
3. Basic Centre work – no barre required at this young age, pliés, tendus, retiré balance, basic port de bras and arm waves
4. Allegro, sautés, echappé sautés, spring pointes
5. Locomotion – tippy toe walks, marches, skips, gallops (forward and side), polkas
6. Basic dance including mime
7. End of class activity – eg Activity song or improvisation.
We hope you enjoy the Ballet Skills Checklist. For more articles on teaching beginner ballet classes, check out
How to make ballet fun for young children
Ballet Curriculum for Beginners
