Performing Arts
Ballet Training
Duration: 2 Years | 4 Terms | Vaganova method
Classical ballet in the Vaganova method, worked through barre, centre, allegro and pointe across four terms, with show preparation at the end of each.
Structure
How the training runs
- Two years, divided into four terms.
- Each term works through barre, centre, allegro and pointe as the syllabus sets them out.
- Each semester closes with a 15-day hands-on project, worked by every student.
- Students prepare for and perform in a show at the end of each academic year, after every two terms.
Syllabus
Term-by-term syllabus
Year 1 · Term 1
Barre
- Double rond de jambe en l'air (2 lower, tracing a full circle)
- Battement développé balancé, battement développé deçà-delà in ¼ counts
- Grand battement jeté, on demi-pointe
- Grand battement jeté balançoire
- Fouetté, working leg at 90°, on demi-pointe, starting from demi-plié and in various variations
- Demi tour, 90°
- Pirouette, starting or ending at 45° or 90°
- Fouetté suivi 45°, within a combination
Centre
- Temps lié 90°, starting from 5th position with 1 pirouette
- Pirouette, starting from grand plié
- Grand battement en tournant with a ¼ turn
- Grand battement on demi-pointe
- Battement développé ballotté
- Grand rond de jambe 90°, on demi-pointe
- Grand fouetté en tournant en dedans, in 3rd arabesque
- Turns in grand positions: à la seconde, arabesque, attitude en dehors, and en dedans
- Consecutive pirouettes, starting from 5th position, on the cou-de-pied, in 45° attitude, 16 in total
The term closes with a 15-day hands-on project.
Year 1 · Term 2
Allegro
- Entrechat-quatre, repeated many times in succession, moving forward or backward
- Brisé forward and backward
- Pas cabriole at 45°
- Rond de jambe en l'air sauté
- Temps levé with foot at 90°, in positions
- Grand jeté en avant
- Grand jeté pas de chat
- Grand jeté entrelacé
- Glissé, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd arabesque at 90°
- Pas failli, sissonne failli
- Grand fouetté sauté, starting in second position and ending in 1st arabesque
Pointe
- Rond de jambe en l'air, single and double
- Relevé, in various positions, 90°, 2–4 repetitions
- Sissonne ouverte, including all variations learned in previous levels
- Pirouette en dehors, en dedans, from all positions, 2 turns, with different transitions
- Tour suivi, from 5th position, 16 repetitions
- Tour fouetté suivi, 16 repetitions
- Pas ballonné, 8 repetitions
- Continuous turns on the diagonal from the corner (after performing without pointe in the centre) — Glissade soutenu en tournant — Tour piqué — Tour chaîné — Pas emboîté en tournant Performed individually or in various combinations
The term closes with a 15-day hands-on project.
Year 2 · Term 3
Barre
- Rond de jambe en l'air, 90°, ending in grand position
- Port de bras, bending the torso while the leg is at 90°
- Grand battement jeté fouetté
- Pirouette, starting and ending in grand position
- Flic-flac, starting and ending in grand position
- Povorot (turning) fouetté, ending in grand position (transition from passé)
- Grand battement jeté, with demi rond and grand rond
Centre
- Port de bras, in grand positions, with the leg at 90° and the torso bent
- Penché
- Grand battement jeté balancé a la seconde, arms in 3rd position
- Grand fouetté en effacée en face en dehors, en dedans
- Grand fouetté en tournant en dedans 1st arabesque, en dehors croisée effacée en avant
- Grand temps lié, with a pirouette starting from grand plié
- Pirouette, starting from grand plié and ending in grand positions, 1–2 turns
- Various turns beginning or ending in grand positions
- Tours, in grand positions, en dehors and en dedans with various starts and finishes, turning 2 times
- Tours in grand positions, repeated many times in succession with plié-relevé, transitioning from a tour to a pirouette
- Renversé en dehors, en dedans, and from the 4th arabesque to en dedans
- Fouetté suivi, 16–32 repetitions
- Italian fouetté, 8 repetitions
The term closes with a 15-day hands-on project.
Year 2 · Term 4
Allegro
- Brisé dessous-dessus, brisé with a ¼ turn
- Pas ballotté 45°, 90°
- Gargouillade
- Soubresaut
- Grand assemblé battu
- Fouetté sauté battu
- Sissonne ouvert 90° battu
- Saut de basque
- Grand jeté passé, grand jeté renversé
- Grand cabriole 90°
- Pas ciseaux
- Grand fouetté en tournant and Grand fouetté en effacée en face sauté
- Grand jeté en tournant — from croisée to croisée, via sissonne tombé backward — via sissonne tombé forward on the diagonal, in attitude and arabesque
- Sissonne ouvert and sissonne tombé en tournant at 45° and 90°, turning one full rotation
Pointe
- Renversé en dehors and en dedans
- Grand fouetté en tournant
- Grand fouetté en effacée en face
- Pirouette en dehors, en dedans, with various transitions and finishes, 2 turns
- Turns in grand positions (1–2 turns), with different starts
- Turns with plié-relevé, repeated many times in succession in grand positions
- Tour piqué, tour dégagé, glissade soutenu en tournant, tour chaînée — in various combinations in a circle
- Tour fouetté followed by 24–32 repetitions
- Italian fouetté, 6–8 repetitions
The term closes with a 15-day hands-on project.
Before you enrol
The syllabus below sets out the technical content of each term. Please talk to us about your current level before enrolling, so that you join at the right point.