Dance Conservatory
Ballet
In our pre-professional ballet program, students train in the Vaganova method. Our classes include Classical Ballet, Pointe, Character & Historical Court Dance, and Performance, drawing from a variety of international styles and folkloric traditions.
Classical Chinese Dance
Originating in the ancient Imperial courts, classical Chinese dance has developed through the ages, into one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world. The true beauty of Chinese dance embodies the depths of China’s rich cultural history.
DANCE CURRICULUM
Ballet Conservatory Curriculum
Our Ballet Program at the San Francisco High School of the Arts is based in technique and artistry. We incorporate the Vaganova Method in training to ensure that our students have an ample understanding of ballet technique and execution. We pride ourselves on a well-rounded program including contemporary, tap, broadway jazz classes. With ballet as a foundation, our dance students are well-equipped to perform these specialities with rigor.Our instructors are well-known dance educators in the Bay Area, and promote technical training, musicality, and healthy practice. It is through these values that we successfully train dancers of all ages.In order to prepare our students for the professional dance world, HSArts has many opportunities for Pre-Professional performance, and can be seen participating in city-wide events such as; the Italian Heritage Parade, the Academy of Sciences Fall Program, and Herbst Theatre Winter and Spring Galas. It is through these experiences that our dancers become familiar with the expectations of a professional career and the dedication that comes with dance training.
The foundation of ballet training, technique class emphasizes body placement, posture and form through barre exercises and center routines. Class content is based on the Vaganova curriculum.
Ballet technique work in pointe shoes will be offered to female students with sufficiently developed feet, strong arches and ankles, and solid ballet technique.
This class trains students in the stylized form of European folk dance found in many works of the classical ballet repertoire.
Contemporary dance uses alignment and movement patterning from classical and non-classical dance forms, while expanding on the abilities of spine articulation, contractions, isolations, release technique, improvisation, and collaboration skills.
Ballet technique work in pointe shoes will be offered to female students with sufficiently developed feet, solid ballet technique, and strong arches and ankles.
This class trains students in the stylized form of European folk dance found in many works of the classical ballet repertoire.
Literally translated from French as “step of two,” this class involves partnering work between male and female dancers. It is open to advanced students.
Students learn variations from famous ballets as well as original choreography by SF High School of the Arts’ dance department.
As a supplement to their ballet technique course, this class for male dancers focuses on teaching jumps, turns, and strength training.
Classical Chinese Dance Curriculum
Classical Chinese dance is one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world. Students will master this exceptional classical art form while exploring China’s cultural heritage. Our systematic training in dance fundamentals, flexibility, technical skills, and the unique element of shenyun (or ‘bearing’), is well-known in the Bay Area. High School of the Arts students win numerous awards in national and world Chinese Dance competitions. Our Chinese Dance faculty are experienced dance instructors and graduates of renowned Chinese dance institutes with degrees in Classical Chinese Dance or Ethnic Dance.
Dance Fundamentals teaches the building blocks of dance which include flexibility, posture, and strength. The students will learn the basic concepts and terminologies and develop a command of the fundamental techniques and dance movements. Students will train in the form of barre exercises, floor and center routines, and practicing technical skills. Establishing a solid foundation will enable students to perform the various techniques and movements of classical Chinese dance.
UC Approved: I-IV
Bearing, called “Shen Yun” (身韻) in Chinese, is one of the major components of classical Chinese dance. Bearing is a technique used for expressing specific inner feelings through form, or postures and movements in dance combinations and barre practice. Designed to train dancers to grasp the “feeling” or inner essence of Chinese dance, its system of routines emphasizes the coordination of breath, physical movement, and spirit, striking a balance between the physical and the spiritual.
UC Approved: I-IV UC Honors: IV
Tumbling skills are widely used in Classical Chinese Dance to enhance characterization and presentation. Students will train and learn to safely perform various acrobatic skills from entry-level, which include handstands, cartwheels, and walkovers, to advanced concepts such as aerial skills, flips, and combinations. This course relies on the students’ practice to develop the strength and technique necessary to execute the more challenging flips properly.
Chinese Ethnic/Folk Dances focus on learning the characteristics of the ethnic dances of the Chinese northeastern Yang Ge (秧歌) dance and the folk dances of the Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian ethnic groups. By developing a solid command of these folk dances’ moves and styles and learning the different bearing and rhythms, students can grasp the sincerity, humor, passion, values, and diversity that are demonstrated in these folk dances. The students will also learn to express through dance the belief that humankind is an integral part of nature – a belief widely held by many Eastern ethnicities and by the Chinese people in particular.
Students rehearse group dances with choreographers several times during the week. They learn proper spacing on a stage, different formations, various transitions, and train their expression. At the end of every school year, a dance recital is held.
Flexibility is the foundation of classical Chinese dance fundamentals. Without a high degree of mastery in flexibility, dancers cannot execute many basic movements much less the more advanced jumps and aerial techniques. Therefore flexibility is trained most intensely in the first few years of a dancer’s education.