How does Level 1 differ from "pre-ballet"?

[jerseymom]

Forgot to ask this in my last rambling message. If my daughter has a clear idea of what new things to expect in Level 1 it may entice her to stay at the rigorous school she is at now. I'll ask her teacher of course but any input is appreciated.

[Clara 76]

Ballet 1 is very different at different schools, but ballet gets more rigorous and requires more concentration and more focus with each passing year. See my reply on your thread

[NikkisMamma]

I can only asnwer what it was like in our studio. At 3-5 we have "pre-ballet" creative movement classes. At 6, they have a year of "primary" which is kinda a transition year, a little more structured than the pre-ballet. Then at 7, they begin the actual ballet training. At our studio, it meant much more time at the barre and much more attention to detail. It was initially not a "fun" year for my DD (I touched on that in your other thread) because she felt it was slightly boring and they did the same things over and over. Once she understood WHY (see other thread) she was OK with it and enjoyed it much more. She still loves ballet and is now an Intermediate student who just got her first pair of pointe shoes! The big difference for her was the repetitive, detail oriented training and movements instead of more free-form dancing. Now she really enjoys the discipline of it all but the first month or two of level 1 was difficult because it wasn't what she had expected and she felt it was slow and not challenging enough, I think in her mind she had pictured doing leaps and pirouettes...! ;)