There are many curriculums out there, but there doesn't seem to be one "checklist" or "standard" that unites them all together. Should your 8-year-old be learning pirouettes? When should a child go to the barre? What should you expect from a 12-year-old who is just starting pointe?

I've decided to make my personal level expectation checklists available, in hopes that maybe different dance teachers at different studios can start unifying their curriculum a bit!

It's important for me to be clear on this - this is my curriculum, not RAD or Vaganova or whatever. This is what I expect for my students, in the demographic I have learned to teach. Is your 6-year-old doing level 4 work? Okay, great for them. But make sure they can actually do the work correctly, not just doing the steps. They need to understand the concepts and have the strength and flexibility and muscle memory to back up the technique mentioned. So don't teach a 9 year old who is Level 1 how to do a pirouette until they can do all the other material leading up to the pirouette.

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Why do I stop at level 4? Mostly, because that's all I have had time and the means to refine. Most of my students trickle off by that level, so after that, I work on a case-by-case basis (my students who are more advanced than this will work with me one-on-one or in small class settings). But also because after that level and age group, I cater my classes to my student's personal goals, skills, and limitations.

Note for this checklist - If a student is a beginner, they should be placed in level 1, regardless of age, and moved up as they complete the skills mentioned below. I've put the ages I consider appropriate in parentheses, but the levels should be followed first.

Pre-ballet 1 (ages 2-3)

Basic Skills and concepts

• Standing in line
• Taking turns
• Matching the teacher
• Remembering their spot
• Recognizing themselves in the mirror
• Bending down low vs standing up and reaching high