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BALLET – CBAA SYLLABUS GUIDELINES

CLASSICAL BALLET

This syllabus is designed to help the teacher prepare pupils for medals of various levels. It consists of exercises suitable for the grade at which the pupil wishes to be examined. It is not meant to be a directory for dancers and should not be the “only steps taught to your pupils”.

Suitable exercises should be chosen from the syllabus to demonstrate the pupil’s ability to the medal facilitator.

The most important feature is the teaching of correct body placement and co-ordination of arms and head. Children should be encouraged to express the enjoyment of their dancing in their movements.

The syllabus is designed for children attending one lesson a week to introduce them to classical dance technique. Teachers may decide to introduce more difficult techniques in lower grades if the candidates attend more than one lesson weekly.

All grades (including Majors) should include a dance to complete the performance.

BEGINNERS (Children up to 5 years)

To include:

      • Basic foot position – 1st, 2nd, 3rd
      • Demi plies
      • Springs – in parallel
      • Simple Port de bras
      • Simple pointing steps
      • Gallops
      • Skips

Dance – Demi Character portraying Nursery Rhyme or Story.

PRIMARY (Children 8 years and over)

      • 3 positions of feet
      • Demi plies
      • Springs – in 1st position
      • Positions of the arms
      • Simple Port de bras
      • Simple pointing steps
      • Simple spring points
      • Galloping

Dance – Demi Character

      • Curtsey

GRADES ONE TO FIVE should demonstrate the following basic steps with variations for each Grade –

      • Plies
      • Battement tendu – battement glisse
      • Grand battement
      • Port de bras
      • Glissade
      • Jete

Advanced steps such as:

      • Ronde de jambe
      • Battement frappe
      • Developpes
      • Pirouettes
      • Pas de chats

Should be introduced in the appropriate Grade as the children gain strength and confidence.

When a candidate enters for the Grade Five Medal Standard, they should be confident in the basic knowledge and skills of Classical Ballet.

Guidelines for Classical Grades:

GRADE ONE –

      • Demi plies
      • Battement tendu
      • Divided Grand Battement
      • Sautes
      • Port de bras – including 1st and 5th positions
      • Galops
      • Pas de cheval
      • Pas marche
      • Simple Polkaa

GRADE TWO –

      • Demi and full plies
      • Battement tendu
      • Simple Ronde de Jambe
      • Simple Battement glisse
      • Port de bras – including 1st and another arm position – not 5th position
      • Glissade – devant and derriere
      • Eschappe Saute

GRADE THREE –

      • Full plies
      • Battement tendu en croix
      • Battement glisse
      • Battement fondu
      • Ronds de jambe a terre
      • Grand Battement
      • Developpe devant
      • Simple releve movements
      • Port de bras – includes 5th position
      • Glissade dessus and dessous
      • Pas de chat
      • Jete devant and derriere
      • Introduction to arabesque a terre
      • Simple allegro – soubresauts, changement

GRADE FOUR –

      • Full plies
      • Battement tendu
      • Grand Battement
      • Battement glisse
      • Ronde de jambe a terre
      • Developpes – devant
      • Battement frappes
      • Port de bras
      • Arabesques
      • Attitudes
      • Glissades, pas de chats, jete, pas de bourre, assemble, pas de basques
      • Pirouettes – single turn from releve in fifth position
      • Balance de Cote

GRADES FIVE, SIX AND SEVEN –

To include all steps from previous grades. The following steps to be introduced as the technical ability increases:

      • Demi assemble soutenu a terre
      • Retire passé
      • Petit battement
      • Ronds de jambe en l’air
      • Releve in fifth
      • Eschappe releve
      • Releve devant and derriere
      • Developpe – a la second and derriere
      • Temps lie
      • Transfer of weight
      • Chasses
      • Adage exercises including developpe, attitude, arabesque, fouette
      • Sissone
      • Grand jete
      • Eschappe sauté battus
      • Pirouette – from fifth and fourth positions
      • Demi pointe exercises

CLASSICAL MAJOR GRADES

All work for major grades should be in enchainment form with the degree of technical difficulty increasing with each grade. The inclusion of musical appreciation is encouraged.

The following guidelines are suggestions. Teachers are encouraged to introduce student choreography into the syllabus during these grades. It is ideal that the candidates may prepare the Advanced Syllabus (Gold level) with their own choreography.

PRELIMINARY CLASSICAL MAJOR – BLUE MEDAL

Enchainments should be simple and demonstrate the candidate’s strength, technical ability and musicality.

Barre

      • Plies with rises and port de bras
      • Battement tendu and battement glisse including transfer of weight and battement piques
      • Battement fondu, assemble soutenu, ronds de jambe a terre and en l’air
      • Battement frappe with fondu
      • Developpe with fouette of adage
      • Grand battement and battement en cloche
      • Demi Pointe Exercises – releves, pas de bourree pique
      • Port de bras – classical walks, chasses, attitude a terre
      • Adage – developpe, 1st, 2nd and 3rd arabesques, fouette, temps lie
      • Allegro – glissade, pas de bouree, jete, pas de chat, assemble
      • Pirouette – en dedans and en dehors
      • Grand jete devant
      • Demi Pointe – releves, coupe fouette raccourci

INTERMEDIARY CLASSICAL MAJOR – BLACK MEDAL

Enchainments should demonstrate the candidate’s increasing technical ability and their developing presentation style.

Barre

      • Plies with rises and balance, full port de bras, demi detourne
      • Battement tendu and battement glisse with battement jete
      • Battement frappe and battement fouette
      • Developpe with assemble soutenu and ronds de jambe en l’air
      • Grand battement en cloche with straight legs and attitude
      • Demi points – include pose
      • Port de bras – include full upper body rotation, sideways bend
      • Adage – temps lie and fouette of adage en l’air
      • Allegro – jete battement, sissone, brise
      • Grand jete en tournant
      • Contretemps
      • Demi Pointe – include pose into arabesque

ADVANCED CLASSICAL MAJOR – GOLD MEDAL

Enchainments should demonstrate the candidate’s confidence with classical technique and well developed presentation style. Candidates are encouraged to submit their own choreography. Special care should be taken in choosing music for this grade. It is suggested that the candidates do not use the traditional classical exercise music and may choose more contemporary music or music from Ballets.

Barre: Steps may be performed as one continuous performance and not broken down into different exercises. The enchainment should contain steps from all previous grades and introduce steps which are special to this grade, including:

      • Battement glisse en cloche
      • Petit battement serres
      • Developpe sur la demi pointe

Centre: Enchainments should be choreographed and around different musical tempos.

The candidates may wish to perform a variety of solos based on the different musical tempos.

      • Romantic lyrical
      • Soft Allegro
      • Bright Allegro
      • Grand Allegro
      • Waltz
      • Pirouette