The major difference is hours of training and commitment required of the student. The Élevé program is designed to give students additional support and training to begin pointe work. The Étude program is structured for dancers ready for pointe work. And the professional division is designed for students who want to pursue ballet professionally. While the pacing will vary based on the frequency of classes, the pedagogy and curriculums across programs is similar. The expectations around technique standards are identical. Rather than a one size fits all model, Collage aims to provide programming that better serves the diverse aspirations, learning styles, body types and talents of our growing student body. Please note that over time, additional levels will be added to each program (For example, in 2025 there may be 5 levels of Professional Development). Because the Professional Division is a new program, we are beginning with just one level. Students in this program were selected from the Tarantella 3 program only. Older current students and students in the Étude program were not candidates. Moving forward, students from Tarantella 2 will feed into either Élevé 1, Étude 1 or Professional Division 1.

Pointe instruction begins in Élevé III or when a student is ready to safely begin working on pointe. Ankle flexibility, leg/calf strength and core strength will all be evaluated and recommendation for pointe will begin in upper levels of Élevé.

Yes. As students mature, their level of commitment to ballet study may change. Students can move from one program to another at the discretion of the Artistic Director in concert with the dancer’s teacher and parents.

Body conditions, commitment, attendance, passion for ballet, learning style, temperament, emotional maturity, technical execution, comprehension, and focus. Other factors such as family capacity, student desire, etc. are considered and discussed. Students are observed and evaluated over the course of the year and placement decisions are finalized in April.

Ballet is an important technique for ALL dance students regardless of their natural talent or potential. Ballet training improves posture, core strength, coordination, skeletal alignment, muscle strength and discipline. These are wonderful attributes that help students in the studio in other genres (such as tap and jazz) and outside of the studio in their school and daily lives. This year we are proud to offer open teen beginner and intermediate ballet classes for dancers 12 and up. Students can take ballet once a week via this drop-in program. These classes are perfect to derive the benefits of ballet training without the commitment of a formal training program. We encourage all young dancers to incorporate ballet training, at some level, in their routine.

A dancer can enroll after the start of the term if they meet the necessary prerequisite requirements and space is available in the class. Please note that tuition is not prorated in instances where a dancer begins after the term begins. In the rare instance of a mid-year transfer from another training program, tuition may be prorated at the discretion of the School Director.

Collage is closely monitoring and committed to following the recommendations provided by the CDC for the reopening of schools. We are making the necessary updates to our safety guidelines to ensure we maintain a healthy environment for our students and staff. We will provide an overview of our safety measures to parents/guardians of registered students in the Collage Dance Conservatory via email in advance of the school reopening.