Teaching Ballet to Young Dancers

        My young dancers want to experience as much "grown up dancing" as possible. I am finding that many dance studios introduce ballet vocabulary much earlier than I think is appropriate. My students discuss ballet with their friends at school and often show me steps their friends have taught them. Sometimes, my students have another dance class at school where very different material is being presented. I want to teach developmentally appropriate material but at the same time keep my students excited and engaged.  I find myself searching for material that feels both new, "advanced", and exciting but at the same time is building the strength and pathways my dancers need to be successful.   
       One way I like to challenge my young dancers is by teaching ballet vocabulary.  We discuss that the language of ballet is French, and we practice using the French vocabulary.  Each week I quiz my students on the vocabulary. "Who can raise their hand and share with the class the name of this step?"  "Who can raise their hand and share with the class what the word "tendu" means?"  "What language is the word "tendu"?"  Generally, for my students aged Pre-K through 1st grade, we learn the words:

• Plié - in parallel, 1st, or 2nd, depending on the age and class
  
• Battement tendu- in parallel to the front, to the side from 1st, depending on the age and class
• Passé- in parallel, a balance and in skips
  
• Allégro- we explore any fast movement, as well as learn that word in relationship to petit and grand allegro
  
• Adagio- we explore slow movement and balances on one leg
  
• Arabesque- a balance on one leg with our leg behind us, we do not discuss specific technique
  
• Assemblé- a jump from one leg to two legs from parallel tendu front, depending on the age and class 
  
• Chassé- sideways
  
• Échappé- from 1st to 2nd position, open and close
  
• Grand Jeté- a leap over a cone, one leg to the other leg 
  
• Sauté- jump from 2 feet to 2 feet
  
• Spotting- in our personal space and traveling, no specific turn taught
• Port de bras 
  
• Relevé- in parallel, heels stay together at all times
  
• Temps levé - a hop on one leg

My students feel proud for knowing and using these words in class.  Many of these movements are even done at school in gym class (hop, jump, leap, gallop).  However, by using the ballet vocabulary, the students are adding another layer of knowledge, and are approaching the movement with a different mind set.  This keeps them excited about practicing hops in our obstacle course instead of saying, "I know how to do that, that's easy!" Stay tuned for more descriptions on how I approach teaching this material! I would love to hear what ballet vocabulary you introduce to young dancers.