The Program
The formidable curriculum, taught by an eminent faculty, emphasizes a strong classical technique and a flow of movement that suggests a sense of energy, freedom, and joy—reflecting the kind of dancing favored by San Francisco Ballet. It is a style that readily adapts to meet the demands of any choreographer, any company, any type of movement.
Girls are placed in one of eight divisions and boys in one of six divisions according to age, experience, and ability. They follow a structured sequence of training stages designed to increase their technical skills, stamina, and discipline in accordance with their age and physical development. The program includes classes in technique, pointe work, pas de deux, men's technique, character dance and music.
The youngest children take class two or three days a week. From Girls Level 4 and Boys Level III on, students attend classes Monday through Friday. Those students at the advanced levels begin their day at an hour when many academic schools are still in progress, which means that in order to continue their ballet studies they might need to make accommodations to complete their regular education.
All classes are taught to live piano accompaniment, a crucial element in developing the child's understanding of the relationship between music and movement. Inherent in the teaching of ballet is frequent corrections. Student are verbally and/or physically guided by the teacher to ensure proper body alignment and body placement.
School is in session from September through early June, and parents receive evaluations of their child's progress twice a year. Enrollment is not automatically renewed from one year to the next. It is determined after great deliberation by the teachers involved in the child's studies, and is based on a student's technical aptitude, commitment, and physical development.
For those who desire a career in ballet, San Francisco Ballet School offers a training program of unqualified excellence. Approximately 40 percent of the dancers in the Company received all or part of their training at the School. Students have also gone on to dance with such companies as Ballet West, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Boston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet.
Upon completion of their studies at San Francisco Ballet School, students neither receive diplomas nor are they considered graduates. Although they have finished their formal studies, dancers never stop learning: after all, they begin each day with a class. Ballet education is an ongoing process, one that continues throughout a dancer's career.
Even those students whose paths lead to non-dance careers gain immeasurably from having studied at the School. They develop self-motivation, self-discipline, poise, grace, physical adroitness and an appreciation for the arts, which they carry with them throughout their lives.