Youth Programs
New Orleans School of Ballet's Youth Program follows a progressive curriculum, divided by level and age. Each level is designed to be sensitive to the developmental needs of its age group. Our curriculum combines elements from the classic French, Italian, Russian, and American schools of training.
2025-26 classes begin Monday, August 25, 2025!
Register Here!
Placement Class, 8/16/2025
Birthday deadline: September 1, 2025.
The Nutcracker in New Orleans Auditions: September 6 & 7
By audition only, dancers 5 and older.
The Nutcracker in New Orleans: December 20-21, 2025
May Matinée: Sunday, May 24, 2026
All students are eligible to perform in our year-end culminating performance.
PREPARATORY PROGRAM:
PRE-BALLET: Ages 3-4
Imaginative movement activities introduce your child to musical, body, and spatial awareness, while developing coordination and motor skills. Patterns, storytelling, and musicality are the focus as well as encouragement to take direction from the instructor and share turns with peers.
Pre-Ballet: Wednesday, 3:15-4:00
Pre-Ballet: Saturday, 8:00-8:45
PRIMARY: Ages 5-6
An introduction to basic ballet with beginning development of ballet concepts including turn out, coordination, spatial awareness and a specific focus on class etiquette. Students will begin positions of the feet and arms as well as introductory movement vocabulary with focus on coordination and musicality. We emphasize further work on balance through fun games to strengthen and support muscle development is emphasized.
Primary: Wednesday, 4:00-5:00
Primary: Saturday, 8:45-9:45 5 openings
CONSERVATORY PROGRAM:
Students learn the structure of a traditional ballet class format delivered in a formal classroom environment and students are offered elective classes to enhance their ballet training. Students enrolled in the Elementary levels attend classes two or more classes per week with an increasing time commitment. These critical levels lay the foundation of the classical ballet vocabulary, and move at a pace which facilitates understanding and safety. Attention is given to musicality, movement quality and anatomically correct work. At the discretion of the artistic director, pre-pointe and pointe work is introduced.
PREP: 1 day per week. Ages 7 and older. 3 openings
Saturday, 9:45-10:45
Level 1: 2 days a week attendance. Placement is required
Tuesday & Thursday, 4:15-5:15
Level 2: 2 days a week attendance. 3 recommended. Placement is required.
Tuesday/Thursday: 5:15-6:45 (mandatory)
Friday: 4:30-6:00 (recommended)
Level 3: 3 days a week required. Placement is required
Tuesday/Thursday: 5:15-6:45 (mandatory)
Friday: 4:30-6:00 (mandatory)
Level 4 & 5: 3-4 days a week. Placement is required
Monday/Wednesday: 5:00-7:00, Ballet & Pointe (mandatory)
Friday: 6:00-8:00 (mandatory)
Saturday: 10:45-1:15 (Level 5)
Level 5 & 6 (INT/ADVANCED): Placement is required; 4 mandatory classes per week, 5 recommended
Students at the Intermediate/Advanced level develop their ballet technique by meeting four or more times per week. Students complete these levels with knowledge of the full ballet vocabulary.
Monday-Thursday : 7:00-9:00, Ballet & Pointe
Saturday: 10:45-1:15, Ballet & Pointe
PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM (PTP)
This is a rigorous education program designed to develop dance artists ready to take on the challenges of dance in the 21st century. Our PTP dancers receive the training, coaching, mentorship, and inspiration they need to pursue their passion for the arts through a graded curriculum of classical ballet taught by New Orleans School of Ballet’s experienced and distinguished faculty. For optimal training and the best overall experience, an entire school year commitment is required for this elite group. Int/Adv dancers are accepted into this program by invitation only.
PTP dancers have been accepted to or attended the following institutions as
year-round and summer intensive students:
The Royal Ballet School
School of American Ballet
American Ballet Theatre School
Bolshoi Ballet Academy
Boston Ballet
Miami City Ballet
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Houston Ballet
Pennsylvania Ballet
Joffrey Ballet Chicago
Kansas City Ballet
The Washington Ballet
Oregon Ballet Theatre
Orlando Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Belhaven University
North Carolina School of the Arts
Indiana University
San Francisco Ballet School
Ballet Chicago
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
Ellison Ballet
Next Generation Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet School
Ballet West
Pittsburg Ballet
Carolina Ballet
