My favorite class is...

...my Advanced Beginner class.

(Did you think I was going to name one of my own teachers, past or present? No way! I couldn't possibly pick a favorite!)

Of all the classes I teach, I think the Advanced Beginner class is the one I would most like to take for myself. This is not because of my students, although I do adore all of them, but rather because of the level of the class.

While I love the challenge of my Intermediate level class and the simplicity of my Beginner class, I think the one right in between is a great class; it's thorough from start to finish. It's an ideal "in-between" level for advanced dancers who need to spend a little more time on technique and for upcoming dancers who want to boost their vocabulary.

But I have heard dancers wonder what makes it "Advanced Beginner." It's not advanced, after all, and it certainly isn't beginner. I tell them it's not quite intermediate but if you are an intermediate level dancer you can certainly make it more challenging. However, a beginner dancer who hasn't had much training might struggle. I expect students in this class to understand some of the basics, even if they can't perform them technically perfectly (that's what I'm for!):

At the barre:
plie, tendu, degage, grand battement, rond de jambe, port de bras, developpe, frappe, passe, cou de pied, arabesque

In the center:
glissade, chasse, jete, changement, balance, pique, pas de bourree, grand jete developpe, pas de chat

Me with 2 Adv Beg students - I have no pictures of my class!

So what does it look like? 
*I'm usually consistent with this class in terms of vocabulary and technique building.
*I use classical music although from time to time, I shake things up with special holiday theme tunes.
*At the barre, I focus on cleanliness of technique, shifting weight from one leg to the other, and warming up the muscles sequentially.
*In the center, I focus on performance.
*I like to do what I call "dramadagio" (I should trademark that) to emphasize stage presence, especially with adagio combinations.
*However, I am also careful to correct technique: pirouettes are my number one focus in the center.
*I want you to get the most out of the barre work you did and apply it to the center.
*Allegro is about brain work and fast feet - I want people to shed their anxiety about small jumps and just try it!

My Advanced Beginner class structure:

Barre - 
1. Begin with standard simple warm-up from head through feet
2. Plie combination is set with 2 demi-plies and 2 grand plies to maximize stretch
3. Tendu combination from first, slowly and simply, with a balance
4. Tendu from fifth position a little faster, with a balance
5. Faster tendu from fifth position to get the feet moving faster
6. Slow degage combination with a full-body stretch and balance
7. Faster degage to challenge the brain
8. Rond de jambe a terre with a stretch and balance
9. Fondu developpe with rond de jambe en l'air, typically moderate tempo
10. Frappe with petit battement, balance and pirouette practice
11. Adagio
12. Grand battements

Center -
1. Tendu with pirouettes en dehors
2. Adagio
3. Waltzy turns across the floor, first right and then left, often with en dehors and en dedans pirouettes
4. Small jumps with or without grand battements to warm up and roll through feet
5. Petit allegro to challenge the brain
6. Grand allegro
7. Reverence

I hope this helps some of you determine if the class is right for you (it probably is! why don't you try it?).  Happy dancing~