Little Dancers back in the Studios

In these Behind-the-Scenes posts, we often focus on the experiences of our most advanced dancers – those dedicated students who are undergoing the most rigorous and focused training at the School. But did you know that SAB also teaches children as young as four? We were so excited to welcome our youngest students back in-person this fall through the Little Dancers program!

The Little Dancers program at SAB provides introductory ballet classes to children ages four to six. These 45-minute classes are taught by members of SAB’s faculty and focus on the fundamentals of dance, creative movement, developing spatial awareness, and introducing elementary ballet steps. Live music accompanies each class, allowing the young students to better understand the relationship between music and dance, and helping them to develop a sense of musicality.

“At that age, they are like sponges and learn so quickly!” SAB Faculty Member, and Little Dancers teacher Meagan Mann explained. “We learn how to count the music, learn some ballet steps that are appropriate for their age, and have a lot of fun in the process. Every exercise we do has a purpose and helps cultivate their brain development – specifically targeting body awareness, coordination, and strength – and it’s amazing to see how far the students come by the end of the program.”

A component of the School’s SAB Open programming for the general public, Little Dancers does not require auditions for enrollment. And while participating in the program does not guarantee acceptance into the School’s Winter Term curriculum, the program is enriching, fun, and incredibly valuable to a young child’s development. After two and a half years of virtual classes, our Little Dancers students are finally back in the SAB studios at Lincoln Center this fall and seeing these tiny dancers in person has brought such a feeling of joy to the space.

We tried to capture a little bit of that joy during a few of our recent Little Dancers classes. Scroll through the gallery below for a peek at these precious moments from the littlest dancers at SAB!

Enrollment is now open for our Little Dancers Winter 2023 Session.