STUDIO - Foundational Musical Theater Dance
his yearlong introductory course is designed to
build a joyful and confident foundation in musical theatre dance for young performers. Students will
explore the essential elements of storytelling through movement—expression, character, musicality, and performance—through engaging warm-ups, across-the-floor progressions, creative movement activities, acting exercises, and age-appropriate choreography.
Throughout the class, dancers will grow in coordination, flexibility, stage presence, and expressive confidence while developing a versatile movement vocabulary. Weekly activities will emphasize connecting movement to emotion, interpreting music and lyrics, ensemble awareness, and collaborative storytelling. Students will be introduced to a variety of dance styles commonly found in musical theatre, including jazz, tap, and contemporary, in a way that encourages creativity, discipline, and fun.
The course is structured in three progressive units:
Unit 1: Jazz Foundations and Musical Theatre Performance
Unit 2: Tap Fundamentals and Rhythmic Expression
Unit 3: Contemporary Movement and Emotional Storytelling
Students will have two special opportunities to share their progress with family during our informal
“Family Night: Inside the Studio” events, held at the end of each semester (December and May). These evenings are designed to let families step into the studio and see firsthand what their student has been learning and experiencing each week, and to provide a celebratory atmosphere for students to showcase their growth and skills.
Class Objectives:
- Demonstrate understanding of foundational musical theatre dance techniques drawn from jazz, tap, and contemporary movement
- Move confidently through choreography with awareness of timing, space, direction, and performance quality
- Communicate character, emotion, and story through expressive movement and facial expression
- Learn and apply introductory dance and theatre vocabulary related to movement and performance
- Collaborate effectively within an ensemble through shared focus, spatial awareness, and teamwork
- Interpret music, lyrics, and dramatic moments through varied movement qualities and artistic choices
- Practice creativity and confidence through improvisation, character-based movement, and storytelling activities
- Perform learned choreography with enthusiasm, expression, and stage presence during informal family observation events
Instructional Tone: Playful, imaginative, and encouraging—focused on storytelling, creativity, performance skills, and confidence
Activities: Warm-ups, across-the-floor drills, acting-through-dance exercises, choreography combinations, improvisation games, character exploration, and ensemble storytelling activities
Skills Focus: Expression, musicality, character development, coordination, rhythm, teamwork, performance presence, and storytelling through movement
Performance Readiness: Group performance of a short musical theatre dance combination incorporating acting and movement storytelling, shared during informal
In the Studio events
Aligned National Core Arts Standards (Dance):
Creating:
DA:Cr1.1 — Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work (improvisation, creativity)
DA:Cr2.1 — Organize and develop artistic ideas and work (learning choreography and technique)
Performing:
DA:Pr5.1 — Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation (basic jazz technique, movement quality)
DA:Pr6.1 — Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work (expressing musicality, emotion, and character)
Responding:
DA:Re7.1 — Perceive and analyze artistic work (movement quality, group collaboration)
DA:Re8.1 — Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work (musical interpretation and character)
Connecting:
DA:Cn10.1 — Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art (self-expression, courage)
DA:Cn11.1 — Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding (age-appropriate dance vocabulary)
