EDA EARLY BEGINNINGS & GENERAL PROGRAM
From ages 3-6yrs (Pre-School/Pre-Primary/Primary) dancers are taught the basics of dance, with classical ballet training given priority. This age group can register for any classes that spark their interest, however, we will always recommend taking a ballet class along with any other training as ballet provides the fundamentals for styles such as jazz, modern, musical theatre, etc. Starting in Grade 1 Ballet young dancers will be required to take 2 ballet classes per week in order to participate in an RAD examination.
All dancers aged 8+ years that are not in the Competitive Program (5hrs+ per week) are considered General Program and are required to take a minimum of one ballet class per week when registering in jazz, modern, or contemporary classes. To participate in acrobatics, musical theatre and hip hop no ballet class is required.
Dancers that begin their training later (after the age of 7, may have to start in a level that does not match their peer age group.
Please note that some dancers may choose to start their Competitive Program hours before the age of 8. This does not qualify them for the Performance Team but does give them a head start.
PARENT & TOT
Guardian dances in the studio with dancer
PRE-SCHOOL (3-4yrs)
Dancers attend classes without guardian in the room
PRE-PRIMARY (5yrs+)
No experience needed
PRIMARY (6yrs+)
Pre-primary ballet recommended, however, no experience is needed to join this level.
GRADE 1+ (8yrs+)
Must take two ballet classes per week in order to be eligible for an RAD or ISTD examination(tap excluded). General Program dancers must take a minimum of 1 ballet class in order to register for jazz, modern or contemporary.
EDA COMPETITIVE PROGRAM
EDA begins competitive training at 8yrs of age. Dancers must take a set amount of hours and genres per week(you can find these listed below). This program provides the dancers with RAD and ISTD examination opportunities, eligibility to register for our EDA Performance Team and solo/duo/trios, workshops, and community events. Dancers will put together a themed year-end show and be eligible for year-end awards. Graduates also participate in a special dance celebrating the years of training at EDA. Dancers that enter the Competitive Program are not required to compete.
*Important
Dancers looking to joining the Performance Team must have 1 year of Competitive Program training before they are eligible to participate.
JUNIOR/JUNIOR A/JUNIOR B (8yrs+)
Must take a minimum of 5 classes per week, two of which must be ballet, and one of which must be modern.
JUNIOR ELITE
Must take a minimum of 6 classes per week, two of which must be ballet, one of which must be modern, and a PBT & Flexibility class.
INTERMEDIATE FOUNDATION
Must take a minimum of 7 classes per week, two of which must be ballet, one of which must be modern, a PBT & Flexibility class, and pre-pointe.
SENIOR
Must take a minimum of 7 classes per week, two of which must be ballet (your ballet grade x2), one of which must be modern, two pointe classes, one open ballet.
ADVANCED
Must take a minimum of 7 classes per week, two of which must be ballet (your ballet grade x2), as well as two pointe classes, and one open ballet.
EDA RECREATIONAL PROGRAM
Our recreational program is for dancers aged 10+ who only want to take dance 1-2 hours per week without following any pre-requisites. As always, we recommend taking a ballet class to help support the basics of technique(hip hop excluded). Recreational Program dancers participate in the EDA year-end showcase that takes place in June. Dancers in this program are not eligible for the EDA Performance Team, solos/duos/trios, examinations, or year awards.
Why do we have to take a certain amount of classes?
As dancers get further along in their training certain criteria need to be met in order to keep pace with examinations and competitive groupings at competitions. We always have the dancers’ best interests in mind and we have created these requirements to help dancers become the best dancers they can be. Please note that for ISTD and RAD examinations after Inter- Foundation, you must have taken the previous exam in order to proceed to the next examination. For example, if a dancer has not taken their Intermediate exam, they will not be able to take their Advanced 1.
