BALLET FOR KIDS IN OAKLEIGH MELBOURNE

At Infinity, we offer classes in classical ballet for all ages and skill levels. The Infinity Ballet teachers are qualified Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus (RAD) teachers, who graciously share their wisdom and experience with the students. 

Little Ballet (Bubs and Pre-School Aged Program)

Our Little Ballet programs encourages a love of dance and music in toddlers and pre-school age children. Using imagery and themes, the little ballet dancers, leap, balance, crawl, spin and dance their way through the classes. The lessons are wonderful for developing motor skills, coordination, a love of music and encourage teamwork and positive social interaction.

The classes teach the basic ballet positions of the feet and arms and encourage improvisation and movement exploration. The lessons allow children to progress at their own pace and with the support of their "grown-up", each individual can flourish and achieve fantastic things. 

Beginner Ballet (Primary School Aged Program)

Ballet classes are perfect for confidence, coordination, grace and deportment. Ballet classes are wonderful for musicality, stretch and strengthen, social interaction and story telling /creative thinking.

Classes start on the barre before moving to centre work and then progressive steps across the room. Jumps and leaps are then added to finalise the class. The beginners ballet class also offers performance opportunities.

RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) Ballet (Primary School Aged Program)

For those looking to progress through the formal ballet training, we have qualified RAD teachers to take students through their exams. 

Ballet for Adults

Ballet for adults welcomes adults from all walks of life and from all levels and skill-sets. Ex-dancers, athletes or fitness fanatics will love this faster paced ballet class for the adult enthusiast. Get fit, tone the body, gain flexibility and agility whilst having fun and socialising. 

About Classical Ballet:

Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its flowing, precise movements, and its ethereal qualities.

There are stylistic variations related to an area or origin, which are denoted by classifications such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet. For example, Russian ballet features high extensions and dynamic turns, whereas Italian ballet tends to be more grounded, with a focus on fast, intricate footwork. Many of the stylistic variations are associated with specific training methods that have been named after their originators. Despite these variations, the performance and vocabulary of classical ballet are largely consistent throughout the world.

Ballet technique is the foundational principles of body movement and form used in ballet.^[2] A distinctive feature of ballet technique is turnout; which is the outward rotation of the legs and feet emanating from the hip. This was first introduced into ballet by King Louis XIV because he loved to show off the shiny buckles on his shoes when he performed his own dances. There are five fundamental positions of the feet in ballet, all performed with turnout and named numerically as first through fifth positions. When performing jumps and leaps, classical ballet dancers strive to exhibit ballon, the appearance of briefly floating in the air. Pointe technique is the part of ballet technique that concerns pointe work, in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet on specially designed and handcrafted pointe shoes. In professional companies, the shoes are made to fit the dancers' feet perfectly.

Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts and was brought to France by Catherine de' Medici in the 16th Century. During ballet's infancy, court ballets were performed by aristocratic amateurs rather than professional dancers. Most of ballet's early movements evolved from social court dances and prominently featured stage patterns rather than formal ballet technique.

In the 17th century, as ballet's popularity in France increased, ballet began to gradually transform into a professional art. It was no longer performed by amateurs, but instead ballet performances started to incorporate challenging acrobatic movements that could only be performed by highly skilled street entertainers. In response, the world's first ballet school, the Académie Royale de Danse, was established by King Louis XIV in 1661. The Academie's purpose was to improve the quality of dance training in France, and to invent a technique or curriculum that could be used to transform ballet into a formal discipline. Shortly after the Academie was formed, in 1672, King Louis XIV established a performing company called the Academie Royal de Musique de Dance (today known as Paris Opera), and named Pierre Beauchamp the head dancing-master. While at the Academie Royal, Beauchamp revolutionized ballet technique by inventing the five positions (first, second, third, fourth and fifth) of ballet, which to this day remain the foundation of all formal classical ballet technique.