American Preparatory Ballet Training © is a unique, world-class certification program designed to teach preparatory dance to children ages 16 months to 7 years old. APBT © participants will learn how to teach the curriculum of Boston Ballet School’s Children’s Program. Our Children’s Program, developed by LUCIANO AIMAR, Head of BBS Children’s Program, is based upon the culmination of dance therapy studies, early childhood education theories, and ballet as a technique.

While teaching students the fundamentals of creative movement such as utilizing our bodies in space and how music connects to cognitive growth, our students are also encouraged to explore their imagination. Students progress through the Children’s Program before entering into our Classical Ballet Program (ages 8-18) This curriculum has been utilized in other institutions such as School of American Ballet (LITTLE DANCER CLASSES) and The Rock School (PRE-BALLET DIVISION).
APBT © certification completion will equip teachers with the following tools/materials:

10 months’ worth of age-appropriate detailed lesson plans for 7 different developmental levels of students
Specific music playlist to accompany lesson plans
Strategies to manage positive and negative behavior within a classroom setting
Elevated confidence to present/create a supportive and inclusive environment for student
Connection to Boston Ballet School and a network for APBT © certified teachers

Flexibility to attend this certification program in-person, hybrid, or fully remote.

Dates: Weeks of August 21–December 4, 2023 (14 weeks)

Hours Per Week: 3 hours of instruction per week (1.5–hour lecture and 1.5–hour in-studio or Zoom observation)

Programming Weeks 1–2 (Weeks of Aug 21 and Aug 28, 2023)

Lectures in person OR on Zoom from 11–12:30 pm EST Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Programming Weeks 3–14

Lectures on Wednesday from 11–12:30 pm EST
Observation classes

Note: Observations scheduling is dependent upon the participant’s schedule. These classes can occur whenever participants would like to join our BBS classes. BBS runs programming for students ages 16 months to 7 years old every day of the week, and a detailed schedule to select from will be provided after registration.

Price: $1620 (Automatically applied 10% discount)

Syllabus Overview
Designed for the age progression of 16 months–7 years old

Section 1: How Our Brain Works
How movement relates to the cognitive development of children

Section 2: Creative Dance
How stories mirror our collective psyche and result in movement

Section 3: Music Awareness for Students
How music relates to the cognitive development of children (Lectures with BBS accompanists)

Section 4: Preparing for Formalized Ballet Training
How to implement turnout in Preparatory Ballet Training

Section 5: Children with Disabilities and Adaptive Dance
How to support students with disabilities in adaptive-specific and general classes