Youth Classes
Taught by professionally trained faculty, BAX Youth Education classes provide expert instruction in building technical skills in Dance, Drama, and Tumbling. BAX students develop improvisation, original composition, and performance skills, while working independently and in collaboration. Our classes are developmentally appropriate and ensure that each child is challenged and supported. During each semester, families will have the opportunity to participate in Family Classes. Our Fall Semester ends with Open Studio class sharings and our Spring Semester culminates in Student Concert performances.
Fall 2023 Class Schedule:
Fall 2023 Term Dates: Monday, September 11 to Saturday, February 3, 2024
All our Youth Classes are offered with sliding scale, tiered tuition. You can learn more about tiered tuition at BAX online here.
Our open registration period for Fall 2023 classes is now over. However, rolling registration for classes with space remaining may be possible! For more information, or to inquire about space in a specific class, please email info@bax.org.
Class Schedule Subject to Change.
Class
Tumble Jumble
Mondays
3:30-4:15pm
Grades / Ages
PreK/K; Ages 3-5
Teacher
Class Description
Using exercises from partner acrobatics and gymnastics, this class helps to build fundamental motor skills, spatial awareness, and balance. Young tumblers enjoy playful obstacle courses, animal walks, and inverted movements, while also engaging in such social skill-building as transitions, taking turns, and working as a group.
Class
Drama Rama
Mondays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
2nd-4th Grades; Ages 7-10
Teacher
Class Description
In this class, young theater-makers experiment with the building blocks of acting, including character and embodied storytelling, to create and perform devised and improvised work. Together, these young artists develop clarity of voice, expression, physical gesture as well as scale, ensemble-building, and audience awareness.
Class
Contemporary Dance
Mondays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
1st/2nd Grades; Ages 6-8
Teacher
Class Description
This class explores a composite of techniques and traditions unique to modern and contemporary dance, including ballet, structured improvisation, and partner work. Students work both independently and collaboratively; learn phrase material, break-down and build-up repertory; and express themselves through improvisation and creative choice-making.
Class
Tumbling
Mondays
4:30-5:30pm
Grades / Ages
1st/2nd Grades; Ages 6-8
Teacher
Class Description
Drawing on partner acrobatics and fundamental gymnastics exercises, this playful class explores basic locomotive and body coordination skills as well as balance and strength-building. Students engage in fun individual and group exercises including learning forward rolls, logrolls, bear and crab walks, skipping, chasing, and galloping.
Class
Contemporary Dance
Mondays
4:45-5:45pm
Grades / Ages
5th-8th Grades; Ages 10-14
Teacher
Class Description
Contemporary Dance is a choreography-based movement class that draws from a variety of European and Africanist dance traditions such as modern, jazz, ballet, and hip hop. Students focus intensively on floor-work, honing their own personal style, developing skills such as musical awareness and release technique.
Class
Drag Performance
Mondays
4:45-5:45pm
Grades / Ages
3rd-5th Grades; Ages 7-11
Teacher
Class Description
In this class, students delve into the unique and increasingly popular art form that is drag performance. Students learn about drag performance’s rich cultural history and roots in queer performance traditions. Students are invited to discuss and dismantle gender archetypes towards creating a more expansive and empowered gender expression palate. Young artists use dramatic play, clowning, lip-syncing, as well as basic costumes, fashion, make-up, and props.
Class
Creative Movement
Tuesdays
3:30-4:15pm
Grades / Ages
PreK/K; Ages 3-5
Teacher
Class Description
A creative and engaging introduction to the world of movement, this class encourages children to explore their individual expression within a collaborative setting. Imagery, music, stories, and props play a vital role by providing structures for creative choice, dance making, and collaboration within this lively and fun group class!
Class
Tumbling
Tuesdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
2nd-3rd Grades; Ages 7-9
Teacher
Class Description
Drawing on techniques from gymnastics, dance, and partner acrobatics, students explore ways to support their own weight with handstands, headstands, and arm stands as well as create inversions like arching and bridging. Students explore balances and lifts, and learn sequences of rolling and flipping. As the year progresses, improvisation, performance, observation, and reflection become an important part of the tumbling practice.
Class
Wild Bodies
Tuesdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
3rd-5th Grades; Ages 7-11
Teacher
Class Description
This class uses obstacle courses, physical comedy, sports movement, dance, storytelling, and charades as inspiration to get creative and physical. Young artists will work with others to create movement sequences that tell stories, embody emotions, and get us listening to and reading the movements of others.
Class
Creative Drama
Tuesdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
K/1st Grades; Ages 5-7
Teacher
Class Description
In this playful setting, young artists enjoy creative play, imagination, and the process of working collectively. Students explore, experiment, and devise stories using their bodies, voices, emotions, and imaginations. Performance helps to build a sense of teamwork, taking turns, and harnessing individual energy for creative group fun.
Class
Contemporary Dance
Tuesdays
4:30-5:30pm
Grades / Ages
3rd-5th Grades; Ages 7-11
Teacher
Class Description
This class explores a composite of techniques and traditions unique to modern and contemporary dance including ballet, structured improvisation, and partner work. Students work both independently and collaboratively; learn phrase material, break-down and build-up repertory; and express themselves through improvisation and creative choice making.
Class
Drama Rama
Tuesdays
4:45-5:45pm
Grades / Ages
2nd-3rd Grades; Ages 7-9
Teacher
Class Description
In this class, young theater makers experiment with the building blocks of acting including character and embodied storytelling to create and perform devised and improvised work. Together, these young artists develop clarity of voice, expression, physical gesture and scale, ensemble-building, and audience awareness., imagination, and the process of working collectively. Students explore, experiment, and devise stories using their bodies, voices, emotions, and imaginations. Performance helps to build a sense of teamwork, taking turns, and harnessing individual energy for creative group fun.
Class
Dance Performance Workshop (DPW) Levels II and III
Tuesdays
DPW II 4:30-7:00pm
DPW III 4:45-7:45pm
Grades / Ages
Ages 12+
Teacher
DPW II Director Anna Vomacka, DPW III Director Johnnie Cruise Mercer
Class Description
DPW develops a ‘total artist’ encompassing the roles of dancer, performer, collaborator, creator, and observer. DPW encourages young artists to work both independently and in collaboration with peers, while honing and deepening skills in technique, performance, improvisation, partnering, and developing original choreography. DPW is a year-long, invitation based program with supplementary pre-professional experiences including a separate 1.5hr mandatory weekly technique class. Learn more here.
Class
Tumbling
Wednesdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
1st/2nd Grades; Ages 6-8
Teacher
Class Description
Drawing on partner acrobatics and fundamental gymnastics exercises, this playful class explores basic locomotive and body coordination skills as well as balance and strength-building. Students engage in fun individual and group exercises including learning forward rolls, logrolls, bear and crab walks, skipping, chasing, and galloping.
Class
Drama Rama
Wednesdays
3:30-4:30
Grades / Ages
3rd-5th Grades; Ages 7-11
Teacher
Class Description
In this class, young theater makers experiment with the building blocks of acting including character and embodied storytelling to create and perform devised and improvised work. Together, these young artists develop clarity of voice, expression, physical gesture and scale, ensemble-building, and audience awareness.
Class
Tumbling
Wednesdays
4:45-5:45pm
Grades / Ages
3rd-5th Grades; Ages 7-11
Teacher
Class Description
Students develop balance, strength, and flexibility skills, while learning to support their own weight with handstands, headstands and arm stands. Working as a close community, students also begin creating elements of original choreography drawing on a unique blend of dance and gymnastic movement.
Class
Play Making
Wednesdays
4:45-6:00pm
Grades / Ages
5th Grade & Up; Ages 11+
Teacher
Class Description
In this class, young theater artists experiment with character and storytelling by creating and performing devised, improvised, and scripted-work. Students will get to try on the roles of actors, writers, and directors while developing skills in voice, expression, physicality, ensemble-building, and audience awareness in a fun and supportive ensemble.
Class
Performance Workshop Technique and Choreography Class
Wednesdays
6:00-7:30
Grades / Ages
Ages 10+
Teacher
Class Description
In this Guest Artist Technique and Choreography class young artists hone their contemporary dance technique, performance, improvisation skills and develop original phrase work for performances at BAX (and potentially beyond) in collaboration with a BAX Guest Artist. This class is affiliated with BAX's Performance Workshop program but open to anyone 10+ with previous dance experience and interest. Learn more here.
Class
Tumbling
Thursdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
3rd-5th Grades; Ages 7-11
Teacher
Class Description
Students develop balance, strength, and flexibility skills, while learning to support their own weight with handstands, headstands and arm stands. Working as a close community, students also begin creating elements of original choreography drawing on a unique blend of dance and gymnastic movement.
Class
Hip Hop
Thursdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
2nd-4th Grades; Ages 7-10
Teacher
Class Description
In this high energy class, students will explore the joy of movement and creativity. Through movement games and hip hop music and dance, students will find their individualized artistic expression as dancers and movers in a supportive community.
Class
Contemporary Dance
Thursdays
3:30-4:30pm
Grades / Ages
1st/2nd Grades; Ages 6-8
Teacher
Class Description
This class explores a composite of techniques and traditions unique to modern and contemporary dance including ballet, structured improvisation, and partner work. Students work both independently and collaboratively; learn phrase material, break-down and build-up repertory; and express themselves through improvisation and creative choice making.
Class
Hip Hop
Thursdays
4:45-6:00pm
Grades / Ages
5th Grade and Up; Ages 11+
Teacher
Class Description
In this class, students develop skills in musicality, choreography, and freestyling as they learn and build upon the basics of hip hop. Students are encouraged to apply a personalized lens and create original choreography that is shared with the whole class.
Class
Performance Workshop I
Thursdays
4:45-6:15pm
Grades / Ages
Ages 9+
Teacher
Performance Workshop Director Diana Crum
Class Description
This introductory workshop is designed for students who are eager to begin their Performance Workshop experience at BAX. This ensemble will deepen their technical skills in dance and tumbling, explore the building blocks of choreography and ensemble-work, and gain valuable pre-professional experience through performance and collaboration. Learn more here.
Class
AcroBAX I/II
Thursdays
4:45-7:00pm
Grades / Ages
Ages 12+
Teacher
AcroBAX Director Diane Tomasi
Class Description
Drawing on contemporary circus traditions and theatrical techniques, AcroBAX is BAX’s most advanced tumbling class, combining contemporary dance, partner acrobatics, performance, and choreography skills. AcroBAXers work closely as an ensemble, developing and performing original group pieces inspired by different annual themes. AcroBAX is a year-long, invitation based program. Learn more here.
Class
Creative Movement
Saturdays
9:30-10:15am
Grades / Ages
PreK/K; Ages 3-5
Teacher
Class Description
A creative and engaging introduction to the world of movement, this class encourages children to explore their individual expression within a collaborative setting. Imagery, music, stories, and props play a vital role by providing structures for creative choice, dance making, and collaboration within this lively and fun group class!
Class
Tumble Jumble
Saturdays
9:30-10:15am
Grades / Ages
PreK; Ages 3-4
Teacher
Class Description
Using exercises from partner acrobatics and gymnastics, this class helps to build fundamental motor skills, spatial awareness, and balance. Young tumblers enjoy playful obstacle courses, animal walks, and inverted movements, while also engaging in such social skill-building as transitions, taking turns, and working as a group.
Class
Tumbling
Saturdays
10:30-11:30
Grades / Ages
K/1st Grades; Ages 5-7
Teacher
Class Description
Drawing on partner acrobatics and fundamental gymnastics exercises, this playful class explores basic locomotive and body coordination skills as well as balance and strength-building. Students engage in fun individual and group exercises including learning fun forward rolls, logrolls, bear and crab walks, skipping, chasing and galloping.
Class
Creative Ballet
Saturdays
10:30-11:30am
Grades / Ages
1st/2nd Grades; Ages 6-8
Teacher
Class Description
Students explore their own creativity and original movements while deepening to fundamental ballet skills, including attention to alignment, balance, positionality of body and feet, and across the floor movement. Students will have opportunities to try new ideas with their peers, and to express their own artistry through choreography.