Grades 3 to 5, ages 10 and up
Senior grades
In the senior grades a dancer learns whole dances: pieces of steps and rhythm, then pieces that tell a story, then the long pieces of a program. Classes run longer as the pieces do, and older dancers help the younger ones find the count. The teacher decides when a dancer moves up, with the dancer and the family.
In a class
Whole dances, from the first count to the last
Expression with the face and hands
Hearing a line of song and what it says
The annual performance in November
What a class is like
- 01
Step 1: Warm up
Ankles, knees, hips and shoulders, with a few minutes of stepping at the speed of the day's piece.
- 02
Step 2: Steps at speed
Sets of adavus across the floor, with the teacher counting and then the dancers counting.
- 03
Step 3: The piece of the term
Learning or polishing a jatiswaram, a padam or a varnam, a few lines at a time.
- 04
Step 4: Expression
Telling the story of a line of song with the face and hands, and learning what the words say.
- 05
Step 5: Notes and cool down
The teacher's notes for the week, a cool-down and a bow.
Before you come
What to wear
Fitted practice clothes, with the legs and feet visible. Bare feet, and ankle bells when the teacher asks for them. Hair tied back, and no jewelry apart from stud earrings.
Class length and size
Classes run between an hour and an hour and a half, and two hours for Grade 5. Classes are of up to 10 dancers.
Your teacher and the next grade
Vidya teaches the senior grades. A solo debut is the teacher's decision, made with the dancer and the family, and the school sets no age for it.
See the grades
Book a placement visit for a senior grade
Book on our registration page, or call the studio and ask for the teacher.