Fine Arts Classes

Our upper-division dance program is designed to develop strong, pre-professional dancers with a focus on career readiness. Selected students attend multiple ballet technique and pointe classes each week, supplemented by a comprehensive schedule of rehearsals, performances, master classes, and special events.

Throughout their training, upper-division dancers build close relationships with their instructors, benefiting from personalized guidance and mentorship. Our experienced faculty provide expert support in navigating auditions, college applications, summer programs, scholarships, and career opportunities. Whether students choose to pursue a career in dance or apply the discipline to other fields, the skills they develop through our program will serve them throughout their lives. All upper division students will perform in our yearly December & June productions. 

Please contact us to schedule a level placement class prior to registration.

Learn More. 

Classical Ballet is a style of dance known the world over for its rigorous technique, flowing and precise movements, lithe aesthetics, and ethereal qualities. This style is not only characterized by tradition but employs techniques and tools (pointe shoes, tutus, etc.) which have been handed down over the centuries. Classical Ballet encompasses many stylistic variations that relate to the origin of their development: the French School, the Vaganova (Russian) method, the Cecchetti (Italian) method, the Bournonville method, the Balanchine (American) method, and the Royal Academy of Dance (English) method.

At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, we offer numerous levels of classical ballet instruction, from beginner to company level. Our renown instructors guide our dancers not only in their technique but in the training and exercise needed to develop their ballet skills in a safe and fun environment. Out of respect for ballet’s origins, vocabulary is taught in French and dancers are expected to maintain proper studio etiquette. Mandatory class for upper level school students. 

At the Wilmington Conservatory, modern classes are taught by Lesa Broadhead, and focus on the beginning and intermediate levels of the Lester Horton Technique, strengthening and stretching the human body to prepare the dancer’s instrument to be expressive, and possess the ability to adapt to a variety of other dance styles. A typical modern class will explore warming up the body by incorporating roll downs, lunges, movement studies, and progressions across the floor, exploring low, medium, and high levels of space. Bella Lewitzky, a former Horton Dancer, said in Dance Perspectives (Autumn 1967), that “Lester developed a technique which tested the capacity of the body to move from the cultures, architecture, and artifacts of Africa, Asia, and Native Americans.”Mandatory classes for upper level school students. 

Progressing Ballet Technique™ is a revolutionary program for ballet teachers and students by training muscle memory to achieve the best in ballet training. At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, we are thrilled to be the only dance studio in the region to offer a fully certified PBT program since 2017 and two certified instructors. Progressing Ballet Technique is a program developed by Marie Walton-Mahon to help students advance in all dance forms by training muscle memory via focusing on stability, weight placement and alignment. Our PBT classes at WCFA are designed to cater to our Level 4 – Company Students. Mandatory class for upper level school students. 

Pointe technique resulted from a desire for female dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like during the early 1800’s ballets. Pointe technique is part of Classical Ballet that concerns pointe work, in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. Pointe work is performed while wearing pointe shoes, which employ structural reinforcing to distribute the dancer’s weight load throughout the foot, thus reducing the load on the toes enough to enable the dancer to support all body weight on fully vertical feet.

To go “En Pointe”, requires extensive training and practice to develop the strength and technique for pointe work. Typically, dance teachers consider factors such as age, experience, strength and alignment when deciding whether to allow a dancer to begin pointe work. For the health and safety of a dancer and as a prerequisite for pointe training at the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, students prepare by taking Pre-Pointe classes and exercises for a minimum of one to two years before going “En Pointe”. Mandatory class for upper level school students. 

Tap Dance originated as a form of communication, and students learn everything from the traditional “shim Shim” to how to “swing” a tap step. We instill the traditions of tap dance and use them to venture into a more modern approach to tap dancing. Students work hard on rudiments and basic toe-heel movement to strengthen feet, leading to faster footwork and more complicated trick steps. Optional add on class.

Theatre Class covers all elements of drama such as stage vocabulary, stage direction and movement, ensemble building, imagination and creativity, voice and body (verbal and non verbal), and character development! These skills build confidence on and off stage. We are using techniques such as monologues, storytelling, short skits, games, and musical numbers in class to teach these skills. Optional add on class.

At the Wilmington Conservatory, we grow and nurture art appreciation and instructional skills at every age. Young Adults love to express themselves creatively because that’s what they need! Following their lead, we take our students on a multi-medium journey. Each student will learn color mixing, observational drawing/ painting, the fundamentals of line, shape, color, pattern/texture, proportion/scale, and set design! Our goal is to introduce the younger generation to artists throughout history, while cultivating a lifelong love of art! Optional add on class.

Katie Deese sees that music can be a wonderful combination of physical, mathematical, language, and artistic education. Through voice and piano lessons, she strives to provide students with a well-rounded approach to theoretical and historical context while providing an environment in which they can learn new forms of emotional expression. Traditional techniques and repertoire mixed with modern selections and occasional silliness allow for solid foundations in a fun, relaxed experience. Optional add on class.