Storybook Adventures in Ballet: Our Ballet Storytime Curriculum

Twirling Through Famous Ballets In Every Class

One of the unique aspects you’ll find in a Tutu School class is the investment in exposing our dancers to ballet stories through our Ballet Storytime curriculum. Born from the mind of a former professional ballet dancer, Tutu School was founded with the idea that children should be introduced to art, music, and movement at a young age. While our curriculum focuses on the pleasure and principles of dance without the rigorous training often associated with ballet, our Ballet Storytime curriculum allows students to experience classical ballet in a very magical way.

In each class, teachers spend 5-10 minutes showcasing a portion of a ballet through illustrations and music, discussing the plot and themes, and reinforcing that dancers are storytellers. Tutu School’s Ballet Storytime curriculum has been specially crafted to highlight both classical ballets and their scores and to promote positive messaging and values for our students. We are committed not only to providing our dancers with a rich early arts education but also to making sure we are impacting our students in a thoughtful, responsible way through the stories we tell them and the themes we choose to celebrate. Plus, each week has its own special coloring sheet that corresponds with the story!

An important element of storytime and the way we tell stories at Tutu School is dancing, of course! Each story is written with room for dancing between sections, seamlessly combining storytelling with movement just like a real ballet performance! Tutu Teachers will demonstrate a moment of dancing in the story and might even showcase some special ballet steps. Students are encouraged to follow suit so they can be a part of the ballet, too. Oftentimes, class props are also included, which helps Tutu Schoolers understand the different elements of a stage performance.

And don’t forget the music! Each and every Ballet Storytime featured in our curriculum is presented with an epic and elegant score. Music is so important for growing minds and bodies; It encourages cognitive development and enhancement. Paired with the context of the ballet stories and the movement of dance, it’s amazing for formulating emotional development as well as social and motor skills.

Rich Early Arts Education

We currently have thirteen ballets in our Ballet Storytime repertoire, showcasing some fixtures of the ballet world from the sounds of Tchaikovsky to the graceful choreography of Balanchine. Iconic characters and costumes are featured in brightly colored illustrations that will keep little dancers engaged and excited for every turn of the page. You might even recognize a Bravo Bash theme or costume inspired by some of the glittering costumes on the page! Our Ballet Storytime books feature hand-drawn illustrations on every page, keeping with the beauty and elegance of the movement, stories, and music.

A ballet is more than just the dancers and music; it’s a whole art form that Tutu Schoolers will engage in, from the costumes, props, set design, lighting, and staging! Your dancer’s Tutu Teacher will draw attention to the many facets of a ballet performance and ask thought-provoking questions on these varying aspects of all of our featured ballets. Storytime prompts and unique questions are thoroughly thought out to activate tiny brains, helping toddlers and young children practice critical thinking skills. In Exploring Ballet divisions and Primary Ballet Prep, dancers might be ready for questions such as, “Do you see these trees in the background? Do you think this character is inside or outside? What about when she’s performing inside on a big stage? Bringing those trees onto the stage is part of set design, that’s the people who create the backdrop for the story.”

Ballet terminology is sprinkled throughout the ballets. While telling the story, Tutu Teachers will call out these specific terms, most often in French, as well as their origin and what they mean. The repetition of naming ballet terminology and technique serves as a learning tool that activates memory. Additionally, the teacher will isolate certain ballet steps and call back to parts of class where similar movements and words were used, tying together everything that your child has learned. By asking questions and highlighting illustrations, this will help reinforce Tutu Schoolers’ knowledge of ballet terminology as they twirl into our more advanced levels.

Big Ideas for Little Minds

These famous ballets may seem daunting at first glance, but we offer colorful, whimsical, and sparkly versions of these stories that are perfect for children aged 6 months to 8 years. Baby Ballet and Tutu Toddlers have specialized versions of all of our Ballet Storytime stories that fit the needs of developing minds. Once students graduate to our Exploring Ballet and Primary Ballet Prep Divisions, they also graduate to more in-depth versions of these stories, so the magical tales they started in their first class will grow alongside them.

Like any educational piece of children’s media, Tutu School’s Ballet Storytime curriculum is formulated around big ideas that little ones can take with them all throughout life. With each new story, Tutu Schoolers are given a new theme or central message to think about as their Tutu Teacher takes them on a magical journey. Whether it’s about finding courage like the Lilac Fairy or learning to appreciate the beauty of being unique like The Firebird, dancers will have messages that will formulate the way they go about the world around them, and strong role models from these stories to help instill these important values.

While these messages are important to offer students, it is equally important to get little brains working and thinking about what they are hearing and seeing. Tutu Teachers are trained on how to deliver these stories to children of all ages and abilities, and what kinds of questions might be sparked in dancers’ minds as they read. Your child’s teacher always keeps the central message of the ballet and the development of their students in mind as they prepare for each day’s storytime. With our youngest dancers, they may ask something as simple as “Can you point to the tutu on the page? Are there places in the room where you also see a tutu?” to help Baby Ballet and Tutu Toddler students with recognition and memory. 

Teachers make an effort not to prescribe answers to students and instead offer a space to celebrate different voices and allow every student to feel heard. All dancers are invited to share their opinions in a conversation, even (or especially!) if they differ from each other. Every dancer is encouraged to speak up, and all ideas are celebrated. Tutu Teachers are equipped to formulate questions and answers to fit the curious minds of Exploring Ballet and Primary Ballet Prep students, helping them explore what interests them about the story and learn about new perspectives.

An important lesson for children to be introduced to at a very young age is that not all stories have a happy ending, and some of our stories explore themes of anger and sadness. We encourage teachers to be thoughtful when discussing parts of the stories with the potential to cause big feelings. However, teachers always keep the developmental age of the student in mind and are keen on responding with care. Teachers guide students towards processing these big feelings by asking relevant and age-appropriate questions. Students are encouraged to think deeply and thoughtfully about the stories at hand and all the varying emotions and scenes in each ballet all while keeping the content at the perfect level for developing minds.

We are committed not only to providing our dancers with a rich early arts education but also to making sure we are impacting our students in a thoughtful, responsible way through the stories we tell them and the themes we choose to celebrate.

Our Newest Additions

In Spring 2024, we added three new stories to our Ballet Storytime repertoire– the very first additions to the curriculum since its original unveiling. Keeping with the tradition of the classics, we hand-selected three magical and magnificent pieces of work that would be right at home with the likes of Swan Lake and The Firebird: Serenade, Jewels, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

George Balanchine’s breathtaking Serenade is the first of our newest ballets. Balanchine is known as “the father of American Ballet” and was passionate about crafting his performances around the music and the choreography. The works of Balanchine were often without any story and used very simple costumes to keep the focus on his choreography. Serenade focuses on the emotion of music and how to convey that through movement. This is perfect for teaching little dancers about how to convey the emotions they feel in their little bodies. How can they move in a way that shows excitement or that they’re feeling peaceful?

Jewels was inspired by George Balanchine’s love of gems and the dazzling stones he saw in the work of Claude Arpels, a jewelry designer Balanchine much admired. Tutu Schoolers will have a magical time dancing like fiery red rubies and listening to the sparkling sounds of spinning diamonds. With special permission from the Balanchine Trust, we were able to incorporate these breathtaking works of art into our curriculum, and it’s such a gift to be able to introduce such young minds to such incredible ballets. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a familiar favorite for fans of ballet, literature, and talking donkeys! Inspired by one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, this lighthearted ballet is such a treat. Tutu Schoolers will be captivated by this silly story of fairies, magic flowers, and playful tricksters!

Our Ballet Storytime curriculum is such an exciting and special part of every Tutu School class at every level. You’ll find that your Tutu School is eagerly awaiting their next class to see what happens next in this month’s ballet story. Or maybe your dancer already has a favorite and they can’t wait to practice the steps in time with their favorite song! What ballet are you and your dancer hoping to twirl next week in class?