The Downtown Dance Conservatory, planted in the heart of historic downtown Gadsden, Alabama, offers quality classical and contemporary dance education for the primary to pre-professional level dancer. Located inside the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts, the Conservatory is dedicated to preserving the art form of dance through technique, expression, and innovation. The Conservatory takes pride in its non-competitive atmosphere to increase the sense of dance as a cooperative and connected form of art.  With an enrollment of more than 200 dedicated students training on a weekly basis, the Conservatory’s influence also spans throughout the surrounding community with programs such as Downtown Dance Artists' Ensemble, “Dancing with a Heart of Giving” annual Charity effort, Dance History Projects, and other various outreach programs and exhibitions.
The Downtown Dance Conservatory is in association with the internationally recognized Royal Academy of Dance, The Alabama Dance Council, and is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools for the Arts through the Gadsden Community School for the Arts.

09 | 10 SEASON CLASS SCHEDULE

Monday
2:15-3:00 IMAGIDANCE 1 PRE-PRIMARY (3 YEAR OLDS)
3:15-4:15 IMAGIDANCE 2 PRE-PRIMARY LEVEL (4 & 5 YEAR OLDS)
4:15-5:15 GRADE 4  BALLET
5:15-6:30  INTERMEDIATE BALLET – BEGINNING POINTE TECHNIQUE CLASS
6:30-8:00 COMPANY REHEARSAL (BOTH STUDIOS)

Tuesday
3:15-4:15   GRADE 1  BALLET
4:15-5:15    GRADE 2  BALLET
5:15-6:15   GRADE 3  BALLET
6:00-7:15   INTERMEDIATE BALLET - CLASSICAL VARIATIONS
7:15-8:30   COMPANY REHEARSAL (BOTH STUDIOS)
STUDIO #2
3:15-4:00   IMAGIDANCE I PRE-PRIMARY LEVEL (3 YEAR OLDS)
4:15-5:15   TEEN BALLET BASICS – (MAX OF 4 STUDENTS)
6:00-6:15   INTERMEDIATE PREPARATORY WORK

Wednesday
3:15-4:15   PRIMARY BALLET – (Kindergarten)
STUDIO #2
3:15-4:00   EARLY IMAGIDANCE 1 PRE-PRIMARY  (3 YEAR OLDS)

Thursday
3:15-4:15   IMAGIDANCE 2  PRE-PRIMARY (4 & 5 YEAR OLDS)
4:15-5:15   GRADE 1 BALLET
5:15-6:15   GRADE 2 BALLET
6:15-7:15   CONTEMPORARY PROGRESSIONS (FREE MOVEMENT)
7:15-8:30   COMPANY REHEARSAL (BOTH STUDIOS)

STUDIO #2
3:15 – 4:00 IMAGIDANCE PRE-PRIMARY (3 YEAR OLDS)

CHILDREN IN THE PRE-PRIMARY TO PRIMARY LEVELS ARE PLACED IN CLASSES BASED ON AGE.  BEGINNING WITH GRADE 1, CHILDREN ARE PLACED ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS DETERMINED BY THE DIRECTOR.  DURING SEMESTER 1 (AUGUST-DECEMBER), AN EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON TECHNIQUE USING THE RAD SYLLABUS. DURING SEMESTER 2 (JANUARY-MAY) EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON CHOREOGRAPHY AND PERFORMANCE SKILLS ENDING WITH A PRODUCTION THE 1ST SATURDAY IN JUNE. 

STUDENTS ENTERING INTERMEDIATE  LEVEL CLASSES ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE A MINIMUM OF  TWO BALLETS CLASSES PER WEEK.  CONTEMPORARY  CLASS IS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS PLACED AT THE GRADE 4 & UP LEVELS.

STUDENTS IN THE PRE-PROFESSIONAL COMPANY LEVEL WILL HAVE THEIR FIRST MEETING ON MONDAY AUGUST 17TH FROM 6:30-8:00.  ADVANCED STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY INTERESTED IN THE DOWNTOWN DANCE ARTISTS SHOULD CONTACT LINZE MCRAE AT 256-543-ARTS EXT.41 FOR ELIGIBILITY.   MEMBERS OF THE DOWNTOWN DANCE ARTISTS ARE ENTITLED TO SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE GCSA.

CLASSES HELD WITHIN STUDIO #2 HAVE A STRICT MAXIMUM OF STUDENTS.

FOR INFORMATION REGARDING REGISTRATIONS CONTACT LINZE MCRAE 
256-543-2787 EXT. 41 or DOWNTOWNDANCECONSERVATORY@YAHOO.COM 

THE CONSERVATORY IS PROUD TO TEACH THE CURRICULUM OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE. The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is a leading International dance examination board specializing in Classical Ballet. The Academy was established in London, England in 1920 and received its Royal Charter in 1936. HM Queen Elizabeth II is currently the Royal patron of the RAD and Dame Antoinette Sibley has served as President since 1991.
The RAD was initially formed with the objective to improve the standard of Classical Ballet training in the UK. It has since grown to become one of the Worlds leading dance education and training organisations, with over 13,000 members, operating in 79 countries Worldwide. There are currently over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the Academy and each year, the examination syllabus is taught to more than a quarter of a million students worldwide.

OUR CURRICULUM
The Graded Examination Syllabus consists of 10 grades, each incorporating classical ballet, free movement and character dance. The syllabus is devised to progress in difficulty from one grade to the next and a student studying the grades in sequence would be expected to develop a greater degree of dance technique at each level.

• Classical Ballet is one of the most widespread dance forms in the World. Originating in the Italian royal courts of the Renaissance period, over hundreds of years it has been developed into a highly technical dance form. Ballet is the foundation of the RAD's work and is the most important part of the Graded Syllabi.
• Free Movement is the term applied to movement from dance styles such as natural movement, contemporary and Classical Greek dance. Free movement does not have to include codified dance vocabulary and is usually an improvisation based on the students interpretation of a piece of music or stimulus.
• Character Dance is an integral part of classical ballet repertoire. It is the stylised representation of a traditional folk dance, normally from a European country and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theatre. The RAD syllabus uses character dances based on Hungarian, Russian and Polish folk dance.