Dance Program
The GCDS dance program taught by Rose Moye offers training in ballet barre, modern, jazz, tap, dance history, nutrition, and injury prevention.
What makes our program unique is that we are approaching dance both as an art and a sport." - Rose Moye, GCDS dance teacher
The supportive, creative, and highly rigorous nature of the dance program enables Country Day students to become technically sound, confident, and disciplined dancers, who are prepared to continue dance at high school, college, and conservatory levels.
Dance and the Athletics Program
Dance Classes Grades 3 - 5
As part of Country Day's physical education program, all girls in grades 3 - 5 experience the joy of movement through dance.
Fun, quick moving, and energetic, the basic movement class for grade 3 helps develop coordination skills.
The dance training for students in grades 4 - 5 increases in scope and intensity, including proper alignment and the coordination of weight transfer during jumps, leaps, and turns.
Grade 6 Dance Team
Dance is offered as a winter sport option for all students in grade 6. Members of the grade 6 dance team focus on basic choreography and performance technique as they work with faster tempos and more complex combinations. The grade 6 dance team promotes GCDS school spirit through performances at school events.
Upper School Dance
Dance is offered as a fall, winter, and spring sport for all students in grades 7 - 9.
Dance Technique (Fall and Spring)
The fall and spring sessions are designed to introduce and enhance technique in jazz, tap, modern, and ballet.
SPIRIT (Winter)
SPIRIT (the Upper School dance team) is designed to take both the novice and the experienced dancer to the next level. The training focuses on musicality, appropriate dynamics, focus, facial expression, flexibility and extension, and strength and endurance. Living up to its name, SPIRIT encourages esprit de corps in the GCDS.
Dance and the Arts Program
PRIDE Performing Dance Company
PRIDE, the performing dance company of GCDS, is an audition-only dance experience open to students in grade 5 - 9. Students in Pride 2, PRIDE, and PRIDE EXTREME receive intensive instruction in theater jazz, modern, and lyrical. The overall goal is to develop well-rounded dancers who are able to incorporate both technique and performance for optimum execution. PRIDE represents GCDS at performances in Fairfield County and beyond.
New this year is Cubs, which is specifically designed for students in grades 2 and 3. Cubs classes are a two-hour block of high energy training in jazz basics and ballet technique.
After-School Dance Schedule
Tuesday
4:15 - 5:15 pm Beginner and Advanced Beginner Ballet (Pride 2)
5:15 - 6:15 pm Intro to Pointe (placement required)
Thursday
5:15 - 6:30 pm PRIDE EXTREME Rehearsal
Friday
12:30 - 3:00 pm Intermediate/Advanced Jazz (PRIDE and PRIDE EXTREME)
3:00 - 4:30 pm Pride 2
Saturday
8:30 -10:30 am Jazz/Ballet Combo (Cubs)
10:30 - 11:30 am Grades 6 - 9 Ballet
Sunday
1:15 - 3:15 pm Ballet/Pointe (PRIDE and PRIDE EXTREME)
Arts
The Visual and Performing Arts bring together two of the elements we value most: creativity and community.
Learn more >
Athletics
GCDS Athletics encourages fitness for life and prepares students for competitive high school and college sports.
Learn more >
