9:00 am – 9:45 am
Pre-Ballet
Ernestina Heras · Studio A
Ballet in Glen Allen
Ballet on Saturday mornings
Tendu is a ballet school for ages 4 to 14, with most classes on Saturday and more on Sunday afternoon, so a full week doesn't decide who gets to dance.
- Ages 4 to 14
- A pianist at every Saturday barre
- Recital in May
Fall session
Saturday first
Five of the week's eight classes are on Saturday, and three more are on Sunday afternoon.
Fall session
Showing 8 of 8
Saturday
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Ballet 1
Ernestina Heras · Studio A
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Ballet 2
Ernestina Heras · Studio A
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
Ballet 3
Gwyneth Pendleton · Studio A
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Ballet 4
Gwyneth Pendleton · Studio A
Sunday
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
Classes of up to 12 dancers. Times change by term; the registration page has this week's.
Levels by age
Six levels, by age
Each level has its own class and its own teacher. Ages are where dancers usually begin; a teacher chooses the level at a placement visit.
Pre-Ballet
Ages 4 to 5SkillsWalking tall and holding a position
Feet in first and second position
Skipping and tiptoeing to the piano
Moving upWhen the steps of the class come calmly and in order, the teacher moves a dancer up at the start of a session.
Ballet 1
Ages 6 to 7SkillsPliés and tendus, to the front and the side
Counting a phrase of eight
Small jumps with quiet landings
Moving upWhen the barre is steady and a dancer can repeat a short combination from memory, the teacher says so at a session break.
Ballet 2
Ages 8 to 9SkillsBattements and rond de jambe at the barre
Chassé and sauté across the floor
A first adagio, slow and held
Moving upWhen the jumps land quietly and the barre needs no hand from the teacher, the teacher talks with the family about Ballet 3 at a session break.
Ballet 3
Ages 10 to 11SkillsA longer barre with balances
Pirouettes from fifth position
Petit allegro, quick and light
Moving upWhen turns and jumps hold together inside a whole combination, the teacher invites a dancer to Ballet 4 at a session break.
Ballet 4
Ages 12 to 13SkillsA full barre, then adagio and grand allegro
Turns to both sides
A short variation for the May recital
Moving upWhen a dancer takes a full class with ease, the teacher talks with the family about Ballet 5.
Ballet 5
Ages 13 to 14SkillsBarre, center and allegro in one long class
Variations rehearsed for the recital
Pointe, when the teacher says the dancer is ready
Moving upThis is the top level. Dancers stay as long as they like, and the teacher sets new work with each of them.
Where to startStart with a placement visit
Sample levels.
Pointe begins when your teacher says a dancer is ready, and not at a set age.
The director
A ballet school for the weekend
Gwyneth Pendleton grew up taking ballet in Richmond on Saturday mornings, because Saturday was the one morning her family's week left open. She danced on stages around the region, then came home to teach.
She opened Tendu for the families who are in the same spot: parents who work all week, and children who still want a barre, a pianist and a teacher who knows their name. The classes are on Saturday first, and on Sunday afternoon when Saturday is full.
Gwyneth Pendleton
Director and ballet teacher
The teachers
Meet the teachers
Gwyneth Pendleton
Director, Ballet 3, 4 and 5
Gwyneth directs Tendu and teaches the three upper levels. She decides with each family when a dancer is ready for pointe, and she is at the front desk on Saturday mornings.
Ernestina Heras
Pre-Ballet, Ballet 1 and 2
Ernestina teaches the youngest dancers and the first two levels. She meets every Pre-Ballet dancer at the studio door and walks them in with the grown-up who brought them.
Ashok Bose
Accompanist and Ballet 2 on Sunday
Ashok plays the piano for the Saturday classes and teaches Ballet 2 on Sunday afternoon. He chooses the music for each barre and for the recital in May.
What families write
4.9
31 reviews
5★28
4★3
3★0
2★0
1★0
“Saturday is the one morning I am off. Walking in at nine and finding a class ready for her is why we found Tendu.”
Monique T., parent of a six-year-old“At the placement visit the teacher told us which level fit and why. Nobody pushed us toward a higher one.”
Carlos V., parent of an eleven-year-old“Sunday afternoons let my daughter keep dancing around a week that is full. The pianist is the part she talks about.”
Leah S., parent of a nine-year-old
Sample reviews.
Questions families ask
How do we try a class?
Book a placement visit. A teacher watches your dancer in a class, talks with you, and tells you which level fits. Wear something comfortable; socks are fine.
Which level is right for my child?
Ages on the Levels page are where dancers usually begin. The teacher chooses the level at the placement visit and again at each session break, and tells you why.
When does a dancer start pointe?
When the teacher says the dancer is ready. The teacher decides with the family, and it is never tied to an age. Some dancers wait longer, and that is part of the plan.
What are the extras?
Costumes for the May recital, the recital production, tickets for guests, and ballet shoes and dancewear. We don't enter competitions, so there are no entries or travel.
What if we miss a class?
Message us the week before when you can. A missed class can be made up in another class of the same level, or the level just below it, within the same session.
What if we can't come on Saturdays?
Sunday afternoon has Pre-Ballet, Ballet 2 and Ballet 5. The other levels meet on Saturdays only, and we will tell you at the placement visit which Sunday class fits.
Book a placement visit
Come on a Saturday morning. A teacher watches your dancer in class, talks with you about the levels, and tells you where to start. Wear something comfortable; socks are fine.
Phone(804) 555-0105
Hours
- SaturdayToday
- 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- SundayToday
- 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Monday to FridayToday
- Closed