Ballet
Ballet is the foundation of all other dance styles. It’s an artistic dance form, based on elaborate formal technique, and it is characterized by gestures and movements of grace, precision, and fluidity. Ballet is a highly technical form of dance, with its own French vocabulary, and it is typically performed to classical music.
Pre-K
Our Pre-K classes are 60 minutes long, which includes a half an hour of ballet and a half an hour of tap. Instruction is offered in a fun way that gets our littlest dancers excited about dance. Pre-K students need pink ballet shoes and black tap shoes, as well as a dance bag big enough to hold both pairs of shoes. Students may wear any color leotard and tights.
Contemporary
Contemporary dance has become one of the most popular performance styles for classically trained dancers. It borrows qualities from classical ballet, modern dance, and jazz, and is a unique blending of styles. Much of the movement in contemporary dance is internal, showcasing the dancers’ strength and control.
Acro
In this class, the focus is on balance, agility, and coordination. Students practice gymnastic floor exercises, while increasing their flexibility and improving their endurance. Acro can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as in sports. Dancers learn jumps, leaps, and splits, as well as tricks done on mats, including cartwheels, handsprings, backbends, etc.
Jazz
This energetic dance style has its roots in Broadway Theater. Emphasis is placed on technique, and on developing the ability to move and control each part of the body. This class includes isolations, traveling steps, leaps, and turns. Jazz is a highly stylized form of dance that showcases a dancer’s individual style and originality. It has become one of the most popular dance styles, due to its popularity on television shows, movies, music videos, and commercials.
Lyrical
Lyrical dance has its basis in ballet, and it combines the many technical elements of classical ballet with the freedom and airier aspects of jazz. Lyrical dance is expressive, focused on conveying musicality and emotion through movement. It allows dancers to use movement to interpret music and express emotion.
Tap
Tap is characterized by rhythmic footwork that creates a tapping sound using the ball and heel of the dancer’s shoes. Tap contributes to the development of musicality, which greatly benefits students in all other forms of movement. Tempo and balance are emphasized in tap class. Students explore musical elements, beat, accent, phrase syncopation, rhythms, and patterns.
Hip Hop
Hip hop dance is a modern fusion between jazz and street dancing. This is the style of dance frequently featured in music videos. High energy moves are combined with high energy music, and hip hop includes a wide range of movements, including breaking, locking, and popping. This popular, fun, and energetic form of dance is one of the few disciplines in which personal style and creativity are considered to be very important.
Technique/Leaps & Turns
This class is dedicated to improving and strengthening technique. The class consists of stretching, turning, jumps, and leaps. Dancers are not given combinations and routines to learn, which allows them to practice and master specific techniques to improve performance in other classes.
Cheer Tumbling
In cheer tumbling, students practice floor tumbling and acrobatic skills needed for cheerleading. No routines are learned, and students will not perform in the recital. The purpose of this class is to improve skills for use on cheerleading teams.