BENEFITS OF DANCE

 

Increased:

flexibility • balance • posture • muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness • mental stimulation • aerobic fitness • muscle tone • creativity • musicality • confidence • coordination • spatial awareness • muscle memory • weight management • stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis • improved condition of your heart and lungs.

 

DANCE CLASSES ALSO ALLOW STUDENTS...

  • the freedom of expression
  • the opportunity to choreograph and create routines themselves
  • to build self confidence
  • to perform in front of others during class time
  • to perform in front of a live audience to gain experience dancing on the stage and on the street
  • to make friendships
  • to attend and be dedicated to their weekly classes
  • to be disciplined and accepting of correction
  • to challenge themselves to grow and develop as a dancer
  • to appreciate dance technique and the benefits of it
  • to love dance!
 

 

Jazz

 

The 'Jazz Dance' style originated from dances of West African tradition that were brought to America by the African slaves. The Jazz style originated in the early 1900's.It was a term used for movement danced to Jazz music including Tap and The Jitterbug. It later changed its form from a 'Street dance' to a 'Theatrical dance', performed by professionals on a stage. Today it can be called 'Modern Jazz' but still consists of both the Old and Modern day Jazz styles. You will often see Jazz moves performed in musicals, music videos, commercials, movies and TV shows. This type of dancing is fun and energetic and often includes big jumps, quick turns and fancy footwork as well as balance and grace. Classical training is often beneficial to this style of dance because it encourages the use of balance, posture and grace. Jazz dance is a style that also allows for individual expression and style.

 

 

CONTEMPORARY

 

Contemporary dance developed during the mid-20th Century, when a movement of new dancers explored unconventional styles. Contemporary dance has now become a leading style for training dancers worldwide. Contemporary dance can be performed to various different genres of music and consists of many different dance techniques, such as Contemporary Ballet, Dance Improvisation, Graham Technique and Horton Technique. Modern and Lyrical dance styles are often incorporated loosely. Famous names such as Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Lester Horton and Merce Cunningham are influential dance masters of this style. They embraced freedom and explored the limits of the body and its feelings. They ignored the typical dance conventions of the time and set about creating their own unique form of Dance.

 

 

COMMERCIAL

 

Commercial dance is often seen at concerts, live shows, corporate events, fashion shows, in music videos and in commercials. It is a combination of energetic modern styles that work well together. Breakdancing, Jazz, Street, Locking, Popping, Hip Hop, Krumping and Contemporary are dominant however other dance styles can be seen thrown into the mix. It can often be a super sexy style with high energy levels. Commercial dance is very entertaining and upbeat.

 

 

HIP HOP

 

Hip Hop consists of street dance styles performed mostly to Hip Hop music. It contains crossed cultural boundaries. The Hip Hop style is not only a dance form but a state of mind that began in America in the late 60’s early 70’s. The music was introduced at Bronx in New York by a DJ called ‘Kool Herc’. It later spread to many other countries in the 90’s. Hip Hop dance was a result of improvisational steps and moves from the streets and clubs. It became increasingly popular in New York, especially among African-American youth living in the Bronx. Hip Hop has two divisions, Old School and the Golden Era (New School). Hip Hop is a motivated style of full body moves, locking and popping are most common with a concentration on footwork. The stylized rhythmic music, commonly accompanies rapping.

 

 

BALLET

 

Ballet technique is often the core of many other dance styles. It requires many years of training to master the highly technical dance form. It is taught using its own vocabulary based on French terminology. Professional Ballet performances often tell a story or express different moods through polished and flawless, linear movements. Famous ballets are Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Ballet dance originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th Century. It later spread to France and Russia in the form of a concert dance. It was in Paris that ballet was first presented on stage rather than in a court. Ballet dance puts great emphasis on the method and execution of movement. It is a style that encourages a dancer to be aware of their entire body during every movement, making the dancer think about several parts of the body at once as well as concentrating on the performance.

 

 

MUSICAL THEATRE

 

Musical Theatre combines songs, dialogue, acting and dance to communicate a story. The first appearance of Musical theatre was demonstrated by the Greeks in the 5th Century BCE. Musical theatre presents a fusion of different music and dance styles. It is in this genre that dance is used as an extended expression of language and communication. It is a style that rolls various dance styles and performance skills into one but can also be broken down into dance, drama and singing in order to later polish them together. Famous musicals include, Oliver, Grease, Oklahoma, The King and I, Rent, Cats, Wicked, West Side Story and Chicago to name but a few.

 

 

Lyrical

 

Lyrical dance is a fusion of  ballet and jazz styles, often performed to music with meaningful words, to inspire movements to express strong emotions. Lyrical dance is full of emotion and very expressive movements. 
Nowadays, lyrical dance also combines ballet with rock/folk/pop/ and alternative music and a variety of jazz / modern styles. 
Suzi Taylor is considered to be the mother of lyrical dance as she inspired many teachers and choreographers with her extreme musicality and unique expressive style of dancing.