Dance Styles

Freestyle
Street & Hip Hop
Rock & Roll
Ballroom & Latin
Lyrical
Jazz
Ballet
Musical Theatre
Zumba
Mini Movers

Freestyle Disco

Unfortunately the term 'disco' conjures up images of John Travolta pointing in the air dressed in a white suit. This is when

disco started and everyone wanted to dance like 'Travolta'.

Thankfully, just like the music, disco has moved on and now "freestyle" is more descriptive of what actually goes on in a

disco/freestyle class.

This form of dancing is most popular amongst the younger generation because it is fast, fun and exciting. It is a very artistic

style of dance, which co-ordinates accentuated body movements together with a number of arm, head + hand movements.

This allows the individual dancer freedom to express themselves. Freestyle dance is an extremely high energy style of dance,

and involves much travel ling round the room together with movements performed on the spot.

Even though it's a very fast style it is also a controlled discipline of dance which is in tune with the current style of 'club

music'. It encompasses speed, agility, suppleness and strength. Students are encouraged to develop their own individual style

as well as working together as a team. This combination offers the perfect style with which to create your own choreography.

The impact from pop artists, groups and videos has meant that everyone can become another pop star, all you need to do is

learn the moves.

We teach great routines to the latest chart sounds for all ages from 3 upwards and for all abilities.

Street Dance and Hip Hop

Street Dance is the modern emergence of Disco and consists of choreographed routines to popular music. Danced by all the

popstars and seen in videos and on TV this style has increased in popularity over the last few years to become the dance

style that everyone wants to do.

Danced to a huge variety of music from hip hop to reggae, pop music to latin, it is also a fun way to keep fit through the

energy of the dancing.

Other dance styles under the Street Dance umbrella, include breakdance, popping, locking, hip hop, new style, house dance

and electro dance.

As the name suggests this comes from 'the streets', and has a strong urban feel.

Movement 'Isolation' and rapid choreography are combined to deliver an 'earthy' presentation. This discipline crosses over

into "hip-hop"

Hip Hop dancing also has a huge following and can combine some of the easier breakdancing moves with high energy jazz

and street dance. Its growing popularity also stems from pop culture, where stars can be seen performing energetic hip

hop choreography in their pop videos.

Rock and Roll

During the development of the musical genre rock and roll, dances to go with the music were also created. From swing, which

came into being around 1920, Lindy Hop emerged, the first partner dance ever to feature acrobatic elements. Lindy Hop was

modified around 1940 to suit faster music, creating the style known as boogie woogie.

A 1959 dance book describes 'ROCK-AND-ROLL' as, "performed without undue tension, the body and legs being flexible, so

that there may be a physical rhythmic expression of co-ordination with the beats of music." "...a dance which leaves much

scope for personal expression and interpretation in style, movement, rhythm, and even in the manner in which the figures are

constructed." ^[1]

However traditional rock and roll has evolved and one element that has emerged is International Rock and Roll which is a very

different pace to that of rock and roll from years ago.

The most obvious feature of the international rock and roll dance are its kicks (into thin air) and its acrobatic elements like

lifts, jumps, throws and flips.

Today s rock and roll is focused on show and competition dance and - with the exception of its name - has nearly nothing in

common with the former rock and roll movement.

It is danced in pairs or in formation. Over the years rock and roll dancing has experienced several important changes and has

evolved in many ways.

Because of its demanding technique, high speed, and acrobatics, rock and roll is a straining high-performance dance and is

most often performed by young dancers.

^[^1] The Girl's Book of Ballroom Dancing. Vera Wilson. Roy Publishers. 1959. pages 117. 118.

Ballroom & Latin American

If you have never been to a ballroom class, you would be forgiven if you thought you had to be of the more mature

generation wear big "bouffant" hair and a big sequined dress to match, with the men in their "sunday best". Thankfully

that era past a long time ago.

Ballroom is now the new "wine bar" where people of all ages can meet and socialize in a relaxed environment and share

their love of dancing.

Ballroom covers 5 main dance disciplines, waltz, quickstep, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz with social rhythm also

known as social foxtrot which can be danced to the same music as foxtrot or quickstep.

Latin American covers five distinct Latin rhythms cha cha cha, rumba, samba, paso doble and jive. The Latin

Rhythms generally originated from South America and are popular to do because of the infectious nature of the music.

. With the rhythms being popularized in the charts it has bought Latin American dancing to a new younger generation

who thought it was in the same genre as ballroom dancing.

It's amazing the pleasure you will get from dancing together.

Lyrical/Contemporary

Lyrical is an intense form of dance expression. It incorporates the elements of Jazz and Ballet into one harmonious

dance style. Interpretations of various pieces of music bring emotion and choreography together to form an

expressive story using your body. Technical training is highly emphasized.

Contemporary dance is a style of dance that emerged in the 20th century as an outgrowth of modern dance and other

20th century dance techniques. Unlike traditions such as ballet, contemporary is not associated with specific dance

techniques, but rather with a dance philosophy. In contemporary dance, people attempt to explore the natural energy

and emotions of their bodies to produce dances which are often very personal.

Contemporary dance places a heavy emphasis on the connection between mind and body, with dancers being

encouraged to explore their emotions through dances that push against traditional boundaries. This style of dance

often involves a great deal of playing with balance, floorwork, fall and recovery, and improvisation.

In contemporary dance classes, students learn to use their bodies in a variety of ways, and they focus on breathing,

posture, and emotional state to establish a mind-body connection.

Jazz

Jazz dance emphasises a strong technical foundation that enables a dancer to focus on the stylistic and performance

aspects of dance. Technique is essential for leaps and turns, where correct posture is essential to properly execute

such moves. Also, jazz dancers strong and sharp movements are greatly aided by a good background in ballet

technique. However, while ballet movement emphasises the upbeat of music, jazz dance emphasizes the downbeat.

Centre control is important in jazz technique. The bodys' centre is the focal point from which all movement emanates,

therfore making it possible to maintain balance, while executing powerful movements.

Ballet

Ballet is the classical performance dance which originated in the Italian courts in the 15th century and forms the basis of

many other forms of dance performed today. It is characterised for most people by the traditional ballet tutu and women

dancing gracefully on ‘pointe’. It includes elaborate gesture and expression, and a ballet in performance will tell a story of

some kind, without the need for words, either spoken or sung.

The study of ballet as a child develops strength and coordination through technically specific, controlled movement. Ballet will

develop good posture, physical confidence, self-discipline, and an understanding of different types of music and rhythm.

We start teaching ballet to children as young as 3, and already at this stage, the benefits of focus, strength, musicality and

coordination can be seen. The children love the repetitive nature of the exercises, as well as the music and the fun in running

and skipping and jumping, pretending to be butterflies, falling leaves, soldiers, etc...

For those with a really huge amount of natural ability and dedication, the study of ballet as a child can result in going on to

professional training and joining a ballet company. However, for the thousands of people who study ballet at once or twice a

week classes through their childhood and teens, the physical benefits and enjoyment they gain are tremendous, even though

they never wish to become professional ballet dancers.

Learning ballet is beneficial as a basis for all other dance forms. Indeed, it is often used by sports men and women as

an additional form of training. Did you know that professional footballers usually take ballet classes to help their

coordination, strength and footwork?

We teach the ISTD Imperial Classical Ballet syllabus. This syllabus was first written back in 1913, and was based on the French

School of ballet from the Paris Opera. The syllabus has evolved to promote the English classical style and addresses the

changing needs of ballet dancers today. Children who attend class regularly and who wish to do so will be entered for the

children's grade examinations with the ISTD. For more information click here

Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. In our classes we

cover all aspects of West End Theatre to Disney classics, and powerful ballads. Classes are fun, dynamic and

hugely interactive.

Zumba

Come and join the party. Zumba is the dance craze sweeping the world that promises to be so much fun that you won’t even

realise you’re working out. It fuses Latin rhythms with easy-to-follow moves. Zumba is a dance class designed to burn calories

without you knowing it. It's much more interesting than hitting the treadmill !

What's the theory behind Zumba ?

There are no pre-requisites to Zumba, just bring yourself, and a lot of energy ready to move your body to salsa, merengue,

mambo, cha-cha, and hip hop. The class is one hour long and aims to combine fast and slow rhythms with an aerobic / fitness

approach to tone your body whilst burning off the fat.

Should I go to the gym or Zumba?

Zumba is not taught like a regular dance class where you learn a long routine, instead you learn mini routines. Within 15

minutes you'll be having so much fun you won't realise you are getting fit ! Each class feels more like a party than an exercise

session.

With Zumba there are no complicated moves to learn and you don’t need the co-ordination you require when learning a new

dance. You can come alone, or with friends, to make it a real party atmosphere. It really is a great fun night out

How did it happen?:

Zumba was created by complete fluke when Celebrity fitness trainer, "Beto" Perez, stumbled upon the concept of Latin inspired

fitness in his native country of Colombia (South America) in the mid 1990's.

One day, he walked into his class and realized that he had forgotten his aerobics music, and his only option was to grab

whatever tapes he had in his car. Beto's tapes were the songs that he loved, the traditional Latin salsa and merengue music

with which he had been raised.

'Mini Movers' (Walking to age 3 and parent(s)

Creative movement is a way for all children, boys and girls, to explore their sense of self-being and

the environment. Parents and children will experience opportunities to move, play, and connect with

each other and other families. Multi-sensory, developed and targeted movement activities will

promote social, emotional, and physical awareness skills. The classes are focused around the children,

however, parents will also have some special time to learn their childs' unique view of the world and

share experiences with other parents. The use of movement games, music, rhythm, balls, and other

props will enhance the natural curiosity and creativity of your child.