Class Descriptions
Below are the descriptions of each class offered during the 2023 - 2024 season. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at (734) 288-8238.
Ballet
Ballet is often referred to as the backbone of dance. The fundamentals used in ballet are often used throughout all other styles of dance as well. There are three main classifications: classical ballet, neoclassical ballet and contemporary ballet. This style of dance is used to tell a story. It relies heavily on technique and requires an enormous amount of diligence and dedication to perfect. Ballet is typically danced to classical music and is done wearing slippers or pointe shoes.
Pointe
Pointe is the a Ballet style in which the dancer performs on the tips of the toes. Dancing en Pointe is a disciplined skill and requires strength and skill. Point training begins at approximately 12 years of age and is a required skill for the serious ballet dancer. The entire body is engaged to perform en Point and the dancer must study and achieve a level of precision prior to beginning Pointe.
Jazz
This type of dance is very fun and energetic. It is typically paired with upbeat music such as hip-hop or show tunes to add a theatrical flare. Jazz dancers often have more freedom to express their own individual personality through their dance performances. These dances usually have quick footsteps, lots of leaps and turns and unique moves.
Tap
Tap dance is probably best known for the type of shoes the dancers wear. Tap dancers wear special shoes with metal taps on the soles that allows them to create their own drum like rhythmic patterns and sound while they dance. Although a majority of the focus in this dance is on the feet, jazz dancers use their upper bodies and arms a lot to blend the movements of their routine.
Modern
Born in the early 20th century, modern dance is a dance style that focuses on a dancer's own interpretations instead of structured steps, as in traditional ballet dancing. Modern dancers reject the limitations of classical ballet and favor movements derived from the expression of their inner feelings.
Lyrical
Lyrical ballet is an offshoot of the now-obsolete Russian lyrical (Soviet ballroom) dances. It is a lilting style of dance that uses the ballet technique along with the Soviet ballroom dance forms. The word lyrical refers to a lilting, poetic feel associated with the movements and the steps flow from the one to the next. It belongs to the genre of classical folk dance.
Hip-Hop
This class incorporates the various styles typically seen in musical theater. The class is a blends the various dance forms to provide a well balanced understanding of each discipline. Broadway is a great class for individuals interested in local theater or pursuing dance/musical theater as a profession.
Broadway
This class incorporates the various styles typically seen in musical theater. The class is a blends the various dance forms to provide a well balanced understanding of each discipline. Broadway is a great class for individuals interested in local theater or pursuing dance/musical theater as a profession.
Hawaiian
Hawaiian is a Polynesian dance form accompanied by chant (Oli) or song (Mele, which is a cognate of "meke" from the Fijian language). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form.
Technique
Technique is the basis of all fundamentals of dance, from holding your body correctly while performing, to executing skills properly in a routine. Strong technique extends across all areas of dance, regardless of the style of your routine.
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