Styles of Dance
All dance has the unique quality of giving dancers, confidence, self-esteem and self-worth, teamwork, responsibility, concentration, mind to body learning skills, critical thinking, core and upper body strength, stamina, control, Flexibility, and more.
It offers everyone the many options of getting in shape, building positive energy and happiness, giving one a sense of pride in accomplishment, abilities to pursue a dance career, become a cheerleader, performer, speak in front of a large audience, make friends, build life long friendships or just feed the soul.
HIP-HOP:
Hip-hop dance is a fusion dance genre that incorporates elements of popping, locking, breaking, jazz, ballet, tap dancing and other styles and is typically performed to hip-hop, R&B, funk, electronic or pop music.
Hip Hop dance is part of a whole culture of Hip Hop, and several sub-styles of dance. Some sub styles of Hip Hop dance are; Breaking, Popping and Locking.
TAP:
Tap is an entertaining, energetic style of dance; using the feet to connect with the beat of the music, and is performed on the concert stage, in musical theatre productions, competitions, challenges, street dancers, and on the Broadway stage. It is danced to all styles of music, from Jazz to popular current songs, and gives the dancers a great sense of musicality, timing, rhythm, balance, coordination, and cardiovascular stamina. It is popular with dancers who have a love of rhythm, similar to a musician. Tappers use jumping, ankle articulations, turns, slides, etc.
Jazz, and Musical Theatre are cousins to this style.
JAZZ:
Jazz is a fusion of the technical aspects of Ballet, and party dance, (twist, jerk, Charleston, mambo, etc.). This style is a high energy entertaining style of dance with sharp movements, isolations, kicks, turns, leaps, etc. Jazz is performed to top 40 music, and popular with kids from seeing it on music videos. It challenges the dancer to use the entire body to communicate, building flexibility, strength, and control. Tap, musical theatre, and tumbling are cousins to this dance style.
BALLET:
Originating from the renaissance court era, ballet is an artful movement style, using great control, core strength, flexibility, musicality, and storytelling. Ballet is a great discipline and known for its controlled class structure. The movement is often slow controlled and sustained, but can also be very athletic in its the execution of leaps, legwork, turns, kicks, etc.
Lyrical, Contemporary, and musical theatre are the cousins of Ballet.
LYRICAL:
Lyrical is a combination of Ballet, Contemporary, and Jazz, set to popular ballad type songs, evoking emotion, and storytelling with a more fluid motion than Ballet. Leaps, kicks, turns, and sustained movements that compliment the music form, are used in this style of dance.
Contemporary, Ballet and Jazz are the cousins to Lyrical.
CONTEMPORARY:
Contemporary is an expressive style that combines modern, ballet, Hip Hop, and lyrical, along with elements of athletic movement quality, requiring upper body and lower body control and strength. Contemporary evokes deep emotions and moves in and out of the floor with more abstract movements than the traditional ballet, Jazz, and Lyrical styles. Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.
Lyrical, Ballet and Urban Dance are the cousins of Contemporary.
MUSICAL THEATRE:
Musical Theatre is very entertaining and rooted in the diverse history of Broadway musicals. Musical theatre dancers are first and foremost, actors, and place a high focus on musical interpretation. It combines Song, spoken dialogue, and dance to tell a story. It is different than a play, by incorporating music and giving as much importance to the songs and music as other elements of the production.
Ballet, Tap, and Jazz are the main foundations of Musical Theatre.
TUMBLING:
Tumbling is a fun form of gymnastics performed without props or equipment. Also, tumbling is referred to as floor gymnastics, with common moves performed such as somersaults, tucks, handstands, handsprings, and flips. It can also be set to music and have a story. Tumbling offers dancers upper body and lower body strength, control and is fun for all ages, who want to challenge themselves with a more athletic style of movement. Cheerleaders also use a lot of tumbling tricks in their routines, as well as Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Contemporary.
ACRO:
Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics, (aka tumbling), and its use of acrobatics in a dance context. Acro not only uses tumbling techniques but turns, leaps, and kicks to blend the styles into this athletic yet graceful style.