Dance styles
Jazz dance
Jazz has become one of the most popular dance styles in recent years, mainly due to its appearance in television shows (SYTYCD), movies (Chicago, Flashdance, Step Up, High School Musical), music videos and commercials.
It is a form of dance that showcases a dancer’s individual style and originality. Jazz dancing is energetic and fun, consisting of unique moves, fancy footwork, big leaps and quick turns. A ballet background is therefore helpful but not essential.
Jazz classes begin with a thorough warm-up, including a series of stretching exercises and isolation movements. The rest of the class is usually directed to learning a series of moves and combinations to be performed in a routine.
Lyrical jazz
Lyrical Jazz gained its name because the lyrics of a song are often highlighted over the rhythm, and because of the meaning of the word lyrical: i.e. having a poetic, expressive quality.
Lyrical Jazz routines are based around feeling and emotion. It is a combination of intricate, technical, and pedestrian/naturalistic moves to give the dance both an organic and dramatic feel.
Musically, the choreography accentuates or flows in correspondence with a song's climaxes, but will also bring out the more nuanced aspects of a song. Sometimes a silence between notes in the music, or the breath between words, will be emphasised, possibly with a simple, physical gesture.
Contemporary
Contemporary dance is characterised by its versatility. Contemporary can be accompanied by almost any style of music, or united with other dance forms to create new styles of movement.
Contemporary seeks to work with and strengthen the natural alignment of the body, and is therefore safe and accessible for beginners. At the same time, the ease of movement promoted by contemporary dance technique allows experienced dancers to push new boundaries of body movement.
Street jazz
A fun class where you can pick up energetic moves from the latest pop music videos. Street Jazz includes elements of funk, hip hop and primarily jazz of course! If you are a great fan of Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake or Ciara, this is a class you mustn’t miss!