DANCE
BALLET
COME DANCE AGAIN in a fun safe adult environment! Did you use to dance? Feel awkward or unsure of entering a class of “ballet dancers”. And now all you can find are intimidating competitive ballet classes or kids classes? Enjoy the beauty, technique, physical conditioning and joy of ballet.
This ballet class has all the traditional aspects of classical ballet, time warming up and honing technique at the barre, center adagios, balance training, jumps, turns and across the floor. However, the approach to ballet in this class is more than traditional. The focus will be on what is possible for the body in that moment, exploring the ideas we have around movement and what’s possible and aligning where our bodies are now with the less-than-natural techniques of Ballet.
Weekly Classes
Tuesday 6:00-7:15pm | Adv. Beginner-Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: Kaitlyn Powers
Children’s Creative Movement & Tap Dance
A holistic approach to DANCE – During class-time, your child will be offered a gentle space to move. Using dance and music mediums, your child will learn the tools and concepts to support their creativity by building a strong foundation from which to leap. These foundational tools include understanding the elements of space and movement qualities (space, time, energy, flow) while honoring the philosophy that children learn best by doing and, in our case, moving- as advocated by the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and Early Childhood Programs across the country. All of these fundamentals will be explored and discovered in an organic way, following the lead of the children through play, dance, music, fun, and WHIMSEY! Movement is a fundamental human experience. Come and MOVE! with us.
Weekly Classes
TBA
Contemporary Dance (offered as special class)
Unlike modern dance, Contemporary Dance is not always codified. While definitions vary, one we like describes contemporary dance as a style of expressive dance that combines several elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical, and classical ballet.
Improvisation:
Mindfulness in Motion/Authentic Movement/Dance Improvisation
This “dance” class is rooted in the idea that we are all artists and everyone is creative. Performance is the art of being present. Regardless of the discipline-dance, music, acting, etc., the common thread for performing is the experience of being fully engaged in the activity of the moment and commitment to the clearest of intention. In this class, the student will engage with the “self” as the creator and expressive aspect of being. By following guided techniques and concepts, the student will embark on a journey to discover the motivations and impulses to express artistically that which is unique to the individual. As with life, the ability to make choices in the moment and follow the guidance of intuitive impulse allows for a rich and satisfying experience.The student as “performer” will become adept at not only the improvisational experience, but also the creative state of presence in action on stage.
Using movement as a contemplative practice, this class allows participants to discover personal pathways to being awake and aware in the present moment. Drawing on meditative practices, improvisation, mind/body integration and movement as a catalyst for enlightened experience, participants will develop vital insights into performance, clarity of intention and daily life.
Improvisational dance, in its purest form, is the unfolding of awareness in action. As a mover learns to follow their intuitive and natural rhythms, personal style and expression emerges. In this class, the artist is nurtured and encouraged to explore the internal “voice” of motion and emotion. By extending the dynamic range of expression through guided movement experiences, the artist finds revelations that will be used as the building blocks for self expression.
Improvisation as a means to create phrasing and choreography. Movement exploration and individual expression thru emotions, human experience, and physical structural design, studies/motifs. Choreography (art of making dances) using meaning, intent, principals of structure and design. Skills such as Space/Time/Energy, movement qualities, dynamics, percussion, stillness, unison, canon/rolloff will be uncovered. Explore performance movement dynamics; performance of human feeling and environmental forces; reasoning thru movement. Focus on performance and intention of movement, individual expression and energy of movement.
Weekly Classes
Monday 6:15-7:15pm | All Levels | Teen-Adult | Instructor: Kaitlyn Powers
Jazz Dance
American dance form is known for its Isolation, low center of gravity, high energy, isolation and body awareness, contraction, percussive movement, syncopation. Jazz vocabulary for all levels utilize center floor and progressions, advanced level dancers will explore lateral, hinge, pirouette, alignment center/core abdominal control. Traditional jazz music as well as contemporary standards will be utilized. Students will explore and create solo and group choreographic dances.
Weekly Classes
Thursday 1:15-2:30pm | Adv. Beginner-Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: Kaitlyn Powers
Modern Dance (offered thru LIFE/ART Dance Ensemble class)
Modern dance pioneers (response against ballet) gave the foundation for expressive dance where spontaneity creativity and individuality were allowed. From this movement expression and techniques were developed such as Graham, Limon, Horton, Cunningham techniques. This class will address body awareness thru modern dance concepts of gravity, torso, spiral, swing, contraction, high curve over curve alignment dynamic tension and release.
Modern Dance is the embodiment and physicalizing of the human experience. Working with gravity and dynamic energy, the student finds an organic expression of dance as movement with ease and grace. By becoming aware of the physics of the body as an extension of the earth through space and time the mover connects with the flow of the life force within. As a dance technique, Modern Dance is on the vanguard of human movement potential and awareness. As a mode of expression, Modern Dance transcends the dichotomy of right and wrong as it applies to dance training and replaces it with the personal experience of that which is better and natural for the individual body as an extension of self.
Weekly Rotating Classes (see SCHEDULE tab for detailed dates)
Sunday 4:00-5:00pm | Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: LIFE/ART Ensemble members
Musical Theater Dance
Stylized musical theater dance vocabulary and steps are emphasized. Jazz dance – American dance form is known for its Isolation, low center of gravity, high energy, isolation and body awareness, contraction, percussive movement, syncopation. Jazz vocabulary for all levels utilize center floor and progressions, advanced level classes explore lateral, hinge, pirouette, alignment center/core abdominal control. Traditional jazz and musical theater music as well as contemporary standards will be utilized.
Weekly Classes
Thursday 5:00-6:30pm | Advanced Beginner | PreTeen-Teen | Instructor: Emily Jones
Tap Dance 
Tap dance – American art form is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. The sound is made by shoes that have a metal plate or “tap” on the heel and toe. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater. Rhythm tap focuses on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the jazz tradition. This class will focus on basic skills and tap steps/vocabulary/vernacular, shuffle, flap, scuffle, etc. Upper levels will use more complicated rhythms and combinations. Traditional steps such as shim sham, time steps, etc. will also be covered.
Weekly Classes
Monday 5:00-6:00pm | Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: Alicia Karczewski & Guest Instructors
Tuesday 11:00am-12:00pm | Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: Jenna Roe
Thursday 12:00-1:00pm | Adv. Beginner | Adult | Instructor: Kaitlyn Powers
Thursday 4:00-5:00pm | Adv. Beginner | Teen-Adult | Instructor: Emily Jones
Thursday 6:30-7:30pm | Adv. Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: Emily Jones
Friday 12:00-1:00pm | Intermediate-Adv. Intermediate | Adult | Instructor: Tina Miller
Sunday 11:00am-12:00pm | Rotating Levels | All Ages | Rotating Instructors (see Schedule tab for current monthly offerings)