ACROBATICS & TUMBLING
Class Description
Our Acrobatic classes are a great option for students who are looking to learn new skills and tricks but also for dancers who want to incorporate more acrobatic and tumbling movement into their skill set. This weekly class provides a warm up focused on stretching, flexibility, core strength, balance and stamina. Beginning students will learn and build on basic acrobatic skills: rolls, back bends, walk overs, head stands, hand stands, cartwheels and more. Intermediate and Advanced students will learn and build on more difficult skills (aerials, hand springs, running tricks) while also sequencing together acrobatic and tumbling movements appropriate to their ability levels. All students will train in a safe, encouraging and fun environment. All of our Acrobatic classes perform exciting routines in our end of year dance concert series. The acrobatic classes are challenging, but fun and a very popular option here at Thrive!
BALLET
Class Description
Ballet is a classical dance form demanding grace, precision, flowing patterns and storytelling through movement. Ballet is a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary based on French Terminology. Ballet technique and its French terminology are often used in many other styles of dance.
BALLET/TAP
Class Description
This is the most common class for a young dancer ages 3-6. This class combines the Ballet and Tap dance styles (see individual descriptions) into one class session. Ballet/Tap class includes basic Ballet & Tap technique that helps young dancers become aware of their timing, rhythm and balance. They will also learn their basic ballet positions and basic terminology in both Ballet & Tap . This class is the introductory class for young dancers to learn “how to take a dance class” and this is the class where most dancers begin their dance training.
BALLET TECHNIQUE
Class Description
This once-a-week class offers intermediate through advanced ballet students an opportunity to focus strictly on building Ballet Technique. The class focuses on barre work, floor work, short & long combinations & progressions at the barre, in center and across the floor. Dancers may take this as an additional class to supplement their training in their regular ballet classes or dancers may attend only this class. This class works on technique for the full year and does not perform in the dance concert.
BREAK DANCING
Class Description
The term break dancing refers to a style of hip-hop dancing that first appeared in the 1970s. Sometimes know as b-boying, b-girling, or breaking, breakdancing was made popular by African American and Latin America teens who used the activity to provide a more constructive alternative to the dangerous influences of street gangs. Coordination, style, flexibility, and rhythm are the keys to successful breakdancing. Beakdancing is one of the most improvisational dance styles, allowing for each dancer to customize his or her routine with athleticism and imagination. Current break dancing borrows moves from gymnastics and martial arts and upper body strength is often considered a necessity.
CONTEMPORARY
Class Description
The term “contemporary dance” is sometimes used to describe dance that is not classical jazz or traditional folk/cultural dance. The hallmark of contemporary dance is an awareness of the limitations of form. Often referred to as non-dance, conceptual dance and pedestrian contemporary. Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement. It uses dance technique and methods found in ballet, modern dance and post modern dance and it also draws from other philosophies of movement that are outside the realm of classical dance technique.
CONTEMPORARY/LYRICAL
Class Description
Contemporary/Lyrical is a class where the instructor can choose to teach either contemporary dance OR lyrical dance OR a combination where both styles are incorporated. (See Contemporary and Lyrical descriptions for more information on the individual dance styles)
HIP HOP
Class Description
Hip Hop is a dance style usually danced to hip-hop music, that evolved from hip-hop culture. Hip-hop traditionally includes breaking, popping, locking as the foundation. However, in current day hip hop, you will find traditional hip hop dancers in addition to hip hop dancers that incorporate additional dance styles such as krumping, clowning, housing and even lyrical! Improvisation and interpretation are essential to hip hop dancing. In the dance studio environment hip hop and Adult hip hop classes will focus on learning short combinations of non technical movement put to popular music.
JAZZ/HIP HOP
Class Description
This class is a common combination class for young children ages 4-9. This class is considered a “fun” addition to the traditional Ballet/Tap combination class. Many young dancers enjoy this dance style because of the up beat movement and music. This class combines the Jazz and Hip Hop techniques into one class giving young dancers a taste of both styles within the same class. Once a dancer turns 9 years old they are usually enrolled in a full class of each dance style.
JAZZ TECHNIQUE
Class Description
This once-a-week class offers intermediate through advanced Jazz students an opportunity to focus strictly on Jazz Technique including; jazz warm up, isolations, flexibility, stamina, musicality, floor work, choreography & combinations & progressions in the center and across the floor. Dancers may take this as an additional class to supplement their weekly classes or dancers may attend only this class. This class works on technique for the full year and does not perform in the dance concert.
LYRICAL
Class Description
Lyrical dance is a combination of free flowing movements that reinforce the emotions in the lyrics or the chosen music. Lyrical styles can be diverse from instructor to instructor but they are always similar in the root in jazz and ballet technique as well as the desire to exude emotion through the movement.
MODERN
Class Description
Modern dance is a dance style that rejects many of the strict rules of classical ballet, focusing in stead on expression of inner feelings. Modern dance was created as a rebellion against classical ballet, emphasizing creativity in choreography and performance. This style of dance centers on a dancer’s own interpretation instead of structured steps, as in traditional ballet dancing.
TINY TOTS
Class Description
Our Tiny Tot program is a Pre-Dance Program specifically for our tiniest dancers Ages 2&3. This class blends dance, music, singing, and imagination, while building coordination, rhythm, balance, listening skills, and an early love of movement, and creative self-expression. We will introduce bending, stretching, swaying, and progress to locomotor movements such as, marching, galloping, jumping, as well as pre-ballet/jazz/hip-hop and tumbling skills, through the use of sing-along songs and lots of fun props.
TURNS & LEAPS
Class Description
Turns & Leaps is a class designed for dancers Levels 3-5 that helps dancers to focus on their core strength, power and technical skills associated with several standard ballet and jazz turns and leaps. A turn is a controlled rotation on one or both feet and requires knowledge of ballet and jazz technique to understand. The portion of the class that focuses on Turns will surely allow dancers to improve and become more confident in the consistency of their balance and number of rotations in their turns. The leaps portion of this class will emphasize flexibility, extension and power and with consistent attendance dancers will definitely see a huge improvement in their leap technique.
TRIPLE THREAT THEATER PROGRAM
Class Description
Focusing on our students who aspire to become a 'Triple Threat' (Singer, Dancer, Actor) we have created a tailored experience that will explore all facets of being a performer. Students ages 7+ can enroll in one or all of the Triple Threat Theater classes. These weekly classes are 1 hour long and feature a variety of training. Triple Threat Theater students experience guest teachers, audition preparation classes, improvisational workshops, and extra performance opportunities. They work on their performance technique while gaining confidence in themselves and exploring their creativity. Triple Threat Theater students have their own showcase at the end of the year featuring group vocal performances, comedic and dramatic scenes, improvisational demonstrations, musical theater choreography, monologues, solo and duet vocal performances, theater production routines and more! Our musical theater performers also guest perform in the Thrive Dance Concert Series.
TRIPLE THREAT THEATER PROGRAM: MUSICAL THEATER
Class Description
The Triple Threat Musical Theater classes are an elevated experience for the aspiring performer. These Musical Theater classes are especially tailored to students who are interested in performing for theater, Television and film. These weekly classes are 1 hour long and feature a variety of musical theater choreography with Thrive faculty & guest teachers. Students also gain experience with audition preparation classes, improvisational workshops, and extra performance opportunities. Musical Theater students learn specific theater terminology, how to work in front of the camera and they build confidence as they perform for one another throughout the season. Our Triple Threat Musical Theater students (along with our Voice and Acting classes) have their own showcase at the end of the year and are invited to perform as guest performers in our annual Dance Concert Series.
TRIPLE THREAT THEATER PROGRAM: ACTING
Class Description
The Triple Threat Acting classes offer a strong education in fundamentals for young actors. These weekly 1 hour classes are open to all experience levels. The acting classes help students develop technique, performance skills and confidence through fun and challenging Acting exercises. Our skilled faculty members prepare our students for a multitude of audition and performance scenarios. Acting students experience guest teachers, solo and group performance experiences, audition preparation classes, improvisational workshops, lessons in acting for the camera, theater terminology and more! Our Triple Threat Acting students (along with our Voice and Musical Theater classes) have their own showcase at the end of the year where our Acting students perform in group scenes, perform improvisational demonstrations and each actor will rehearse and perform a monologue. The Triple Threat Acting classes build confidence and individuality while preparing students for a wide variety of performance opportunities.
TRIPLE THREAT THEATER PROGRAM: VOICE
Class Description
The Triple Threat Voice classes are a great option for young singers looking to gain strength and confidence in vocal performance. The vocal classes are open to young singers with all experience levels. While exploring a variety of musical styles, students work on fundamentals and technique as well as performance skills. These weekly 1 hour classes feature training on how to warm up properly, breath control and technique, working as a group and as a soloist, music terminology, and more. Students will sing in a variety of different musical genres and styles and will be encouraged to celebrate their strengths as well as to identify and work on their weaknesses. Our vocal coaches prepare our students for a wide variety of auditioning and performance opportunities. Our Triple Threat Voice students (along with our Acting and Musical Theater classes) have their own showcase at the end of the year where they will perform group vocal pieces as well as duets, trios and solos for those who are ready. The Triple Threat Voice classes provide students with experience, repetition and skills but most importantly these classes build confidence in our young vocalists.