Body Isolations

This class is dedicated to learning to activate and isolate different parts of your body.   With this type of technical work we come to a better understanding of our own movement – which muscles to activate, improving body awareness.  This is work that’s detailed and can be beneficial regardless of what style we’re dancing!

Floorwork

Hip Hop

Description coming soon!

Afro-Tribal

Through explosive rhythms, the dances transmit the culture of the past and the daily life in African villages, a powerful expression of the rituals present in various rituals and ceremonies. It is from this group of dances that many movements are born in other dances such as Vintage Jazz and Blues,  House, and Contemporary – movements that are absorbed and transformed with their roots in tribal dances. Afro-Tribal dance is considered a prehistoric art of the oldest in the world. The original dances were done to the sound of “Batuque”, first instrument that served as a “communicator”. Danced in circles, in lines, in open space, in diagonals, the movements resulted in complex choreographies full of culture and tradition, energy, and rhythm – a lot of rhythm!

Culture of House Dance – “Freedom in the House”

Let’s (re) find the sensation of dancing in a disco in the 70’s and 80’s, when a new style of experimental music was born: House. Everyone who sought out this new style in discos had different ways of moving and different cultures. Breakdance, Tap Dance, Jazz, Kung-Fu and Capoeira were some of the styles that influenced a new dance style, House Dance. Taking advantage of the basics and essences of these styles we learn some movements to understand how to express ourselves, how music makes us feel. The feel of House Dance lives on “Jack”, which is the style’s signature groove. Using Jack we will make the link – a journey from the origins of the style to the present day. House is the dance of Freedom, each person can use their basics and their own style to be able to let the music move them.

Samba no Pé

The name “samba” probably comes from the Angolan name semba, a religious rhythm whose name means “umbigada” due to the way it was danced. The origin is mixed up with the very history of samba and carnival. Samba no Pé  always meant freedom and relaxation. It is dancing for yourself and those around you. Samba no Pé (samba de carnaval) is a style of samba that can be performed alone, or added to other forms of samba dancing such as Gafieira. The dancer glides gracefully, with quick and gentle movements of the feet, also accentuated in the hips, gaining a charm of its own. An example of this style can be seen with the dance of the master-room (man) and the passista (woman).

Juggling

Juggling is defined as the art of manipulating objects with agility and precision. Juggling exercises help activate both sides of the brain, which are responsible for the rational and creative part. They increase flexibility, motor coordination and strength, also directly working skills like attention, concentration, breathing, laterality and reflexes. In addition, juggling introduces the sense of rhythm and provides better and more healthy breathing.  This is a workshop that in addition to making your dance stronger technically and richer creatively!

Got Rhythm?

Dancing is simply moving with rhythm and everyone has some rhythmic ability in the body because even our hearts know how to … “keep the beat”! Come find the key to unleash this rhythm inside you! What is “swing” rhythm and “straight” rhythm? How do musicians think about rhythm? How can you put the rhythm in your body and let it flow? Explore some exercises to improve your sense of rhythm – exercises directly from the tap dance world, the most rhythmic American dance! And you’ll see how this dance has links to all American vintage dances.

Latin Blues

African and Latin rhythms have often been intertwined culturally and artistically in both music and dance.  For instance the music “St. Louis Blues” by W. C. Handy has a habanera-tresillo bass line. A lot of Blues music have latin rhythms like the rumba or the Cha-Cha-Cha.  In this workshop we’ll immerse ourselves in blues music with a latin twist and work on latin rhythms in Blues.

Jazz Out of the Box

Let’s try some jazz moves out with different shapes, rhythms, and textures.  If we change the music up a bit we’ll choose a different way of moving, even within the jazz language.  We can also “steal” ideas from other dance forms to put into our solo jazz and create new textures in that way.  This workshop is meant to open our minds about our way of “speaking in jazz.” We recommend at least a year of solo vintage jazz experience to follow the rhythm of this class.

Battle it Out

Description coming soon!