Dance Classes Highland-Alpine

What are the differences in  Dance Classes?

Creative Ballet

Creative Ballet is an age appropriate and very effective way to teach young children from ages  3-7. It teaches pre-technique with a curriculum successfully designed to create a strong dancer.

It differs from standard pre-ballet classes in that creative dance reaches the child cognitively, socially and emotionally through exercises in dance concepts, improvisation, group work, problem-solving and much more.  These processes thicken the myelin sheath of the brain as well.

Ballet

Ballet originated in the courts of 15th century Italy. It progressed to a highly technical dance form artistically focusing on weightlessness, grace, and formality.
It is the base for most all theatrical forms of dance.

It capitalizes on repetition to achieve perfection.  Students practice, in a specific class order, specified exercises in each class.  This greatly improves the students discipline and focus.

Ballet training alone produces a “vertical”,  technical, graceful, elegant styled dancer. Ballet training combined with other dance styles, especially modern/contemporary and jazz produces a strong cross over dancer with a wide range of performance qualities and technical abilities.

Universities world wide provide degrees in ballet, due to the rich content of its curriculum.

Contemporary

Contemporary dance, a term both used synonymously with modern dance and with post modern dance, was new to the 20th century and developed in the United States.

Contemporary dance was developed to include a wider variety of techniques and energy qualities than ballet provided alone.  Building on ballet technique, modern dance pioneers created a rich layering of techniques and energy qualities to allow a greater range movement than ballet previously allowed.

In brief, facilitating level changes (not only “up high”), many more arm and leg positions, and the use of the spine.

Contemporary dance also offers a rich education where dancers develop conceptual skills and apply theory, drawing also on other art forms outside of dance for inspiration. Contemporary training produces a dynamic, highly technical, broadly technical, and versatile dancer.

Contemporary dance is increasingly being used to enhance ballet and jazz choreography.

Universities world wide offer degrees in contemporary due to its depth and rich curriculum.

Jazz

Eventually coined “jazz” dance because it was once danced to jazz styled music, jazz originated due to West African tribal dance influence incorporating isolation, poly-rhythms, improvisations, the “swung” note and syncopation.

Katherine Dunham and Jack Cole developed jazz technique inspired by ballet and Carribean dance. It’s techniques include stylized leaps, turns, and strong sharp movements.

Jazz dance is an entertainment based art form that is quick to understand by those unfamiliar to dance.  Due to it’s down beat nature, it works well with secular music and in musical theatre.

Jazz dance encourages the dancer to add personal style.

Creative Edge Dance Studio

(801) 734-5750

info@creativeedgedance.com

1285 Heritage Cir.

Alpine, UT 84004