Ballet - Ballet can be for pleasure, or the more serious-minded. This classical style of expressive movement has something to offer for everyone. Ballet dates back to the 17th century. The conventional steps, grace and fluidity of movement are still found in Ballet today. Choreographers have been influenced by composers through the ages. Ballet has a technique which is the foundation of all dance.
Tap - Tap is rhythm - rhythm is tap. Its origins are many and varied. Americans claim its origin dates from the African Jazz age. The Irish stake their claim to the Jigs and Step Dancing. The English relate back to northern Clog Dancers but whichever one chooses to believe, Tap is as popular today as it was in the heyday of the great Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly musicals and the more recent Stomp and Tap Dogs highlight the great diversities of style and music in tapping. A gentle, rhythmical and enjoyable way to keep fit!
Modern - Modern is fun. You will learn to develop many different movements reaching to a broad choice of varying rhythms and musical styles. Classes are structured to begin to prepare the physical strength and flexibility required to demonstrate emotion through interpretation of any musical genre, one minute you may be dancing to the rhythm of a drum, the next to a funky jazz style. You may explore contrast between expansion and relaxation or learn to isolate in a slick stylish mood, whatever the atmosphere of the class, it will be a wonderful opportunity to react and interact with other members of the class and really dance to express your feelings.
Musical Theatre - So you wanna be a star? Or maybe you just want to have the moves - and the fun - of the stars. A fusion of all music and theatre styles, Musical Theatre takes you to inspirational heights. If you enjoy singing and performing on stage then the spotlight's on you!
Premier Performers (Drama) - This most exciting drama form encompasses the wide spectrum of productions that are theatre. Shows like Grease, My Fair Lady, Aladdin and The Wizard of Oz, as well as straight plays. A drama form for theatrical performance, preparing the body physically through team building and stimulating improvisation and interpretation of script. The use of props, make up and much more - it provides all the 'must have' qualities for today's amataeur and professional actor.
Freestyle/Disco - Freestyle/disco is the trendiest and most popular form of dance in the UK today. In involves runs, spins, kicks and leaps as well as many other diverse steps and movements with lots of different arm and hand actions. The music can be fast and 'beaty' or slow and sensuous, allowing dancers of all ages to use freedom of expression to enhance their style.
Contemporary - This dance form is an example of a partnered/non-partnered dance. In classes a choreographed sequence is generally taught, but in practice it is an improvised dance.Contemporary dance is the name for a modern concert dance genre. It is not a specific dance technique but a collection of methods developed from modern and post-modern dance and can take on many forms including dance fusion, emergent dance and revisionism. Prominent artists in this area include Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown, Contemporary dance is a fantastic genre for the creative and innovative dancer.
Jazz / Streetdance - Have you ever seen the hottest pop band's music video or performance on Top of the Pops? Then you will already know what Jazz looks like. Jazz takes any form of popular music - from pop to hip hop - and choreographs routines to the beats. We have seen that, only too often, the most successful pop acts have made it big by combining Jazz / Streetdance routines with their tunes and lyrics.
Hip-Hop - Hip-hop is a modern culture consisting of music, fashion, and art. The first people who made this music genre are the African Americans. Keith Cowboy, a rapper with Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five, made the term hip-hop. He was singing the words, “Hip hop hip hop," when he was teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army. Hip-hop began to be popular all over the world. The four fundamental elements in hip-hop: hip-hop dance, hip-hop art, hip-hop music, and hip-hop fashion. Hip-hop dance includes break dancing and interesting forms of street dance.
Baby Ballet / Mum & Me - For the very young dancer these classes offer an introduction to dance which comprises of many confidence building activities, skipping, galloping, enacting stories through dance and singing to name but a few. Mum & Me is an early introduction to dance where Mum or Dad accompanies their child until their confidence grows and they can progress to Baby Ballet.
Conditioning / Stretching - Conditioning is a dance based physical fitness and suppleness class designed to enhance flexability in all classes or as a once a week basic physical fitness class.
Ballroom & Latin - The five ballroom dances are: Modern Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot and Quickstep. These 'Standard Ballroom' dances have diverse origins. rhythms, tempos, and aesthetics, but have one thing in common: they are all danced by a couple (usually a man and a lady) in 'Closed Hold', maintaining five areas of contact between the partners while performing all the figures of the dances. The word 'ballroom' denotes a room where balls may be held: that is: formal social dances. Balls were important social events in the days before radio and television (as in 'having a ball'). The word 'ball' derives from the Latin 'ballare' meaning 'to dance'. Today ballroom dance has enjoyed a huge revival due to programmes such as 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
Yoga in Pregnancy (Antenatal Yoga) - Pregnancy is a personal journey for any woman, a time of both mental and physical change. It can also be a very challenging time as the body adjusts and adapts to the changes pregnancy brings.Yoga in Pregnancy can help address some of these changes in a positive way.If you are already practising Yoga, you will find that there are certain postures that are contra-indicated in pregnancy. Eventually the general class you have been attending will no longer meet your needs, leaving you with an incomplete feeling. Changing to a pre-natal class will give you a complete experience and will help to strengthen the muscles and tendons that will support the growing weight of your baby.
Midwives recommend yoga to complete beginners as well as women who have practiced before as there are so many benefits to be gained, and they have seen the proof in the delivery unit. Relaxation and breathing techniques can easily be learned in a pregnancy yoga class. Unlike other forms of exercise, in our yoga practice, we learn to contain energy and reserves are accessed. A pre-natal yoga class also provides a social support network for the pregnant woman; you will meet others at various stages of pregnancy and be able to exchange experiences and perhaps even phone numbers!
Yoga in Pregnancy is taught with an internal focus which most women find extremely beneficial during labour. The more you are internally connected the more energy you'll have for the process of labour. You will be able to access energy that you didn't know you had. It can be an entirely empowering experience. The urge to give up may be at hand but if you've focused in a yoga class you'll know how to do that when the going gets tough. The postures become more than movement that stretch and strengthen the body, they become an anchor for labour.
Yoga - Hatha Yoga as we know it today is a science that has been passed on from generation to generation over millenia; some say that evidence has been found in the form of carvings dating back 600 years BCE indicating that the practice of Yoga postures (asanas) was known well before this period. Ancient texts have been used for many centuries as a basis for the study of Yoga and have been translated and interpreted many times over the years to form the modern day practice of Hatha Yoga.
Many people come to Yoga for the same reason; because their bodies feel tight, uncomfortable or weak and they are experiencing symptoms of stress and tension induced by their hectic lifstyles. Following a simple practice lasting just 20 minutes, most peolpe report a feeling of ease and a release of tension; this becomes even more effective once they become aware of working with the breath. With sustained regular practice, improvements may be noticable in the increased mobility of the joints, general flexibility and muscle tone, not to mention a reduction of stress related symptoms such as high blood pressure. With the regular practice of weight bearing postures,Yoga may help to increase bone density and improve upper body strength.Through breathwork and deep relaxation techniques, a sense of well-being and harmony is restored thereby improving focus and concentration.
