Why we Dance
Dance is an age-old necessity of the spirit; dance soothes the soul and inspires the heart. We dance for the joy of it. Dance develops agility, discipline, focus, determination, courage, strength, grace, honor, energy, spiritual depth, creativity, commitment. It is inborn, it is an outlet a place for one to express.
Allegro cannot be executed without joy in the spirit; modern cannot be executed without emotional depth, jazz needs attitude and a sense of sensuality, contemporary has no restraints or severe technique like ballet Pointe shoes.
Contemporary Dance
“Great Dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion” – Martha Graham.
Contemporary Dance is not a specific technique, but a combination of methods developed from Ballet and Modern Dance, its pioneers include Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan.
Contemporary can take on many forms, but tends to be a less structured form that focuses on emotional expression and includes a lot of floor work, contraction and release and improvisation. We learn to fall and rise. We learn to move with the wind in our soul – beauty and repulsion can exist in the same vein, at the same moment. Contemporary is flexible moving from African tribal to Ballet, we don’t fight against the body we flow with it.
What to expect in these classes
Warm up excercises and stretches:
To prepare the body’s muscles and joints for what is to follow and to prevent injury.
(Barre work and Floor work)
Center work:
These exercises are performed in one place for correct alignment. The purpose of centre work is to gradually engage and integrate all parts of the body. Increasing co-ordination, transference of weight and changes in direction.
Travelling Sequences:
Moving through space; the travel sequence incorporating more complex direction and rhythm changes from slow and controlled to jumps and elevation.
Cooldown:
Following dancing we allow the body to gradually cool down. Easing into stretch, at the end of each class is key.
Contemporary Dance are open classes, no exam work just pure joy of movement.