Dance Explosion - Classes offered in Charlottesville, VA

Attire:

Please see course descriptions below regarding attire. Several classes have a required leotard style, tights, and shoes. The Hip Joint is located on the downtown mall for your dance supply needs, or you can order online through several distributors based on the leotard item number such as Discount Dance Supply, Dancewear Solutions, or Dance Distributors.

Course Descriptions

Enjoy exploring dance with the security of mom or dad in the classroom! Parent/caregiver participates the entire class. For budding dancers who have not been in a classroom or preschool environment before, this is a great start to your child's dance education. Students will develop gross motor skills, coordination, and movement imagination while introducing basic dance skills in a fun environment with props, song and dance!

Attire: Girls- pink leotard, pink footless or stirrup tights, barefoot, hair secured back. Boys- white t-shirt and black cotton shorts, barefoot.

Designed for the young dancer, this class develops gross motor skills, coordination, and movement imagination to boys and girls while introducing basic dance skills in a fun environment. Students expand their creativity by utilizing props, song and dance.

Attire: Girls- pink leotard, pink footless or stirrup tights, barefoot, hair secured back. Boys- white t-shirt and black cotton shorts, barefoot.

Students explore ballet, tap, creative movement, and song and dance concepts in a structured but fun environment by learning terminology, technique and movements appropriate for the young dancer.

Attire: Girls-Mirella garnet Camisole dress, pink tights, pink ballet shoes (not bedrooms slippers), black tap shoes, hair secured back. Boys- white t-shirt and black cotton shorts, black ballet shoes, black tap shoes

Students progress through learning basic, high-energy jazz and tap technique with fun, age appropriate music! Warm ups, progressions and routines.

Attire: Level I/II Girls - Mirella light blue camisole leotard, black jazz pants, black jazz shoes (with no laces), black tap shoes. Boys - Solid color shirt with black track or sweatpants, same shoes. T-shirts or other clothing not permitted. Level II/III Girls - Mirella lilac camisole leotard, black jazz pants, black jazz shoes (with no laces), black tap shoes. Boys - Solid color shirt with black track or sweatpants, same shoes. T-shirts or other clothing not permitted.

This class features the structure and technique of jazz along with the exciting, hip hop and jazz styled choreography that is age appropriate. Students also learn tap technique, progressions and routines.

Attire: Girls - Royal blue camisole leotard, black jazz pants, black jazz shoes, black tap shoes. Boys - Solid color shirt with black track or sweatpants, same shoes. T-shirts or other clothing not permitted. Level II/III Girls - Mirella lilac camisole leotard, black jazz pants, black jazz shoes (with no laces), black tap shoes. Boys - Solid color shirt with black track or sweatpants, same shoes. T-shirts or other clothing not permitted.

Learn the techniques of classical ballet in an expressive environment! Students will build their skills through barre exercises, adagio, progressions, and fun routines. Fun props are utilized to help students discover the importance of good posture and balance.

Attire: Ages 5-7, Girls Mirella M207 lilac camisole leotard with matching lilac skirt, pink tights, ballet shoes, hair secured back. Boys-white tshirt, black leggings, black ballet shoes. Ages 8-12, Girls Mirella black camisole leotard with matching black skirt, pink tights, ballet shoes, hair secured back. Boys-white tshirt, black leggings, black ballet shoes.

This upbeat class familiarizes students with hip-hop style dancing. The class builds weekly on the dancer's skill through total body warm-ups, exciting choreography, and the freedom to freestyle! Dancers will be exposed to musicality, named skills, and about the essence of hip-hop performance quality.

Attire: Black track pants and solid colored tops only - NO JEANS PERMITTED. Jazz shoes or clean sneakers not worn on the street for footwear and hair secured back.

The perfect class for adults who want to learn several dance forms and have a blast! No experience necessary, but quite welcome! Perhaps you are an actor/actress looking to improve your stage movement skills, someone who danced in their youth, or simply an adult looking to ignite the dancer in yourself! The class will include warm up, progressions, jazz based technique, and choreography! Students participating in this class are welcome to provide feedback on what they would like to learn!

As one of the fastest-evolving dances in modern Latin entertainment, dancers learn the international format and structuring of both the Bachata rhythm and its dance. This course is designed for dancers who already have a basic understanding of the dance, and now wish to advance to a substantially superior presentational format both socially and for competition. This course teaches both sectional movements which can be combined to form a routine, and improvisational styling that can be incorporated into social dancing. Important Note to dancers: this dance is in close-embrace, therefore, male dancers come with their own partners. Females without partners may rotate with instructor throughout session.

Learn the techniques of classical ballet based on the Russian Vaganova style through barre exercises, adagio, progressions, and floor barre for core strengthening. Upper level class will explore learning various classical variations.

Attire: solid leotard, tights, ballet shoes, skirt optional. For Level III+ solid leotard, black or pink tights, white waste band) Hair secured back. No tshirts or loose clothing permitted. Upper level class must wear a white elastic waist band.

(Not currently offered) Ballet III+ experience required. Each lesson will be focused around learning ballet variations from well-known classical repertoire. This class helps students develop a stage presence, practice learning and retaining choreography, and provide a means to express themselves using the movements they learn from technique class.

Attire: Adults: solid leotard, black or pink tights, white waste band, ballet shoes, skirt optional. Hair secured back. No tshirts or loose clothing permitted. White elastic waist band.

Learn the essential skills for international Latin (Rumba, Cha Cha, Samba, and Jive) and Standard (Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, and Tango.) This class will focus on the different character and technique for each dance, as well as musicality and partnering skills. Emphasis will be placed on basic actions, and how the dances relate to one another. Great for social dancers, couples who want an introduction to partner dancing, or dancers planning to compete. All levels are welcome, and the class will have something to offer both absolute beginners and experienced dancers who want to perfect their core skills. Partner welcome but not required.

A fusion of all main dance techniques (ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical) this new category of dance allows the dancer and the choreographer to exist in a space with no limits. strong technique in as many different styles/disciplines help shape this evolving dance movement. whether purely abstract or expressively lyrical, this style of dance is always captivating and unpredictable. this class will focus on developing strength in various techniques while exploring many different styles of dance through choreography to include partnering, floor work, and expressive and abstract movement.

In the very first session, dancers learn the forward walking-style of both the "Argentine" tango compared to the "Cuban" tango, and the reverse walking-style as well as the proper body-positioning that are signature of the "Cuban" tango dance. By the second session, dancers begin learning routines, turn-patterns, foot-hooking, and improvisational-styling that begin with basic-level and throughout the remainder of the course progress to advanced styling and body-movements. Important Note to dancers: this dance is in close-embrace, therefore, male dancers come with their own partners. Females without partners may rotate with instructor throughout session.

In Level I/II this upbeat class familiarizes students with the elements of hip-hop dance, and at Level III/IV further advances student's abilities with more complex movements. Both classes build weekly on the dancer's hip-hop repertoire through warm-up, toning and stretching, and exciting choreography. The instructor shall emphasize musicality, named skills, movement execution and precision, and high performance quality.

All dance art forms require skills and techniques to become proficient. This class is open to all skill levels and will focus on enhancing the students control, precision, and execution of hip hop choreography. Students will explore hip hop choreography, popping, breaking, freestyle, and club dancing. Leave your inhibitions at home and come learn all the essentials you need to further develop your hip hop skills.

Training includes jazz technique study, terminology, placement, and rhythmic awareness development. Students progress through core techniques and skills from beginner to advanced levels. Class level placement is based on specific skill sets. Students are required to master specific skills before moving on to higher levels. Stretching, toning, floor progressions, core conditioning, center work, and choreography included at each level. Students participating in Jazz IV by permission of Director only and must be currently enrolled at Dance Explosion in Ballet III+.

An introductory course providing an overview of basic movements, styles, footwork, and improvisation techniques of 3 dances: Cuban Tango, Salsa On 2, and Bachata. Dancers will be able to interact with the instructor on particular areas of needed-improvement and exploration. Partners welcome but not required.

Based in a strong ballet foundation, modern technique introduces new levels of movement that challenges the dancer to move past the basics of ballet technique. levels, linear precision, and strength are emphasized in all styles of modern along with development of stamina within the movement. the focus of this class will include basic horton technique along with exploration of modern dance movement within choreography.

This class is based off the beginning Pilates mat method, complimented with stretching. This class can accommodate all levels of experience through variations on the level of difficulty in execution of the exercises and stretches. An invigorating and centering way to begin your morning and wake up your core muscles!

Based on the fundamental rhythms of Latin music, such as Mambo and Salsa, dancers learn to train their ears to recognize the rhythms in Latin music, and then how to executive the proper dancing to each rhythm. Dancers learn the difference between dancing "on 1" versus "on 2" versus "in clave." This course requires previous knowledge of salsa dancing and provides intermediate to advanced steps, proper timing, and improvisational styling for both men and women, while it also teaches dancers how to interpret the music and to recognize the rhythms. Partners welcome but not required.

Includes tap technique, terminology, placement, rhythm, musicality, tonality, and good posture. Students will learn about different tap styles--from focusing on a whole body aesthetic to becoming a musician with taps as you utilize different parts of the tap itself. Progressions, improv and acapella work will be explored. Broadway tap covers a style more conducive to tap for theater/musical theater, and "rhythmic tap" focuses on more complex musicality with tap with additional emphasis on acapella style and tone.

This class will focus on increasing the heart rate through safe aerobic exercises that effectively use muscles to maximize the workout. Along with fat-burning cardio, this class will include strengthening intervals to tone the upper-body, lower-body, and core focusing on effective muscle use. All experience levels welcome. Students may bring a yoga mat.