Jazz, Swing & Lindy

Jazz Blues
with Nina Cooper
Thursdays, 10.30am-12noon

Nina's Jazz Blues class has a lyrical style that celebrates the intimate relationship between music and movement. Some technical dance training in ballet, modern or jazz technique is recommended. The class begins with a choreographed set of warmups that allows you to immerse yourself in dance immediately. Across the floor exercises explore fragments of choreography that unite in the final dance piece. This approach creates a stress-free structure for learning longer pieces of choreography over several weeks.

Dancers who are looking to return to movement after a long break will find this class a great place to start.

Jazz Dance & World Rhythms (All Levels)
with Roger Dillahunty
Thursdays, 12:30-1:30pm

Looking for a new challenge? This class brings together the fusion of creative movements and rhythms choreographed to the music of world beats from various genres. Class will explore multiple rhythm patterns and movement phrases, students will learn and develop the proper techniques for building healthy, strong and flexible muscles. We will learn basic body alignment and placement beginning with simple to more complex warm-ups and body isolations.

The class will also explore an array of styles and dance forms that will represent many cultural genres of movement, including: Jazz, Modern, Salsa and Latin, Samba, Hip hop, African, Haitian and free form. Roger’s supportive environment encourages timid students while challenging those who are already kinesthetically oriented. I forgot to mention ... it’s a whole lot of fun!

Jazz Blues (Adv Beg/Int Levels)
with Roger Dillahunty
Fridays, 12:30-1:45pm

Based on the Lester Horton technique and modeled after the style of Alvin Ailey, jazz blues is a fun, vigorous, funky, energetic and contagious form of interpret dance. You will take part on a journey of self-discovery, engagement and exploration. Class will be using a unique and creative process of dancing to choreographed warm-ups and combinations that culminate to more elaborate movement patterns and sequences.

We will travel through space and dance to combinations incorporating a blend of lyrical, adagio and allegro movement and music. Jazz Blues brings together creative music from various genres, including, jazz, blues, soul, gospel, techno and rhythm and blues. Class will place an emphasis on body alignment and placement, technique, focus, musicality, spatial awareness and a marriage between jazz styles fused with ballet and modern techniques and vocabulary.

Intro to Swing Dance
with Irina & Nick
Fridays, 7:00-8:00pm
Separate Groups for Teens (Ages 12-19) & Adults

First of all the point is to dance anyway but also to dance with your family member/significant other, kids, parents or at least with... yourself learning both the leader's and the follower's steps.

We are always delighted to see first timers as well as dancers with some experience. Every single class we go over the basics and then throw in some new moves to get you swinging. Eventually, you will be surprised how simple steps and combinations turn into a beautiful choreography.

Our class focuses on all the classics of swing dance, Lindy Hop 6 & 8-count, and 1920s & 1930s Charleston. We will also introduce reasonable influences of Blues, Rock-N-Roll, and even Broadway Dance, so ''Sharing Fun Steps to Fabulous Music'' would be a short definition of our style.

Having two instructors in class makes it possible to give you individual attention, to present new material from different points of view, and turn a regular class into a dance party and/or show case. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

 

Lindy Hop (Int)
with Irina & Nick
Fridays, 6:00-7:00pm

This class is for students with 2-3 years of swing dance experience. You should be able to dance for five minutes to 192-200 bpm and perform some acrobatics. In this class, we work on classical routines such as the Shim sham, Big Apple, California routine, etc., as well our own choreography.