Jazz 1/2

Students in our Jazz Classes will learn to take center stage as they develop into powerful, strong, and expressive jazz dancers.

So what is jazz dance, anyway? Jazz dance encompasses many different styles of dancing! From the origins of swing and musical theatre to contemporary, lyrical, Latin, African, Street and more. There is no one definition for jazz dance other than it is the dance of the times.

Classes focus on learning proper dance technique such as isolations of the body, developing complex rhythms and patterns. and improving performance quality. Jazz dance emphasizes body line and a flexible torso, while both utilizing fast, accurate footwork and slow bodily contractions and floorwork.

Class curriculum is based on ballet technique (foundational to performance jazz) layered with traditional jazz movements (both turn out and parallel positions of feet are equally emphasized) and includes a proper warm-up stretches, isolations, across-the-floor progressions, turns, jumps, and combinations.

This class will bring style and pizazz to your dancing, while maintaining a strong connection to the music and encouragement of honest execution. Students are encouraged to explore improvisations and student choreography!

Jazz dance is necessary to the development and versatility of the Musical Theatre student!

We offer the highly committed student the opportunity for examinations.

Students age 7 may begin their jazz dance training upon approval and having had or simultaneously taking a 1 hour ballet class at Studio Sharise.