NORWALK DANCE ACADEMY
BALLET is a centuries-old art form that is the technical foundation for many styles of dance. It is also beneficial for gymnasts, ice skaters and other athletes who must develop strength, flexibility and balance. At NDA ballet class always begins with exercises at the barre, followed by stretching, center practice, turns and jumps. Students learn and develop the tools needed for proper execution of ballet steps: turnout, core strength, flexibility, straight posture, balance and alignment. Proper class etiquette and knowledge of ballet vocabulary are also stressed. As injury prevention is vital, students learn to strengthen and stretch their muscles in a healthy, correct way. Students of all ages will even learn basic anatomy in ballet classes at NDA.
JAZZ / MUSICAL THEATER classes at Norwalk Dance Academy are an ever-changing art form. Jazz adapts to the latest fads and styles but is still founded on the classical movements we see on Broadway today. This broad range of movement can rely on a variety of music; from the more funky, popular type music to salsa, blues to the classic Broadway hits or even the latest off-Broadway sensations. Musical Theater also brings in some theatrical elements such as encouraging performing the movement, not just executing it.
HIP HOP at Norwalk Dance Academy incorporates a style all its own keeping on top of the newest dance moves and styles including break dancing. This is the only school in the area that will teach your child HIP HOP TECHNIQUE and not just choreography. Our teachers are affiliated with the only school in the US that teaches Hip Hop pedagogy at the Hip Hop Dance Conservatory, NY. Hip Hop is a style and each student has their own. This style is encouraged and brought out through the course of the year. It is encouraged for those who have some dance background from which to draw their style.
LYRICAL is a fusion of Ballet, Modern, and Jazz. A solid, ballet-based technique is an essential to this advanced style of dance, so it is highly recommended that students who take lyrical also take ballet. At NDA lyrical classes start with a warm-up which includes stretching and strengthening exercises, combinations executed across the floor and a center combination. Lyrical is most often performed to music with lyrics. This style is expressive, subtle and dynamic, expressing emotions through movement.
MODERN class is energetic and eclectic. Students discover a different approach to movement when they learn concepts of modern dance including dynamics, dropping of weight, use of momentum, and lots of floor work. Class begins with a full-bodied warm-up, which includes floor work combined with standing combinations. Then students dance across the floor developing balance, agility and speed, and having fun! Then a combination is taught incorporating these concepts. The music for this class ranges from rock to lounge to jazz to world music. Class is taken in bare feet.
POINTE is when, in ballet, female dancers wear special shoes to dance on the tips of their toes. They are dancing “en pointe.” Pointe requires a tremendous amount of strength and flexibility in the ankles and feet; therefore, dancers who wish to take pointe at NDA must have taken at least 3 years of ballet, must be at least 11 years of age, must currently be enrolled in a ballet class and must be recommended for it by their ballet teacher.
TAP at Norwalk Dance Academy is grounded with a strong technical base and enhanced with various styles. Our students are taught the fundamental steps, how to work with the music and how to incorporate the feelings generated by the music. Concentration is placed on listening techniques and how to break down and count the music, as well as the steps. While tap dance borrows many skills from ballet and jazz, it is a very cognitive form of dance and requires thinking on your feet - literally! Time is spent using creative methods to understand rhythms, tempo and timing in order to perform the steps accurately. Both "Broadway" and "Rhythm" tap are taught.
TAP, BALLET, CREATIVE MOVEMENT is a unique children’s program that offers a mix of tap, ballet and creative movement [See Ballet & Tap above]. This class introduces movement to the young dancer through props, stories, poetry and play. The dance steps and movements they learn are the beginnings to all other types of dance. The children not only learn about music, rhythm, counting, space, and shapes, but also how to work within a group and cooperate with others.