Classes We Offer
The classes offered here at Expressions aim to please every student. Whether ambition has inspired you to pursue a professional dance career, or take a few classes for fun and friends, we offer everything here at Expressions. Our team is dedicated to breathing life and appreciation back into the world of performing arts. We pride ourselves in being kind and helpful in all of our classes. We here at Expressions encourage all dancers at any age or level to reach out to us with any questions you have!
BALLET
Ballet is one of dance's oldest technique styles. Gaining mass popularity in the mid 1600’s King Louis XIV heavily subsidized ballet training to create the technique style we know and love today.. Our staff is trained in Vagonava, Bolshoi, Cecchetti and French classical technique. Learn one of the oldest forms of art and see why it has been carried on and loved for hundreds of years now. Work your flexibility, strength and technique in one of our ballet classes today!
JAZZ
Jazz dance mimics ballet technique without the use of turnout and hyper extension. Jazz dance gained popularity in the 1920’s and has grown and evolved since then. Through the bases of Ragtime and Jitterbug a solidified technique was born. A dynamic, sassy or smooth way to hone in your art. Learn and perfect you leaps, turns and battements as well as combos taught in various jazz styles.
TAP
Have an inner drum beating in you? If so, this class is for you. Tap is also one of the oldest dance styles around originating in Africa and Ireland then coming together in the early 1900’s during mass immigration. Tap gained popularity during vaudeville with pioneers like Bo Jangles, Cookie Cook, Bill Robinson and many more. Tap classes are taught as a dance technique as well as music technique. Terminology and percussive techniques are taught in this class. Learn how to make music through dance!
CONTEMPORARY
Much like lyrical, contemporary also focuses on embodying personal movement qualities. While lyrical is based off of ballet, contemporary has a lot of jazz influence in it as well. Learn a more percussive and dynamic style of dance while learning technique and terminology at the same time
HIP HOP
One of America’s newer dance styles, hip hop was born in the 80’s and 90’s. With African Dance style roots this is a hard hitting and accent driven style. Classes are fun driven with high tempo music and high energy staff. In this class you will acquire classic and contemporary hip-hop choreography and technique as well as the opportunity to have a great time! Hip-hop is a favorite among many dancers because of the freedom it gives to loosen up and just move to the music! Come to one of our Hip Hop classes and you will be poppin’ and lockin’ in no time!
MODERN
Modern dance exploded in America in the 1960’s. America craved a dance style that was more welcoming to the “non dancer”. Modern became shapes made through the body. At ESA Limon, Horton and Graham styles are emphasized. The training your child will receive in this class will prepare them for a career in the professional dance world. Modern opened the door for more popular styles such as lyrical and contemporary. It paved the way for dancers to not just practice ballet, but to move outside the boundaries of ballet and focus on movement qualities that have a basis in unnatural movements, thus working muscles and establishing a very solid core. This class is perfect for stepping outside your personal comfort zone and exploring other historical types of movement.
ACROBATICS
Gymnastics combined with ballet creates the style that is acrobatics. Learning the classic tumbling passes, contortion techniques and acrobatic transitions emphasized in gymnastics, while applying a dancers artistry is the foundation of our acrobatic instruction. Acrobatics is the gymnastics of the dance world!
MUSICAL THEATRE
Ever dream of dancing on a Broadway stage. Learn what it takes in out theatre dance classes. A new show is taught for three weeks ending in a mock audition in the third week. Students will not only learn classic Broadway style technique but how to write a resume, headshots, talking points and the audition skills needed to get work in the dance world. Guest artists will act as judges during mock auditions.
LYRICAL
Based off of ballet technique, lyrical bends the rules and lets your move outside of the ballets strict technique guidelines. Heavily focused on personal expression and personal movement quality students will be taught through improvisation as well as combos to find their inner style. This style aims to focus on developing a connection between music and dancing, mainly using specific "lyrics" to tell a story. What is wonderful about this class is students have an opportunity to tell their own story through movement.
PRE SCHOOL
Our pre school classes are fun driven and high energy. Our highly qualified staff will help test the waters of dance while providing a safe, and fun environment. Your child will learn classic hip hop or ballet terminology without even realizing it! Our student to teacher ratio in our pre school classes is 10:1. Larger classes will have assistant teachers to ensure every child is getting the full experience.
