Acro

Acro fuses gymnastics and dance. Our Acro classes focus on improving strength and flexibility to allow our dances to progress their acrobatic skills. Our Acro classes consist of a warm up with stretching and conditioning followed by working on floor skills spotted by a certified gymnastics coach. Intermediate and Advanced Acro classes do not participate in the recital, but do train in classes for the entirety of the year.

Ballet

The Beginner Ballet classes at DDAC foster musicality, body awareness, and movement potential in a format that encourages individual artistry. The class explores the elements of dance; Body, Space, Force, and Time, through creative exercises that are movement-focused rather than story-focused. The knowledge gained in these classes prepares the student for the attention to detail required in the study of formal ballet training. Research shows that children who begin training with informed creative movement classes are more successful when placed in a traditional technique class.

As dancers progress to higher levels, the classes emphasize correct postural alignment, principles of turn-out, balance, control, and barre exercises. Barre work is then taken to center work and across the floor work to challenge balance and work on pirouettes, extensions, and leaps.

Hip Hop

Movement in Hip Hop is based on current trends in the dance industry, most of which can be seen in today’s music videos and/or television shows. Like any form of dance, this subject offers its own set of skills and terminology that must be learned. It is strongly based on the proper body placement as well as strength and musicality in addition to other intricate movements. As the student advances, he or she will learn how to put the many intricate moves of Hip Hop together. Hip Hop classes at DDAC are fun and upbeat classes that focus on technique, musicality, isolations, and grooves with a warm-up, across the floor work, and center combinations.

Jazz

Jazz combines many styles and techniques from ethnic and contemporary dance, to ballet. Rhythm, upon which all dance forms depend, is particularly integral to jazz dance. Classes consist of a warm up with exercises which stretch and tone muscles and develop support for proper stress-free alignment of the skeletal structure. Using upbeat music, jazz classes are a great work-out and a fun way to release tension while attaining a body awareness that can be applied to everyday activities. As a student progresses through the levels of Jazz study, he or she will focus on breathing, basic stretches, isolations and walks. The student will advance into combinations with stress on proper technique. The fundamentals of strong Jazz technique will be learned through proper body placement and strength, as the fluidity and smoothness of movements and transitions increase. As dancers advance, they learn difficult skills like pirouette turns, leaps, jumps and floor work. Students gain a working knowledge of terminology, as well as its accurate execution, as they learn to enjoy this expressive form of dance. Jazz classes at DDAC are high-energy classes that focus on technique, musicality, isolations, and flexibility with a warm-up, across the floor work, and center combinations.

Lyrical

Lyrical dance is a style that combines ballet and jazz techniques. It is performed to music with lyrics and uses emotion to tell a story relating to the lyrics of the song. Lyrical dance is free flowing and expressive. The term Lyrical Dance comes from the word “lyrical,” which means to have a poetic, expressive quality; expressing spontaneous feelings and deep personal emotions. Music used for Lyrical dance is usually emotionally charged and expressive and give dancers a chance to express a range of strong emotions through their dancing. Lyrical movements attempt to show the meaning of the music. It is very passionate and can tell a story through movement to capture the audience.

Tap

We offer TAP classes where the students wear tap shoes and learn to make rhythms through sound out of their feet. Tap focuses on musicality that will transfer into all styles of dance. Dancers will learn how to count music and find the beat of a song. Tap dance is an intricate movement of the feet using the heels and toes to create a rhythm that compliments music. Tap classes at DDAC consist of a rhythm-based warm-up, across the floor progressions and center combinations.

Company and Team

Our Dance company, under the direction of Alyssa Magnusen, Sarah Ryan and Jon Merced trains at a higher, more competitive level. The focus of our company is on creating versatile and dedicated dancers with a strong sense of technique, discipline, and artistry. We pride ourselves at Denville Dance Arts Center on creating a fun and positive environment that pushes dancers to their highest potential in a supportive and uplifting manner. Our Dance Company Dancers compete in regional and national competitions and attend conventions, intensives, and master classes throughout the year. In addition to competing, they also perform in a year-end Company Show Recital. Our Company dancers have won overall high score awards at regional and national competitions as well as special awards, title crowns, and invitations to the World Dance Pageant and World Dance Championship.

Our highest level of company dancers are required to take classes in ballet, flexibility and conditioning, jazz & contemporary technique, leaps & turns, and hip hop. Many of our company dancers add acro and tap classes as well.