Ballet | Tap | Jazz | Hip Hop | Lyrical & Modern | Combination | Creative Movement

At Premier Academy of the Performing Arts, we are committed to quality dance education in a positive and safe learning environment. Parents can expect open communication, a professional environment, and respect for each child. Every student is important to us, each deserving to be treated as an individual. Each student will be given the opportunity to grow, whether he/she is a recreational dancer or a serious student with dreams of a performance career. Above all, our students should learn to appreciate and love the art of the performing arts and leave each class feeling good about him/herself.

Premier Academy offers a wide variety of dance classes for all ages.  Detailed information on schedule, cost and availability can be viewed by linking to Premier Academy’s class schedule.  An overview of Premier’s offerings follows.

Ballet

“Learning ballet is wonderful for children even if they never become dancers.  It is wonderful because it teaches discipline, grace, and manners.”   ANNA PASKEVSK

Ballet is the foundation of all other forms of dance; and a critical piece in the technical development of dancers.  A ballet class is required for any Premier student who wishes to participate in jazz.  In this class, students will learn classical ballet positioning through exercises at the barre, center floor, and across the floor progressions.

Pre-pointe
Pre-pointe is offered for those ballet students looking to move on to the next level.  This pre-curser to a pointe class helps students to develop the strength and technique necessary to move towards en pointe, which occurs when a dancer support all her bodyweight on the tops of fully extended feet.  Participation in a ballet class is required for pre-pointe

Pointe
This class is for advanced ballet students.  Teacher recommendation is required in order to be placed in a pointe class.

Tap

“Listen to my feet.  It’s more important to hear the rhythms than to see the steps.  Good tap dance is like a good sleight-of-hand – the feet are quicker than the eye.”  CHARLES “HONI” COLES

Tap is a unique style of dance that utilizes the tapping of toes and heals to create a rhythmical journey.  Through this fun and energetic form of dance, a student gets to be both the dancer and the band.  Tap is an excellent foundation for developing coordination, rhythm, dynamics and personal style.

Jazz

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.”   WAYNE DYER

Because of its high visibility on television, in movies, and on Broadway, as well as its connection to modern music, Jazz is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of dance in America today. This up-beat dance style helps build strength, develops coordination, increases flexibility, and improves endurance.  Students will learn turns, jumps, leaps, and other jazz basics. (All students taking jazz at Premier Academy must also take a ballet class for technique)

Hip Hop

“The dance: a minimum of explanation, a minimum of anecdotes, and a maximum of sensations.”   MAURICE BEJART

Hip Hop is an energizing stylized urban movement.  Steps taught in this class are a clean, hip-hop street style, incorporating such moves as popping, locking, and breaking.  This high energy, athletic, fast-paced class is a fun way to learn the latest moves soon on TV.  Come prepared to sweat!

Lyrical & Modern

“To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.”   INDIAN PROVERB

Lyrical
Lyrical is an expressive dance style that fuses ballet and jazz technique to express the feeling of a musical piece.  Lyrical dance is expressive and is simultaneously subtle and dynamic.  It is designed to convey musicality and emotion through movement.  Lyrical dance encourages use of body line, weight, and quality of movement.

Modern
Modern dance encourages dancers to use emotions and mood as the basis for its steps and routines.  It is an interpretative style of dance focused on telling a story or conveying an idea through movement and emotion.  The dance form was developed by a ballet dancer who was tired of following the rigid rules of ballet.

Combination Classes

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”   MARTHA ALLEN

Combination – PreCombo (Ages 3-5)
This 30-minute class is structured to enhance creative ability, attention span, and musicality of the young beginner.  The class focuses on the basic techniques of tap and ballet, as well as developing motor skill through games and activities.

Combination – Combo (Ages 5-7)
This 45-minute class continues to teach the fundamentals of tap and ballet techniques while introducing the basic jazz concepts.  This class encourages students to further develop their rhythm, flexibility, coordination, and balance through proper form and repetition.

Combination – Advanced Combo (Ages 8-11)
This 1-hour class provides intermediate tap and jazz instruction.  This class focuses on the improvement of dance skills by building strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance as well as confidence and showmanship.

Creative Movement

“Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music.” – William Stafford

This 30-minute class is structured to fit the needs of our youngest dancers.  The class emphasizes the development of gross motor, listening, and cognitive skills while encouraging expression and creativity.