Class Descriptions
Pre-Ballet
This class is designed for both beginning dancers and those moving up from Tap/Ballet Combo classes. This class is meant for students ages 5-8. New 5 year olds should take Pre-Ballet 1 or Combo before enrolling in this class and/or consult the instructor and director. Students will review ballet basics and well as other dance fundamentals, but will begin working on more intricate and traditional movement. Students will continue to develop their coordination skills, spatial awareness and concepts of left and right. New challenges will be given in regard to coordination. Students will work a lot on basic ballet technique as this supports a solid foundation for ballet training.
Prereq: New 5 yr olds go to 3-5 yr class, 0-3 years preballet for 6-8 years. We ask that students enrolled in this class wear leotards, tights and ballet shoes in any color combination of pink, black or white. A simple ballet skirt is permitted. All students must wear hair back in a bun or ponytail. Ballet shoes are pertinent to the class. Please no street shoes as we wish to avoid outside debris and dirt to make contact with the dance floor. Ballet shoes are not required for the first class.
Break-Out Ballet
In this class, students will be introduced to basic ballet fundamentals, including body alignment, vocabulary, and basic positions of the feet & arms. This class was designed for 7 and 8-year olds that have taken Preballet for at least one full year or new students ages 9-10 years.
Prereq: Students must wear black, pink or white attire. Leotards and tights required. Ballet slippers must be worn. Hair must be pulled back in a proper bun.
Ballet 1
In this class, students will continue their development of basic ballet fundamentals, including body alignment, vocabulary, and basic positions of the feet & arms.
Prereq: Students 8- 10years old, must have 2 years of previous ballet. New students ages 11-14 are welcome. Students must wear black, pink or white attire. Leotards and tights required. Ballet slippers must be worn. Hair must be pulled back in a proper bun.
Ballet 2
Continuation of Ballet 1
Prereq: Two-Three years of Ballet 1 or equivelent. Suggested Coreq. Ballet 1. Students must wear black, pink or white attire. Leotards and tights required. Ballet slippers must be worn. Hair must be pulled back in a proper bun.
Ballet 3
This class will be centered on more intermediate dance technique. Students will move through barre, center work, & progressions which include basic turns, jumps, & leaps. This is a pre-pointe class.
Prereq: minimum 3 years consecutive ballet after 9 years old, regular, pre-pointe and pointe dancers must also take minimum of 1 adult ballet class weekly, first class is audition class. Students must wear black, pink or white attire. Leotards and tights required. Ballet slippers must be worn. Hair must be worn in a proper bun.
Beginning Ballet
This class will include students with no previous training as well as those with several years of experience. Students will advance with their own ability levels through beginning/ intermediate barre, center work, & progressions.
Beginning/Intermediate Ballet
This ballet class is geared towards dancers of all intermediate/ advanced levels. This class is designed to strengthen and improve your turn-out and your body alignment in a classical ballet class. This class focuses on barre work, center combination's, and across the floor technique.
Each level of ballet is structured to provide more advanced training as the student is ready.
Bellydance Foundations w/Ruby
This class is geared towards dancers with less than one year of experience in bellydance, however it is beneficial to all levels for keeping up on technique and form. We will be working with basic muscular isolations, footwork, zills and theory.
Burlesque Basics
Shimmy, shake or bump at this burlesque basics class. For both the flirty Frasier-enthusiasts to sexy singles looking to spice things up, learn about the power of eye contact, choose your burlesque alter ego and practice your new moves with Kristi “Balla Fire”.
Contemporary and Teen Contemporary with Molly
This Contemporary class will offer a warm up, technique in the center, floor progressions, and choreography. Molly’s concept and movement will focus on being present with the body, and working from the inside out. First getting into the body, becoming aware of proprioceptors, structure and posture of our bodies, and moving not just the superficial body, but through muscles, flesh, and bones. Rather than the body as a framework, connecting body and mind to create movement that uses the entire body and comes from a deeper place rather than just the surface in order to advance dancers learning to another level.
Hip Hop 1
This is a movement class that explores the elements of rhythm, locomotor skills and creative movement. We also introduce the children to the first steps and elementary terminology of ballet, jazz, modern dance, and folk dance. Enjoyment of movement and music is emphasized.
Prereq: None
Flex Dance Company Class
Build your technique working with our resident dance company dancers. Leslie Johnson, artistic director, will teach technique while working to develop students as potential Flex dancers.
Prereq: Long-Term experience in Jazz and Ballet.
Hip Hop 1
This class is designed to increase the students rhythmic and coordination skills. Students will focus on learning many fun upbeat combination's as well as basic dance moves.
Prereq: None
Hip Hop 2
This class is designed as a continuation of Hip Hop 1. Students will focus on learning many fun upbeat combination's as well as basic dance moves.
Prereq: Hip Hop 1 or 1 full year of Hip Hop.
Hip Hop 3
This class teaches rhythm, coordination, musicality, and hip hop choreography that challenges students a to think on their feet while enjoying an energetic and fun dance class. This class moves at a faster pace than Hip Hip 2.
Prereq: Two years of Hip Hop 2 or equivalent.
Hip Hop Funk
This class is designed for students, ages 12-17. Students enrolling in this class must have at least 2 years of dance experience. This class is a fusion of jazz and hip-hop dance. The class includes a thorough warm-up, comprising cardio, stretching, strengthening and conditioning. Students will also learn basic progressions and combinations across the floor, becoming more detailed and difficult as they hone their skills.
Choreography will include many of the skills practiced during warm-up and in their progressions, but their level of dance will also prepare them for fun, new challenges. Students are also greatly encouraged to create their own movement and even bring in their favorite songs, permitted that they are edited appropriately.
Prereq: Students enrolling in this class must have at least 2 years of dance experience in jazz, hip-hop or both. We ask that students wear appropriate dance wear. This includes tights, leggings, sweat/yoga/dance pants, t-shirts, tank tops, sports tops, etc. If students choose to wear hot pants (teeny shorts), please wear tights or leggings underneath. Students must wear designated dance sneakers. Please no street shoes as we wish to avoid outside debris and dirt to make contact with the dance floor. Also, as this is a transitional age for some students, please wear deodorant to class.
Beg/Int Hip Hop
This class teaches rhythm, coordination, musicality, and hip hop choreography that challenges students a to think on their feet while enjoying an energetic and fun dance class.
Adv Hip Hop
This class teaches rhythm, coordination, musicality, and hip hop choreography that challenges students a to think on their feet while enjoying an energetic and fun dance class. This class is taught at a faster pace than Beg/Int Hip Hop.
Jazz 1/2
This class is designed as an introduction to basic jazz technique, focusing on basic jazz positions, turns, jumps, & leaps. Students will also learn center and across-the-floor progressions as well as proper stretching techniques to enhance strength & flexibility.
Suggested Coreq: Ballet 1 or 2. We ask that students wear appropriate dancewear. This includes tights, leggings, sweat/yoga/dance pants, t-shirts, tank tops, sports tops, leotards, etc. If students choose to wear hot pants (teeny shorts), please wear tights or leggings underneath. Students may wear jazz shoes, dance undies/booties or dance barefoot. Please no street shoes.
Jazz 3/4
This class is designed for students, age 12-17. Students enrolling in this class must have at least 2 years of dance experience in either jazz, ballet or both. Concurrent enrollment in ballet is strongly recommended and preferred. This class involves a thorough warm-up comprising stretching, strengthening, conditioning and toning. Students are expected to develop and accomplish basic skills such as splits, turns and various jumps/leaps. Several of these skills will transition into more challenging movement in order to enhance choreography. Students will be introduced to a wide range of genres in regard to music and the tone of their dancing. Jazz dance ranges from fast paced movement, to more lyrical dancing and even trickles into contemporary styles of dance. Students will not just be developing their technique, but their performance skills and presentation of technique in order to nurture and guide their path in becoming a dancer.
Prereq: must have at least 2 years of dance experience in either jazz, ballet or both. Concurrent enrollment in ballet is required. We ask that students wear appropriate dancewear. This includes tights, leggings, sweat/yoga/dance pants, t-shirts, tank tops, sports tops, leotards, etc. If students choose to wear hot pants (teeny shorts), please wear tights or leggings underneath. Students may wear jazz shoes, dance undies/booties or dance barefoot. Please no street shoes. Also, as this is a transitional age for some students, please wear deodorant to class.
Beg/Int Jazz
This class will cover jazz fundamentals for the beginning/ intermediate jazz dancer. While some students have no prior dance training, others will have several years of experience. Students will advance with their own ability levels through center work & progressions.
Int/Adv Jazz
This class emphasizes strong and proper body alignment and clean technique through placement, stretch, and strength exercises during center floor warm-up, across the floor, and choreographed combination's. Combination's vary from classic jazz styles to lyrical and contemporary.
Pilates
Pilates is a series of movements that strengthen the core of the torso including the many layers of abdominals, the obliques, the muscles of the spine, the pelvic floor and the glutes. The movement series starts with basic essentials and builds to intermediate and even advanced moves. Pilates strengthens and increases one's flexibility, corrects and improves one's posture and greatly decreases one's chances of injury or recurrence of injury. The Pilates on the Physio Ball are all the general Pilates Exercises incorporating light hand weights and leg weights and music as well for sculpting and strengthening.
Pilates for Dancers
In the Pilates for Dancers Mat class, Dixie utilizes the Pilates vocabulary to help students understand their own strengths and weaknesses, and to identify habits, preferences and inefficient movement patterns. New patterning, coordination and core strengthening are experienced with Pilates exercises from the fundamental to the advanced level, always with a focus on form, depth and finesse. Concepts learned in this class can then be applied to any style of dance or movement, as well as walking and everyday activities.
Tap/Ballet Combo
This class is designed for beginning dancers, ranging in the ages between 3 and 5. Students enrolling in this class must be at least 3 years old and potty trained.
This class includes approximately a half hour of tap, followed by a half hour of ballet, with a brief break to change shoes and rest. Students will learn both tap and ballet basics as well as the fundamentals of dance and movement encountered in any class. The instructor will also work with students’ developing spatial awareness, coordination skills and concepts of left and right.
We ask that families dress their children in proper dance attire; including tights, leggings or shorts as weather permits, with a leotard, unitard, shirt or tank top. All students must wear their hair back in a bun, braid or ponytail(s). Tap and ballet shoes are pertinent for the class. Please no street shoes as we wish to avoid outside debris and dirt to make contact with the dance floor. Tap and ballet shoes are not required for the first class.
Prereq: Students enrolling in this class must be at least 3 years old and potty trained.
Tap 1
This class is designed for both beginning dancers and those moving up from Little Tappers or Tap/Ballet Combo classes. This class is meant for students ages 5-8. New 5 year olds should take Little Tappers or Combo before enrolling in this class and/or consult the instructor and director. Students will review tap basics and well as other dance fundamentals, but will begin working on more intricate movements and specific sounds. Students will continue to develop their coordination skills, spatial awareness and concepts of left and right. New challenges will be given in regard to coordination. Students will also develop and hone their sense of rhythm, counting music and basic mathematical concepts in regard to the sounds made by their feet.
We ask that students dress in proper dance attire; including tights, leggings or shorts as weather permits, with a leotard, unitard, shirt or tank top. All students must wear their hair back in a bun, braid or ponytail(s). Tap shoes are pertinent for the class. Please no street shoes as we wish to avoid outside debris and dirt to make contact with the dance floor. Tap shoes are not required for the first class. Prereq: This class is meant for students ages 5-8. New 5 year olds should take Little Tappers or Combo before enrolling in this class and/or consult the instructor and director.
Tap 2
The class explores varying styles of tap dance, from a Capella rhythm to Broadway style combinations. Students work to build the fundamentals of rhythm and timing through warm up and across the floor exercises. They also have the opportunity to develop their own creativity and performance skills during combination exercises.
Prereq: 8 years and up. No previous Tap required.
Beg Adult Tap
A beginning class for those who are just starting or returning to tap dance. The class introduces the fundamental techniques of Tap dance and builds upon these techniques to create individual style. The class encourages students to continue learning as well as to progress on to an intermediate level. The class will explore the varying types and styles of tap through combination exercises.
Teen Company Class
Class to build technique while creating a strong repertoire of choreography, encouraging dancers to grow as performers in and outside of the Santa Cruz community. Audition will be held the first week in September and then again the end of December. Contact Studio for more information.
Prereq: Three years of Jazz or Ballet or both. Coreq: Ballet and Jazz must be taken while enrolled in this class.
Turns and Technique
This class is a technique class that is dedicating to learning, improving, and perfecting technique in jumps, kicks, turns, etc. Stretch and strengthening is also combined to improve dancers’ power.
Prereq: Two years of Jazz or Ballet or both. Coreq: Ballet and Jazz must be taken while enrolled in this class.
Teen Company Class
Class to build technique while creating a strong repertoire of choreography, encouraging dancers to grow as performers in and outside of the Santa Cruz community. Audition will be held the first week in September and then again the end of December. Contact Studio for more information.
Prereq: Three years of Jazz or Ballet or both. Coreq: Ballet and Jazz must be taken while enrolled in this class.