South Coast Freestyle Dance

Dance Abilities is an Exhibition Performance team for dancers with special needs: Dance Abilities Team Freestyle! Fusing pom and hip hop, our team will practice weekly and have the opportunity to perform in local competitions.

A Variety routine must incorporate a blend of at least two or more dance styles (Jazz, Pom, Hip Hop, Contemporary/Lyrical and/or Kick) All styles will compete together in this category. The style of dance performed will determine which “category” rules a team will follow in the appropriate age division.

Hip-hop dance refers to street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles primarily breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s and made popular bydance crews in the United States.

Lyrical dance is a fusion of ballet and jazz dance techniques. Lyrical dance challenges choreographers and dancers to use motion to interpret music and express emotion. A lyrical dancer's movements attempt to show the meaning of the music. Lyrical jazz is a very passionate and emotional dance style. It portrays certain emotions such as love, and tells a story through every movement made.

Contemporary dance is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern , jazz , lyrical and classical ballet . Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements. Contemporary danc e stresses versatility and improvisation, unlike the strict, struc tured nature of ballet. Contemporary dancers focus on floorwork, using gravity to pull them down to the floor.

A jazz routine incorporates stylized dance movements and combinations, formation changes, group work, leaps and turns. Emphasis is placed on proper technical execution, extension, control, body placement and team uniformity.

Poms must be used 80% of the routine. Important characteristics of a pom routine include strong pom technique: clean/precise and sharp motions, synchronization and visual effect, and may incorporate tricks (i.e.leaps/turns, pom passes, jump sequences, kick lines etc). Visual effect includes level changes, group work, formation changes, the use of different color poms, etc.