Culture Shock San Diego

Voguing originated from the performance category of the ballroom scene that blossomed in Harlem, New York in the 1970s which was a Black & Brown queer community. Evolving from voguing Old Way and New Way, Vogue Femme was introduced by the femme queens (trans women) of ballroom. The movement accentuates femininity through the swinging of hips and sensual storytelling of a luxurious style. The five elements of Vogue Femme include: hands performance, cat walk, duck walk, floor performance, and spins & dips. This class contains mature content.

Whacking/Waacking incorporates arm movements, characterization, posing, and acting. This dance originated in the gay club scene of Los Angeles in the 1970s disco era. The origins come from the dance form of Punking which was done by gay kids who turned their oppression into expression. In this class, you’ll explore the basics of Whacking and apply them in various combinations to different songs.

Tap is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Tap can be traced back to the 1700s and is informed by the Irish Jig, English Clog, and African-American traditional body percussion. A major contributor to the art form is the West African Gioube, which is a dance brought in by enslaved Africans. Tap shoes are encouraged for this class to better practice producing the proper rhythms made by taps.

Popping is associated with the dance forms of the Robot, Waving, Tutting, Strutting, and Boogaloo. Popping utilizes isolation of the body in combination with controlled flexion of muscles to create fluid, angular, and animated movement. However, Popping is distinct from Breaking and Locking, with which it is often confused. Popping originated in Fresno, California in the 1970s with notable icons such as Boogaloo Sam, Poppin’ Pete, Skeeter Rabbit, and the Electric Boogaloos. Many popping techniques are used in today’s popular choreography.

Locking is based on the concept of freezing from a fast movement and “locking” in a certain position. This dance form was brought into public attention in the 1970s on the nationally syndicated show “Soul Train” by Don “Campbellock” Campbell and The Lockers. The movements are generally large and exaggerated, and often very rhythmic and tightly synced with funk music. Locking is performance-oriented, often interacting with the audience by smiling or giving them a high five, and some moves are quite comical.

Latin Hip Hop is a choreography class drawing inspiration from Hip Hop dance vocabulary while celebrating Latin culture and music. The movement is influenced by the heavy bass of Latin trap and reggaeton combined with the fluidity of Latin dance vocabularies.

Jazz Funk is a choreography class with foundations in Jazz and will utilize movement from various other forms including Hip Hop, House, Whacking/Waacking, Vogue, Ballet, etc. This dance form originated as a response to Frank Hatchett’s VOP Jazz style. Frank Hatchett is a departed dancer who notably taught Jazz at Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Recent usage of the class title has adopted the connotation of choreography that channels a powerful feminine energy typically set to pop music.

Jazz is a comprehensive class that begins with a thorough warm-up and across-the-floor, ending with a choreographed combination. This art form is informed by traditional African & European folk dances and was influenced by the 1600s enslaved Africans. Appropriate footwear includes Jazz shoes, bear paws, or barefoot.

House includes a foundation of Footwork, Jacking, Lofting, and Floorwork. This dance form was born in the Chicago club scene and expanded in the clubs of New York. It emphasizes fast and complex steps combined with fluid movements in the torso. House dance incorporates movements from many other sources such as Capoeira, Tap, Jazz, Bebop, and Salsa. It includes a variety of techniques and sub-forms that include skating, stomping, and shuffling.

Hip Hop includes Afrodiasporic social dances and the dance form of Breaking. The choreography will include popular moves from past to present, such as the monastery and the woah. As a cultural era, Hip Hop emerged from the Black & Latiné youth of the 1970s originally in New York City. The five elements of Hip Hop are Deejaying, Emceeing, Graffiti, Breaking, and Knowledge. The popular dance form welcomes all to participate in living out the principles of peace, love, unity, and having fun!

Heels is a choreography class that will allow you to explore your feminine power in your favorite pair of heels. This class will utilize elements of Burlesque, Jazz, and Hip Hop. We recommend bringing a few footwear options as you adjust to dancing in heels. Heels class welcomes all identities across and outside of the spectrum of gender. This class typically contains mature content.

Grooves teach dancers the techniques of bouncing, rocking, gliding, and body rolling for a smooth effortless style. These foundations are key elements of African diasporic dance vocabulary.

Dancehall utilizes the articulation of the chest and hips for fluid movement while maintaining a grounded rhythm. Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican music that emerged in the late 1970s from reggae roots with the innovation of mixing music (deejaying). As dance forms and music genres, much of the development of Hip Hop draws inspiration from Dancehall.

Contemporary includes a full warm-up, across the floor and/or center technique, choreography, and elements of structured improvisation. This dance form developed Modern dance in the 1900s as a revolt against the restrictions of Ballet. As a dance form, it continues to be advanced through movement innovation and exploration, drawing from various dance forms such as Jazz, Hip Hop, Martial Arts, and theatrical performance. This class challenges dancers to explore the quality of movement, musicality, and performance. Suitable for dancers with a solid background in any form of dance who are looking to improve their execution and adaptability. No special attire or shoes required.

Burlesque offers fun and sensual choreography with a sense of playfulness. Burlesque is rooted in comical performance dating back to the 17th-century Victorian theater. In recent decades, the artform leans into playing with provocative performance. This class explores elements of sensuality through movement informed by Jazz and Hip Hop. This class contains mature content.

Breaking is known for its use of footwork. It consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, freezes, and power moves. Breaking is a popular form of street dance that was created and developed as part of Hip Hop culture of the 1970s in New York City. It is danced to music that has been remixed to prolong the musical breaks or percussive instrumental section.

Shorty-N-Me was created especially for children ages 1-4 who are not quite ready to take a structured dance class on their own but love to dance and could use a creative outlet outside of the home. We allow one adult to join the child in class in order to give the child a comfortable and familiar environment.

Jazzercise can burn up to 600 calories in one fun and powerfully effective 60-minute total body workout. Every Jazzercise group fitness class combines dance-based cardio with strength training and stretching to sculpt, tone, and lengthen muscles for maximum fat burn. This is an independent class.

Cardio R&B is a 50-minute cardio class with music gravitating to feel good R&B/Hip Hop (will consist of music from various decades). Movement & technique will mainly derive from Hip Hop and a small portion of class is devoted to breaking down body mechanics. The main goal is to keep your heart rate up, burn calories, and have fun to some good music!

Cardio Hip Hop is a 50-minute cardio class focusing on repetitive movement while fusing musical rhythms & choreographed dance moves to create a dynamic 500+ calorie-burning workout that’s designed for fun—and an endorphin-packed workout!

This is an all-level camp, but we especially encourage beginning to intermediate dancers—or those looking to strengthen their fundamentals and push toward an intermediate level—to enroll this week. This camp will focus on Hip Hop Foundation movement, Performance and History. Dancers will learn from four instructors each day. Friday we will host an informal showing at 3:30pm of what the dancers learned during the week.