6th Street Dance Studio

Our young people’s ballet class is an open beginners’ ballet class for ages 6-10. Young People’s Programs are based on deep artistic intention and principles.

Urban dance is one of the most important essential American art forms. Previous to the corporate co-opting of urban forms, urban American dance erupted naturally on the scene in Bronx NYC as an alternative to gang violence. B-boys, b-girls, popping, locking, house, vogueing, balls, and all styles ultimately spread throughout the world with roots in African dance, lindy hop, blues, jazz, tap, funk, Capoiera, salsa and martial arts. These styles are passed from individual to individual, with each geographic and cultural location inventing new styles and interpretations that reflect “home.” Aside from dance, Mceeing, Djaying, spoken word, and writing are all a part of the urban arts. The Urban Dance program places emphasis on fundamentals, creativity, daring, free-style and individuality based on the original Zulu Nation hip hop tenets of peace, love, unity, right living and having fun.

Contemporary Ballet is an advanced/professional level class and is founded in the expanded body principles of the Lightbody training. It is advised to take both Lightbody and contemporary ballet classes back to back. Balanchine was the modernist pioneer of contemporary ballet having developed a neo-classic language. The current technical language of contemporary ballet takes from both ballet and modern, neutralizing and de-stylizing both. The contemporary ballet language maintains a vertical axis; sophisticates the use of rhythm by de-emphasizing the downbeat; emphasizes the use of the second non-dominant leg and arm; is torso driven; moves in lengthy phrases where ending beats are also beginning beats; incorporates curves and non-classic pairings of movement and uses changes in direction and fast intricate movement phrases based on sophisticated ear training.

Lightbody, developed by Brigid Baker is a technical movement practice, consisting of breathwork and movement tracings and practices initiated on a stool that progresses to standing. The body moves along vibratory lines that connect levels of human electrochemical activity with astrobiological circuits that span the solar system and other resonating systems. These ley lines run through architecture, music and all true art and are the geometric building blocks resulting from energy with a specific direction towards physical manifestation.

TruSchool is our young people’s fundamentals of hip hop program based on the original Universal Zulu Nation tenets of peace, love and unity. We offer the fundamentals of breakdancing and popping and are adding the elements of deejaying, mceeing and writing.