Wausau Academy of Dance

We believe in the value of performance balanced with technique focus. We offer various specified technique classes including leaps and turns, acrobatic arts, and strengthening classes to help your dancer grow in those specific techniques. Acro dance class focuses on strength, flexibility, limbering, tumbling and balancing. Acro dance differs slightly from gymnastic floor skills as it focuses more on smooth transitions in and out of skills and into dance moves.

Intro to dance is for 3-5 year olds who love to move. Students are introduced to simplified versions of tap, ballet & tumbling. Emphasis is placed on building major motor skills, and basic concepts of taking a class like, taking turns and listening.

Lyrical dance draws heavily on ballet and jazz techniques with a bit of gesture added in for dramatic emphasis. The choreography reflects the lyrics of the song and conveys strong emotions. There should be a continuation of movement to create a sense of flow and grace, along with a peppering of sharper or shorter movements to add accents. A variety of music can be used from ballads to rock, alternative to spiritual. This is a great class for dancers to express themselves.

Modern dance was formed as a rebellious response to the constraints of Classical Ballet. Modern dance pioneers focused on creative expression rather than technical virtuosity. However, today’s standards of modern dance require a performer to be artist, athlete and technician. This class will touch on a variety of modern dance concepts such as: suspension, release, weight sharing, upside down movements and a variety of movement qualities. Dancers can expect originality and creativity with the choreography and a vast array of musical styles.

Hip Hop is a form of street dance full of energy, spunk, personality and individuality. Dancers will learn how to isolate various parts of their bodies and are expected to make their movements strong and precise. Hip hop will include a variety of styles such as popping, locking, breaking and house dance. Choreography is performed to positive upbeat music.

If ballet is the backbone of dance then tap is the heartbeat. This class is all about rhythms and happy feet. Dancers will learn a variety of ways to articulate their feet in order to make many different percussive sounds and will be exposed to Broadway and rhythm styles of tap. (For Broadway think Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, and for rhythm think Gregory Hines or Savion Glover).

The backbone of a dancers movement vocabulary. The importance of ballet training to a dancer is unparalleled. Studying ballet develops strength, poise, control, grace, discipline and coordination, and those are just a few of the benefits. Dancers will learn proper alignment and positions, turn out (outward rotation of the legs), posture, ballet terminology and movement vocabulary. Each class begins at the ballet barre, progresses to the center, travels across the floor and finishes with a reverence. Ballet class is filled with beautiful music with a variety of tempos, from slow and controlled to quick and light. Students will learn both original choreography and classical variations.

Dancers will learn proper jazz techniques regarding correct body placement, rhythmic exercises, jumps, turns, kicks, floor work and transitional steps. In addition, there is a portion of the class dedicated to conditioning the body with strength exercises and proper stretching techniques. Dancers can expect to dance to quick tempo music and for the choreography to be full of dramatic accents and fun!