| Flamenco A Spanish dance style originating from the Provence of Andalucia, characterized by percussive footwork and fluid arm and hand movements. It is generally acknowledged that Flamenco grew out of the unique interplay of native Arabic, Andalusian, Islamic, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures that existed in Andalusia. Over the past 100 years Flamenco has spread around World. The dance form, though the heart and soul of Andalucían culture, and distinctly equated with the country of Spain, may now be more popular outside of Spain than it is in Spain. The studio teaches several different styles of Flamenco from the very traditional Adalusian and Sivillian forms to the Latin Flamenco American influence forms like Flamenco Rumbas and Flamenco Tangos. |  |
| Folklorico The Mexican Folklorico style of dance combines the culture and traditions of the Native Mexicans with the musical influence of the Spanish and other Europeans. In Mexico, these energetic and enthusiastic dances are often the heart and soul of town festivals and celebrations. Each State in Mexico has its own unique rhythms, instrumentation, costumes and dance styles. At the Alma Dolores International Dance Centre, we teach dances from many of the States and regions of Mexico. These dances include the joyful and festive polkas from Norteno, the sweeping, deep bending dances with the big brass sounds from Sinaloa, the Caribbean influenced percussive dances from Vera Cruz, and the ever popular dances to Mariachi music from Jalisco. All of the wonderful Folklorico Folklorico styles of dance feature very colorful dance costumes. |  |
| Tap Dance Tap dance was developed in the United States during the nineteenth century and is popular nowadays in many parts of the world. The name comes from the tapping sound made when the small metal plates on the dancer’s shoes touch a hard surface. This lively, rhythmic tapping makes the performer not just a dancer, but also a percussive musician. Common tap steps include the shuffle, shuffle ball change, flap (pronounced “fuh-lap”), flap heel, cramp roll, buffalo, Maxi Ford, single and double pullbacks, wings, Cincinnati, the shim sham shimmy (also called the Lindy), Irish, Waltz Clog, shuffle hop step, running flaps, running shuffles, sugar, the paddle and roll, slap, stomp, running flaps, brushes, scuffs, and single and double toe punches, hot steps, heel clicks, single, double and triple time steps, riffs, and chugs. In advanced tap dancing, basic steps are often combined together to create new steps. |  |
| Ballet Ballet is a formalized form of dance with its origins in the French court, further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. It is a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. It has been influential as a form of dance globally and is taught in ballet schools around the world which use their own culture and society to modernize the art. Ballet dance works (ballets) are choreographed, and also include mime, acting, and are set to music (usually orchestral but occasionally vocal). It is best known in the form of classical ballet, notable for its techniques, such as Pointe work and turn-out of the legs, its graceful, flowing, precise movements, and its ethereal qualities. Later developments include neoclassical ballet and contemporary ballet. |  |
| Lyrical 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. Lyrical dance has a relatively recent history and a genesis based on the coming together of ballet with rock/folk/pop/alternative music and a variety of jazz dance styles and modern dance. To a much lesser degree, punk and swing styles have also been a minor influence. It is mainly performed to music with lyrics, and the song’s lyrics are a driving force and key inspiration for the movement. Choreography is often emotional, gripping, and exquisitely delicate, all at the same time. |  |
| Salsa Salsa refers to a fusion of informal dance styles having roots in the Caribbean (especially in Cuba and Puerto Rico), Latin and North America. The dance originated through the mixture of Mambo, Danzón, Guaguancó, Cuban Son, and other typical Cuban dance forms. Salsa is danced to Salsa music. There is a strong African influence in the music as well as the dance. Improvisation and social dancing are important elements of Salsa but it appears as a performance dance too. The basic step typically uses three steps each measure. This pattern might be quick-quick-slow, taking two beats to gradually transfer the weight, or quick-quick-quick allowing a tap or other embellishment on the vacant beat. Salsa is a slot or spot dance, i.e. the partners do not need to travel over the dance floor but usually occupy a fixed area of the dance floor, rotating around one another and exchanging places. Traveling is not ruled out but is more used in a staged salsa performance. |  |
| Belly Dance Belly Dance is a Western term for a traditional Middle Eastern dance form. Some American devotees refer to it simply as “Middle Eastern Dance”. Most of the basic steps and techniques used in Belly Dancing involve circular motions isolated to a certain part of the body. For example, a circular movement “drawn” parallel to the floor by the hips alone, or by the shoulders alone. Accents such as “pop and lock,” where a dancer either shimmies or makes a striking motion with their shoulders or hips, are common, as are feats of flexibility, rolling one’s belly muscles, balancing various props like baskets, swords or canes, and dancing with chiffon or silk veils. The benefits of Belly Dance are both mental and physical. Dancing provides a good cardiovascular workout and helps increase both flexibility and strength, focusing on the torso or “core muscles”, although it also builds leg strength. Many belly dance styles emphasize muscular “isolations”, teaching the ability to move various muscles or muscle groups independently. Veil work can also build arm, shoulder, and general upper-body strength, and playing the zils can build strength and independence of the fingers. Belly Dance is suitable for all ages and body types, and can be as physical as the participant chooses. The art form tones the arms, strengthens and tightens the abs and obliques, and improves flexibility. As a form of exercise, it can burn as many calories as light jogging, swimming or riding a bike. |  |
| Hip Hop & Break Dancing Hip Hop Dance refers to the upright form of street dance primarily danced to hip hop music. By its widest definition, it can include a wide range of styles such as popping, locking, krumping, and even house dance. It can also include the many styles simply labeled as hip hop, old school hip hop (or hype), hip hop new style and freestyle. This dance style has grown from it’s humbles beginnings on the streets of New York to Worldwide popularity. Break Dance is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among African American and Puerto Rican youths in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. It is normally danced to pop, funk or hip hop music, often remixed to prolong the breaks, and is a well-known hip hop dance style. Break dancing involves four basic elements that form the foundation of Break Dance. These are toprock (standing moves), downrock (also known as footwork), power moves(borrowed from gymnastics, such as the flare, and martial arts, with impressive acrobatics such as the butterfly kick), and freezes (ending pose). |  |
| Polynesian Dance Polynesia refers many Pacific Islands including Taihiti, The Cook Islands, Marquesas, Hawaii and more. Our studio focuses mostly on the fast pace rhythmic dances from French Polynesia or Tahiti. The traditional Tahitian dance feature rapid hip movement and sharp arm movements. The dances are choreographed to the traditional drum and chant music of those islands. Much like belly dance, the isolation moves strengthen and tighten the abs and obliques, and burns calories by providing and aerobic work-out. Colorful costumes and headdresses add to fun of this dance. |  |
| Jazz Jazz Dance originated from the African American vernacular dance of the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Today, Jazz Dance is present in many different forms and venues. Jazz Dance is performed by dance companies around the world. It continues to be an essential element of musical theater choreography, where it may be interwoven with other dance styles as appropriate for a particular show. Jazz Dancing can be seen in music videos, in competitive dance, and on the television shows. Technique is the foundation for all Jazz Dance movement. A strong technical foundation enables a dancer to focus on the stylistic and performance aspects of dance. Technique is essential for leaps and turns, where correct posture is essential to properly execute such moves. Also, jazz dancers’ strong and sharp movements are greatly aided by a good background in ballet technique. However, while ballet movement emphasizes the upbeat of music, Jazz Dance emphasizes the downbeat. |  |
| Irish Irish performance dancing is traditionally referred to as stepdance. Irish stepdance, popularized in 1994 by the world-famous show “Riverdance,” is notable for its rapid leg movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary. Irish stepdances fall into two broad categories based on the shoes worn: hard shoe and soft shoe dances. Soft shoe dances include the reel, slip jig, light jig, and single jig. Reels have a 4/4 (or sometimes 2/4 or 2/2) time signature. Slip jigs are in 9/8 time. Light and single jigs are in 6/8 time, with different emphasis within the measure distinguishing the music. Hard shoe dances include the hornpipe, in 2/4 time, the treble jig, in a slow 6/8, the treble reel, and traditional sets, which are a group of 36 dances with set music and steps. |  |
| Ballroom The term, Ballroom, applies to any one of the several dances in which two individuals, a “leader” and a “follower,” dance with physical contact through their upper or lower bodies, or simply their arms depending on the particular variety of dance. Since most social dancing is unchoreographed, this contact is necessary for the leader to communicate the next dance move to the follower, and for the follower to respond to this insinuation. Basic knowledge of known step patterns is essential for both the leader as well as the follower for ballroom dancing. Our class covers those basics as well as some more advanced skills for some of the most popular styles of ballroom dance including Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Cha-Cha and Rumba. |  |
| Pom Pom Pom Pom dance class utilizes the techniques and moves from cheerleading and precision dance teams. The choreography and style focuses on unison, precision, and sharpness. Many of the arm and hand positions directly translate from Cheerleading. The dances incorporate moves from hip-hop and jazz. The more advanced classes also feature high kick sections in the style made famous by the Kilgore Rangerettes, Rockets and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. These classes provide the students with great cardio, flexibility, and precision dance training. |  |
| Broadway Musicals This class emphasizes the theatrical side of dance performance. Dancers are taught to interpret the music not only through dance technique but also in the style and expressions. In this class, the dancers learn to interpret a variety of song styles from Broadway shows. |  |
| Clogging In the United States, clogging originates from the Appalachian region and the Ozarks and is associated with the predecessor to bluegrass — “old-time” music, which is based on Irish and Scots-Irish fiddle tunes. Clogging developed from aspects of English, Irish, German, and Cherokee step dances, as well as African rhythms and movement. It was from clogging that tap dance eventually evolved. Over the last 30 years, clogging has become increasingly popular through out the U.S. and is often performed to popular country music rather than just bluegrass. |  |