So you’re ready to look into dance for your new dancer (or ready to start dance yourself) but not sure where to start! At Thrive Dance SK, we offer a variety of classes that fit a wide range of individuals personalities and preferences!
Let’s explore what makes each style of dance unique and may be best suited for your specific dancer!
*Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all styles of dance, and is based on characteristics we often see at Thrive! Your dancer may love something completely different and we would love to help you find their passion! We encourage all dancers to take a deep dive into the origin stories of their favourite styles of dance to learn more!
Acro
Acro is a style that combines classic dance techniques with acrobatic movements. Acro typically combines gymnastic-like elements with a dance style such as ballet, jazz, lyrical or contemporary.
Great for dancers who…
Love to flip, turn and move!
Have lots of energy
Like to be a bit risky (in a safe, controlled environment)
Requisites:
Jazz or Ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a style of dance that is very elegant and graceful. It follows specific form and technique to create lines and a story.
Great for dancers who…
Thrive knowing the specific rules and standards
Always try to be graceful and beautiful
Like to know when things are done properly
Break Dance (and Mini Crew)
Break dance is a dance style that includes stylized footwork and athletic moves to create a high energy dance including stalls, spins and flips.
Great for dancers who…
Love to flip, turn and move!
Like to be a bit risky (in a safe, controlled environment)
Are high energy and love to groove
Broadway/Musical Theatre
Broadway/musical theatre is a performance based class that combines acting, lip-syncing and dance to tell a story on stage. This is typically done to familiar songs featured on Broadway or in movies!
Great for dancers who…
Want to explore the art of acting while dancing
Are expressive and love to be dramatic
Love to be the “star” of the show
Contemporary
Contemporary is a style of dance that is expressive, combining elements of modern, jazz, ballet and lyrical with fluid dance movements to connect the mind and body.
Great for dancers who…
Have a wide variety of interests in dance genres
Love to explore limits and boundaries when dancing
Love expressing themselves in unique ways
Requisites:
Ballet or Jazz
Hip Hop & Choreography
Hip Hop & Choreography is a style of street dance that combining elements of a variety of styles of dance including African dance, tap, and ballet. Hip Hop & Choreography combines dance moves with isolations, rocks, bounces and more to create high energy dances.
Great for dancers who…
Love to get groovy
Love to be “unstructured” and move to their own beat
Are bouncy, upbeat and high energy
Jazz
Jazz is a style of performative dance that blends technique with jumps and turns to create a lively dance full of character and excitement.
Great for dancers who…
Are high energy
Love to move and groove to upbeat music
Love to perform and be centre stage
Lyrical
Lyrical is a style of dance that combines aspects of ballet, jazz and modern dance, intertwining technique with freedom, musicality and emotion to portray a story.
Great for dancers who…
Are highly in tune with their emotions
Love to create and tell stories
Love exploring boundaries while maintaining limits
Pointe
Pointe is a part of ballet involving technique containing pointe work (supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet when wearing pointe shoes).
Great for dancers who…
Love ballet
Are looking for an additional challenge
Requisites:
Ballet
Pom
Pom is a style of dance using poms in dancers’ hands combined with an energetic and dynamic style of dance focussing on arm movements, formations, jumps, and technique.
Great for dancers who…
Are high energy
Love watching dancers or cheerleaders at sporting events
Love to jump, move and turn
Requisites:
Jazz
Tap
Tap is a style of dance using shoes with metal taps to make rhythmic tapping sounds with the toes and heels.
Great for dancers who…
Cannot stop moving and tapping their feet
Love to drum and find rhythms and beats
Love to break down music
Choosing the right style of dance for your dancer can be intimidating and feel overwhelming - that’s why we are here to help! We would love to sit down with you and your dancer and come up with a plan to find the best style of dance for them - just hop on over to our contact page and send us a message with some information about your dancer and we would be happy to help!