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Dance - South Hills

Dance With Us!

The JCC offers classes that explore a variety of dance styles. Classes for school-age children and teens are organized by all levels. Students advance based on their ability to perform given steps. Adult dance classes are appropriate for first-time as well as previous dancers unless a level is specified.

Facilities
Fully equipped dance studio

Staff
Kathy Wayne, Dance Director, is a graduate of Point Park College with a B.A. in dance. Her professional credits include Tokyo Disneyland, Caesar’s Atlantic City and many productions with the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Dance Styles
PRESCHOOL CLASSES

Toddlers Creative Movement: ages 2½-3
A series of music and creative movement classes that celebrate your child’s natural ability to move in an expressive way. These weekly 30-minute classes are designed to engage children through group and individual participation, which is vital for early childhood development.

Creative Movement: ages 3-4
Dancers will learn all about music, movement, coordination, spatial relations, and the basics of ballet.
Classroom focus will be on appropriate etiquette, respect for others, and self-confidence. The class will follow basic principals of Creative movement: understanding space, time, body, and movement concepts.
Dancers will utilize various props and pretend to be different kinds of animals, fairytale characters, and objects in nature.

Pre Ballet: ages 4-5
This class is for dancers who are ready for a more structured class than creative movement. Dancers will perform various stretches and strengthening exercises that will help to increase their flexibility and understanding of how their muscles coordinate to help them dance. They will learn the beginning basics of positions of the arms and feet, as well as learning basic ballet steps. Dancers will also be taught to travel from one corner of the room to the other by way of basic turns, leaps, and jumps.

Pre Ballet/tap: ages 4-5
This class has the same pre ballet component with an additional 15 minutes of beginning tap. Tap skills are taught with an emphasis on coordination and musicality.

School Age

Ballet (Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced).
Dancers will start the class at the ballet barre to work on classical technique, executing combinations at different musical tempos and counts. They will be taught about maintaining correct posture, and building strength, and how to put several steps together while holding correct body placement.
Dancers will stretch then come to the center for floor work and across the floor combinations.
They will learn the names of the steps as well as what they mean in French.
The difference between Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced classes is based on age and the level of detail offered by the instructor, The higher the level the more serious and structured the class is.

Tap
Tap is the ultimate in rhythm training. Rhythm, musicality, and sound clarity skills are introduced; each level builds on the previous one. Dancers learn a vocabulary of tap steps that will be used to develop fun and interesting choreography.

Jazz
Jazz dance incorporates modern dance, dance styles from Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies, and street, folk, and popular dance. Students must be at least 7 years old.

Hip Hop
Hip Hop dance is a fusion dance genre that incorporates elements of popping, locking, breaking, jazz, ballet, tap dancing and other styles and is performed to hip hop music.

Dress Code

Hair: Long hair must be pulled back in a neat bun for ballet class. Headbands or clips or ponytail can be used. If your child is coming from our early childhood or after school program, please make sure to send the proper hair accessories including bobby pins for making buns.

Shoes: All shoes must be labeled with your child’s name inside.
• Ballet slippers required for ballet class
• Black tap shoes required for tap class
• Black jazz shoes required for jazz class

Clothing: Dancers are expected to have appropriate dance attire for all classes. If your child is coming from our early childhood or after school program, please make sure to send their dance clothing to school with them.

Ballet/Tap/Jazz:

Ages 3-5
• Pink or black leotard and pink tights
or
• Black jazz pants and white shirt

Ages 5 and up:
• Pink tights any style leotard in the following colors
or
• Black jazz pants and white shirt

Contact Us

Kathy Wayne

Dance Director
412-339-5414


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