Acro Mel
Dance
Dance classes range from jazz, pop, contemporary, lyrical, modern, hip hop, and burlesque, to musical theatre, technique, dance acrobatics, pas de deux, learning to choreograph, and acting in performing. Classes range from one to three hours depending on number of students and ability level.
Available Classes
Jazz
Jazz classes are available with multiple flavours from grunge to sexy, and street to contemporary. Each class combines classic jazz movements such as pirouettes, leaps, jumps, hits, and flow.
​
Beginner: for students who are new to dance working on single pirouettes, turning leaps, and working on choreography.
Intermediate: for students who are working on double and triple pirouettes, fouettes, arched leaps, and have a comfortable grasp learning a one minute piece in an hour.
Advanced: for students who are advanced dancers, classes will play with fouettes al a seconde and pirouette variations into illusions and leaps. Advanced dancers should be comfortable with traditional technique and improvisation.
Pop
Ever watch music videos and love the dancing? Pop takes from Hollywood pop culture giving students a chance to dance like a superstar with the attitude of a popstar.
​
Beginner: for students new to dance, working on basic choreography and focusing on primary and "and" counts (e.g. 5 and 6 and 7 and 8).
Intermediate/advanced: for students who are familiar with learning complex and fast choreography, working on "e", "and", and "a" counts (e.g. 5, e, and, a 6).
Contemporary
Contemporary is a blend of jazz, ballet, and modern choreography that inspires emotion by playing with alignment and sometimes "breaking" traditional lines. Contemporary is great for students who love to stretch outside of technical lines and "feel" the music. Whether people love it or hate, contemporary aims to be remembered.
​
Beginner: for students who are new to dance working on single pirouettes, turning leaps, and working on choreography.
Intermediate: for students who are working on double and triple pirouettes, fouettes, arched leaps, and have a comfortable grasp learning a one minute piece in an hour.
Advanced: for students who are advanced dancers, classes will play with fouettes al a seconde and pirouette variations into illusions and leaps. Advanced dancers should be comfortable with traditional technique and improvisation.
Lyrical
Lyrical is a blend of jazz and ballet with emphasis on grace and inciting emotion based on the music. Lyrical is great for students who want to "feel" and fill every movement with emotional purpose.
​
Beginner: for students who are new to dance working on single pirouettes, turning leaps, and working on choreography.
Intermediate: for students who are working on double and triple pirouettes, fouettes, arched leaps, and have a comfortable grasp learning a one minute piece in an hour.
Advanced: for students who are advanced dancers, classes will play with fouettes al a seconde and pirouette variations into illusions and leaps. Advanced dancers should be comfortable with traditional technique and improvisation.
Modern
Modern is great for students who like to work outside the traditional technical bounds or have less experience with traditional dance technique. Classes focus on ways to move with purpose, hit, fluidity, and emotion while taking traditional movements and making them into original sequences. Great for the creative!
​
Beginner: for students who are new to dance and working on learning choreography.
Intermediate/advanced: for students who are familiar with learning choreography and complex movements and sequences.
Hip Hop
Hip hop takes from street dance and is great for those who love hip hop style! Classes focus on syncopated rhythms, body isolations, coordination, both "hits" and "smooth" movement, and choreography.
​
Beginner: for students who are new to dance and learning choreography.
Intermediate/advanced: for students who are familiar with learning complex and fast choreography and are able to perform basic isolation movements such as in the waist and hips.
Burlesque
Burlesque dance is a form of "sexy" dancing that takes from both technical and non-technical movements. Burlesque can include sensual movements, musical theatre style burlesque such as that seen in the movie Burlesque, as well as striptease choreography. This class is great for ladies' parties for every occasion as well as learning confidence while having a great time! All levels!
Musical Theatre
Musical theatre is fabulous for students who love big gregarious movements and have an attitude to match! Classes combine both dance, character, and acting for a fun and flavourful time! Classes can include classical Broadway musical theatre pieces, as well as themed pieces and Disney.
Specialty Workshops
Dance Acrobatics
Dance acrobatics is great for students who want to take their dancing to the next level or to blend gymnastics and dance for additional dynamic and "wow"ness.
​
Beginner: for students who are new to dance and/or gymnastics to learn the basics of dance acro such as rolls, dance cartwheels, and leaps.
Intermediate: for students who feel comfortable with single and double pirouettes, and who are ready for dynamic movements such as cartwheel variations, walkover variations, and aerials.
Advanced: for students who have a solid background in dance and/or gymnastics and are ready to learn chest stand variations, aerials, handspring variations, and handstand variations.
​
Prerequisites: intermediate and advanced students should have splits and a comfortable back bridge.
Intro to Partner Acrobatics in Dance
Are you a dancer interested in working with a partner? This workshop is perfect for you! This introduction will teach students the basics of working with a partner, from lifting holds for the base and flying positions for the flyer, to equal dance partner movements, students will combine acrobatic movement with dance fluidity!
​
Prerequisites: students should have at minimum 1-2 years of dance or gymnastics experience.
Group Dance Acrobatics & Lifts
This workshop is great for students or studios who want to broaden their repertoire on ways to work with groups! Students will learn multi-base fan rolls, the staircase run, crucifix lift, toss the girl, and more! This workshop is great for learning many out of the box tricks and sequences while having an awesome time!
​
Prerequisites: students should have at minimum 1-2 years of dance or gymnastics experience.
Pas de Deux
Pas de deux is the traditional male/female ballet partner dance. This workshop will focus on classic pas de deux sequences such as swan, develope hold, assisted pirouettes, laybacks, assisted leaps, and more!
​
Prerequisites: students should have at minimum 1-2 years of dance or gymnastics experience.
Traditional Dance Lifts
Dance lifts focus on traditional male/female dance lifts as seen in Dirty Dancing and So You Think You Think You Can Dance, such as high bird, swan, helicopter, back bird, and lifts that can be choreographed as transitions within jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and pop pieces.
​
Beginner: dance lifts include entrances and exits into basic partner lifts, such as swan, toss ups, and hip hold swing
Intermediate: working with more dynamic movements that require additional strength such as high bird, jump to shoulder sit, and toss up to twist down
Advanced: movement is more dynamic in nature, such as helicopter, split jump, and layback exits
Non-Traditional Dance Lifts
Non-traditional dance lifts are great for male/male and female/female pieces as well as male/female pieces that want to veer away from traditional male base/female flyer. This is also great for male/female partnerships where both dancers are of similar size. Lifts include double cartwheels, backbends, jumps, leaps, as well as jumps and leaps that don't require touch but are choreographed together in unison (e.g., one dancer jumps while the second rolls underneath).
Learning to Choreograph
Have you been interested in learning to choreograph yourself? This workshop is a great introduction for students on their own or working with a studio! In this workshop, we start with styles and music that are familiar to the class and work from the lyrics to find emotion, movement that shows this emotion, and then transitions that connect these movements to tell a story. Choreographing can be tricky when you first start and there are so many methods that can help make choreographing fun, exciting, and creativity-inspiring. For all levels!
​
Note: in Mel's undergraduate psychology degree, Mel spent a full year studying psychology in dance, including how to elicit certain emotions or feelings from the audience, such as fear, happiness, anger, creepiness, sensuality, and so much more based on small body changes, music, and movement relative to music, in addition to learning how to make movements look smaller and bigger based on starting and ending positions.
Acting in Performing
As most dancers know, dance is not just about doing the choreography. Dance is about putting emotion, feeling, attitude, and strength behind each move, transition, sequence, and look. Learning to mirror the body's expression with movement can be challenging. This workshop focuses on ways to help your audience feel what you want them to feel, based on subtle changes such as a tilting of the chin, a sideways look, a forward lean, a shoulder slouch, and more. Learn how to take your performing to the next level! For all levels!
​
Note: in Mel's undergraduate psychology degree, Mel spent a full year class studying psychology in dance, including how to elicit certain emotions or feelings from the audience, such as fear, happiness, anger, creepiness, sensuality, and so much more based on small body changes, music, and movement relative to music, in addition to learning how to make movements look smaller and bigger based on starting and ending positions.
Technique & Conditioning
The class is great for students who want to focus on dance technique and exercises such as tendus, battements, pique turns, chaine turns, pirouettes, split leaps, jumps, and more! Class will focus on bar work, center work, and across the floor. Suitable for all levels.
