Historically, Jazz dance developed in North America from African slaves, Spanish invaders, and European sailors.  This "melting pot" of styles gave base to what then went on to give birth to the radical change in the 1950's of "modern jazz".  From there, jazz dance has tended to be directly related to cultural fads so, in this way, jazz dance has a constantly changing style.

   With "modern jazz" (what dance schools teach today), there is a strong base in ballet.  Jazz can reflect and inspire a wide diversity of moods; from the classic Broadway style, to the funk of hip hop, to the flowing and expressive lyrical. Here at the Academy, we strive to introduce as many of these “faces” as possible as students progress and become more proficient.

   All of our classes are built on each other--so you must be proficient in the previous level in order to succeed in the next.  All levels break down the class into:  warmup in center, barre work, stretching, across the floor work (travelling steps) and combinations (choreography).

Dance basics and technique are vital to building a strong and healthy dancer--which we work on every class.

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      LYRICAL JAZZ:  (ages 11 +, and good background in both ballet and jazz)  Lyrical jazz is an expressive type of jazz and ballet mixed together.  The basic idea is to express the lyrics of a song, or the mood of the music through dance.  Usually done to slower pieces that convey a strong message or feeling.  Strength and flexibility are emphasized.