Class Descriptions

Street Dance

We offer beginners, intermediate and advanced classes in Street Dance. The majority of newcomers will need to start in the beginner class even if it is just for us to assess their level although we may accept some dancers to the other classes through an audition. 

Many people don’t realise the complexity and variation involved in Street Dance but at Sylk Dance Academy we do! Our classes involve a wide variety of styles which gives children the knowledge they need to compete and progress professionally. Here is a breakdown of the 6 main styles we focus on: 

House: 

This style is fast paced with a loose body and fast, tricky footwork. The style lends itself to ‘dance offs’ or ‘battles’ as much of the time it is performed freestyle. Although it can be tricky to pick up initially, house tends to be most of our students favourite style once they master the basics!

Hip Hop:

Traditional Hip Hop was developed on the streets by ‘non-professional’ dancers. The style is very performance based and has gone from being incredibly informal to being performed at huge venues in competitions, in music videos and in advertising. Performed to Hip Hop music the style can vary widely between different choreographers but mainly consists of different grooves and must be performed with 100% attitude. Many other styles have derived from ‘Hip Hop’ such as Breakdance (Breakin’) which means that some of these styles will also be called ‘Hip Hop.’

‘Old Skool’ Hip Hop is performed to the old skool tracks from the late 80’s and early 90’s. The style is fun and sociable and includes some classic party moves such as the running man. 

LITEFEET:

This dance style as BLOWN UP massively over the last decade and is now on of the most commonly used styles at competitions and battles. Derived from Hip Hop, the style is incredibly energetic, including lots of crowd-pleasing moves, footwork and even incorporating props such as hat and shoe tricks! this is a great style to learn for those who are great performers and love to freestyle.

Locking: 

Locking is a style of Funk dance and is performed to music of this genre. The movements are very over exaggerated and strong. The lock itself means to hold a fast movement in a frozen position. This form of dance is upbeat and fun but also physically demanding. 

Breaking/Breakdance:

This style of dance was famed in the late 70’s/early 80’s and is now growing in popularity again. Traditionally danced in ‘battles’ or freestyle the dance style involves very demanding power moves and advanced footwork. It takes dedication and practice to become a B-Boy or B-Girl!

Commercial Street Dance:

Commercial Street takes inspiration from Hip Hop and other Street Styles but is less aggressive and more feminine. This style is commonly seen in music videos and requires more flexibility and includes other aspects such as spins and kicks.

 CONTEMPORARY:

Contemporary can be somewhat unbound by much rigidity and rules. The dancers of this genre have the ability to transform a performance based on their own interpretations. This is achieved through honing in on certain techniques, such as ballet, fall and recovery, floor work and further improvisational elements. We introduced contemporary to our studio as it is often a requirement when furthering your dance career and gives our dancers the technique they will need to progress professionally in dance. It is also a beautiful storytelling style of dance where participants can be expressive and learn further about performance.

Cheerleading:

Our Cheerleading programme includes gymnastics, jumps, stunts and pom dance.  Participants learn gymnastics skills from cartwheels to handsprings and all levels are welcome.  Our team trains hard to progress to different stunts and pyramids but we also have lots of fun doing group challenges and silly games. Children are praised and rewarded each week for their hard work in class and there is a great emphasis on generating a relaxed, friendly environment. We look forward to performing what we have achieved in class regularly at local events. 

We offer both recreational and competitive classes and we ensure our competition teams are accessible to every member by keeping prices and expectations at a reasonable level.

GYMNASTICS:

Our gymnasts work towards their Proficiency Awards Badges learning the fundamentals of gymnastics. Our program is non competitive and therefore we are able to offer more time to every student individually and support students equally whether they are a complete beginner or if they are at intermediate/advanced level. We celebrate our gymnasts each year with a showcase of their talent.

We pride ourselves on upholding a fun and positive environment for the children to learn in and ensure that all participants are kept active and involved during our sessions. Children cover a wide range of skills from tumbling and acrobatics to more equipment based aspects such as beam and vault.