DANCE

It’s All About Passion!

Bring out the grooviest dancer inside of you through the different dance courses offered here in Saad Studio! Whether you want to do it as a hobby or as a way to sharpen your skills these courses will surely come in handy.

A good dancer must possess great body coordination, a well-controlled balance and a strong sense of rhythm. If you think you’ve got all of these under your belt then good for you! You can still join our course to perfect your skill. But if you’re lacking in one of the things that we’ve mentioned, then this is the perfect place to better yourself.

Ballet

Have you always wanted to learn ballet as a kid but didn’t get the chance? Luckily for you, we are offering a ballet class for adults! There’s no shame in starting late, always remember that it’s never too late to learn something new. Learn how to move your body gracefully through this course! 

Ballet is one of the most beautiful and expressive forms of dance. All of the movements and steps that are used in this dance are used to convey emotions or interpret a story. 

There are two types of ballet, these are:

Story ballets

This type of ballet follows a set of characters and a narrative. This means that it has the elements of a play or a movie such as a plot, setting, theme, etc. Some of the most famous stories that have been adapted to ballet dance are:

• The Nutcracker
• The Sleeping Beauty
• The Great Gatsby
• The Three Musketeers

Plotless ballets

The complete opposite of story ballets, plotless ballets does not follow a narrative nor an ensemble of characters. Instead, it interprets the song as a whole by expressing emotions or creating imagery.

Both of these types provide a different experience respectively. Aside from the different types, there are also several styles of this dance that each provide a different feel. These include: 

Classical ballet

When you ask people what ballet is, they would immediately imagine classical ballet. That is because this is the most popular and as the name suggests, the classic form of this dance. 

It’s easy to classify classical ballet because of the outfit used in the performance which is the ‘tutu’. But aside from that, here are some of the characteristics of this type:

• Pointe work
• Symmetry
• Intricate setting and costume
• Flowy movements
• Graceful motion

Neo-classical ballet

Introduced in the 20th century, the neo-classical ballet was popularized and perfectly exemplified by American ballet choreographer, George Balanchine. This type of ballet sets itself apart from the classical style by incorporating increased energy and speed in its movements.

Also, instead of being balanced and symmetrical, this style gives an off-balance feel that is usually non-narrative. Another huge difference is its use of sleek and more stripped-down outfits because it wants the viewers to put their focus on the movements themselves rather than the costumes. 

Contemporary ballet

Contemporary ballet is the most recent version of ballet dancing. This style builds upon the foundation of classical ballet and mixes in elements of modern dances. One of the most obvious changes it made to the classical style is its wider range of movements. 

This style of ballet was popularized by names such as William Forsythe, Twyla Sharp, Paul Taylor and Dwight Rhoden. In contemporary ballet, you would see things like:

• Pointe shoes
• Floor work
• Larger range of body line

Hip hop

Hip hop dancing is one of the most influential types of dance. It is accompanied by hip hop music and its steps include some of the freshest, exciting and unique movements that you’ll see in dance.  

This dance was introduced way back in the 1970s and it has evolved in many ways since then. As of now, there are countless styles that hip hop dancing gave birth to, but here are some of the most iconic ones to date:

Popping and locking

Back then you could only choose one, you can either pop or lock. But nowadays these two styles are used together because of how perfect they go hand in hand. Locking has become iconic because of its quick and sharp movements and over the top gesture. On the other hand, popping uses more of a bouncy style of movements to properly convey the steps.

Locking was invented by the late Don Campbell back in the 70s which eventually led Boogaloo Sam to come up with popping after seeing dancers locking on television.

Funk

Funk came into fruition after combining the styles of disco and soul. This style highly incorporates popping and locking but this is much more choreographed than those two styles.

Its use of fluid and sharp movements made this style of dance an instant classic back when it was introduced in the 1960s which of course was accompanied by the music of James Brown.

Stepping

This hip hop style of dance is performed in groups and usually done in battles. What makes this style unique is that it uses various parts of the body as a percussive instrument in order to create different beats. 

The most common things that are incorporated with this dance are stomping, clapping and some form of spoken words.

Lyrical

Most people commonly think that lyrical dance is not a form of hip hop. What makes this style different from others is that instead of being danced to the beat, it is danced to the lyrics of the song. 

This style is commonly associated with interpretative dance as it has a more fluid movement than the usual style of hip hop that people are accustomed to. 

Breakdance

Also known as ‘b-boying’, breakdance has been a huge part of making the world of hip hop more interesting. This style of dancing mixes in different acrobatic flips, stunts and spins into its routines. 

After performing all these crazy moves and stunts, breakdancers will then finish their routine with something called the ‘Freeze’. 

Salsa

Salsa is a famous Latin dance that was popularized back in the 1960s. It is a fusion of several styles that have come before it such as the mambo, swing, cha-cha etc. This style of dance is also performed in pairs but partners can also break apart during dance solos called the ‘shines’.

If you want to enter the world of dancing but you have no experience in doing it whatsoever, this is the perfect dance for you to start with. You can easily adapt to the simple yet lively steps that salsa has to offer. Plus you’ll get to meet a lot of people because it’s performed with partners. 

One of the things that makes salsa exciting is its quick turns and lifts. These lifts are perfectly built up by the rapid movements of the hips, feet and arms. You’ll also notice that the dancers often go in circles as they dance to keep the routine fresh.

Over the years there have been many different styles of salsa with each one originating in different places around the world. This includes:

Columbian Style Salsa

This Columbian based style is different from your regular salsa because of its use of Cumbia music. It is still relatively similar to salsa but it differs in the pauses between the first and last three beats. 

You wouldn’t see any twist and turns with Columbian Style Salsa as it is much more laid back and more intimate where the partners are closely holding each other. 

Cuban Style Salsa 

Cuban style salsa adds a few moves such as isolated body and hip movements to the usual routine of salsa. Just like the Columbian style, this doesn’t contain many fast spins. Also, instead of using linear movements, this dance uses circular motions where the partners circle each other.

The footwork of this style is fairly simple however the arm movements are much more complicated as it requires more flexibility and showmanship. 

New York Style 

Also known as the Mambo salsa, this style was introduced in New York way back in the 1960s by a man called Eddie Torres which is why in some places this is also referred to as the ‘Eddie Torres Style’. 

New York Style is distinguished as being smooth and highly technical because of its flowy and graceful. Those who are fans of doing spins in the middle of the routine will love this style as this incorporates many spins throughout the routine. 

Ballroom

Just like salsa, ballroom dancing is done with partners. What makes this style of dance special is its sense of entertainment which is why there are competitions and tv shows around the world dedicated to ballroom dances alone. 

Ballroom dancing originated in England around the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was originally a dance for the privileged during balls and parties which leaves the folk dance for middle-class people. 

It is a formal social dance for partners that uses rhythmic and expressive moves and step patterns. Ballroom dancing also has two styles which are:

Smooth/Standard style

With the smooth/standard style, pairs move gracefully and continuously on the dancefloor. Moreover, it strictly follows a step pattern.

Rhythm/Latin style

The rhythm/Latin style contains more showmanship and enthusiasm. Unlike its counterpart, this style has the couple stay in one place only while dancing to the rhythm of the music.