Tidewater Studios Dance School
Tidewater Studios is proud to offer an Award Winning Dance School that offers programs and classes to provide students with an in-depth understanding of technical dance discipline
Voted "Best Dance School"in Portsmouth, Western Branch,
and North Suffolk
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Dance Open House, December 12-16, 2011
Bring your friends and family and show off everything you have learned this semester! Please don't forget to bring a Pollyanna gift to each class you are in. There will be punch and cookies for the dancers after.
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We offer studies in the following dance disciplines...
(*Classes Schedules are not available on the website per our privacy policy)
Ballet- A form of theatrical dance that has evolved over the past 300 years from its origins in France. It is highly academic in its training and technically demanding in performance. It differs from other forms of dance in its fundamental requirement for turnout, in which the legs rotate 90 degrees in the hip socket to allow greater freedom of movement, thus giving ballet its distinctive line.
- Pointe- Dancing "en pointe" is the action of rising to 'tips of the toes' while performing steps from ballet technique. Also known as pointe work, it is mostly performed using hard toed pointe shoes but can be performed using soft toed ballet shoes. Pointe work has now become a fundamental ballet technique for female ballet dancers (ballerinas).
- Jazz- Jazz dance is a form of dance commonly used in broadway shows and movies. Jazz is a less serious looking, looser kind of dance compared to ballet. Both Jazz dance and modern dance technics are based on the basics of the old ballet tradition, even though both forms where considered to rebellions against it. To excel in jazz dance, the dancer must master both modern dance and ballet technics. *Ballet is REQUIRED for participation in a Jazz Study
- Liturgical/Lyrical - a dancestyle that combines elements of ballet, modern, and Jazz dancetechniques. It is commonly set to popular music with vocals or just instrumental bars. The name lyricalcomes from the word "lyrics" because dancers use the lyrics of a song or instrumental music to inspire them to do their choreography.*Ballet is REQUIRED for participation in a Liturgical/Lyrical Study
- Modern- is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dances has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance. In the early 1900s a few dancers in the United States and Europe started to rebel against the rigid constraints of Classical Ballet. Shedding classical ballet technique, costume and shoes these early modern dance pioneers practiced free dance.
- Tap - born in the United States during the 19th century, and today is popular all around the world. The name comes from the tapping sound made when the small metal plates on the dancer's shoes touch a hard floor. This lively, rhythmic tapping makes the performer not just a dancer, but also a percussive musician.
- Hip Hop - Hip-hop dance originated in New York among young Hispanic and African-American men during the late 1960s as part of the hip-hop culture of rap, scratch music, and graffiti art. The dance is always changing but essentially embraces the two styles of break dance and body popping.
- Tippy Toe Toddlers-This fun and dynamic class is specifically designed for ages 2-6 year olds! (Classes are split between the ages respectively)This class combines Music, Story Telling, Creative Movement, Acrobatics, and Dance. Students will learn basic rhythms and counting while incorporating different dance styles. All the while learning about classical ballet in a fun, age appropriate program. These classes are small and rage between 4 and 6 students so each child receives the nurturing instruction and one on one care they deserve! *Tap is added at age 5.
- Ballet/Tap/Acro Combo Class - This combination class is for ages 7 and 8. This class is for students who desire to furthur their dance education in the disciplines of Ballet, Tap, and Acrobatics after graduating our Tippy Toe Toddlers Program.
Extra Classes
- Jumps/Turns/Stretch - A technique class involving exercises based around Jumping tricks, turns, and intense stretching. These Classes take place every other week for 45 mins to an hour. Any dancer may participate in these classes.
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*All classes will have 1 main instructor with a possible assisstant for the younger aged students. Classes take place one to two times a week depending on skill level and include instruction in the style, history, choreography, and team-building exercises.
Each year the Tidewater Studios Dance program is invited to perform and provide demonstrations at local events, festivals, community centers, and other activities. Depending on the nature and skill level required for these events, not all students will be able to participate in each activity. However all students will have the opportunity to participate in events throughout the year. Each spring the TSA Dance School presents a themed Dance Exposition held at a local recital hall. The Exposition features choreographed numbers from all of the dance classes within the school. It also features a small selection of students from our Art and Music School as entertainment throughout the Expo.
*Please check our monthly newsletters for upcoming performance opportunities throughout the year.
Fund-raising is a key aspect in all of our programs. Throughout the year, fund-raising opportunities will be presented to the students in attempts to raise funds to cover the expenses of performances, costumes, and for other materials in the dance school. ALL STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE! If you do not wish to participate in the fund-raising, you will have the option to "buy out". The number of students attending the Dance School directly affects how much each student will have to raise. This number can fluctuate each year.
