class descriptions

Programming for Youth


Creative Dance

Tots & Folks (18 mos - 3yrs)

This Early Childhood Program encourages, engages, and nurtures creativity through movement. It is designed specifically for tots and the loving folks who accompany them. Highly interactive, these classes explore movement in a multi-sensory and playful atmosphere where everyone interacts and bonds with one another. Come experience the joy of movement through the exploration of sound, props, music, and storytelling.

Creative Dance (3-4 yrs, 5-6 yrs)

Developed especially for the younger child, this program is designed to nurture, develop, and encourage inner creativity and individual expression in a spontaneous and joyful atmosphere. These classes promote positive social interaction with peers, freedom of movement, coordination, and natural movement vocabulary. They teach, guide, and encourage creative thinking, creative movement, and creative expression though a series of playful exercises, inspirational activities, and fun games.
Activities include: Adventures in Music Listening (Bowmar System), Soundscapes, Trust Games, Body and Spatial Awareness, Improvisations, Locomotion, Mime, and Working with Text (Children's Literature).



Ballet

VSC Dance's ballet program creates dancers with a strong, clean, classical ballet technique focused on artistry, musicality, and purity of line. We develop dancers who have solid technical and artistic sensibility, who are versatile, self-disciplined, and self-confident. Our faculty addresses the needs of individual students based on sound anatomical principles and current professional standards. From the more recreational student to the pre-professional student, VSC Dance follows the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and is pleased to offer exams (grades and vocational).

Youth and Teens

VSC Dance’s junior ballet program gives careful attention to the individual needs and development of the younger dancer. We encourage creative thinking, artistic expression, self-discipline, and musicality while fostering a solid foundation and technique born from the natural joy of movement found in every child.

Pre-professional

These classes are designed for the serious student, age 12 and up, and are a continuation from the junior ballet program. Students are challenged to gain a deeper and more thoughtful understanding of the art form of ballet, both artistically and technically. Careful attention is given to develop dancers who are self-directed, versatile, open-minded, physically confident, and who have a solid understanding of functional anatomy and creative expression. Exams are also offered at this level.

Pointe

Students work on strengthening exercises to develop the muscles of the feet required to support the dancer while on Pointe. Exercises will include floor, barre, and centre work. More advanced students will also learn classical variations and repertoire including some partnering work.


Modern/Contemporary

A rich, diverse, and unique movement form that supports individual expression while developing a solid technical base. Classes focus on alignment, kinetic awareness and placement of the body, encouraging freedom of movement, coordination, and inner creativity. Skills of improvisation, partnering work, and creative process are developed in these classes.

Modern/Contemporary (youth and teens)

This program encourages individual expression and creativity. While developing solid modern technique, these classes promote coordination, freedom in movement, confidence, and overall body awareness. Improvisation, creative process and an introduction to partnering are explored in this program. These liberating classes will let your joyful dancer shine!

Modern/Contemporary (pre-professional)

Dancers will develop a solid technical base to support individual expression. Classes focus on healthy body imagery and alignment while encouraging freedom of movement, authenticity, and qualitative movement choices. All classes include release work, core conditioning and technique. Movement combinations, improvisation, partnering work and creative process skills are honed in these classes.


Jazz/Hip Hop Fusion

Influenced by the jazz techniques of Luigi and Horton and infused with today’s modern street dance, Jazz/Hip Hop Fusion explores movement, rhythm and self-expression, encouraging a variety of styles while developing a solid technical base. Everything from quick, sharp, isolated movements of traditional jazz to the more graceful and balletic styles of lyrical jazz are incorporated into these highly energetic classes.

Hip Hop Intensives

Shay Kuebler, Contemporary Hip Hop: A class that fuses contemporary dance, hip hop and martial arts to create visceral forms and precise structures, blending each form to strengthen the other. The class will incorporate floor work and ground movement, intricate choreography and raw physicality to create an enriched vocabulary. The class aims to push boundaries; create a more diverse background in dance; increase strength, versatility, dexterity, musicality and expression.

Jazz Intensives

Sasha Kozak: ... Information will be posted shortly.


Conditioning / PYC Training

Want to take it to the next level? Whether you are a seasoned dancer or just looking for an effective way to condition your entire body, PYC is for you. Pilates/Yoga/Conditioning combines a series of different fitness- and dance-based techniques and fuses them together (yoga, pilates, core work, strength and endurance training). This is a guaranteed effective way to lengthen muscles and increase overall flexibility and range of motion in the joints. Strengthen your entire body and improve your overall endurance! Come give it a try. All levels welcome.


Performance Companies

VSC Dance houses three Student Repertory Companies. Acceptance into the companies is by invitation or audition. All companies work with a variety of renowned guest choreographers and VSC Dance faculty throughout the year. Guest choreographers for this year include Shay Kuebler, Ron Stewart, Sasha Kozak, and Clinton Draper. Resident choreographers are Jung-Ah Chung, along with Kelly Tyerman and Constance Cooke.

While the focus of these companies is on repertoire and performance opportunities, all members will also participate in dance for camera intensives, dance history seminars, performance laboratories, dance funding and grant writing seminars, and more.

Company members will also be encouraged to create their own work for the student choreographic performance in January. The Companies have their own show every year at the lovely Metro Theatre.



Adult classes

Adult Modern/Contemporary

These classes focus on wholesome body imagery, good alignment and artistic expression. They encourage freedom of movement, and overall body awareness. All classes include a general warm-up, release work, core conditioning, technique, movement combinations and choreography. A great way to stay in shape and express yourself at the same time. Classes for beginners to advanced dancers. Come prepared to sweat, laugh, and experience the joy and delight of being in your body!

Adult Ballet

This class is designed specifically for adults wishing to experience the joy, benefits, and discipline of ballet. All classes include barre work, centre practice and variations. These classes foster and celebrate body awareness, movement, and the creative expression and experience of the individual. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the music and enter another world. The classes are non-competitive, friendly and a great way to maintain a healthy, happy body.

Conditioning/PYC Training

Want to take it to the next level? Whether you are a seasoned dancer or just looking for an effective way to condition your entire body, PYC is for you. Pilates/Yoga/Conditioning combines a series of different fitness- and dance-based techniques and fuses them together (yoga, pilates, core work, strength and endurance training). This is a guaranteed effective way to lengthen muscles and increase overall flexibility and range of motion in the joints. Strengthen your entire body and improve your overall endurance! Come give it a try. All levels welcome.


Performance Companies

VSC Dance houses three Student Repertory Companies. Acceptance into the companies is by invitation or audition. All companies work with a variety of renowned guest choreographers and VSC Dance faculty throughout the year. Guest choreographers this year include Shay Kuebler, Ron Stewart, Sasha Kozak, and Clinton Draper. Resident choreographers are Jung-Ah Chung along with Kelly Tyerman and Constance Cooke.

While the focus of these companies is on repertoire and performance opportunities, all members will also participate in dance-for-camera intensives, dance history seminars, performance laboratories, dance funding and grant writing seminars, and more.

Company members will also be encouraged to create their own work for the student choreographic performance in January. The Companies have their own show every year at the lovely Metro Theatre.


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©2010 Victoria School of Contemporary Dance
Centennial United Church
649 Gorge Road East, Victoria, BC
info@vscdance.com