dance classes in long beach, ca
dance class DESCRIPTION
Class Descriptions
Kick It Up offers dance classes for boys and girls of all ages. Our wide variety of styles allows all students the opportunity for a well-rounded performing arts education.
Below you will find descriptions of each class and their levels to help you choose the right ones for you!
Please contact the studio if you have any questions, and if you're ready to dance you can register here.
Ballet
Students will learn the fundamentals of classical ballet, including poise, technique, flexibility and vocabulary. An emphasis will be placed on coordinating upper and lower body movement together and exploring the creative aspects of ballet, as well as its history.
Level 1: Designed to give students introductory classical ballet technique and teach basic ballet terminology.
Level 2: Proficiency in turn out/posture/pointed feet at the barre, flexibility, and basic terminology knowledge.
Level 3: An intermediate level of maintaining turn out in center/barre, proper hip placement in grand battements en croix, and double pirouette is required. Class is designed to develop the strength and expertise required to become eligible for pointe further down the road.
Level 4: (Must receive teacher approval prior to registration.) Advanced execution of barre, adagio, and allegro exercises. Fluidity in movement and exceptional performance quality required. Considerable amount of dance knowledge and strength required.
Ballet/Tap Combo
Students will begin to learn simple ballet and tap steps and explore the storytelling capabilities of movement! In class, an emphasis will be placed on learning the names of common steps, developing memorization skills, refining motor skills (upper body and lower body movement simultaneously), and exploring dancing in a group.
Level 1: A 45-minute beginner level class that introduces students to ballet and tap, including stretches, demi pliés, shuffles and articulation through different parts of the feet (heel toe walks/toe heel walks).
Level 2: A 60-minute beginner level class that builds upon the Level 1 and includes skills such as an Arabesque, Echappes, Flaps and Ball Change.
Contemporary
Often described as a combination of jazz and ballet movements, contemporary dance allows dancers to explore emotional themes through a combination of soft and hard hitting movements. Dancers will learn how to use proper technique when getting to and from the floor, explore spinal flexibility through contraction, learn interpretive movement with ties to modern techniques, and master dynamic leaps and level changes.
Level 1: With so much of contemporary dance being derived from ballet techniques, much of the terminology learned in Level 1 will be similar to that of a ballet class, however its application in Contemporary Level 1 will be through across the floors and improvisation in a less formal format.
Level 2: Dancers considering enrolling in these classes should already understand and be able to demonstrate proficient technique in basic turns, jumps and kicks. Skills taught include double pirouettes, improvistion, turning jumps and the use of plié in transition steps.
Level 3: In these intermediate classes, dancers will further develop technical skills, but will now be challenged to tilt movements on their side, diagonally, or turn them. Intermediate technique is used as a starting point for movement experimentation and physically embedding choreography with emotional charge.
Level 4: Dancers entering this Level should have elevated performance quality, and ability to assimilate new and unfamiliar choreography intelligently. They should have advanced skill in dynamic dancing and apparent emotional connections to their performance pieces. Expertise in jumps of all kinds, a la seconds, triple pirouettes, as well as other technical movements are required.
Dance Acro
Short for Dance Acrobatics, a combination of jazz/lyrical/contemporary/ballet fundamental movements with floor gymnastics skills to create intricate movements showcasing strength, flexibility and art in dance movement.
Level 1: Prerequisite of 1 year of ballet, jazz or gymnastics. Skills taught will include right and left splits, tuck jumps, and cartwheels.
Level 2: Prerequisite of Dance Acro Level 1 or its equivalent, and all skills in Level 1. Skills taught will include front and back walkovers, caterpillar rolls, elbow cartwheels, and head stands.
Level 3: Prerequisite of Dance Acro Level 2 or its equivalent and all skills in Level 2. Skills taught will include walkover variations, chin stands, ariels and barrel rolls.
Level 4: Prerequisite of Dance Acro Level 3 or its equivalent and all skills in Level 3. Increased skills and building off of Level 3.
Hip Hop
These classes are perfect for students who have high energy and want to try something less formal than ballet. Students will learn how to drop their weight and find various textures of movement to upbeat and funky music. They will also work on transitioning to and from the floor with ease, and further develop their strength and power as a dancer.
Level 1: In this intro class, dancers will learn how to isolate different parts of their body, and control how to accent certain movement in connection with the music. Skills taught will include jimps, slides, and how to demonstrate rhythms in your upper body through movement.
Level 2: Students should be able to demonstrate proficient ability to learn choreography, reverse choreography to the left side without teacher help, show power in movement, and have some developing stage presence through facials.
Level 3: In this intermediate course, incoming students should be confident in rolling to the ground, holding their body weight with their arms, and should be able to demonstrate steps with power and dynamic choices while maintaining anatomical alignment.
Level 4: As advanced hip hop dancers, students should be able to execute movement with their own style, demonstrate “star quality” through their facial expressions, and be able to start and finish their movement with clarity. They should also be able to demonstrate their technique through improvisation.
Jazz
In our jazz classes, we will focus on technique development and creating different dynamics in choreography to upbeat music. Students can expect to work on flexibility, strength, and performance quality through facial expressions. In jazz, students will learn how to improvise their own movement, and discover their own style.
Level 1: Introductory jazz classes will begin to establish terminology knowledge, flexibility, and an understanding of basic technique through simple and fun choreography. Skills taught include jazz walks and struts, chasses, splits and more.
Level 2: Proficiency in vocabulary knowledge, grand jetes (pointed feet, straight knees), technique shown through across the floors, and a clean single pirouette are required prior to registration for Jazz Level 2.
Level 3: Intermediate level in performance abilities including facials, maintaining turn out, clean double pirouette, established flexibility, strength and stamina required. Skills taught include tilt jumps, illusions, triple pirouettes, and confidence in improvisation.
Level 4: (Must receive teacher approval prior to registration.) Advanced in jumps, turns, and has outstanding performance quality. Tricks can be performed at highly developed level. Considerable amount of dance knowledge and strength required.
Musical Theatre/Vocal
Exploring both song and dance together can be a great way for students out come out of their shell and gain confidence! Musical theatre combines simplified jazz steps with vocals for an exciting performance opportunity. Students will learn how to prepare for an audition, and will gain experience in group pieces, small groups, and solos.
Level 1: Students will learn confidence in singing and dancing on stage in a group and coming out of their shell as they explore various characters.
Level 2: Continuing upon skills learned in Level 1 with proficiency in matching pitch, lyric memorization, and dancing in time.
Level 3: Intermediate classes require well-established technique in warm ups, group work and solo work. Students must be comfortable in performing solos/duets regularly and should be developing their ability to hold harmonies independently.
Level 4: Advanced ability to memorize lyrics, match pitch, and confidence in singing harmonies independently required. Students should be proficient/intermediate in dance skills.
Lyrical
Ballet-like movement with the purpose of emotional storytelling through slower movement and lyrics in music.
Level 1: Teaches students how to portray emotions thru and with movement. Skills taught include barre and across-the-floor work.
Level 2: Students will expand on their skills including pas de chat, pique and soutenu turns, tour jete, and story telling movement and skills.
Level 3: Students will expand on their skills learned in Level 3 and learn full character development, and understanding the connection of emotion to movement, character and story.
Level 4: Increased skills and building off of Level 3 including terminology for different facings/direction of travel, capriole, and all 6 different kinds of glissades.
Tap
This style of dance will teach dancers how to count music, and increase their success in executing movement directly on the beat. In Tap, we work to articulate sounds with different parts of our feet while keeping the upper body calm, cool, and collected.
Level 1: Introductory tap will encourage dancers to create rhythms with their own feet, and further develop their understanding of musicality. Students will learn how to utilize different areas of their feet to make different sounds through basic tap terminology.
Level 2: Building on top of concepts covered in level 1, dancers should have a clear understanding of how to count an eight count on their own and be able to identify what parts of their feet hit the floor to create sounds in basic steps.
Level 3: Intermediate Tap begins to make simple steps more complex by changing tempo and introducing “swung” steps. Skills taught will include separated and one-footed wings, one-footed pullbacks, and crossing perididdles.
Level 4: As an Advanced tap course, dancers are put to the test by learning how to execute many sounds in a small amount of time. Dancers should feel comfortable with single footed pullbacks and creating clear sounds even at high speeds.
Testimonials
Our family loves this studio. The atmosphere is so positive and the energy is so magnetic. Our kids dance here 4 days a week and love every second of it. The teachers are SO good. Encouraging, kind, inclusive and move all they all love what they do. You won’t find a studio anywhere like this one.
Sara L.
Kick It Up is our second home. It’s a great dance studio, teachers are amazing, the staff very friendly, the owner Susan is very sweet. My daughter has been taking classes for almost 6 years, since she was 9, and see her growing as a dancer makes me so proud of her. Can’t wait to see her competing on the Dance Team!
Brianna C.
Contact Us
ADDRESS
8125 E. Wardlow Rd, Long Beach CA 90808
8129 E. Wardlow Rd, Long Beach CA 90808
Mon-Fri : 3:45pm – 8:45pm
Sat : 8:30 am – 12:30pm
Sun : 9:30am – 12:30pm
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About
Kick It Up! is a children's dance studio located in Long Beach with an award-winning team dedicated to providing the best dance instruction whilst also empowering tomorrow's leaders.
Office Hours
Mon-Fri : 3:45pm – 8:45pm
Sat : 8:30 am – 12:30pm
Sun : 9:30am – 12:30pm
ADDRESS:
8125 E. Wardlow Rd, Long Beach CA 90808
8129 E. Wardlow Rd, Long Beach CA 90808
Email: hello@kickitup.com
Telephone: 562-430-1812
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