HIP HOP

HIP HOP CLASSES

OFFERED TO AGES 7 THROUGH ADULT
LEVELS: BEGINNER – INTERMEDIATE – ADVANCED

Hip Hop, which has its origins in the b-boying or breakdancing styles of the ‘70’s has long been taught at the Joan Harris Centre under the term “Street Jazz” and was part of the overall jazz program at the school for decades. Over the past several years Hip Hop has become its own curriculum at the studio and has grown into the largest most diverse Hip Hop program in Northeastern Pennsylvania. At the studio our students are exposed to the East Coast and West Coast influences of the style. From Funk to Pop and Lock to Krumping. All the latest and old school techniques are applied in the classroom.

This is probably the most physically engaging of all the classes offfered at the studio. A strong emphasis on developing and increasing your core strength, flexability, musicality and individuality. You will be challenge in every class. In addition to learning dance, this is an incredible workout!

The Joan Harris Centre’s totally unique eight-week program of shows insures that each and every one of our Hip Hop dancers will showcase several different forms of this dance in one season. Musicality is stressed in all of the Hip Hop classes since the dance is extremely rhythmic in nature. Our instructors will teach the students how to hit the down beat or glide through the movement depending on what the choreography demands, but one thing is consistent, and that is the urban feel of the piece. At the Joan Harris Centre, our instructors have also embraced the newest trend of Hip Hop, Lyrical Hip Hop, where the moves are more fluid than Pop and Lock and performed to more down tempo songs.

All of the Hip Hop instructors of the school are accomplished Ballet, Tap and Jazz dancers as well. This gives them a greater wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon as they conduct each class. As with all the other forms of dance, perhaps even more so, we recommend pairing the study of Hip Hop with another form of study at the school, (i.e. jazz, tap) for this will give the dancer the needed discipline, diversity and understanding that all dance, hip hop included, is an art form that depends on the developing skills that you build upon continuously.