Contemporary Dance was developed in the early 20th century which used some of the techniques used by ballet, but at the same time pushed the boundries of free movement. It certainly helps to learn ballet to compliment this style, but the style is safe enough to be tackled by beginners - the difference being how the body moves during the application of the given choreography with experienced dancers. As children get older, they want to express themselves differently through movement and add their own interpretation and choreography to the music, which is why the style suits slighter older children.
Contemporary dance (if done properly) should not start at too young an age, as it requires a mature mind to interpret the music - thinking deep, not superficial, so teeneagers have a field day! One of the biggest attractions for pupils taking contemporary dance is the choice and range of music available - it can be danced to almost any style of music, which means pupils can really analyze the music and express themselves through their own movement. Creating new moves is part of the fun.
The natural alignment of the body is exploited in contemporary and is therefore safe and accessible for beginners. However the ease and freedom of movement found in contemporary, technique allows experienced dancers to push new boundaries of body movement.
At the Reigate School of Ballet and Commercial Dance, we have taught Contemporary for a number of years to secondary school age pupils (we feel any younger than this is unecessary due to the maturity needed to fulfill this style of dance). Since September, we have been overwhelmed by new enquiries and we are thrilled to open a second contemporary dance class in Reigate to accomodate our new pupils.
Our contemporary classes are on:
Tuesdays (St Marks Church Hall - Reigate) , and
Wednesdays (Colman Redland Centre)
All classes are taught by our experienced contemporary teacher.
If you are interested in this dance form, please ring us on 01737 247795 or email us to book a place or for more information.