Questions You May Have
What exactly is contemporary dance?
Contemporary dance is a modern dance technique, which developed from ballet in early 20th century America, after dancers like Isadora Duncan kicked their shoes off. It has developed in many different ways since then and is now an established technique - equal to, yet different from classical ballet in its physical demands.
Contemporary dance is grounded, flowing and dynamic, featuring body tilts, off balance movement and floor work. The style continues to evolve and it is often thrilling to watch, with athletic dancers pushing their bodies to the limit. Dance is the fastest growing art form and contemporary dance is becoming much more widely appreciated, with mainstream artists like Kylie Minogue using it in pop videos and increasing numbers of young people studying it at GCSE and A Level.
Alongside the development of contemporary technique, a creative methodology of teaching dance to children has evolved, which celebrates individuality and allows for greater freedom of expression than traditional ballet classes.
Is it like street dance, jazz or ballet?
Contemporary has roots in ballet and some similarities to jazz, but it usually has more dynamic flow - rather than moving from one position to another, how you get there is the interesting bit in contemporary dance; using the floor, leaping, going off balance...
It's not street dance, although it's equally exciting and more creative! Contemporary dance allows kids to be kids, rather than mini adults, using their imaginations while their bodies develop.
There's a limit to what the human body can do and all our choreography is original, so there are inevitably elements of other dance styles in our classes; sometimes we include different styles to go with our theme, for instance we learned African dance for our Safari theme and capoeira and Bollywood for Rainforests.
Every term, the children learn contrasting dance sequences, including at least one upbeat dance. In Twickenham we offer a class for 8-13 year olds which blends contemporary with street dance, Steps.
My 4 year old is looking for a funky dance class - is this it?
If it's street dance you are after, you won't have any trouble finding a class, but that is not what we provide for under 8s (although actually we do teach funky routines!).
Kidsdance offers a refreshing alternative to other children's dance classes - our classes encourage children to develop healthy dance technique in a non-competitive way, without gender stereotypes.
"Kidsdance is a great alternative to ballet, which we found too strict, plus it's not too girly. Contributing their own ideas helps build the children's confidence."
To prevent injury it is important to learn good dance technique - the best street dancers are those with a strong underlying dance technique.
In every Kidsdance class the children practise communication and team work and develop confidence and spatial awareness through creating their own choreography with other children. They will also make new friends, who share their interest in dance.
We don't expect every child to be the same - we like 'different' at Kidsdance! However, we treat the children the same, regardless of gender. We don't wear pink or blue uniforms - if the children want to wear our uniform, it's red! If they want to wear their own clothes, that's fine, as long as they are suitable for dance.
"My son loves meeting his friends and working around a theme. It's creative but well organised. I like knowing his imagination is being used in a physical way."
For older children (8-13) who are particularly keen to learn 'dance routines', we offer our Steps class, which is a fusion of contemporary dance technique and street dance moves, without creative work.
Parents of younger children sometimes have stronger preconceptions about what dance 'should' be than their children have - why not let your child try it with an open mind? Once they have developed good dance technique, they can always try street dance at a more appropriate age.
Children grow up so quickly anyway, that we believe it is important to let them be kids as long as they want to.
Take a look at our Testimonials, where you will see many genuine comments from parents who also believe in our ethos.
Music is an essential element of Kidsdance. We get the children listening to pop, classical, world, contemporary - anything that makes us want to dance! Some of our music is specially composed for Kidsdance by Rob Millett and he also accompanies classes and performances from time to time in Twickenham.
Will my child have to 'be a tree'?!
Not usually... Each term we use a different theme - it could be Superheroes, Forces of Nature, Outer Space or Sculpture - to inspire our original dances and the children's own choreography. So while we can't guarantee we won't ever ask your child to 'be a tree', they're just as likely to be a sea creature, astronaut, superhero or maybe just a coiled spring! Kidsdance helps develop children's creativity and encourages them to believe in themselves.
"It's a great way of letting all kinds of children be creative in a non pressured environment. Great themes and music and it's not too formal and strict. We love it!"
Because contemporary dance is a blend of different styles; for example, techniques devised by choreographers Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham, as well as more modern techniques, such as Contact Improvisation and Release; there is no structure yet for formal examinations, as there is in ballet (which is hundreds of years old!).
We believe this is a positive aspect of our classes. Children have the freedom to enjoy dance and develop at their own pace - they are often under pressure from school and other activities, so Kidsdance is an oasis where they can have fun and be creative, without worrying about passing the next test or grade. For those who want to, we offer the chance to perform wherever possible.
We are always happy to discuss your child's progress and children sometimes move up to the next class early because we can see they are ready for the next challenge.
"I like the creativity and music and the fact that there are no exams or expensive costumes to pay for. I think you're great!"
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