Dance Explosion School of Performing Arts

Acrobatics and Contortion

Our Acro classes are open to children ages 5 and up. The classes are broken into levels of beginning, intermediate, and advanced, which we adknowledge as levels 1-3. The dancers are able to work on improving their flexibility and contortion as well as acrobatic tumbling tricks and passes that are required in dance training. While we do want to expose our children to new skills, tricks, and techniques; our acro training and contortion classes focus primarily on the child's saftey and well being. For this reason, we have the breakdown of levels. This is to ensure your child is learning what is proper for their body and ability. What they will learn in each level, and how they can advance to the next level. Below is a breakdown of each level's skill requirements for placement as well as the skills that they will learn in the class. To be eligible to move up to the next level, a child must be able to perform a certain percentile of the list of requirements by theirselves, if any. Each level has different requirements.

To find out which class your child best belongs in, the first week of classes for either the Fall/Spring term or the Summer Term is placement week. Your child will do a run through with instructors and notify you if your child is in the correct level, needs to go to a lower level, or to a higher level. The reason for level placement is so your child can be able to benefit from more individualized attention and reach the goals that they have with acro.

For those wishing to add acro to their tuition and they only take dance class once a week, it is $5 a month, if your child takes two dance classes a week, it is $3 a month, if your child dances three or more days a week, acro is included in their "unlimited" tuition. For all guests wishing to drop into an acro class, or take only acrobatics and contortion class, it is $10 a month.  

LEVEL 3; Beginning Level

Dancers at this level are learning basic tumbling and flexibility skills.  For this class, no prior experience is necessary.

TUMBLING SKILLS TO LEARN

Cartwheels on both the right and left side, One handed-cartwheels, Headstands, Handstands, Foward rolls, Diving foward rolls, Bridge both from the floor and standing, Bridge with legs straight, Spiders, Backwards rolls, Candlesticks Handstand foward roll, Floor needle forward rolls, Front limbers and Bridge kickovers.

CONTORTION SKILLS TO LEARN

Right/left/center splits, Heel stretches, Swans, Leg grabs, Floor needles and Elbow and chest stands.

LEVEL 2; Intermediate Level

Dancers at this level are building on the basic tumbling and contortion skills that they have in order to enhance and develop at the next level.

REQUIREMENTS:

For dancers to be eligible for this level, they must have 80 percent of all tumbling skills and 90 percent.of contortion from the beginning level by theirselves without assistance. This is to ensure that children won't be injured as they work by making sure they have developed proper arm and leg strength as well as back flexibility. They will transition off the mat for some tumbling skills as well in this level.

TUMBLING SKILLS TO LEARN

Back and Front Walkovers, Elbow bridge kickover, Walking Handstands, Handstand Pirouettes, Roundoffs, Front and Back Handsprings, Tiniscas, Moons, Tick-Tocks, and Side aerials.

CONTORTION SKILLS TO LEARN

Scorpions, Standing Needles, Chest Rolls, Double stag elbow stands, Bow and Arrows, Chest Rolls, Chest stands with the toes to the head, No handed swans. 

At this level, they can also begin to learn partner work acro and contortion.

LEVEL 1; Advanced Level

REQUIREMENTS

Dancers at this level must be able to execute 90 percent of all skills listed in the lower level (Levels 2 and 3) before advancing to the Advanced level. This is to ensure that they have built up enough strength to push for powerful more advanced movementes. At this level, individuals can also begin working on tumbling passes across the mat. They will also do some work off the mat as well to find their own individual stability.

TUMBLING SKILLS TO LEARN

Twisting tiniscas, Rolling tinsicas, Side aerials, Front aerials, Standing back tucks, Round off back tuck, Aerial tinsicas, Back layout.

CONTORTION SKILLS TO LEARN

Chest stand with toes to the head to pull into a stomach needle, Chest stand cartwheels, Bridge to chest stand kick over, Ringleaps, Switch leaps.

At this level they will continue to work on intermediate level partner work and develop extra as well.

DRESS CODE:

Comfortable form fitting clothing (such as a leotard, sports bra, tank top, crop top, leggings or tight dance shorts). The reason for the tight clothing is not only so the instructor can see the body to apply corrections, but so that if they have to "spot" a child, which means assist them in any frontwards or backwards work and keeps the instructor's hands from becomming caught in loose clothing which could either injure the instructor or the student.

HAIR:

In either a ponytail, bun or messy bun. Dancers should have their hair up out of the way for the same reasons as clothing. We don't want to pull a dancer's hair or for their own hands to get caught in their hair.
Also, please now jewlery of any kind!

Any questions reguarding our Acro classes, please contact the studio, click on the studio JOIN US TAB, or contact the studio directly at DanceExplosionandEvents@yahoo.com OR by telephone (336) 749-1494