OUR PHILOSOPHY
What You Should Know about DanceDelaware
DanceDelaware asks that you read the following carefully and be acutely aware of our philosophy.
We believe unfailingly in technique. Just as syllables are to sentences, steps are are to choreography. One cannot perform choreography (or “Dance”) without knowing how to correctly execute the most basic steps with consistency. If you cannot do ONE pirouette correctly, it will always be impossible to do five.
Learning correct technique is difficult, repetitive and time consuming. There are no shortcuts to learning to dance.
For this reason, our methodology is based on correct technique. If a dancer’s basic technique is sound, he or she can perform ANY choreography with grace and style.
Dance is the interaction and relationship of music to movement – They are interdependent and intrinsically linked. We believe a dancer must have a basic musicality, or an understanding of music. Students are strongly encouraged to learn to play a musical instrument or take music theory classes in conjunction with dance instruction.
We do not believe in young children learning or performing sexually suggestive choreography or dancing to music with inappropriate lyrics.
We believe that classes are for learning technique, not only for rehearsing routines. The entirety of a dance class will be spent on learning and practicing exercises. Rehearsals for performances will require an additional time commitment for students.
We believe that Ballet is the foundation of every other type of dance. Why? Because Ballet movements and exercises require the flexibility and muscle control required for Hip-Hop, Jazz, Lyrical & Tap. Dancers are strongly encouraged to take at least one basic Ballet class in conjunction with any other type of dance.
Ballet is also a phenomenal supplement to athletic training. Many professional athletes have taken Ballet to help them succeed on the field.
Finally, we have found that there is no teacher of dance in the area with as much professional experience as Val. We promise that you will find no better place to learn, practice and grow as a dancer in the state of Delaware.
