Tiddly Tots Dance & Movement Classes
Designed for toddlers from 18 months to 3 years. Originated in 1997 by Christine Goode and the first of its kind in the area, these classes have successfully run for the past 20 years at The May School of Dance.
Tiddly Tots is a fun way to introduce your toddler to dance and movement right from the word go!
Our fun classes teach basic dance technique, singing, mime and much more. The classes are an ideal way for you to have that special fun bonding time with your toddler as Mum or Dad (sometimes the whole family!) can also join in with the fun too!
Classes will help improve your toddler's motor skills along with the confidence they need to develop their everyday life skills at home and in school with their peers.
What Happens after Tiddy Tots?
Unlike some classes in toddler dance, we specialise in classes for children over 3 years of age. Many of our students, now in their teens, and former Tiddly Tots are competently working their way through the I.D.T.A. syllabus in subjects such as Ballet, Tap & Jazz dance, and are on their way to achieving excellent results in performance studies at school. Many students move on to a full time dance education and successful careers in the Performing Arts.
Ballet
Ballet for pleasure or for the more serious minded. This style of expressive movement has something to offer for everyone. Ballet dates back to the 17th century and the conventional steps, grace and fluidity of movement are still found in Ballet today. Choreographers have been influenced by composers through the ages. Ballet has a technique which is the foundation of all dance.
Tap is rhythm - rhythm is tap, its origins are many and varied. Americans claim its origin states from the African Jazz age; the Irish stake their claim to the Jigs and step dancing; the English relate back to northern clog dancers but, whichever one you choose to believe, Tap is as popular today as it was in the heyday of the great Fred Astair and Gene Kelly muscials. Evergreen shows: 42nd Street and Crazy for you and the recent Stomp and Tap Dogs highlight the great diversities of style and music in tapping. Examinations and medal tests are held each year for children, students and professionals and a wide range of tests are available for adults of all ages. A gentle, rhythmical and enjoyable way to keep fit!
Tap
Modern Jazz
Modern Jazz is fun. You will learn to develop many different movements reaching to a broad choice of varying rhythms and musical styles. Classes are structured to begin to prepare the physical strength and flexibility required to demonstrate emotion through interpretation of any musical genre, one minute you may be dancing to the rhythm of a drum, the next to a funky jazz style. You may explore contrast between expansion and relaxation or learn to isolate in a slick stylish mood, whatever the atmosphere of the class, it will be a wonderful opportunity to react and interact with other members of the class and really dance to express your feelings.
Street Dance
Have you every seen the hottest pop band's music videos on youtube? Then you will already know what Steet Dance looks like. Streetdance takes any form of popular music - from pop to hip hop and choreographs routines to the beats. We have seen that only to often, the most successful pop acts have made it big by combining streetdance routines with their tunes and lyrics.
Contemporary
Contemporary dance is a dance performance genre that developed during the mid twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in the U.S. and Europe. Although originally informed by and borrowing from classical, modern, and jazz styles, it has since come to incorporate elements from many styles of dance. Due to its technical similarities, it is often perceived to be closely related to modern dance, ballet and other classical concert dance styles contemporary dance tends to combine the strong and controlled legwork of ballet with modern dance's stress on the torso, and also employs contract-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation characteristic of modern dance. Unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed, and direction are often used.
Musical Theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals.
From 18 months to adult, we have a class to suit the needs of each individual. We teach beginners to advanced level in all genres. To find out which class would suit the specific needs of you or your child, contact us now for a friendly chat to arrange a free no obligation trial class.
