Not Taking Jazz? You’re Missing Out

Jazz is a tough style of dance to describe… it is somewhere between ballet and hip hop in terms of pace and technique.

BackinBusiness“I love jazz! I grew up as a jazz dancer. I actually didn’t take a contemporary class until I was in high school,” Ms. Lindsey says. “Any time students age 6-12 ask me what class they should take, I always say jazz or a jazz/tap combo class.”

See the class schedule.

At Charleston Dance Center, we teach a fast-paced jazz with sharp movements and a lot of energy. We build off the fundamentals of ballet, but stay within the jazz genre. You know you’re in a CDC jazz class when your teachers are constantly saying “work in the plie.”

Ballet is very technical and so is jazz, but in a different way. And it is much faster paced, so it is a great style of dance for a student who likes structure, but also wants to have fun!

“Jazz is a foundation for a lot of the dance you see on stage. Think about Broadway dancers and concerts that feature back-up dancers – a lot of their moves are rooted in jazz.”

If you’re not sure what class to take, Ms. Lindsey says you can never go wrong with a jazz/tap combo class!

“Tap is about teaching rhythms and timing and a lot of jazz dancing is about finding the beat and learning musicality – they go hand-in-hand. It is really good for new students because they learn how to quickly switch styles and translate between the two genres. It is a fully packed hour!”