Acrobatic skills assist the all-round development of dancers; improving flexibility, strength, spatial awareness and confidence. Acrobatics is now an essential component of a dancer’s skill base and is a desirable asset for all dancers. Acrobatics is a highly entertaining and energetic art form dating back thousands of years. It is often associated with circus performance or gymnastics, however unlike gymnastics, Acrobatics does not use apparatus and often involves partner work. Acrobatics forms the foundation for many performing arts due to its emphasis on poise and control.

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Unlike gymnastics, acro is practiced and performed on a hard stage. Acro requires dancers to train their body’s to withstand the impact of the hard floor safely. For this to happen, dancers must learn how to lift their body enough to execute their tricks, when a gymnast would utilise a spring floor.

 

Also unlike gymnastics, acro is a softer, more graceful line movement with a more fluid prep and landing. Gymnast perform hard hitting single passes, where as dancers will seamlessly incorporate a trick into their choreography without stopping in between tricks.

 

Acro also focuses more on body contortion and tricks that defy the center of gravity, whereas gymnastics tricks are meant to be executed in straight lines. While all of this remains true, there is a small exception to all of this, and that is in the genre of Hip Hop. In Hip Hop, moves are still incorporated in the dance and display fluidity, but the tricks used in hip hop are performed much “harder” and end with a hard landing (such as headsprings, kip ups and back handsprings). Regardless, these advance tricks require a strong dance and acro foundation that is achieved with proper training and discipline.

 

At iDance we now offer Acro Dance which is specifically for dancers, where-by our previous classes have been an acro/gymnastic approach to teaching without the specific dance focus. As we are a dance school we wanted to update our qualifications to suit our style of teaching, therefore the Acro Dance implementation was chosen to improve the overall standard of acrobatic dance and to promote a culture of acrobatics as a dance form. Our Acro Dance classes include activities such as handstands, cartwheels, strength work, walkovers, spring skills and aerials.  Acrobatics is being used more and more frequently within dance routines and these skills are developed alongside dance technique, spacing, rhythmical work and choreography.

 

Students learn Acro Dance in a safe environment with acrobatic mats on a sprung floor. The classes are structured to your child’s skill levels across balance, strength, agility and body control.

 

Through our Acro Dance syllabus students have the added opportunity to enhance their dance training with the added benefit of fulfilling their physical potential by attending and being assessed via our brand new iDance Specialised and certified Acrobatics for Dancers Training Program.

 

Offered from School age.