Harborough Academy of Performing Arts – Genres
Ballet
Ballet is a highly valuable dance discipline, which develops strength, posture, coordination and artistic expression within the classical technique. It is an important technical foundation for any dancer. At Harborough Academy we follow the graded syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), which is the most prestigious ballet training organisation in the world, and pupils have the opportunity to take exams to further their progress and eventually gain UCAS points from the higher grades.
Modern
This is a fusion genre, incorporating jazz, lyrical and contemporary, which has a strong technical grounding and a dynamic style. It is a theatrical style, that has developed over the last century and is extremely popular with our students. We follow the syllabus of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD), who are recognised as one of the leading dance examination boards.
TAP
We train our students in both rhythm and theatre tap, which are stylistically quite different but both of which are exciting and challenging to learn and great for developing a sense of rhythm and coordination. The ISTD syllabus is very current and relevant to the tap industry and style that is very much coming back into mainstream culture. We offer the chance to take exams and also take part in the annual show.
Street Dance
This is a fun, energetic and fast paced dance style that uses popular music and commercial style moves that are often seen in music videos and on TV. The classes we provide are non-syllabus, but the students work towards an annual show and are offered a choice of taking part in local competitions.
Acro
Our acrobatic classes are very popular for all ages, as they safely train the floor tricks from gymnastics combined with choreography from dance. We follow Acrobatic Arts syllabus throughout the year, which gives the classes structure and focus and a strong sense of attainable progression for all students. These classes also perform in the annual show, which is a highlight of the year for many of the students.
Musical Theatre Singing
Musical Theatre singing teaches the technical side of group and individual singing, alongside movement, characterisation and dance, creating a well-rounded performer. They will work on group harmonies and the drama skills involved in creating the characters from different musicals. The students gain confidence from these classes and enjoy performing in our shows.
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. It helps to develop artistry, expression, fluidity of movement and musicality. The classes are based on studying the different styles within the genre and working towards showcasing a piece in the annual show.
