Wildwood Dance and Arts Hip Hop Program
Philosophy: Our goal is to help spread a greater understanding of the hip hop culture throughout the St. Louis area. Our instructors teach with such enthusiasm and passion that the students cannot help but get caught up, soak in, and immerse themselves in steps and art of hip hop. Extremely important and central to our program is teaching the students about the "4 elements of Hip Hop": Deejaying, Breaking, Emceeing, and Graffiti Art. With these basic elements in tact, hip hop has grown through new exposure on television and pop culture. It has been fused with jazz, funk, and different styles of street dance. We focus on the initial elements, basic skills, and help the artist and dancer find "their voice"!
· Deejaying: Hip Hop deejaying, or turntablism, is a comlex art. It consists of turntables, audio mixers, and original recordings. With these, the deejay performs techniques such as mixing, scratching, cutting and sampling to create an entirely new piece of music.
· Breaking: The breakbeats of hip hop deejaying also gave birth to the dance form known as 'breaking' or 'B-boying'. It's a high-energy combination of complex footwork, spins, kicks and 'freezes'. The heart of breaking is the battle, where individuals or crews compete for dance supremacy. The character of breaking is sharp and short movements with flowing and wave-like motion, along with difficult floor acrobatics structured on balance techniques, and spinning on body parts such as the head, shoulders, and stomach.
· Emceeing: It's the Emcee's job to entertain and keep the crowd going. Many people associate emceeing with rapping, but rapping is only one Emcee technique, others are 'beatbox' and 'call and response'. The poetry of hip hop is 'rap'. (lyrics)
· Graffiti Art: This art exploded around 1971 when an article was written about a young 17 yrd old who tagged his way around the New York subways. The 'tag' is the writers signature. There are 3 main types of graffiti art: the tag, the throw up (more evolved tag- colors and style), and then a 'piece' (a full masterpiece of art- and must consist of 3 colors). Graffiti Art is a public art form, often incorporating political and religious themes.
Hip Hop Dance Classes
Hip Hop 1 (7-12yrs)
This class will introduce the student the elements of break dance, and hip hop choreography. They will learn break dance vocabulary. They will also be introduced Hip Hop steps such as Top Rock, Up Rock, 6 Step, Popping, Locking and Freezing. Hip Hop 1 (13yrs+) This class will introduce the student the elements of break dance, and hip hop choreography. They will learn break dance vocabulary. They will also be introduced Hip Hop steps such as Top Rock, Up Rock, 6 Step, Popping, Locking and Freezing. This class accommodates for the majority differences by the time they reach this age and their physicality.
Hip Hop 2 (7-12yrs, & 13yrs+) Prerequisites: assessment required by instructor; and/or completion of Hip Hop I This class will touch on many aspects of hip-hop dance but will focus on popping, locking, waving, gliding & freezing. Students will continue to work and fine-tune their skills in Top Rock, up rock, and 6-step. Choreography intensifies with increase in steps and speed. Focus on "performance" skills begins more here as well. It is recommended that the B-boy/B-girl Floor work class be taken as a companion course to this class.
Hip Hop 3 (13yrs+) Prerequisite: assessment required by instructor; and/or completion of Hip Hop 2. This class offers the student a more challenging look at hip hop choreography, showmanship, and breaking. These students are also introduced to house and other forms of Bboy and Hip Hop Culture. Students should have a solid understanding of all the Hip Hop techniques taught in Hip Hop Classes I and 2, as well as in B-Boy/B-Girl floor work.
B-Boy/B-Girl Floor Work This class serves as an intense workout and greater understanding of what it means to breakdance. The dancer will learn different styles of floor work, top rock, up rock, freezes, and most importantly focus on freestyle. B-Boys and B-Girls will also be asked to pratice "battles" in class. It helps with confidence in their dance skills and increase awareness of cultural roots.
Hip Hop Crews! Novice Crew (7yrs+), Junior Crew (7 – 12yrs), Teen Crew (13 yrs+) Our Hip Hop Crews offer dancers interested in Hip Hop the opportunity to perform and compete in a positive atmosphere. Wildwood Dance and Arts Hip Hop Crews offer a unique edge to hip hop choreography. Auditions are necessary for this performance/competition team. Strong dedication to their practice both and a commitment to your fellow crewmembers, instructors, and your studio are expected. Coached by Richard Woods (aka "Tiger") this crew is designed to bring out the best in your child by building their confidence, stage presence, self-esteem and teamwork. Crew is meant to be more than just a dance class, it is designed to help the dancers grow as a person and performer. Become part of the Crew and the Wildwood Dance and Arts Family!
Required Classes for All Crews Rehearsal Class, B-Boy/B-Girl Floor Work Leveled Hip Hop Class
Summer Schedule 2009: Classes Start June 29th
| Tuesday |
Beginner Hip Hop- (7-12yrs) |
4:00-5:00pm |
| Tuesday |
Breakdance/Floorwork 13yrs+ |
5:15-6:15pm |
| Tuesday |
Teen Crew Rehearsal |
6:30-8:30pm |
| Wednesday |
Intermediate Hip Hop (7-12yrs) |
6:15-7:15pm |
| Wednesday |
Intermediate Hip Hop (13yrs+) |
7:30-8:30pm |
| Thursday |
Breakdance/Floorwork 7-12yrs |
5:15-6:15pm |
| Thursday |
Junior Crew Rehearsal |
6:30-8pm |
Fall Schedule: 2009-2010 Classes begin August 22nd
| Tuesday |
Hip Hop I (7-12yrs) |
4:10-5:10pm |
| Tuesday |
Hip Hop II (7-12yrs) |
5:15-6:15pm |
| Tuesday |
Hip Hop II (13yrs+) |
6:20-7:20pm |
| Tuesday |
Hip Hop I (13yrs+) |
7:30-8:30pm |
| Thursday |
Novice Crew Rehearsal |
4:10-5:40pm |
| Thursday |
Hip Hop III (7-12yrs) |
5:45-6:45pm |
| Thursday |
Hip Hop III (13yrs+) |
7:00-8:00pm |
| Thursday |
Adult Hip Hop |
8:15-9:15pm |
| Sunday |
Bboy/Bgirl (7-12yrs) |
12:00-1:00pm |
| Sunday |
Junior Crew Rehearsal |
1:15-2:45pm |
| Sunday |
Teen Crew Rehearsal |
2:45-4:45pm |
| Sunday |
Bboy/Bgirl (13yrs+) |
5:00-6:00pm |
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