Ambo Academy Program
Current Session: Spring
January 16-May 26, 2023
The Academy Program is an enrollment-based class program designed to give you a diverse and supportive dance education. We emphasize the whole dancer: physical training and health, historical and/or contextual knowledge, and mental health and well-being. When you sign up, you are provided with a free consultation to develop a personalized dance plan to help you meet your goals, desires, and needs!
The Academy Program was created for Professional and Pre-Professional track dancers. As such, most classes are at an Intermediate to Advanced level, though we do offer some classes that are Open level or Beginner! We are happy to add more Beginner and Open level classes as signups allow!
2023 Sessions
Spring: January 16 - May 26
Summer: TBA
Fall: TBA
Monday Classes
Contemporary
5-6:15pm
Heather Moran
A contemporary technique class that blends elements from a variety of styles and techniques. This class focuses on spatial and body awareness, use of body weight, floor work, leaps, turns, efficiency of muscle usage, and safe body alignment to help you discover your unique movement style.
For teens and adults.
Bare feet required.
Some prior experience recommended.
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Jumps and Turns
6:15-7:15pm
Amberly M. Simpson
This class focuses on developing and strengthening dancers' abilities to execute a variety of jumps and turns. It not only includes a wide array of conditioning exercises to help with kinesthetic awareness, strong alignment, and overall physical endurance, but also builds upon diverse use of jumps and turns within choreography so that dancers are able to apply these skills broadly across performance and technique.
For teens and adults.
Ballet or Jazz Shoes required.
Must be enrolled in the 5pm Contemporary class to enroll in this class.
Jazz
7:30-8:30pm
Jose Brooks
Jazz focuses on building your technique, form, posture, and strength at your individual performance level. Class begins with a progression of technical exercises in center and across the floor to build strength and proficiency in jazz vocabulary. Technique is then applied to short choreographies, further placing an emphasis on the development of stage presence, quality of movement, and confidence.
For teens and adults.
Jazz shoes or Apolla Shocks required.
Some prior experience recommended
Wednesday Classes
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Acro and Floorwork
5-6pm
Amberly M. Simpson
Acro and Floor Work is designed to specifically build your strength and acrobatic skills through a Dance lens. This class incorporates movements and skills from yoga, gymnastics, contemporary dance, and much more in order help build safe and functional use of flexibility, as well as the strength and control necessary to reduce and prevent injury.
For teens and adults.
Bare feet required.
Some prior experience recommended.
Ballet
6-7:15pm
Amberly M. Simpson
Follows traditional class structure, starting with work at the barre, moving to center floor, and then moving across the floor. Dancers will work on developing strength, flexibility, proper alignment, and movement pathways within their ballet technique that allow them to refine execution.
For teens and adults.
Ballet shoes, leotard, and tights required.
Some prior experience recommended.
Rhythm Tap
7:15-8:30pm
Joseph R. Brandt
An advanced beginner-intermediate level rhythm tap class focused on lower-body strengthening and flexibility, layering steps to create complex rhythms, musicality, and improvisation techniques.
For teens and adults.
Tap shoes required.
Prior experience required.
Classes Not Currently Running
Only gone for now, but not gone forever! We'll be bringing these classes back during the summer session! OR, if you'd like to see them sooner, email us at school@ambodancetheatre.org and we'll see about adding them to our current class offerings!
Dance Fundamentals
1 hour
Amberly M. Simpson
Dance Fundamentals is a class designed to strengthen foundations across a variety of dance styles. The curriculum is built to the unique goals of those enrolled! Don't let the word "fundamentals" fool you - this class is a deep dive into the biomechanics of movement through movement practices supplemented with practical and applied knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology!
For teens and adults.
Shoe requirements may vary.
All experience levels welcome!
Mixed Dance Forms
1 hour
Teachers Rotate
This class is designed to give you diverse exposure to dance styles and practices from across the world. Think of it like an ongoing master class series. We'll explore styles such as Irish Step Dance, Indian Dance, Salsa, Swing, Acro Yoga, and more! The possibilities are endless!
For teens and adults.
Jazz shoes recommended.
All experience levels welcome!
Pre-Pointe
45 minutes
Amberly M. Simpson
While this class is designed to prepare dancers for going en pointe, the strengthen, stability, and alignment work is universally applicable to all dance styles and practices. Exercises in this class focus on the foot and ankle, as well as building an understanding of kinetic chains and pathways through the body.
For teens and adults.
Bare feet and Ballet shoes required.
All experience levels welcome!
All equipment provided!