Ballet
IPAC utilize the Sonshine Christian Ballet Syllabus that is primarily for classical ballet and covers techniques including barre, port de bras, adage, pirouettes and diagonal turn, unseen work and set enchainements, adage, allegro and Grade dance. Students are placed in class according to their age and skill. Students learn their syllabus throughout the year, gradually working to perfect their detail, heading for their exam date. All music is classical, although instructors may use Christian music for port de bras and adages. Teachers choreograph the exam dance to Christian music (some use their recital dance), taking care to choreograph it for the appropriate grade level and skill.
Tap
IPAC uses the Al Gilbert Tap Syllabus series that engages and creates a progressive learning environment for our students. Our entry level dancers at IPAC begin with the foundational concept of balance and understanding right & left. With the exercises at center floor, our dancers will strengthen basic movement and patterns. Each step is broken down in a systematic way, making learning exact, easy, and fun! IPAC also offer challenging exercises for our advance tappers. Each exercise is created as a long, progressive conditioning workout. These Close-To-The-Floor combinations improve the speed of our tappers feet as well as allowing them to dig deep into syncopated movements.
Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop is a physically challenging, expressive dance form with roots in African dance rhythms, street dance and breakdancing. Dancers will start class with a high energy warm-up with isolations, core strength and musicality. A wide variety of Hip-Hop styles like, Locking, Popping and Breaking will be taught in this expressive, fun-filled class. All core Hip-Hop classes begin in September and culminate in a year-end performance in June.
Jazz
Jazz is an American Dance form rooted in African, Caribbean and Latin cultural rhythms. Elements of isolations, syncopation, rhythm, quick foot work and change of direction with turns, jumps and leaps are all part of this Jazz Dance vocabulary. An intense technical warm-up consisting of conditioning, strengthening and stretching exercises provides the basis for across the floor sequences and choreography. Classical Jazz, Modern-based/Contemporary, Funk/Hip-Hop, Latin dance and Broadway Theater styles are explored.
African
Our classes focus on the movements of traditional to contemporary African dance styles. By the end of this course students can expect to be able to … replicate, analyze, develop improvised movements and perform movements that are indigenous to the West African people, and some will be able to play some of the traditional musical instruments. This course provides a wide variety of movement patterns and communal engagements that foster diversity and broadening of the students artistic and human relations skills in history, geography and culture.
Creative Movement
Our curriculum encourages young children to learn basic dance concepts. The class includes basic ballet, tap, African and modern fundamentals with body conditioning, improvisation and rhythmic exercises. Creative movement helps children discover the possibility of human bodies through different ways of moving. Students learn discipline and social skills in a positive and safe environment. It inspires their creativity and helps build the self-esteem and confidence.
Step
Stepping is known for its intricate, synchronized patterns of stomps, kicks, claps, and call-and-response, while using our bodies as instruments. The integrating stepping with African traditional dance and other dance forms, creates a high-energy, sharply choreographed, and incredibly entertaining performance.
Liturgical
There is the intimate side of worshiping God through movement for the joy of it and to express love to Him.
And there is the more public side of leading others in worship and dancing in ministry, using the art of dance to to bring God’s message to people.
For the first aspect of worship dance, training is not necessary. It can enhance our joy in worshiping Jesus, but anyone can worship, regardless of their training. God gave us all bodies and He is pleased when we use them to express our love and commitment to Him.
For the second aspect of worship dance, training is important. It enables us to better communicate God’s word. It allows us to hold the attention of those to whom we hope to minister so that they can receive the message we have. And it gives us credibility which opens the door to serve.
Modern
Our Modern curriculum will develop a strong dancer with a clear understanding of a diverse modern vocabulary, body alignment, articulation of the spine, strength in floor work, flexibility and a confidence in their own relationship with movement. Grounded in a strong knowledge of their technique, dancers will explore performance quality and individual expression to develop their own artistic voice.