Dance styles
At Academy of Dance Taranaki, we believe in developing not just dancers, but confident, creative all-rounders. Our programs are designed to build strength, flexibility, and technique while encouraging individuality, imagination, and self-expression. Every class is a step towards helping our students grow into strong, versatile performers and confident young people.
At Academy of Dance we provide Jazz Dance under the Asia Pacific Dance Association (APDA) syllabus and also extension Jazz technique classes under the International Dance Technique ( IDT) syllabus.
The APDA is a fantastic and well loved syllabus that incorporates all elements of Jazz Dance including a fun musical theatre number, modern jazz pop style and also lyrical. It’s a perfect all round syllabus for all dancers. IDT is especially helpful for dancers wanting to extend their skills, turns, leaps, and extensions and perfect their flexibility.
We highly recommend those dancers who enjoy Jazz do a combination of both styles; and those who already do a syllabus jazz class elsewhere join the IDT classes with us to strengthen, extend and improve their leaps, turns and flexibility more rapidly.
Following the Acrobatic Arts syllabus for Acrobatics. A professional curriculum for acrobatic dance. This program is designed to promote excellence in flexibility, strength, balance, limbering, tumbling, basic contortion and partnering for dancers.
We use the popular Urban Ignition Hip Hop Curriculum to provide a basic foundation for our hip hop classes. The syllabus provides a technical base in Hip Hop with a strong style element and room for creative solo and crew choreography. Our Hip Hop classes range from absolute beginnner level to competitive levels. We welcome all levels and abilities. We regularly invite industry professionals like Tate Miller, Maddy Barnett, Christa Albert, Becky Mcewan, and Jess Graham to come and host workshops and classes. We provide opportunities for students to join troupes, duos and trios at local and national level competitions.
Following the APDA syllabus for musical theatre with additional acting segments and vocal training, this is a combo class for kids who love to sing, dance AND act!
Academy of Dance has a fresh approach to ballet whilst retaining all the discipline and technique of traditional ballet. We are delighted to introduce to our students the option to enhance their classical technique and ballet performance. We offer both recreational Ballet classes, examinations and competitions for those students who wish to join our competitive dance troupes.
We begin by offering the beautiful APDA ballet syllabus. (We may look into also offering the RAD syllabus in the future depending on teachers and certification.) Ballet is the most fundamental first stepping stone for any child who loves dance. We offer ballet from age 2.5 in the sparkles level through to senior ballet and point work.
We will be offering the APDA Tap syllabus. This will be an examination class, and we highly recommend taking tap in conjunction with either jazz or ballet.
Lucidity contemporary is a stimulating and dynamic dance curriculum which explores emotional connection.
Technical aspects include; controlled leg work, torso contract-release, floor work – fall and recovery. Unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed and direction are incorporated.
Lucidity is an examination based syllabus.
Confidence and Joy in Every Class
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"My daughters absolutely love dancing at AOD. Their confidence has increased and I notice them using their new dance skills at home all the time. The teachers are encouraging and inspiring – we couldn’t be happier."
"My daughters absolutely love dancing at AOD. Their confidence has increased and I notice them using their new dance skills at home all the time. The teachers are encouraging and inspiring – we couldn’t be happier."
Jenny Gator
The Perfect Balance of Fun and Professionalism
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"A totally inclusive, professional, but also fun environment to learn. A great range of classes and excellent communication – we feel so supported here."
"A totally inclusive, professional, but also fun environment to learn. A great range of classes and excellent communication – we feel so supported here."
Keren Carlyle
Inspiring Teachers, Positive Growth
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"Miss Sonia is the ideal studio owner. She balances joy and body positivity with teaching how rewarding hard work can be. My child has grown so much in both confidence and skill since joining AOD."
"Miss Sonia is the ideal studio owner. She balances joy and body positivity with teaching how rewarding hard work can be. My child has grown so much in both confidence and skill since joining AOD."
Emily Ridout
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