What is Acrodance?
Hey, dance students! Are you like one of the many who watches as dancers tumble effortlessly across the stage, wishing you could do the same?
The first step is to enroll in an Acrodance class, offered by such local studios as Ignite Danceworks.
“Acrodance is a fusion of classical ballet technique with gymnastics and acrobatic skills,” explains Michelle Fracchia-west, artistic director at Ignite. “It focuses on key areas of balancing, limbering, tumbling, strength, and flexibility as well as partner work. It develops the dancer into not only a stronger dancer but also a more fearless dancer.”
Fracchia-west says anyone who is interested in dancing professionally but also specifically interested in circus-style dance – such as the hugely popular Cirque du Soleil – would benefit from Acrodance training. “It’s necessary to do most of the tricks that are common and seen on shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Moms and others. In mainstream competitions today, dancers need acrobatic skills in addition to their dance training.”
While it may look and sound as if it’s for older or more experienced dancers, Fracchia-west says the opposite is true. “At Ignite Danceworks, we offer Acrodance classes starting at the age of four. We also offer it to recreational dancers in addition to our competitive dancers.”
She adds that Acrodance is fused into training even earlier. “We include it in our Mom and Tot classes, which are for kids as young as one. It’s that important of an element to any future training they might do.”
Acrodance and acrobatic art as part of dance have been around for more than a century, with the style tracing its roots back to the days of vaudeville. The style, though, has really exploded in the past few decades with the increasing number of touring dance shows and television programs.
Some of the basic moves incorporated into dance routines may be back layouts, tucks and walkovers, cartwheels, handsprings, handstands, and aerials.
“It’s just how dance has evolved in the past few years,” Fracchiawest says. “The number of skills that are required and expected has grown since I was a student and in the 20 years since I began teaching. If you don’t have that acrobatic training, it’s tough to make it in the world of dance.
“There are so many disciplines that now have added moves like an aerial or a walkover but you’ll more commonly see it in Contemporary, Hip Hop and Jazz styles. It’s also interesting to see it so much in those three, because Acrodance was really designed to go with Ballet but it’s rarely seen there.”
Acrodance is often compared to gymnastics but she notes it’s at a different level. “In gymnastics you train on the mats and that’s the same surface you compete on. In Acro, dancers train on the mats in order to learn how to do it on the flat surface of a stage. In that way, you can implement it into your dance training. It results in a beautiful, seamless fusion of movement on and off-stage.”
Fracchia-west admits there is a safety concern for Acrodancers. “But this is why it’s important to find instructors who are not only certified but also experienced. Ignite follows the acrobatic arts syllabus, which is a series of progressions from level to level. Acro can be both scary and dangerous but, if dancers learn how to do it safely and earlier, the less fearsome they are.”
Ignite offers classes in four main programs: a pre-dance program for ages one to four, recreational programs for ages four and up, competitive programs for ages six and up, and intensive training programs for ages 11 and up. “Our Acro classes have been fused into every one of those programs, so it’s a huge part of everything we do at Ignite Danceworks.”
For information about Acrodance and other programs, visit the website at ignitedanceworks.
com or call 306-244-4400. The dance studio is located at 511A 51st Street West.