What is Acrobatic Dance?
Acrobatic Dance, or acro as it is commonly referred to by dancers and dance professionals, is the beautiful fusion of classic dance technique and the precision and athleticism of acrobatic elements. Often defined by unique choreography, acro dancers seamlessly blend musicality, emotional expression, line and extension with acrobatic movements in a dance context.
Acro’s roots are in traditional Chinese dance, later appearing as a favored style on the Vaudeville stage. More recently, acro gained popularity with the wide spread success of the contemporary circus productions of Cirque du Soleil. Main stream media including dance television programs like ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ and ‘Dance Moms’ have further fueled it’s demand in amateur competitive dance and studio settings.
Acro is an especially challenging style for dancers to master as training in both dance and acrobatic elements is required. Acro technique includes balancing, limbering, tumbling and partnering, based in flexibility, contortion and strength.
What is Acrobatic Arts?
Created by a successful studio owner with decades of experience, Acrobatic Arts runs training and certification courses for dance teachers in the art of AcroDance.
The program is based on safe and effective progressions with proven results in five divisions of AcroDance: Flexibility, Strength, Balancing, Limbering and Tumbling.
Developed with input from professionals and experts in ballet, modern dance, jazz, contortion, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, sport acrobatics, yoga, acro yoga, pilates, physiotherapy, hand balancing and more, you will not find a more comprehensive program. Simple thoughtful progressions take the beginner preschool level dancer from log rolls and summersaults to the advanced dancer tumbling effortlessly across the stage!
Mission & Premise of Acro Arts
To set the standard of excellence in education among dance instructors in order to promote technique and progression in Acrobatic Dance.
We believe that proficient dance educators can be taught how to teach acro dance. Great dance teachers already understand the artistic requirements and extension that dance demands, and can learn the progressions necessary to teach their students the skills fundamental to acro dance.
Why Acrobatic Arts?
The Acrobatic Arts program provides easy progressions for dance teachers to follow, taking the guess work out of offering acro dance by providing step by step instructions for every level. Acrobatic Arts starts at the very beginning, we teach instructors everything they need to know about proper placement and technique so their students will have the building blocks to progress safely and quickly from one level to the next. Acrobatic Arts Teacher Training and Certification courses provide extensive, hands-on training in spotting and progression so teachers leave feeling knowledgeable, confident and inspired to teach acro dance. Studios who continue with Acrobatic Arts Exams for their students will have continuous support, with adjudicator meetings offering feedback and suggestions to improve the studio’s acro program annually.
The Benefits of Acrobatic Arts
Dancers who train through Acrobatic Arts have both physical and mental benefits. Studios that implement this program will see dancers with more skills, who have fewer accidents, and are less likely to develop chronic injuries, but additionally become more fearless in both acro and dance!
Top 5 Benefits of AcroDance:
1. Improves Balance
2. Increases Flexibility
3. Ignites Core Stability
4. Encourages Body Alignment
5. Amplifies Full Body Strength
Acro Dance Syllabus Exams
The Acrobatic Arts examination process is designed to motivate dancers. Having defined and achievable goals is a proven way to motivate dancers to excel. Dancers work through twelve exam levels, each designed to create a well balanced acrobat, including elements of flexibility, strength, balance, limbering and tumbling.
Acrobatic Arts Certified Examiners travel to your home studio for exams. Examiners evaluate dancers against a set universal standard, allowing dancers and teachers to see where the dancer stands globally. During the exam, students can expect a class setting with the examiner directing the class and making notes throughout. Required elements will be critiqued and scored by the examiner. The exam will be graded ‘Superior’, ‘Excellent’, ‘Highly Commended”, ‘Commended’, ‘Pass’ or ‘Retry’ based on the scores achieved for each element as well as grooming and attitude. Students who complete the level they are being tested for will receive a certificate to commemorate their achievement. Students who receive a grade of ‘Superior’ will also receive a custom Acrobatic Arts medal. All students will receive a report card complementing areas of excellence and suggesting areas for improvement.
Examiners meet with the teachers following exams to offer assistance in creating the best possible acro program for the studio. This process is intended to raise the level of technical excellence for both the student and the teacher. Only certified Acrobatic Arts Teachers can enter their students in exams.
