STAFF REVIEW: ADORE DANCE JAZZ CLASS

Adore Dance is a fun and welcoming environment that creates a safe space for participants to express themselves and experience dancing as an enjoyable, stress-free activity. I’ve always had an idea of dance schools being overly competitive and judgemental, but I found Adore Dance to completely disprove this stigma. Each member of the class, along with the teacher, Connor, were encouraging and complimentary. This made for a positive and friendly atmosphere throughout the class. Keep reading to find out how my dancing partner, Millie and I got on! 

This week I was lucky enough to participate in an Adults' Jazz Class for Beginners in London, along with 8 other people. One of the first things I noticed about the class was that the atmosphere was welcoming for beginners, with questions being encouraged and everyone keen to receive tips of improvement from the instructor. Connor’s classes run with a maximum of 10 people in the studio. Initially, I found the idea of small class sizes intimidating, but it ended up being one of the factors I liked most about the session! 

Less dancers in the studio means more attention to detail from Connor. He was able to provide individual constructive criticism and praise to everyone in the room. I found this to be very positive as it meant we were able to feel accomplished in what we specifically were getting right and focus in on aspects of our techniques that needed more work. For this reason, improvement is likely to happen quicker than it would in a larger group. 

The studio itself is a great space. With plenty of room, floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls and colour changing lights, it provides a cool and aesthetically-pleasing ambience. The studio door is locked and there are no windows, so privacy during the class was guaranteed. There is no set uniform for these lessons, but I recommend comfortable clothing with some stretch that allows you to be active. Millie and I both wore casual athleisure along with the rest of the class. 

Prior to the lesson starting Connor asked everyone if there were any injuries that he needed to be aware of and checked in on students that had pre-existing injuries he already knew about. This emphasized the considerate attitude of the class before the session had even started. Millie and I felt very comfortable and welcome from the get-go.

We started with some light jogging around the room to a modern playlist of Connor’s choice. It was nice to be in a studio with music tailored to the demographic of the class. We then moved on to full body stretches. We were spaced out evenly around the room with Connor front and centre, making it easy for everyone to see him and vice versa. 

Throughout the 55-minute session, Connor walked us through three different dances he had choreographed himself. The first focused on isolated movement, the second was of a slower, more lyrical style, and the last dance was a faster pace. I thought this was fantastic as it meant all the different aspects of jazz were combined into one session. Incorporating different styles of jazz into the class meant there was something for everyone to enjoy, whether they preferred a quicker pace or a gentle style.

Connor would demonstrate each dance in sections making the overall sequence easier to follow. He would verbally explain what he was doing as he did it and go through the steps three or four times before putting each section to music. Prior to moving onto the next stages of the dance Connor would ask the room if there were any steps we wanted him to show us again, or if anyone was feeling like they didn’t quite understand. He was very patient and willing to go through the movements with individual students to ensure that what he was explaining was understood. 

As we practised, Connor walked around the room and gave us each individual feedback before putting the whole dance together as a sequence accompanied with music. Once we had practised everything together along with the music, the group was split into three groups of three. We then had the whole room to dance and receive even more feedback for the overall dance. Everyone in the class was encouraging. Connor urged a round of applause after each dance, creating a sense of community between us all.

Millie and I had a wonderful time at Adore Dance. It was a reassuring, positive experience that reminded us both why we loved attending dance classes when we were younger.

Thanks to Connor and the whole team at Adore Dance for a fantastic experience!