Dance is an art form that refers to movement of the body as a form of expression, social interaction or as a form that is presented in a spiritual or performance setting. Dance are methods of non-verbal communication dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints. Dance embodies or expresses ideas, emotions or tell a story.
Our wide variety of dances at World Heritage Cultural Center is taught by passionate and professional dancers that are eager to share their talents with our members. All of our small intimate classes range from beginners, intermediate to advanced levels.
Some of the Dances being taught at the Center are listed below.
*Bharatnatyam traces its origins to the Natya Shastra written by Bharata Muni (c. 400 BCE - 200 BCE), a Hindu sage. In ancient times it was performed as dasiattam by temple dancers. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharatanatyam dance postures karanas. Bharatanatyam is considered to be a fire-dance — the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body. It is one of the five major styles (one for each element) that include Odissi (element of water), and Mohiniattam (element of air). The movements of an authentic Bharatanatyam dancer resemble the movements of a dancing flame.
*Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from northern India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or story tellers.
*Latin Dances typically includes dances originating in Latin America and the Caribbean islands such as cha cha cha, rumba, samba, salsa, mambo, danza, merengue, tumba, bachata, cumbia, and bolero.
*Ballroom Dancing is a more formal usage, to describe a category of International style ballroom dances, also called Latin American dances or International Latin. It consists of the following five dances: rumba, samba, paso doble, cha-cha-cha, jive.
*Belly Dancing native to North Africa and Asia, belly dancing is based on one of the oldest social dances in world history. Support for this theory stems from similarities between poses from the modern dance form and those depicted in ancient Egyptian art.
*Jazz Dancing is an umbrella term that can refer to several related dance styles. All of them are connected via common roots, namely tap, ballet, jazz music, and African-American rhythms and dance.
*Ballet is a formalized form of dance with its origins in the French court, further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. It is a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. It is primarily performed with the accompaniment of classical music. It has been influential as a form of dance globally and is taught in ballet schools around the world which use their own culture and society to modernize the art.
