Street from five, commercial from eight, in the black-box Studio 2 with Marcus and Jade
Street and commercial
Street dance from five and commercial from eight in Studio 2, the black box with the mirrors and the sound system, taught by Marcus and Jade, who have both danced professionally and still do. Foundations, choreography, freestyle and a crew for the ones who want to compete. No exams; the show and the competitions are the test.
Street is the biggest class in the building on a Thursday night and the reason half the teenagers are here. It is taught with the same seriousness as the ballet: foundations before choreography, the names of the moves and where they came from, and a teacher who has done it for money and knows the difference between dancing and posing.
Minis, from five to seven, is forty-five minutes of rhythm, bounce and the first foundations (the two-step, the running man, the rock) with games to make the counting stick. Juniors, eight to eleven, and Seniors, twelve to sixteen, are an hour: a warm-up that is a proper warm-up, twenty minutes of foundations or a freestyle circle, and a routine built over the half term that goes into the show. Hip hop, popping, locking and house all appear; what gets taught in a given half term depends on the music the class is bringing in.
Commercial, from eight, is the style of music videos and tours: sharper, more choreographed, and with a performance element that the street kids sometimes find harder than the steps. Jade teaches it on Tuesdays and takes the Seniors' commercial routine to the Riverfront show, where it closes the first half every year.
The crew, Tempo Collective, is by invitation from Seniors and trains on Saturday afternoons for ninety minutes towards two regional competitions a year and the show. It is the one place in the school where the standard is the standard and a dancer can be asked to step back for a term. Everyone invited so far has said yes.
Trainers that are only worn indoors, loose clothes you can move in, and water. No uniform, no exams, no pianist. The studio has a sprung floor under the vinyl, which matters more for street than parents expect, a full mirror wall, and a sound system that the neighbours on Commercial Street have learned to forgive by nine o'clock.
What is included
- Minis (5–7), Juniors (8–11) and Seniors (12–16) street, an hour a week
- Commercial from eight on Tuesdays with Jade
- Foundations and freestyle every week, a routine every half term
- Tempo Collective, the competition crew, by invitation on Saturdays
- The Riverfront show every July
- No uniform and no exams; indoor trainers and water
What it costs
Minis (five to seven) £7 for forty-five minutes; Juniors and Seniors £8.50 for an hour; the crew £12 for ninety minutes. Nothing is added. The timetable has every class with its spaces, the term dates and the prices side by side; the exams and shows page has the dates.
Questions about street and commercial
Is street dance safe for a five-year-old?
Yes. Minis is bounce, rhythm and foundations on a sprung floor, with no floorwork that needs a mat and no tricks. Headspins and the like are not taught to anyone under twelve and only to the crew with mats and a spotter.
My teenager has never danced. Is it too late?
No; most of the Seniors started at eleven or twelve. The first half term is awkward for everyone and then it is not. Come to a free taster on a Thursday and stand at the back, which is where everybody starts.
What is the difference between street and commercial?
Street is the club and battle styles: foundations, freestyle, your own flavour. Commercial is the choreographed, camera-facing style of music videos: sharp, synchronised, performed. Most dancers do both by twelve.
The first class is free. Any class, any age, nothing to buy.
Tell us the dancer's age and the style you are curious about, and the office rings back the same day with a class that has a space. Come in anything you can move in, stand at the back if you like, and decide afterwards. Or ring Bethan in the office.