Dance Classes in Whippany, NJ
Sharon’s Studio of Dance & Music offers dance classes in Whippany, NJ for kids beginning at 18 months, through adult levels. Our dance classes are broken up by grade level, with almost all subjects offered at each level. From the classical trainings of ballet, jazz and tap, to hip hop and break dance, you're sure to find a class you love!
View our dance class schedule for the 2024-25 season and call us at 973-386-0259 to schedule a free trial lesson!
Our Mommy & Me dance classes will help your little one enhance their gross motor skills, become more independent, and socially aware. These classes will assist in introducing your child to sharing and following directions in a fun and safe environment. These classes are for children 18-24 months old to take with a parent or guardian.
Mommy & Me Dance Classes
Twinkling Twos
Our original Twinkling Twos program is specially designed for two-year-olds to introduce them to rhythms, songs, creative movement and expression. This fun 30-minute class includes elements of ballet, creative movement and tumbling to prepare your child for our Preschool Combo class.
Our preschool combo classes include age-appropriate lessons in ballet, tap, and acrobatics. Classes follow a curriculum that is proven to help your little one increase their confidence while being supported in a safe and encouraging environment. Each class begins with tap, in which children will learn basics like marches and heel digs, as well as traditional tap steps like shuffles and ball changes. After children change into ballet shoes, they learn simple barre exercises, stretches, and circle games. Finally, the children head to the gym mats to focus on rolls, crab walks, cartwheels, and more for a creative and fun-filled 45 minute class!
Preschool Combo
Hippity Hop/Acro Combo
This class for three and four year olds combines hip hop and acrobatics and is sure to get your little one to “wiggle it, just a little bit!” The 45-minute lesson will incorporate a fun, fast moving, age appropriate style of hip hop dance with pop music so that your child can increase their confidence and express their creativity while being supported in a safe environment with our experienced dance teachers.
Kindergarten-1st Grade Combo
Our kindergarten to first grade combo class provides instruction in tap, ballet, and jazz dance techniques. The ballet and tap portions of class are built off of the preschool curriculum. Students learn more advanced tap steps, including Maxie Fords and buffalos, while reviewing shuffles and ball changes to enforce the basics. In ballet, students learn the basics of the ballet barre, including plies, tendus, and degages. The jazz section of class will introduce stretching, isolations, and core strengthening exercises. Students in the kindergarten to first grade combo receive a well rounded education, laying the foundation for future learning.
Ballet is considered the basis of all dance techniques. It provides a solid foundation for the aspiring dancer by improving the body's strength, coordination, and flexibility. At the younger levels, children are given exercises at the barre, focusing on the basics of plie, tendu, and battement. As the levels progress, new concepts such as pas de cheval, petit battement, and rond de jambe are introduced. Steps are reinforced through across-the-floor exercises, combinations, leaps and turns.
Ballet Classes
Pointe Classes
Our pointe classes are designed for advanced ballet students ready to elevate their technique to the next level. With a focus on strength, precision, and grace, students will refine their skills and develop the artistry required for this elegant and challenging ballet discipline. Safety and proper technique are emphasized, ensuring each dancer's progression is both rewarding and injury-free.
Jazz
Jazz provides strong technical training for a dancer, set to upbeat music. Class reinforces many of the same things taught in ballet class, making it beneficial to pair the classes together. Jazz introduces new, modern terminology and movement methods including isolations, stretches, and the parallel position. Classes begin with a center warm-up that strengthens and stretches. Students then practice across the floor and in the center with a culminating combination.
Tap gives the student the unique ability to focus on creating rhythms and sounds. This technique is beneficial for reinforcement in counting music, feeling rhythms, and additional coordination skills. At the younger levels, tap class focuses on learning basic steps like Maxie Fords, time steps, and buffalos, while distinguishing between flaps and shuffles, jumps and leaps, and heels and toes. As students progress to the middle levels, more difficult concepts like pull backs, drawbacks, and wings are introduced. Dances are typically taught to coincide directly with the beat of the music. In the teen and high school classes, rhythm tapping is introduced.
Tap Classes
Lyrical provides dancers with an outlet to tell the story of a song through their movements. This stylized class combines the techniques of ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Class focuses on turns, leaps, tricks, and flexibility. We recommend this class be taken in conjunction with ballet and/or jazz.
Lyrical
Contemporary
Contemporary dance pulls from ballet, jazz, and modern techniques to create an interesting style that includes shapes, gestures, and unique variations to classical movements. We recommend this class be taken in conjunction with ballet and/ or jazz.
Break Dance Classes
Break dance is a form of hip hop that requires a strong upper body and a willingness to try new and exciting things. Students will learn the basics, while progressing to head spins, back spins, and windmills in higher levels of break.
Hip hop is a fun and exciting class that offers an alternative to classical training options such as ballet and tap. Our hip hop classes include some elements of jazz technique including stretches, isolations, and core strengthening. Students are taught hip hop steps such as floor work, freezes, and turns. Hip hop is very energetic and unique in that it allows dancers to perform with freedom of movement, adding in their own personalities.
Hip Hop Classes
Acrobatic training builds flexibility and upper body strength. Tricks such as handstands, cartwheels and rolls are taught. As levels progress, tricks like walkovers, handsprings and aerials are introduced.
Acrobatics / Acro Classes
Stretch, Leaps & Turns
Stretch, leaps, and turns is a class dedicated solely to those three areas of dance technique. Class is taught from a non-genre specific background, so students will focus on jazz, ballet, and modern technique as well as lyrical and contemporary styles. A typical class includes a center stretch and across the floor exercises, with center work focusing on petite allegro and turns. Occasionally, class focus will shift to conditioning and strengthening. This class does not do a recital dance, as its intention is to build strong, technical dancers.
Strength & Conditioning
Stretch and conditioning focuses on yoga, Pilates, cardio, and strength training to loosen muscles and build strength. The class will focus on arms, legs, and abdominal strength. Flexibility will also be a key focus of the class, teaching students how to maximize flexibility after truly warming up their muscles. This class does not do a recital dance.
Adult Dance Classes
Our adult dance classes are friendly, social classes, regardless of your level of dance experience. Classes focus on posture, self-confidence, body strength, and balance. Each class is based on a wide repertoire of exercises and routines which will keep you moving and improve flexibility, coordination, stamina and core strength.
