Teaching dance lessons in a range of styles and genres
AK Academy of Dancing teaches dance lessons to pupils of all ages in and around Poole.
Fun lessons from qualified dance teachers
Come to a free trial lesson in one of our local venues
AK Academy of Dancing has venues in Poole, Christchurch, Ferndown, West Moors and Corfe Mullen. We aim to create a fun and welcoming atmosphere, no matter how old or young you are. Contact us to find out more or book a free trial lesson.
Genres we teach:
Ballet: An artistic dance form performed to music, using precise and highly formalised set steps and gestures. We follow a syllabus suitable for all ages and abilities. Classical ballet, which originated in renaissance Italy and established its present form during the 19th century, is characterized by light, graceful movements and the use of pointe shoes with reinforced toes.
Baby ballet: Introduces children into the enchanting world of dance using imagery and props such as wings, scarfs, wands, flags, coloured spots and much more. The aim is to help bring out each child’s creative side and allow them to express themselves through dance.
Tap: A type of dance characterised by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. The sound is made by shoes that have a metal ‘tap’ on the heel and toe. There are several major variations on tap dance including: flamenco, rhythm (jazz) tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and post-modern tap. These variations are used in progression throughout the set grades.
Modern: A free expressive style of dancing that developed in the early 20th century as a reaction to classical ballet. In recent years it has included elements not usually associated with dance, such as speech and film. The set syllabus involves a variety of lyrical, isolation and jazz.
Contemporary lyrical: A style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.
Disco freestyle: Freestyle is a popular form of dance in the world today. It involves runs, spins, kicks and leaps, as well as many other diverse steps and movements with lots of arm and hand actions. The music can be fast and rhythmic or slow and sensuous, allowing dancers of all ages to use freedom of expression to enhance their style.
Rock and roll: Rock and roll is a very athletic, competitive form of partner dance that originated from lindy hop. Unlike lindy hop, however, it is a choreographed dance designed for performance. It is commonly danced in couples, however can be danced as a soloist or in a group.
Street: ‘Street dance’ was a term coined originally to describe dances that developed outside of the studio setting and in a social space like streets, clubs and parks. The original street dances included breaking, popping and locking. Younger forms of street dance include krumping and house.
Commercial: Commercial dance is the main source of career opportunities for professional dancers and includes: Dance for the stage (such as Cruise Lines, Industrials, Broadway Shows, Theme Parks, Resorts, Vegas, etc.) Dance for films (both feature and short formats), music videos, and television (TV shows and commercials).
Acrobatic dance: Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics, and its use of acrobatics in a dance context.
Musical theatre: Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humour, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
Benefits of dancing include:
Increase strength and overall health – Dancing is exercise, so naturally it will assist in strengthening your bones and muscles. As your strength increases, you will have more energy to continue dancing. Your increased level of physical activity and exercise can help prevent illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease and reduce the risk of osteoporosis as your bones become stronger.
Boost memory – When you exercise, the levels of chemicals in your brain that encourage nerve cells to grow is increased and since dancing requires you to remember various steps and sequences, your brain power is boosted which helps to improve your memory. Dancing incorporates several brain functions at once- kinaesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional. Utilising all of these at the same time can further increase your neural activity, helping to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Improve flexibility – Stretching before and after dancing is very important to getting the most out of your movements and avoiding injury. As you continue dancing you will be stretching more consistently and will notice how each stretch will become easier to complete. As the stretches become easier, you will be able to go farther into each stretch, creating longer lines as you lengthen your muscles and become more and more flexible. With this increased flexibility you will notice you have a wider range of motion and your dancing will become much easier.
Increase balance – In order to execute each move and sequence correctly, you will need to be able to maintain a strong centre of gravity. As you learn each movement and begin to gain increased flexibility and strength, your posture, balance and spatial awareness will naturally begin to improve, making each step easier for you to complete.
Healthy heart and lungs – Dancing is great cardiovascular exercise. As you continue to dance and notice your strength and grace improving, you will witness an increase in your stamina. Your heart rate will stay steady longer and you will not have the feeling of being out of breath as much.
Reduce stress – When you are dancing, your body is fully involved in that moment, focused on the music and your surroundings. Being around friends or that someone special to enjoy dancing to your favourite music can help you focus on strictly the moment you are in and aid in reducing the amount of cortisol your brain produces (the hormone that is associated with stress), lowering your stress and tension levels.
Help with low mood – Dance can be a very therapeutic and healthy way for people to channel any feelings they may be experiencing. If you are suffering from low moods, dance can give you an outlet for your emotions by using music or movements that you connect to while in a positive environment. Being able to express yourself without having to talk about anything can give a sense of freedom both physically and physiologically. As you continue to dance, you will see how easy dancing will become and your confidence and self-esteem will also naturally increase, both on and off the dance floor only helping to further reduce your feelings of low mood.
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Help with weight management – The consistent movement that dancing provides utilises multiple muscle groups at the same time, helping to tone your entire body. A study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that an exercise program of aerobic dance training is just as effective as jogging or cycling in order to improve body composition and aerobic strength. You may even notice a natural shift in your eating habits as you begin to feel healthier from your dancing, which also will aid in weight management.
Increase social improvement and confidence – Everybody enjoys meeting new people and dancing provides a fun environment to meet people who have the same interest as you- they want to learn how to dance! This type of environment is perfect to either utilise your social skills if you are outgoing or to help strengthen your social skills if you have a quiet personality. Dancing is a great way to meet new friends and improves your social outlook in an atmosphere where you can feel safe and comfortable.
R.A.D Ballet Uniform
For grades 1-7, Black full circle character skirt, length below knee above calf with three rows of ribbon 1x turquoise ribbon 1x pale blue 1x turquoise.
Character shoes Grades 1 + 2 low heel, Grade 3 and above Cuban heel.
PRE-PRIMARY- PRIMARY & GRADE 1
Girls
Marine blue cap sleeved leotard
Marine blue georgette wrap skirt
Marine blue cross-over cardigan
Black low heel character shoes (Grade 1 only)
Black character skirt (Grade 1 only)
PRE PRIMARY AND PRIMARY ONLY
Marine blue head band
Pink ballet socks
Pink satin ballet shoes with elastic
Props: Will be provided
Boys
White cap sleeved leotard
Navy blue cotton drill shorts
White ballet socks
White leather ballet shoes with elastic
GRADES 2 & 3
Girls
Marine blue sleeveless leotard with Marine blue elastic belt
Marine blue head band
Pink ballet socks - Tights for grade 3
Pink satin ballet shoes with elastic
Black low heel character shoes (Grade 2)
Black cuban heel character shoes (Grade 3)
Black character skirt
Boys
As above except Navy blue lycra shorts
Brown belt
GRADE 4 & 5
Girls
Navy Blue sleeveless leotard with Navy Blue elastic belt
Pink ballet tights
Pink satin ballet shoes with ribbons
GRADE 6, 7 & 8
Girls
Black Capezio strappy leotard
Pink ballet tights
Pink canvas ballet shoes with crossover elastic
Black chiffon/Georgette full circle approx. mid calf
White length of silk for Free Movement
Intermediate Found, Inter & Adv 1&2
As for grade 6,7,8 with velvet hair ribbon and soft satin pointe shoes & hard pointe shoes
ISTD Uniform
ALL GRADES
Girls
Black sleeveless leotard pinched front
Black lycra 3/4 leggings
Gold scrunchie
Gold elastic belt
Black leather ballet shoes with Elastic or jazz shoes for lessons
Boys
Black cap sleeved leotard
Black cycle shorts
Black leather ballet shoes with elastic or jazz shoes for lessons
I.S.T.D TAP EXAM & CLASS REQUIRMENTS
ALL GRADES
Girls
Black sleeveless leotard
Black and Gold tap skirt
Black lycra ¾ Leggings
Black trainer socks
Black tap shoes
Boys
AK T-shirt or white leotard
Black cycle shorts
Black trainer socks
Black Tap shoes
Why choose AK Dance?
- We are a warm, welcoming and encouraging genuine family run Academy who will push each student to their best ability, but most importantly have a lot of fun along the way
- We offer many exciting opportunities to our students, which will give them life-long memories to cherish
- Don't just choose a school that your friends currently attend, choose a school which is best suited to you as an individual and make additional friends - 'Friends that dance together, stay together' and AK are one big family of friends
- We pride ourselves on having nil tolerance to bullying of any kind
- All our staff are highly qualified with years of experience behind them, each passing their own experiences and ideas on to our students to help and encourage them in their dance journey with us
"I can't thank the AK Academy of Dancing enough for what they have given my 2 girls. From the first dance party Anna and Sophie did for us and the 1st dance lesson nearly 7 years ago my daughters have not looked back. From dancing on a London stage, exceeding in dance exams and competitions they have been encouraged and helped along the way by the brilliant and friendly teachers. We couldn't ask for more from a dance school, thank you."
Kelly and Stuart
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