Casco Bay Movers was founded as a studio for adults to provide a safe and supportive place for all who wanted to discover the joy of dance. We strive to create welcoming spaces and share high-quality professional training for adult movers of all experience levels. Descriptions of the classes and levels can be found below. If you are unsure where to begin your dance journey at CBM, call us at 207.871.1013 or email us at info@cascobaymovers.com. We are happy to help!

Ballet: Classes focus on proper body placement, alignment, barre,  center floor work, and across-the-floor combinations. What to wear: any comfortable dance or athletic wear that allows for a free range of movement with ballet shoes or socks.

Contemporary Forms: Classes will include floor work, improvisation, and versatility of body lines and dynamic movements. What to wear: any comfortable dance or athletic wear that allows for a free range of movement. Layers work well as you’ll be sliding and rolling on the floor.

Hip Hop: Hip hop classes are fun, upbeat, and focused on personal style and expression. The movement style blends hip hop’s foundation: poppin’, lockin’, breakin’, and housing combined with more contemporary styles. What to wear: Any comfortable dance or athletic wear that allows for a free range of movement and sneakers designated for indoor use only.  

Modern Jazz: Modern Jazz fuses the groundedness of modern dance with the grooves, joy and rhythm of jazz dance. Each class begins with somatic practices to tune into your dancing body before progressing to standing center work and longer dancey phrases. What to wear: Any comfortable dance or athletic wear that allows for a free range of movement. Layers work well for any floorwork, and jazz shoes or socks are welcome but not required.

Tap: Tap is an exciting rhythmic exercise and dance form with African-American and Irish roots. Tap is an original American art form that offers a variety of styles and techniques.  Beginner-level classes stress the basics of tap and build into Broadway-style combinations. Intermediate and advanced level classes progress appropriately with more challenging material seen in the traditional Rhythm Tap style of the great masters Honi Coles, Leon Collins, and Lady Dianne Walker. What to wear: any comfortable dance or athletic wear that allows for a free range of movement and properly fitting tap shoes. Oxford style is preferred. 

On the Mat: A fusion of Pilates and Progressing Ballet Technique, using a variety of props to increase proprioception, dynamic alignment, and mobility to support all dance forms and healthy movement.

Gryokinesis: Gyrokinesis is a movement practice designed to gently and powerfully work the whole body. Developed by Juliu Horvath, a former ballet dancer, the patterns evolved from his personal journey of healing after a series of injuries. Class begins on a stool exploring spinal motions of arching, curling, twisting, and spiraling – opening the joints, decompressing the spine while activating the core without harsh impact or strain. From there, the work expands to include floor work and standing sequences, all with flowing rhythms and coordinated breath. The movements are never static; there is no holding of poses but a continuous dancelike quality. Enjoy moving through a series of exercises that improve posture, balance, and mobility while building functional strength.

 

Levels: The descriptions below are guidelines, and each student will progress at their own pace.

Beginner: Geared to dancers with little to no experience. Most students stick with beginner-level classes for 2-5 years before moving to beginner/intermediate or slow intermediate.  Students returning to dance after a long hiatus or rehabbing an injury may prefer this level.

Beginner/Intermediate: The beginner-level curriculum is presented more quickly, leaving more time to explore movement qualities. A strong knowledge of basic vocabulary in the form is assumed, and is geared to students with three or more years of recent, consistent training in the dance form.

Slow Intermediate:  Geared to dancers with five or more years of recent, consistent training in the dance form.

Intermediate – Intermediate/Advanced: Appropriate for dancers with eight or more years of recent, consistent training in the dance form.