The internationally acclaimed and award-winning Jazzart Dance Theatre has been around since 1973, and it is heralded as one of South Africa’s leading contemporary dance companies.  Jazzart Dance turns motion into an enlivened exercise. Whether you're a beginner or a dancer looking to grow your skills, there is a class for you. 

Summer is just around the corner—what better way to usher in the warm season than by putting your best foot forward and taking part in some healthy exercise? Reaping rewards in your quest to look good and feel great isn’t always the result of dedicated gym time. The performing arts offer a fabulous way to tune up and get that summer body you've been thinking of all year. To help you add a bit of groove to your fitness plans, Jazzart Dance Theatre has opened its studio doors to offer evening dance classes for people of various ages, fitness levels, shapes and sizes. Well-versed in dance’s ability to express an idea or emotion, release energy, or simply delight in the movement itself, Jazzart is perfectly placed to distil motion into enlivening exercise. 

Dance for novices can be a daunting challenge for self-doubting newbies, but Jazzart’s welcoming approach to a physical workout provides a safe space for exploration. “When we say we welcome everybody, we mean just that,” says Jazzart dance teacher Ananda Fuchs who, together with the company’s artistic director, Sifiso Kweyama, has been teaching novices and those with some degree of experience, for many years.  “Dance is an incredible discipline that can be learned at any age and because we take it easy (to start with), almost anyone can benefit from one or two classes a week.”

The bonus of Jazzart’s dance classes is that benefits are not just about trimming down or chiselling your body, it’s about changed lives – enhancing your health and athleticism while using a rewarding system that improves both your internal and external world. Skilled Jazzart teachers know just how to utilise the fluidity of choreography to enable you to capitalise on beautiful movement, and this focused exercise can “invigorate the dancer’s energies and interrogate their inner connections,” adds Kweyama.

Jazzart Dance Theatre trainees rehearsing for their production ‘Archives’ at the Jazzart Rehearsal Studio at Artscape Theatre Centre.

PICTURE by MARK WESSELS.

Spring always seems to come around sooner than you expect, and Jazzart’s classes provide the perfect platform to maximise dance’s gains, and to explore movement as a means of getting fit. Anyone who wants to add art to their extracurricular activities is encouraged to join in. 

The benefits of Jazzart dance classes include:

  • Build core strength
  • Firm muscles without bulking up
  • Improve balance and co-ordination
  • Lose centimetres and kilos
  • Step out of your comfort zone – learn something new
  • Improved mental health
  • Improved flexibility
  • Up those energy levels
  • Meet new people
  • Express yourself like never before – own the moment.

Dance classes take place at the Jazzart studio RR552 at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. For information on class schedules, packages and costs, visit http://www.jazzart.co.za/dance-classes/ 

 

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