Foundations & Phrases - Adult Class

Our evening adult class is back!

Whether you're seeking to enhance your technique, reconnect with your passion for dance, or simply enjoy a fun and energising workout, this class offers something for everyone.

Led by Associate Artist, Sara Marques, Foundations & Phrases offers a friendly introduction to contemporary dance.

Along with developing your dance skills and feeling good through movement, you’ll learn the fundamentals of contemporary dance practice with a focus on technique, vocabulary and phrases.

What to expect:

Warm-up: Like any dance form, contemporary dance typically starts with a warm-up session. This includes stretching exercises to increase flexibility, cardiovascular exercises to get the heart rate up, and movements that focus on alignment and grounding.

Foundational Techniques: Contemporary dance incorporates various techniques from ballet, modern dance, and other movement forms. You can expect to learn basic techniques such as isolations, contractions, releases, spirals, and floor work. These techniques form the foundation of contemporary dance vocabulary.
Learning Choreographic Phrases: In the second half of class you'll learn choreographic phrases or sequences. These Phrases will range from simple combinations of movements to more complex sequences that challenge coordination and musicality.
Cool-down: Your cool- down involves gentle movement, stretching, focused breathing, rehydration and reflection. It's essential for cooling down muscles, preventing injury, and promoting overall well-being.

About Sara:

Sara trained in contemporary dance at the Balleteatro Professional School in Porto, Portugal, before joining the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) in Leeds, where she graduated with a 1st class honours degree.

In 2017, Sara auditioned to work with Company Chameleon through the NSCD postgraduate apprentice scheme – she was successful and her partnership with Chameleon began. As well as training as an Apprentice with the Company, Sara has performed and toured internationally with Chameleon, and as an Associate Artist plays an important role in our learning and participation team.

Sara leads The Saturday Sessions, our weekly classes for young people and has recently worked with our Co-Director, Kevin to deliver Deep Flow for Factory International.

Sara is co-creator of Damae Dance (pictured below), which she set up with fellow dance artist, Alice Bonazzi in 2018. As Damae, Sara has co-created, performed and toured work to outdoor dance festivals including Greenwich International Dance Festival, DepfordX Fringe and CIDADE+CORPO in Portugal.

Photo credits: main image – Joel Chester Fildes | Damae Dance: Daniel Phung

Host or Publisher Company Chameleon