Ledwig Dance Academy was the first Acrobatic Arts certified studio in the Crossroads area. Our program is designed to teach children the fundamentals of acrobatics in a safe and supportive environment. Class is structured by levels. Each level includes a set of skills that the students must accomplish before moving forward. Levels include acro skills such as rolls, somersaults, cart wheels, round offs, handstands, walkovers, forearm stands, and aerials. Our Acro Dance Program offers a variety of classes for children of all ages and skill levels, Pre-Acro (ages 3-4), Intermediate Acro (ages Kinder & up), and Advanced Acro (ages 7 & up).
Safety First
At Ledwig Dance Academy, safety is our top priority. Our instructors are trained in the exclusive Acrobatic Arts syllabus to teach acrobatics in a safe environment. We use specialized equipment to ensure that our students can practice their skills safely.
Why should dancers learn Acro instead of gymnastics?
Acro is designed for dancers, unlike gymnastics. In acro, skills are executed differently due to many different circumstances:
How does the acro program work?
The acro program we're using through Acrobatic Arts consists of levels. The levels include several strength, flexibility, limbering, tumbling, and balancing skills that the dancers must learn in order to move up a level. There are twelve levels included in the program. The students will have their level posted in the dance room so they can monitor what they need to work on in order to move up a level.
We are able to teach different tumbling and balancing skills such as somersaults, handstands, walkovers, cart wheels, round offs, chin stands, head stands, etc. Aerial's are in the more advanced levels and will take some time before achieving.
There is no set number of levels a dancer should go through in a year. Every dancer is unique and will progress at a different rate. More advanced dancers usually can pass the first two levels in a month or two. The levels after that get a little trickier and will require more time to progress through.
This program works through progressions. Your dancer cannot learn how to properly do a walkover until they have learned and mastered the skills and levels that come before this one. The dancer starts at primary and works their way up the levels. A lot of dancers can already do walkovers, hand stands, etc. and have taught themselves how to do this. We still want them to go through the progressions to learn how to do the skills according to our syllabus. They will probably find it is a little easier to accomplish.
This program is developed to ensure dancers safety and reduce risk of injuries. Without proper instructor training, while the student may be able to do these tricks, they may be doing it in ways that may damage the body or cause long term damage. Mastering each level and progressing through the various levels ensures a healthy dancers body.
What do I need to do with my dancer at home to improve her acro skills?
Practice. Acro requires practice at home, just like dance. Flexibility and strength are key to making this program work for your dancer. Level progression is based on your dancers committment to following the program at home and at dance. Make sure your dancer is stretching and strengthening their muscles away from dance.
