Elemental Studios Community Blog

  Reggaeton and Femme Funk are two dance styles that possess unique energies, differing yet similar in their own way.  Reggaeton is a very vibrant and rhythmic style that is rooted in Puerto Rican and Panamanian music that blends Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Latin influences, exploring dance movements that have sensual body movements and isolations, hip movement, and energetic bounce. This style is recognized to have a fun, free-spirited, charismatic, playful, and confident vibe that makes it so diverse and unique. It also focuses on ''dembow" rhythms that have very specific and synchopated beats from Jamaican dancehall, fused with Latin music; there are snares and quarter note kicks as well. Femme Funk is a dance style that explores the feminine and masculine energy that is in all of us. It is a style that focuses on building confidence, sensual, fluid, and expressive movements, while blending the dance styles of jazz, hip-hop, heels choreography, and vogue. This style also focus...

  The Latin Fusion dance style is truly a one-of-a-kind experience in today's dance culture, from the style combining traditional Latin dance styles like salsa, bachata, reggaeton, merengue, cha-cha, cumbia, and samba with popular dance styles like hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, street styles, and even ballroom styles to create a truly unique and dynamic style that has changed the game of the dance world. The key features that this dance is often used for are in concerts, solo, or in groups. The choreography often combines footwork, body isolation, hip movements, along with the attitude, musicality, and/or floorwork of another style. The music used in this dance style can vary from Latin Pop and Reggaeton to global hits and remixes; it's always an unexpected and unforgettable experience! This style of dance is a celebration of Latin roots, mixing with the global movement of dance. Its high energy, constantly evolving, and expressive nature has made students who attend classes of ...

  Hip-Hop dance has been prevalent in today's dance culture, creating a community of people who have come together to explore various styles integrated from the late 1960s and 1970s in New York, inspired by African dance styles such as swing, tap, and modern dance. It has truly transformed dance culture from bounces to rocks, including popping, breaking, locking, and moves such as The Jack, the C-shuffle, the Charleston, glides, The Chicken Head, The Cabbage Patch, and many others.  This style of dance encourages individuality and creativity, bringing together communities from all walks of life to create art in a way that makes the many generations of hip-hop so unique, as well as fun and playful. Today, I chatted with Paige, a Hip-Hop and Heels instructor from the Florida area, about her journey with learning hip-hop dance, so let's learn about her, shall we? Paige currently teaches Hip-Hop Heels at Vecinos in Gainesville, Florida, and formerly taught at Elemental Studios. Pa...

  Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Student Lens series. Today, I will be chatting with Sharlynne, a student who has shown her determination, consistency, and power through showcasing herself in many incredible ways while attending Elemental Studios. I am super excited to interview her and talk about her experience as a student at the studio. So, let's get to know her, shall we? Before we get into the interview, let's learn a little bit about Sharlynne. "My name is Sharlynne, and I am a mom and an entrepreneur. I am currently in the process of starting my own firm and finding some work-life balance. Taking classes at Elemental Studios has been my favorite way to prioritize myself." Let's get into the interview! 1. How did you find out about Elemental Studios? Sharlynne: "I first found out about Elemental Studios through a friendship mixer in Denver. I attended a class with someone I met at the mixer and instantly loved it." 2. What was your 1st cla...

  Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Student Lens. Today, I will be featuring the insanely talented dancer Teresa. Teresa has been a consistent dancer and attendee at Elemental Studios and has been open to any and all styles since attending at the studio's original opening.  Like many of the students at Elemental Studios, Teresa has shown her power, determination, confidence, and charming personality to create her one-of-a-kind dance style. She has assisted with a few classes, one of them being K-pop with Nicki and the 2nd being Beginner Reggaeton with Rocio. Teresa is also a member of the incredible Colorado K-pop Dance Crew, Illuminate Dance Crew. Today, I interviewed Teresa to talk to her about her dance journey and also to ask some questions about her as a student and a work study.  So, let's get into the questions! 1. How did you start your dance journey? Teresa: "I began dancing on my own at the age of 13, but I didn't truly begin my journey until around COV...

  Twerk and Heels dance styles are often the center of confidence, sensuality, body control, and empowerment for every dancer who learns them.  Even though both styles have their different technical styles, they share a couple of important things that every dancer can benefit from, such as their emphasis on hip and lower body movements, with how they require strong isolated control of the hips, booty, and legs, the focus on confidence and self-expression, with how dancers are encouraged to own their movements and unleash their attitude on the dance floor, as well as having strength and stamina to make their performance style be an eye-catching moment for both the audience and creating a liberating experience for the dancer performing either style.  But also, both styles do have their differences, with Twerk being rooted in the Afro-disapora dance style that derives from Central Africa and the New Orleans hip-hop bounce style in the 1990s, focusing on rhythmic and repetiti...

  Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Student Lens. Today, I am going to be interviewing the incredibly talented and absolutely stunning Zoe, who has been a consistent attendee at the studio, and chatting with her about her experience at Elemental Studios.  Before we get into the interview, let's get to know Zoe a little bit, shall we? "My Name is Zoe, and I've been dancing at Elemental Studios for a year and a half! I mainly do heels dancing but love to dip into other styles like hip-hop, femme funk, and poms!" Let's get into the interview!  1. How did you find out about Elemental Studios? Zoe: "I was introduced to Elemental Studios by a friend. We went to a few classes together after promising each other we would start going consistently. She ended up only going a few times a week while I continued to go every week!" 2. What was your first class at Elemental Studios, and what was that experience like for you? Zoe: "My first class was the open ...

  Shuffle dance is a unique and creative dance style that showcases quick heel-to-toe movements often performed to different styles of electronic dance music (EDM), such as house, trance, dubstep, and more. This makes this dance style stand out among many of the dance styles that we see in the dance community.  Shuffle dance is often highly improvisational, with the use of basic steps and upper body movements, the individual dancer can create expressive combinations that make their routine their own. Dancers can experience a culture that is unlike anything else.  Today, I chatted with Paddy, the Beginner/Intermediate Shuffle Instructor at Elemental Studios, to learn more about him and explore how this style has impacted his dance journey. Let's learn about him, shall we? Paddy has always appreciated dance and movement from a young age, but discovered shuffling 4 years ago while living in North Carolina and being on active duty in the Marine Corps. Since that moment, his p...

  Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Student Lens series. Today, I will be chatting with Trinity, who has been a consistent student at Elemental Studios and a member of the studio's staff. I am super excited to interview her and talk about her experience with both working at the studio and being a student at Elemental Studios.  I hope that you are just as excited as I am to get to know Trinity, so let's dive in, shall we? Before we get into the interview, let's learn a little bit about Trinity. "My name is Trinity Darling, and I am 24 years old. I have been in a serious relationship for the last 4 years, and we just bought our first home! I am also a caregiver at a senior living home." Let's get into the interview! 1. How did you find out about Elemental Studios? Trinity: "I found out about Elemental Studios through a co-worker I had worked with, and I am forever grateful for finding Elemental." 2. What was your 1st class at Elemental Studios, a...

  Femme Funk, as a dance style, is a combination of a variety of dance styles that truly showcase both the masculine and feminine energies that we each have inside of us. This style of dance explores styles with jazz and incorporates other styles like vogue, hip-hop, ballet, and many other styles that truly makes this style unlike anything else. The idea of this style is to grow your self-confidence, explore all the sides you haven't discovered yet, and build your self-esteem through the process of your dance journey with all the different music and dance styles.  Today, I chatted with Jake, one of the Femme Funk Instructors here at Elemental Studios to learn more about him and his journey with dance. I am excited to interview him not only as a student of his but also someone who wants you guys to know what you guys to know him as well! Here's our Interview! 1. What is your favorite thing about being a teacher at Elemental Studios? Jake: "My favorite thing about being an E...

  You may be wondering what Reggaeton and Femme Dance have in common, right? Both of these styles emphasize fluid, rhythmic movements centered on the hips, as well as body isolations and sensuality. Both styles are used for self-expression and empowerment, often featuring choreography with many urban influences, as well as building confidence for every dancer.  Today I chatted with Cici to talk to her about not only her dance classes, but also how she built two independent businesses, Elemental Studios with her business partner Serina, and Perreo Queens Denver, to create a one-of-a-kind life that she owns. Let's meet Cici, shall we?  Cici teaches 2 classes at Elemental Studios, Open Level Reggaeton on Mondays in Studio B at 7:15pm, and Open Level Femme on Tuesdays in Studio B at 7:15pm. She creates a fun and explorative environment in her classes that allows her students to have the opportunity to gain a stronger foundation in the skills that they have and build up their ...