Classes Begin September 14th and are Filling Fast! Register Today to Secure Your Spot!

Acro

Did you know that Premiere Dance Academy has not 1 but 3 Acrobatic Arts Certified Teachers! We are also the only studio in Chesterfield County with teachers with Active Licenses.

Why is being Acrobatic Arts Certified important?

There is a huge demand for Acro classes in today’s world and this has caused studios to offer unsafe and unqualified instruction. Acrobatic Arts teaches teachers the building blocks to ensure their dancers progress safely and appropriately. The Acrobatic Arts Curriculum make sure that there are zero gaps in your dancers training! Dancers who train through Acrobatic Arts have balanced development, are stronger, more flexible, and are fearless. Studios that implement this program create dancers with more skills, who have fewer accidents, and are less likely to develop injuries!

That’s why at Premiere we teach from the Acrobatic Arts Curriculum, and that is why you should only trust acrobatic arts certified teachers to train your child!

Our Acro program follows the Acrobatic Arts syllabus exactly as designed. Dancers enrolled in a full-term Acro class will work through the official leveling system and have the opportunity to test their skills throughout the season.

The Acrobatic Arts program includes 12 progressive levels: Primary, Levels 1–8, & Pre-Professional 1-3. Each level contains 4–9 skills in five categories: Flexibility, Strength, Balance, Limbering, and Tumbling.

As dancers master each skill, they earn a star after demonstrating it correctly three separate times. Once they have earned a star for every skill in their current level, they have successfully completed that level and will advance to the next one. This structured progression ensures dancers build a strong technical foundation while developing safely and confidently.

AcroDance, or acro as it is commonly referred to by dancers and dance professionals, is the beautiful fusion of classic dance technique and the precision and athleticism of acrobatic elements. Often defined by unique choreography, acro dancers seamlessly blend musicality, emotional expression, line and extension with acrobatic movements in a dance context.

Acro's roots are in traditional Chinese dance, later appearing as a favored style on the Vaudeville stage. More recently, acro gained popularity with the wide spread success of the contemporary circus productions of Cirque du Soleil. Main stream media including dance television programs like 'So You Think You Can Dance', 'America's Best Dance Crew' and 'Dance Moms' have further fuelled it's demand in competitive dance and studio settings.

Acro is an especially challenging style for dancers to master as training in both dance and acrobatic elements is required. Acro technique includes balancing, limbering, tumbling and partnering, based in flexibility, contortion and strength.

Sara Herlong

Module 1 Certified

Jennifer Loterzo

Module 1, Module 2, Aerials and Back Handsprings, AcroDance Preschool, Flexibility and Contortion, 2nd A.C.T, AcroFlex, and in Acrodance Competition Adjudication.

Sara Christman

Module 1 Certified

How is Acro different from Gymnastics?

It is important to understand that acro and gymnastics are two very different disciplines, even though they may share some similar skills. Acro is a dance-based style that combines classical dance technique with acrobatic movements, focusing on fluidity, control, and seamless transitions. In acro, skills are performed on a standard dance floor, which requires dancers to develop strength and technique that allows them to safely execute movements without the added support of spring floors.

Gymnastics, on the other hand, is a sport that focuses on power, strength, and precision, often performed on specialized equipment such as spring floors, beams, and bars. Because of this, the technique, timing, and execution of skills are very different. For example, the way a dancer enters and exits a skill in acro must be controlled and connected to choreography, while in gymnastics, skills are often performed for maximum height, speed, or difficulty.

While both acro dancers and gymnasts are strong and talented athletes, their training goals are different. Dancers should train in acro to ensure they are learning proper technique that complements dance and promotes safety on a non-spring floor. Gymnastics training is better suited for athletes, such as cheerleaders, who perform on spring floors and focus on tumbling as a sport rather than as part of dance choreography.

Page updated

Google Sites