From April 2015

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #1 – Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly at Number 1 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

Gene Kelly grew up in a working-class neighbourhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where instead of playing out with his mates, spent his free time in dancing classes. Trained in Classical Ballet and after working as both a dance teacher and a successful Broadway musical actor, Gene Kelly hit Hollywood with a bang in the 1942 film “For Me and My Gal” opposite Judy Garland.

Perhaps reflective of his working-class roots, Gene was famous for his distinctively relaxed dance style and favoured regular clothes and every-day settings for his routines over extravagant costumes and fancy sets. This common-man’s approach to choreography created some of the most memorable movie dance scenes of all time, like the unforgettable puddle-splashing, lamppost-swinging sequence in “Singing in the Rain”.

Gene was also the master of dancing with props which added technical complexity and humour to his choreography in equal measure. Take the amazing scene from the 1943 movie “Thousands Cheer” for example, in which Gene dances with both a mop and a broom. And you don’t get more complex than his outstanding tap dancing on roller-skates routine from “It’s Always Fair Weather” released in 1955. OK, so dancer and regular co-star Donald O’Connor may have tap-skated on film first, but Kelly’s interpretation a couple of years later completely blew it out of the water IMHO.

Click here to watch a video of Gene Kelly’s amazing tap-skating routine.

His technical brilliance, combined with comedic delivery and a knack for connecting with the audience, underlines Gene’s genius and puts him (now I’ve had chance to think about it), right at the top of the SK Dance Studio Top 10 Dancers of All Time list.

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #2 – Bill Bojangles Robinson

Bill Bojangles Robinson at Number 2 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

As you may have gathered from some of the other choices in the SK Dance Studio best dancers of all time list, we just LOVE percussive dance styles so there’s plenty of tap dancers in our top 10 list. And when it comes to tap-dancing in particular, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson was the absolute godfather.

Bill’s signature dance style was so relaxed and understated, it was virtually horizontal. Apart from a natural swing of the arms and the odd tilt of his hat, the upper-body hardly featured in his choreography at all and to be honest, why would you want to take the focus off your feet when you can dance like Mr Bojangles?

Born in 1878 as Luther Robinson (a name he apparently didn’t like so swapped names with his brother – strange I know), Bill was dancing from a very early age. As a child, he worked as a “hoofer” – a sort of dancing busker, then dropped out of school to pursue his dance career with a travelling company, which eventually led to huge success on Broadway.

Bill’s career was propelled to the big time thanks to the ingenious “stair-dance” routine he created for the 1928 Broadway revue, Blackbirds. And if you needed justification for Bill’s number two spot, then watch this routine for yourself. With no set, no costumes and no big band to distract you, all you can focus on is the quality and rhythmic brilliance of the tap dancing. I mean, how many beats can you possibly cram into a riff or wing? It’s ridiculous and absolutely, utterly mesmerising!

Click here to watch Bill Bojangles Robinson’s mesmerising stair tap dance.

Bill was still amazing audiences in his fifties thanks to a successful screen pairing with Shirley Temple in a series of smash-hit musicals. Through this endearing partnership, Bill got to recreate his famous stair-dance routine in “The Little Colonel”, as well as make social history by becoming the first African American male to ever dance with a white girl on film.

Bill… we salute you.

SK Ballet Babies now on a Friday or Saturday morning

Ballet Babies at SK Dance Studio Wigan

In November 2013 we launched a brand new dancing class to the SK Dance Studio time-table specifically aimed at 2 and 3 year old children. This special baby ballet class has been so popular that we’ve added an extra class to the timetable.

You can now choose either our 10.30am Friday morning class, or our 9am Saturday morning class.

This thirty minute class is designed especially to excite and engage little ones aged two and three years old and offers a truly magical introduction to ballet. SK Dance Studio Principal Susan Kielb explains: “We’ve had some really great feedback about our new SK Ballet Babies class which is especially structured to engage young children in age-appropriate ballet-based activities including dance, music, imagination and of course, lots and lots of fun” said Susan. “We found that many parents really wanted to bring their children, but couldn’t make the weekday class time, so we decided to add an extra class, this time on a Saturday”.

“The content and approach for the new Saturday SK Ballet Babies class is the same as that in the week. It’s a great way to get toddlers interested in a really rewarding and captivating activity that will keep on growing with them as they get older” said Susan.

Ballet is the ideal way to help your toddler child to develop a sense of musicality, build confidence, co-ordination and body awareness, as well as providing a great opportunity to make new friends and burn off some energy. At SK Dance Studio, we believe it’s never too early to introduce your child to dance.

How much do SK Ballet Babies classes cost?

SK Dance Studio’s baby ballet classes cost just £20 for a six week block and take place in our dance studio at The Vale, Appley Bridge, Wigan. You can start at any time during the course (we’ll simply adjust the price to reflect the remaining number of classes left in the block when you start).

“SK Ballet Babies classes are thirty minutes long, which we think is just about the right length for little ones. It’s not too short that our little dancers’ enjoyment ends just as they’re warming up, yet it’s not so long that children get too tired or lose interest” added Susan.

Contact us now to reserve your child’s place

To reserve a place for your child on either our Saturday or Friday SK Ballet Babies class, or if you’ve got any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone, email or via our Facebook page.

Like all our dance classes, Ballet Babies is taught by a fully qualified dance teacher (registered with Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing I.S.T.D. and the Allied Dancing Association A.D.A.).

Hope to see you soon!