About MELINA'S ATTITUDE
Behind the Movement
MELINA'S ATTITUDE is a dance school currently situated in Hazle Township, PA, which offers many dance styles (ages 3 and up), starting from the most prestigious form of dance: Ballet. Carmelina Cafaro, owner of the studio, holds a bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's degree in Psychology. Mrs. Cafaro began her dance career in her home country in Italy. In pursuing a dance career, she has perfomed in Don Quixote in which she was awarded an italian diploma in Ballet. Carmelina has attended various workshops at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC and has trained with esteemed professional dancers including Steve La Change, Tatiana Nikonova, Luigi Ferrone, Maria Zaffino, Stefano Forti, Michele Villanova, Alex Atzewi, Billy Goodson, Garrison Rochelle, and Francesca Di Maio. Mrs. Cafaro is highly qualified and certified to teach every dance style listed below. Carmelina has had the honor of being invited to perform on national television, competing on the famous Italian dance show "Trofeo Stefania Rotolo" in 2007. In moving to the United States, her passion for dance has grown immensely. Carmelina consistently places value on expanding her knowledge through the guidance of Inna Strabova; former principal dancer of the Eifman Ballet and director of the Ohio Conservatory of Ballet. MELINA'S ATTITUDE was created with the hope of sharing the wonderful and unique passion of dance, while emphasizing that dance is not a limit; limits are only in the eyes of those who are watching. Carmelina also has extensive experience in working with children who struggle with developmental learning. For this reason, MELINA'S ATTITUDE also offers classes to children on the spectrum; creating a safe and inclusive environment for self-expression. Students will receive a specific form of training that can transform them not only into successful dancers but accomplished human beings, prepared to achieve whatever they set their minds to.
Classes
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TECHNIQUE
Technique classes are designed to teach dancers the foundational principles of body movement to improve their technical dance skills, abilities, and performance quality. In learning a solid foundation, students will develop safe, efficient, and clean body movements which are later advanced in other styles of dance. Dancers will participate in various trainings such as, Warm-Ups: Consisting of a light stretch and aerobic cardio dance. Center Technique: Comprising of footwork exercises and barre work. Across the floor: Involving precise kicks, turns, leaps, chasses. Grand Allegro: Dancers will perform a sequence of several big jumps or leaps from one corner of the room to the other. Stretch: Concentrating on deeper stretches of the body will increase flexibility. Creative Time: Dance games or student-led choreography to increase each students’ creative capabilities.
MODERN JAZZ
“Modern” opposed to “Classical,” was born during the end of the 19th century. The modern style introduced a new impression of dance. In comparison to the rigid technicality of academic dance, this style displays free movement, mimicry, and choreographic language, which is expressed in the utmost naturalness. In Modern Jazz the body moves freely, driven by the desire to find a new relationship with space and time. The study of movement becomes important as a means of analyzing physical dynamics. It is a dance that is based on the use of energy that creates large and expressive movements comprised of rhythm and counter rhythm. Elements of the classical technique are performed in Modern Jazz, which the dancer must know in order to correctly execute the choreographic sequences.
CONTEMPORARY
Contemporary dance was crafted as a need for further expression, a desire to codify a new body language different from academic and modern. There are various techniques and styles, but the basics of contraction and release remain; the fundamentals of the Graham technique. This course is aimed towards those who have the desire to experiment and try their hand at a style that embraces a wide and ever-changing musical variety. Contemporary is the fusion of several elements; it is contamination and as a result something personal.
GYMNASTICS
Gymnastics is one of the oldest and most complete disciplines, which develops conditional abilities, such as strength, speed, and resistance. Students will also build character traits such as courage, will, perseverance, and combativeness. The movements involved in gymnastics targets various groups of the body including arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscles. There are various levels of learning and performance in Gymnastics regarding motor skills. Melina’s Attitude will offer courses tailored to the student’s skill set ranging from beginners to advanced in order to develop their abilities to the fullest.
HIP-HOP
Hip Hop dance stems from and adheres to the Hip Hop culture developed in New York during the late 60s. Originally hip-hop dances included breakdancing and “poppin' and lockin'” (born in Los Angeles) which had the same type of music in common as Funk. However, in the 90s, Hip-Hop music grew tremendously and evolved so much so, that it detached itself from funk to become slower, harder, and more aggressive.
DANCE THERAPY
Dance therapy is a holistic practice that helps rebalance the cognitive, emotional, rational, and psychomotor areas. This style increases the level of general psycho-physical energy. Dance therapy is a form of art therapy that uses music and movement as a cure and therapeutic means. It is a practice for which dance and movement are considered revealers of inner states and offer the psychic possibility not only to bring them out, but also, if necessary, to face them and overcome certain obstacles. Through dance therapy, the body displays and communicates inner emotions that may usually be silent or hard to convey through words. Increasing the body vocabulary is very important, as it serves to access new dimensions of self-awareness. Dance therapy is an easy and pleasant technique, suitable for students of all ages and psychophysical conditions. An approach to this discipline is recommended for children and adults suffering from psychological disorders.
LYRICAL
Lyrical dance is a style born from the fusion of ballet and jazz. This style is danced at a faster pace compared to ballet but slower than jazz. It is performed to music with lyrics to express and embody the strong emotions of the dancer. This dance style concentrates on an individual approach and expressiveness of emotions such as love, joy, hurt, or anger.
BALLET
Classical or "academic" dance is considered to be one of the most traditional and best-known forms of theatrical dance. Ballet originates directly from the court dances of the Renaissance in Italy. The genre was then taken up by French courts, where ballet was further developed and brought to its maximum expression between the 17th and 18th century. In fact, the terminology utilized in classical ballet is French. The fundamental concepts regarding how movement is created involves alignment and the center of gravity. This is necessary to set up the body not only for classical and modern dance, but also to instill good posture used in everyday life. The technique used in classical dance sets the foundation for many other dance styles. Students will work in the form of a game and technical exercises. They will learn to further recognize their own body, space, sound, and other elements. This knowledge will grow and later become more important as they begin to approach the classical technique.