Gymfinity Kids: Musical Theatre Dance

We’re so excited to launch our new Dance Mash-up class this year, and we’re starting with the dance style, Musical Theatre! In our Gymfinity Kids Musical Theatre dance classes, the children will dance to songs from well-known musical films and have the kids’ toes tapping and fingers clicking.

Musical theatre is the dance focus every January and February, finishing with a Show Week in the February half-term where parents can watch the routines and applaud their little dancers. Bravo!

From children’s favourite musicals and films, our dance instructor, Rachel, has choreographed some fabulous dance routines that will express emotion and tell the stories of the songs. Children will find the songs inspiring and the dance moves memorising!

Our Musical Theatre dance classes are a visual and audio experience that makes a very unique activity. But what is musical theatre and what can the kids expect from a Gymfinity Musical Theatre dance class?

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Gymfinity Kids: Musical Theatre Dance

What is musical theatre?

Musical theatre is a type of theatre where the story is propelled with song and dance. It often has dialogue that follows a script and has a storyline that is peppered with singing and choreographed solo or group dance performances.

It’s a fantastic way for your child to explore performing arts. Musical Theatre is defined by four elements:

• Songs
• Spoken dialogue
• Acting
• Dance

It utilises many skills as the dancers need to hone their talents until they can do multiple disciplines simultaneously on stage.

Typically, the lyrics and music are created before the practised choreography is added, which then pulls it together into an entertaining scene. It can also be a great way to explore different social issues, events and cultures making it a deeper learning experience for the children.

It makes for a different performance to dramatic theatre, as the music can evoke emotion and communicate sentiments that can often be hard with spoken word – it’s an absolute delight to see live on stage!

“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable”

– Leonard Bernstein

What is musical theatre dance style?

Musical theatre dance style is an amalgamation of a few different types of dance – it doesn’t have one distinct style to the moves. It’s more of a description of dancing. It can bring together elements of ballet, tap, street dance, folk dance forms and jazz, but ultimately it relies on the dancer to focus on musical interpretation. It’s telling the story through movement.

Certain dance techniques are used in musical theatre that you will see commonly used, such as 3-step turns, bell kicks, box steps, pivot turns, shimmy and jazz hands.

The origins of musical theatre:

The origins of musical theatre go as far back as Ancient Greece where all theatre stems from. It was prolific in Shakespearean theatre as William Shakespeare’s plays would often include songs, musical interludes and the use of small onstage bands to provide atmospheric emotion.

Musical theatre has now evolved to put song and dance in the forefront and they’re an integral part of telling the stories on stage. These plays are usually put under the umbrella term of ‘musicals’ and you can expect packed-out stalls in London’s West End and New York’s Broadway.

It’s loved worldwide and there is a plethora of well-known musicals that are now legendary, such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Hamilton.

What is a musical theatre dance class?

In a Gymfinity Kids musical theatre dance class, the focus is on the art of movement that’s used to relay the story alongside the songs. It doesn’t always involve singing, especially when taught recreationally, but musical dance routines will be developed alongside the lyrical show tunes and swelling music that commands the storyline.

In a children’s musical theatre dance class, they will learn how to communicate a dramatic story through dance and facial expressions, all while having control over their breath to ensure they stay in time and reserve energy to complete the performance to a high standard.

What are the benefits for children who attend a musical theatre dance class?

A huge benefit is that the children are getting physically active. Less than a quarter of children aged 6 – 17 years of age participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day, which can have health consequences as they grow older.

Introducing children to movement at an early age is so important to ensure they enjoy staying active and integrate it into their everyday or weekly routines as they mature. The secret to making an active lifestyle last is to ensure it’s FUN for the children and they look forward to every class.

Active children are proven to have improved cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight, increase energy, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduce the risk of developing health conditions in adult life, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.

But beyond the fitness aspect, a Gymfinity musical theatre dance class can also bring so many benefits to a child’s life, including helping to increase a child’s self-confidence. Exposing a child to new and exciting activities can help improve confidence and allow them to explore their potential!

This form of performance can put a child out of their comfort zone and explore their inner artistic potential, which can be intimidating to some children. However, when nurtured in the right teaching environment, this can bring shy children out of their shells and have their self-confidence elevated.

But they’re not alone – they’ll have a team of other classmates who’ll be dancing right by their side which can do wonders for a shy child. This kind of group work can also help them make new friends and increase their social skills, which is very valuable for them later in life.

Learning dance routines is another benefit of musical theatre. It can improve their memory and help their problem-solving skills. They can practice their communication skills and see how they can express emotion without words. The dance moves won’t always go with the beat like pop routines, so they’ll need to feel the storyline and channel their inner artist to help bring the stories to life through their movements. It’s truly a special dance style where children can express themselves artistically.

Musical Theatre Dance classes at Gymfinity Kids

If we’ve piqued your interest in Musical Theatre, be sure to try a FREE taster of our Dance Mash-Up classes! We run these dance classes in the Bracknell, Cambridge, Walton-on-Thames and Wandsworth clubs. And the classes are being extremely well received with happy children eager for their next weekly class!

We’re also running a special giveaway for those who attend a musical theatre dance taster class. If you attend a dance taster over January or February 2024, you will go into the draw to win TWO TICKETS to a West End Show of your choice in London!

And if you post a photo of your child’s best dance pose and tag us on Instagram (@gymfinitykids), you’ll earn an extra entry into the prize draw!

We will do a random prize draw from those who have attended a taster (including any social media submissions) on Monday 4th March 2024. Terms & conditions* apply.

Hit the link below to book your free taster today, and get ready to start your child on their dancing journey.

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*Giveaway Terms & Conditions: The value of the two tickets will be up to £200. The tickets must be booked before the end of 2024. Transport and accommodation are not included. There is no cash alternative – the prize may be issued in the form of a voucher. Dance Mash-Up classes are only available in the Bracknell, Cambridge, Wandsworth & Walton-on-Thames clubs.