After 3 long months of no dancing, I was desperate to get back into the studio and smash out some high kicks. Hong Kongs’ StudioDanz was the perfect answer to my prayers…
StudioDanz
StudioDanz is one of Hong Kongs leading dance studios. It offers a huge range of dance styles from beginners right through to pre-professional. You can find their website here, a clear and user friendly site with loads of information on it.
They also have a Facebook, YouTube & Instagram!
Classes On Offer
If you can dream it, you can do it at StudioDanz. There are classes in Contemporary, Contemporary Jazz, Street Jazz, Broadway Jazz, Hip Hop, Jazz Funk, Urban Dance, House, Technique, Twerk and Dancehall. To name a few.
You won’t find Ballroom and Latin, Irish or Ballet but the range is still pretty extraordinary.
Click here for the entire schedule!
Booking
There is absolutely no need to pre-book for any of these classes! They are all completely drop-in sessions. This is great because you can be totally flexible with timings and number of classes. Especially as there are so many, there is bound to be a similar class on later in the week if you miss the one you wanted!
Popular ones may get a little busy though. One I went to had a lot of people in. However, the size was still manageable and the teacher coped well with the numbers.
Price
You can buy a single dance class for 180 HK$ which is the equivalent of around £18. That does make this quite a pricey studio to attend however they do offer class packages.
All are only valid for 60 days after purchase and range from the Amateur Package of 810 HK$ for 5 classes through to the Pre-Pro offering 10 classes for 1600 HK$. This completely depends on how many dance classes you take and how much time you have. As always, the more you do, the better value for money they are!
If you are a student at University or College you will be eligible for cheaper prices and an unlimited class option. That is amazing value for money if you are able to swing that.
You also have the opportunity to get a ‘Newbie Code’ that saves you money. I couldn’t do it because you needed a mobile number.
Full price packages can be seen here.
Word of warning: you cannot pay online or via card payments. All transactions are done in cash, at the studio! So make sure you bring enough as I did not and I missed out!
Location
There are currently two locations: one on Hong Kong Island and one in Kowloon.
I did not attend class at the Kowloon branch however, it is reasonably far north if you are staying centrally. It is definitely worth giving yourself a little bit of extra time to ensure you arrive smoothly.
I did attend the studio on Hong Kong Island but unfortunately the studio has now moved! The one I did visit had two studios, toilets and changing rooms. The studio was very spacious and beautiful; I loved dancing there! I can only assume the newer studio is even bigger and nicer!
My Experience
Jazz
I took a Jazz class with a teacher I cannot remember the name of – I am so sorry! He was fabulous though…
We began with an intense warm up, including lots of strength and stretching which I really appreciated. Next was a small amount of bar work to refine technique before moving across the floor. The entire class, our teacher gave thoughtful, personal corrections and made an effort to ensure everyone present was learning and improving. It was one of those classes where you keep getting loads of comments but instead of becoming frustrated, you love it as everything you’ve been told is useful and valuable information!
It was rounded off with a really cool routine; a very interesting mixture of technique and style. I wish I had managed to get a video!
Contemporary Jazz
I took an Open Level Contemporary Jazz Class with Faculty founder and director Angela Hang.
It was clearly a much more difficult class, of which I relished the challenge. However, I felt like the class was catered towards people who attend every week and as such, there was no explanation at all regarding exercises. I felt very much on the back foot as dancers began completing short routines that had clearly been well rehearsed. I was also made to feel like I was not of the level required at times despite being fully capable of the material. To add to my frustrations, the teacher spoke very quietly and quickly over loud music, making it almost impossible to hear her. This was fairly disappointing and left me fairly disheartened.
However, once we began to get to corner work, things began to get better! There was a bit more demonstration during this part of class which was hugely appreciated. I felt far more successful.
It was finally wrapped up with a very broadway inspired routine to All That Jazz. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely loved the dance and had a ball dancing it; but it wasn’t what I expected out of a contemporary jazz class. Despite my reservations, I did enjoy this class. It was definitely saved for me, by the wonderful routine at the end, notwithstanding the slightly weird style.
Conclusion
I certainly did not experience enough of this school and wish I could have attended more sessions. Studiodanz is an extremely beautiful studio; with an incredibly wide range of classes; and faculty members with oodles of experience, skill and accolades. It is expensive but that goes with the quality and location of a city such as Hong Kong. I would definitely recommend this studio to anyone wanting to train in dance in Hong Kong.
What do you think?
Let me know in the comments section!
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