Ballet & Hip Hop

Valley Dance Productions
17 Elm Ave . Roanoke
540.344.5633

Next, we headed over to Valley Dance Productions for a private lesson with owner/instructor Leslie Arthur. Valley Dance has been serving the Valley for over 10 years now, and offers several adult classes such as ballet, tap, jazz, and different yoga and pilates classes. What we love about the idea of adult classes is that you don't have to have a degree in dance, or be a retired Broadway dancer to take them. They offer a casual environment that allows you to move at your own pace, and be surrounded by adults who are there for the exercise, stress relief, or even just for fun. We started off with some bar work for ballet. Wow! No wonder ballerinas have such long and lean bodies! We were really impressed by the strength it took for what looks like such effortless movement. Amy had a slight disadvantage when it came to stretching on the bar, (after all, she isn't that much taller than the bar to begin with) but she hung in there. (Literally!)

Once we were warmed up and ready to hit the stage for our version of Swan Lake, Leslie switched it up on us and we started learning a hip hop routine in the middle of the floor. Joey lasted all of two minutes, and decided to watch for the rest! Hip hop isn't easy - it requires a dancer to be able to move off beat, on beat, be fluid, then sharp, loose, then harsh all within a matter on an 8-count. (Which is where we lost Joey.)


Trust us; it's not just booty shakin'! Amy was able to keep up for the most part (show off), but she  doesn't plan on trying out for So You Think You Can Dance anytime soon. We really enjoyed our time with Leslie; it has inspired us both to look into some classes for the fall! The ballet class is perfect for anyone looking for a strength and stretching class - think yoga, but "prettier" - and hip hop is an excellent cardio workout while learning a few new moves to impress the kids. (Of course, Joey will have to impress the youngsters with something else because her "hip hop" won't impress anyone!)