RIOULT Dance Center opened in Astoria last fall, creating a home for the RIOULT Dance Company which was established almost 25 years ago and fulfilled the dream of Pascal Rioult, founder of the company. The next session of classes for children will begin on Sunday, Feb. 10 Rioult offers ballet classes, tap classes, modern dance classes, jazz classes, and hip hop as well as unique classes such as children’s salsa or adult African belly dance.
Previously, the company had been renting multiple studio spaces, therefore needing to work classes into others’ schedules. The new center gives the company the ability to better serve the dancers with anywhere from eight to 15 classes offered each day for a range of experience levels from Young Movers to a Masters. The company style is “modern with contemporary influences.”
The Young Movers class, available to children ages 18 months to 3 years, welcomes parents or caregivers to attend with their toddlers to bond and be a part of their child in their first dance class. Toddlers are also welcome to attend without the guidance of a parent or caregiver, allowing for them to explore movement on their own. From there, children and adult classes split by level and style such as jazz or tap. Children ages 6 to 17 years old can participate in a variety of specialized dance programs including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, and salsa.
Each class is taught by industry experts and professionals. Instructors range from company members and RIOULT Dance Center staff to professional dancers who specialize in a certain style of dance. The center strives to ensure the teachers are the best in their field, allowing a focus on technique and specificity for all dancers.
The classes are capped at an average of 10-20 dancers, depending on age and ability, ensuring an individual experience, meeting the needs of each student. This allows for the center to places a large emphasis in the classes on learning rather than strictly performance. This also means that students may register at any time for the class.
Image courtesy RIOULT Dance Center.
