Learn Hip Hop Dance with
Arts4Kids in February

KINGSPORT, TN. –  The Arts Council of Greater Kingsport is partnering with Holloway Dance School to offer children in the greater Kingsport area the opportunity to learn the basics of hip hop dance for the February Arts4Kids club workshop. Sessions will be available on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009 from 10-11 AM or 11:30-12:30 PM at the Holloway Dance studio (2605 E. Center Street). Space is limited, so call the Arts Council at 423-392-8420 to reserve your spot by Thursday, Feb. 19.

Through this workshop, taught by Ms. Lindsay Hammitt, participants will explore hip hop style movements while being introduced to the history and culture of this dance form. Break dancing was the first form of hip hop which originated on the streets of New York in the 1970s. This is why many refer to hip hop as street dancing.  Break dancing consists of fast footwork, drops and spins usually performed in a freestyle method. Today, the style has evolved into other unique dance forms such as popping which are steps that create a popping or jerking effect and locking in which you give the appearance of locking your arms after a more fluid movement. During this workshop students can expect to learn synchronized hip hop steps, floor tricks and partner stunts. Since hip hop places some emphasis on improvisation, each student will also have the opportunity to perform freestyle if they choose. Students do not need formal dance training in order to participate or enjoy the art of hip hop.

Ms. Hammitt is a 1997 graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School. She started dancing at the age of five and by seven was dancing competitively on a national level. She spent the next 10 years training in a local studio, as well as, taking master classes from many of the top choreographers in the business. During high school, she was a member of the first DBHS Spirit Shaker team to receive top ten recognition in Universal Dance Association’s (UDA) National Competition. The last six years of her dance career have been with Holloway Dance School as a jazz and hip hop instructor. Ms. Hammitt will be assisted by Jordan Durnin, who has been helping with jazz and hip hop classes for the last two years.

Holloway Dance School has been in existence for over 60 years and has been co-directed by Ms.Terri Cox and Margaret Walling since 1994. The studio offers sessions in ballet, which they consider the foundation of all dance, tap; jazz; hip hop; and lyrical. The studio currently has four instructors and is serving over 175 students in the greater Tri-Cities area. For more information on Holloway Dance, call 423-246-8541.

Arts4Kids, is an introductory arts club for children ages 6-12 presented by the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport. Arts4Kids club registration is $20 for the school-year program, or $5/individual workshop. The program is designed to introduce children to a variety of arts and encourage their life-long pursuit of creative endeavors. For more information or to join, visit the Arts4Kids section of our website at www.kingsportARTS.org.

The Arts4Kids program is funded under agreement with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as, through generous support from the Kingsport Community Foundation (a fund of the East Tennessee Foundation), Eastman Chemical Co., the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Kingsport, and other local sponsors.

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