by dancers for dancers
ELEVATE YOUR DANCE
Dance is human movement created and expressed for an aesthetic purpose.
a first Class Studio
La Prima Dance Studio offers classes from early beginner through advanced. Dance is a passion shared by our students as a beautiful artform. It also teaches them determination and perserverance, and gives them greater confidence, self esteem and poise. It strengthens muscles and greatly improves flexibility. Out classes run from August through May; summer is filled with dance camps, and special skills classes, as well as one-on-one classes.
Dance With Us
Improve Your Flexibility
Flexibility is essential for injury prevention and joint health.
Learn Teamwork
Learning to work, learn, and dance with others is a valuable and key asset to have later in life.
Better Your Bone Health
An often overlooked dimension of health that is especially important for young women.
Protect Your Spine
Yoga and dance can be like a massage for your entire central nervous system.
Increase Your Blood Flow
Not only is dancing fun but it’s also a form of exercise just like anything else.
Perfect Your Posture
Good dance posture is good life posture, having good flexibility, bone health and spinal health all go hand in hand.
BALLET
Ballet, for ages 5 and up, is a required dance class. Ballet is known as the foundation of dance education. This class includes barre work, centre floor work, and stretching, and our focus is the correct execution of technique along while also focusing on gracefulness and poise.
JAZZ
Jazz is often a high-energy dance has a liveliness that sets it apart from traditional dance forms, such as classical ballet. Like jazz music, jazz dance features improvisation.
Jazz is a class offered for ages 7 and up. This class includes stretching, across the floor work, centre floor work, and incorporates skills such as flexibility, leaps, and turns. Songs are upbeat, and movements range from those such as Bob Fosse style jazz to more modern “jazz funk” moves.
CLOGGING CLASSES
CloggingiClogging is a unique style of dance and while it is influenced by and similar to Tap and Irish Step it is oh-so-unique and fun to watch.
This class is designed, age appropriately, for students 12 and up. he class includes percussive footwork in which the foot strikes the floor – heel, toe, or both – creating audible rhythms. Students must have prior or current tap experience. (White Clogging Shoes)
POINTE
Pointe is the study of ballet while wearing blocked satin shoes that allow the dancer to raise the body onto the tips of the toes. Dancers must be at least 10 years old with a few years of ballet training. Pointe is by invitation only. Class includes barre work, across the floor movements, and centre work. The central focus is ankle strength, graceful movement, poise and mastering ballet and point techniques.
HIP HOP
Hip-Hop Dance is a vibrant form of dance that combines a variety of freestyle movements to create a cultural piece of art. Through its three main styles of popping, locking, and breaking, hip-hop dance has evolved into one of the most popular and influential styles of dance.
Hip-Hop is offered for students ages 8 and up. Class includes an upbeat warmup, across the floor combinations, and centre floor work.
3-4 YEAR OLD BEGINNERS
Children who start dance class at a young age enjoy emotional, social and physical benefits. Dance classes increase cognitive learning and development, social skills, poise and self esteem; in addition, dance can develop strength, flexibility, musicality, coordination, balance.
We offer pre-ballet and pre-tap classes for our 3-4 year old students. In pre-ballet, students learn basic ballet positions, steps, skips, gallops, stretches, chassés, and more. In pre-tap, students learn basic tap steps such as stomps, stamps, shuffles, marches, toe taps, heel digs, etc.
TAP
Tap is a style of dance in which a dancer wearing shoes fitted with heel and toe taps sounds out audible beats by rhythmically striking the floor or any other hard surface.
Tap is available for students ages 5 and up. This class includes barre work, across the floor work and centre-floor rhythm building work.
LYRICAL and CONTEMPORARY
Lyrical Dance is a combination of ballet and jazz dance that often uses music with lyrics to inspire the movements of the dancer. It is offered to students ages 8-11. This class includes stretches and incorporates a mix of ballet and contemporary movements. The main focusing on student expression and feelings.
Contemporary Dance is offered for students ages 12 and up, and includes warm up, ballet/lyrical legwork, contract-release exercises, floor work, and fall and recovery.
SKILLS & TECHNIQUE
ALong with our regular classes we offer classes with experienced, focused guidance to improve posture , control, strength and precision. In addition, students learn control in the toughest of dance skills. These skillsets can greatly improve your performance, and well as increase opportunities as a professional.
Skills and Technique is offered for students ages 6 and up. Class includes in-depth training and learning of turns, leaps, and more.
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Ava Lacks brought her love of dance to La Prima in the studio’s opening year. She excelled as a student and was a member of the La Prima Dance Troupe until her graduation in 2024. She began as a student instructor in 2019 and now works as a class instructor, sharing her passion and love for the artform with her students.
about the studio
La Prima School of Dance is a dance studio serving Gretna, VA and the surrounding areas. We are responsible for teaching students ages 3-20. Classes offered includes: pre-ballet, pre-tap, ballet, tap, jazz, skills and technique, hip-hop, clogging, lyrical and pointe.
We have a group of elite dancers that form our La Prima Dance Troupe. These dancers have consistently been bringing home gold, platinum and high platinum awards both individually and as teams.
We seek to ensure each of our students high self-esteem, instill in them a love for dance and performing arts, and teach them the importance of teamwork, drive, and perseverance.
contact us
about the studio
La Prima School of Dance is a dance studio serving Gretna, VA and the surrounding areas. We are responsible for teaching students ages 3-20. Classes offered includes: pre-ballet, pre-tap, ballet, tap, jazz, skills and technique, hip-hop, clogging, lyrical and pointe.
We have a group of elite dancers that form our La Prima Dance Troupe. These dancers have consistently been bringing home gold, platinum and high platinum awards both individually and as teams.
We seek to ensure each of our students high self-esteem, instill in them a love for dance and performing arts, and teach them the importance of teamwork, drive, and perseverance.
contact us
La Prima School OF Dance
107 Henry St,
Gretna, VA 24557
Join us and express yourself creatively and aesthetically through unbridled human movement.
Photography by Stephanie Lyons