Dancing for Broadway – The Best Styles to Learn for a Future Career in Musicals

If you are looking for a career in musicals, then it’s important to start learning styles of dance that could help you to secure that dream. It is never too late to start exploring and figuring out which style you would like to adopt. After all, it can often depend on the type of musical that you would like to take part in as they often have different styles.

However, if you have not thought that far ahead (or even if you have) it is always important to keep your options open and have plenty of fall backs should anything go wrong. It’s worth learning more than one style. So here are a few of the styles you should consider learning of you are looking for a musical future. There are so many styles to learn and choose from, and it’s always worth ensuring you know the basics.

Ballet Dancing

Classic and elegant, ballet may seem like the obvious choice. It has a wide range of applications and the learning process can help you to become more agile and flexible. The gymnastics learned from this form of dance may also come in handy in the future – especially as many musical incorporate gymnastic dance routines into their performances. This dance form is often the starting point for every other type of dance and so is well advised to take some classes!

Modern Dancing

Modern dance incorporates several different styles, all of which can be combined or used separately and are well worth learning. Styles such as jazz and the general ‘Broadway’ style are included in this definition. There is fluidity, and a lot of hand movement and general exaggerated body language. Sometimes this can lead to sexual, provocative dancing (depending on the performance). This requires a great deal of defined hip movement that can be clearly seen and read.

Tap Dancing

Tap dancing is often seen as comical and amusing. However, it can also be very serious and complex, especially in a musical sense. Types of tap can vary from jazz to funk, depending on the type of performance that is being given.

It uses the beat of the music to create a steady and catchy rhythm, allowing the dancer to tap along with it. In the newer funk variation, hip hop has been combined with it to create a more youthful and modern feel. The genre can only keep developing to meet with the times.

Ballroom Dancing

Classical and elegant, ballroom dancing is becoming a lost art form. It is the definition of sophistication and grace, allowing the dancers to show a level of grandeur not often found on the stage.

Even if not used in its full form a lot of the time, the basics of ballroom can be useful when it comes to keeping time and also moving with your partner at a steady rhythm. There are still several performances out there that use ballroom either as a main dance or incorporated with other forms of dance.

For the Broadway stars of the future we have put together a great range of ‘Broadway Basics’ in our online store that includes things like character shoes and leggings. If musical theatre is your future get kitted out at Tokyo Monster Dancewear.