THE SOUL BRANCH
Paul Astley
Catherine Salter
Mobiole:
Paul - 07860 570 741
Cat - 07860 569 402
E-mail:
thesoulbranch@hotmail.co.uk
Website: www.thesoulbranch.com
The Soul Branch is a collective of creative individuals who aim to inspire, educate and encourage creativity through music, arts and dance.
Our idea behind The Soul Branch is to bring together the creative community we are surronded by, to make it available and accessible in one place and to educate our students of the importance of creativity within music arts and dance.
You can find information surrounding these various cultures on our site. We will post educational and inspiring videos weekly along with information on upcoming events.
B-boying or Breaking, commonly reffered to as Breakdancing is a form of dance and a main element of Hip-Hop culture. It started as far back as the early '70's, when a Dj would play a record, and there would be the 'break' of the record, where all music would drop out and it would just be the beat. The beats were so hype that people would go crazy for it and effectively, 'throw down'.
You will learn the foundations of this art and the important stages of it too. Top Rock, Go Downs, Footwork & Power, Freezes. All of these are important and get you on the way to becoming a complete B-boy / B-Girl. You will also learn the importance of Style & Musicality, as well as routines, working in pairs or large groups whilst having a lot of fun whilst doing all of that.
18 & Over
Beginner - Intermediate
8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - £ 5.00 per person
NEW 6 WEEK BEGINNERS COURSE
£25 per person or drop-in for £5 per class
5 - 16 years
2.30 - 3.30 pm
Open practice session for all ages
2:30 - 4:30 pm
£2.00 per person per hour
About Catherine Salter ...
Catherine started dancing at the age of three at Mayfair Dancing Academy and later furthered her studies when attending London Studio Centre achieving a degree in Theatre Dance. She trained in RAD ballet, Jazz, Tap and majored in Contemporary. Since University she has trained in Salsa, teaching at beginners level and achieving a World Amateur Championship as well as learning the art of B-boying / B-girling, which she now teaches to children aged 5 and up. Adult classes to start soon. Her training has given her chances to perform in local theatres as well as in London in all these styles of dance. Catherine has gained a qualification in cheerleading and tumbling as well as Street dance through SDI.
“I love motivating children and helping them achieve something they first thought to be unachievable. Teaching them to enjoy and understand the importance of music and allowing them to express themselves through dance is brilliant.”
About Paul Astley ...
I used to dance as a kid, nothing serious really, i just loved to just try and move. This was the same as i grew up, and as i got old enough to go to clubs and pubs i used to always dance and just experiment with moves. Funk and Hip-Hop music have been a massive influence on me and my dance before i even started to Break. So already i was playing with the rhythms of the music and trying to move to it. I always knew about Breaking, but never learnt anything, until i met someone that practiced it and lived in the same area as me. This was an inspiring moment for me, and from then i was hooked. The intricacy of the various levels of the dance just blew me away, and then when i started to try some of the moves (especially the strength based moves) I realised how much effort and dedication goes into it.
I played around with Breaking for a while but i was mostly Skateboarding, and used to teach it as a job, but the Breaking eventualy took over completely. And over 2 years of solid training, performing and competing i started teaching. I have been working with local schools and community groups, teaching and choreographing. As well as running various evening classes each week. The dance is so addictive and ever changing and progressing. With many B-boys & B-Girls across the globe forever adapting styles and creating new moves.
"Seeing your students grow from not being able to do anything to be able to start developing a style is a amazing. Helping them to understand the dance, and the culture that goes with it is very enjoyable, I love it."