Three years ago, our world stopped. Social distancing and a movement based business don’t work well together; we have always thrived in collaboration with one another. Suddenly, we were asked to pause. Now, I know what you’re thinking… “Ugh, I really don’t want to be reminded of the pandemic.” We don’t like to dwell on it either; however, when we look back it feels like just a blip in a much greater story that we want to tell. Hindsight is 20/20.
We are in humble gratitude that our story didn’t end there… that it unintentionally provided time and space for our creative visions to expand; so that we could feel how desperately we wanted to come back. Come back to our studio and provide a safe, diverse, fun space for our community members to walk back into. It feels a little surreal to be gearing up for this next season knowing that we will be celebrating twenty years in this space of our community. Whether you’ve been with us for a few seasons or have been here from the start, you have bore witness to the evolution of Over The Top Academy of Dance.
On top of our semi-annual recitals and our competitive dance season, we have started cultivating other opportunities to create and be in community with one another. Over the last three years, we have begun offering a Summer Theatre Camp that welcomes children from ages seven to eighteen. This camp teaches them how to be fully immersed in the creation of a live production. These campers learn teamwork, studying lines, stage blocking, choreography, reading music, vocal lessons, and more!.
Over The Top also hosts a week long ‘TAP WEEK’ experience over the week leading up to Black History Month. As a black-owned business, owner Jennifer Smith recognizes the true history of tap dancing and its connection to her own roots. Experience it all for yourself at our annual TAP WEEK event coming back
January 29 - February 1, 2024.
We have always been a staple in the Alger Heights community for dance & children's education. However, over the last two decades it has become "so much more than dance."It's a melting pot of movement, fitness, wellness, diversity, and the arts! Over the last year, we created a movement focused enrichment program called ‘Mindful Movers’. We were honored to be able to pilot this program at fourteen Appletree/Gilden Woods locations this past year and boy, was it impactful! This is just one phase of our continued focus on the next generation and how we can play a role in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
With twenty years under our belt, we have a renewed sense of how impactful dance, movement, and community is to each generation. While we have a love for kids and a heart for community, we also see the value in our adult movers.
“The greatest teachers are the ones who remain students”.
Whether you’ve recently uncovered a desire for dance and intentional movement or you used to dance when you were younger and want to get back into it – we have a space for you.
Over The Top hosts a monthly SkewTheLine class that has guest teachers with fresh new choreography every time. “Our mission is to be a safe, inspired, and committed community of people who want to reconnect to dance, themselves, and others.” This class is open to all movers that are ages sixteen and up.
If you’re looking for an ultimate girls night out, we also have ‘Hotties In Heels GR’ that gets together every third Friday of the month. This monthly class is eighteen years and up; it provides a fun and safe environment for women to connect and find their feminine fire. We cultivated this community four years ago and it’s become like a sisterhood– grab your bestie and come to next month’s class.
We also have ‘Primary Shapes’ workshops for those looking to “integrate primary shapes into their lives for a pain-free mobile lifestyle”. Coach Ajamu leads clients through foundational movements that help release tension in the body; the focus is to “get our bodies and minds connected in order to improve our flexibility that we had before pain and stress set in”(Coach Jam). As much as you invest in your children, friends, workplace, and family… It's time to give yourself that same love and care. So, if any of this sounds appealing to you – don’t hesitate to give it a chance and reach out to us about joining.
