Broadway Performing Arts Holds First Adult Hip-Hop Class

“Even if you’re afraid of looking like a fool, do it. You never know what’s going to happen,” said Jennifer Lehansky, one of the students at ’ new hip hop class.

She, of course, was being modest given the prowess the class showed during their first adult lesson. They seemed to be one step away from backing up Beyoncé.

But their moves and speedy understanding were no mistake. The members of this class were not mere beginners. Lehansky had been taking tap and ballet at the school for years while Hailey Aromando and Dashana Francis have been doing hip-hop since childhood. This was simply the next step in their performing arts education.

With this in mind, it becomes clear why the students seemed to pick up such complex routines so quickly. Although teacher Galo Zambrano, who has been dancing since he was a child, was patient and clear in his instruction, it was hardly necessary given the students’ talent. Their rhythm and coordination made Zambrano’s first adult class easy.

Before the class, Zambrano explained how he planned on approaching the adult students.

“It’s different than a teenager because you know what they want already. With an adult you don’t know what to expect," he said. "You don’t know if their rhythm is there, if they can catch up, so you have to vibe out with them. So you can make choreography that they can enjoy and do at the same time.”

For anyone who may be thinking about attending the class, now is the time to begin. These students are making leaps and bounds and won’t be waiting around for long.

But the school has more to offer than just dance. All of the performing arts are available to a certain degree. Tucked away behind the parking lot of the CVS on Broad Street, the little school is brimming with talent. In addition to the dancers honing their craft inside, talent seemed to be spilling out from every room of the modest educational facility, from the boy playing piano in the next room to the young actors making their way out from their evening class.

“Being here with the kids, the parents, it’s fun," said Pat Manning, a parent and administrative assistant who has two talented sons. "It’s not work. It’s fun.”

Adult hip-hop classes are every Friday from 6-7 p.m. The school also teaches adult tap, ballet, jazz and acting by appointment.