Acrobatics & Acro Dance Classes in Tulsa, OK
Acro dance is one of the most exciting and athletic styles we teach at Elite Dance of Tulsa. It blends the strength, flexibility, and tumbling of gymnastics with the artistry and choreography of dance — giving students the power to bring tricks, balances, and aerial skills onto a performance stage with control and confidence.
Acro Dance vs. Gymnastics
Parents in Tulsa often ask us how acrobatic dance differs from gymnastics. The short answer: acro is built for the stage, not the apparatus. Gymnasts train on bars, beam, vault, and floor with the goal of executing skills under sport scoring. Acro dancers train on a sprung dance floor with the goal of integrating skills into choreography. Both develop strength and skill, but acro emphasizes seamless transitions, performance quality, and the connection between trick and dance.
For dancers, acro is the perfect crossover. The tricks add power and excitement to choreography, and the foundation builds strength and flexibility that benefit every other style.
What Students Learn in Acro
- Foundational strength: core, shoulders, wrists, ankles, and full-body conditioning
- Active and passive flexibility
- Balance skills: handstands, headstands, elbow stands, scales
- Tumbling progressions: forward and backward rolls, walkovers, cartwheels, round-offs, back handsprings
- Aerial skills as dancers are ready: aerial cartwheels, aerial walkovers, layouts
- Contortion-based skills: chest stands, splits work, oversplits
- Acro choreography that weaves tricks into routines
Safe, Structured Progression
Acro is taught with strict attention to safety. Every skill is built on top of prerequisite strength and technique — we do not let dancers attempt skills their bodies are not ready for, no matter how excited they are to try. Our acro instructor Jayme Ward trains dancers through a progressive curriculum that develops skills in the right order, with proper spotting and conditioning at every step.
This matters. Bad acro training, especially at young ages, causes injuries that can follow a dancer for years. Good acro training builds bodies that get stronger, more flexible, and more capable season after season.
Age Groups and Class Levels
Mini Acro (Ages 4–6)
Our youngest acro classes focus on body awareness, basic positions, and tumbling fundamentals like forward rolls and bridges. The atmosphere is playful and the skill development is real.
Foundational Acro (Ages 7–10)
Dancers progress into the formal acro vocabulary: cartwheels, walkovers, handstands, basic balance work. Strength and flexibility conditioning is built into every class.
Intermediate and Advanced Acro (Ages 11+)
More complex tumbling, aerials, and trick work. Advanced acro dancers integrate their skills into competition choreography across multiple styles.
Why Acro Pairs Well With Dance
Acro skills are showing up more and more in competitive dance routines across every category. A dancer who can execute a clean aerial cartwheel in the middle of a lyrical routine, or pop a back handspring during a jazz piece, brings energy and difficulty that judges and audiences love. Acro is also a wonderful standalone style for kids who love athletic challenges and physical achievement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child need gymnastics experience to start acro?
Not at all. Most of our acro students start with no prior tumbling experience and build skills from the ground up.
What should my dancer wear to acro class?
A fitted leotard or tight-fitting top and shorts or leggings. Loose clothing is unsafe for tumbling. Acro is performed barefoot.
Will my dancer be doing back handsprings in their first month?
No, and that is by design. Skills like back handsprings require months or years of preparation. Pushing the timeline is how injuries happen. We build the strength and progressions first.