WHAT IS PHYSIE?
Why choose just one style of dance when you can join physie!
Why choose just one style of dance? APDA Physie is a uniquely Australian variety dancesport that fuses jazz, ballet, lyrical and contemporary styles of dance into one dynamic class. It’s designed for fitness, friendship and fun, giving you the chance to perfect multiple styles without ever being stuck on just one.
​
Every year we receive a new syllabus of routines and music for each age group that showcases the different styles of dance - new moves, new music and new skills to learn every year for all ages! With so much variety in the routines, students never get bored.
The APDA syllabus is based on correct dance technique with correct skill progressions taught at each age and stage to deliver a safe and engaging dance class for our members. Across the first two terms of classes, members learn the APDA syllabus set for their age group for the year with exposure to the different dance styles in every class. Dancers will learn 6 - 8 routines in class and will work to not only learn the moves but also perfect them and expand on them to make routines that are exciting, dynamic and artistic. ​
​
One of the best bits about physie is that we don't require a special uniform, hairstyle or shoes for class and there is no expensive constumes required for competitions (if you want to give comps a try). We encourage dancers to wear a leotard or active wear for class and we dance in bare feet. Coming to class is easy - no hair in fancy buns, no dance skirts or class leotards, no expensive dance tights and no dance shoes. Class is easy for families with no arguments about having the perfect bun, finding the dance tights and dance shoes required for class - it's just one of the things we love about physie!
​
At Gungahlin Physie, you decide how you dance. Enjoy weekly classes for fitness and fun with zero pressure to perform. If you love the thrill of the stage, our team and individual competitions are a club highlight—and the best part? Everyone is included. No auditions, no 'selections'—just a whole club behind you, ready with hugs and high-fives whether it’s your first time on stage or your fiftieth
What's involed in a Physie class?
All classes start with a warm up to get the blood pumping, muscles awake and ready to dance.
​
Our Tiny Tots (3 - 4 years) classes focus on movement, learning the basics of dance such as posture, musicality and positions (think plie, releve and jumps!) while incorporating props to enhance learning.
​
In the 5-12 years age groups classes focus on learning the APDA syllabus which consists of seven routines, all of different genres of dance, all the while building the dancers confidence in moving to the music and employing correct dance technique.
​
Our senior (teen) classes learn fewer routines, with higher intensity and more advanced dance technique.
​
Our adults classes generally involve a fair bit of laughing, chatting and socialising with some dancing thrown in for fitness! For many of our adult members, class is time for them to do some physical activity while also building friendships with classmates. The occasional cheese and bickies are brought to class to provide the community and friendship we all love and value at Gungahlin Physie.
Across all age groups, learning the APDA syllabus requires the development of good fitness, strength and control. We have lots of techniques to help all students enhance their skills and become the best dancer they can be. Stretching to develop and increase basic flexibility is also a focus.
​
Adults Classes
Our adults classes cater for everyone from absolute beginners to the experienced physie dancer. We have a great group of dancers of all ages in each class, some who have never danced in their life, some who have not done physie in over 40 years and some who just come along for the fitness and social side of physie.
​
We run a dedicated beginner / novice class that is tailored to the fitness level and experience of the participants so if you have two left feet, don't let that put you off! You will be amazed at what you can achieve in one year of physie.
​
Many dancers who have joined our classes are amazed at the work out they get. Physie is great cardio exercise and in addition, just getting the physie posture correct is fantastic for core strength.
​
In addition to the exercise benefits of joining our adults class, we also are a social bunch and organise dinners and nights out during the year. And for those keen dancers, there is always the opportunity for a weekend away from the kids and family for teams competitions!
​
Most importantly, NO LEOTARDS are required for class! Just come along in something that is comfortable and that you can move in.
Competitions
Physie is unique in the way that it offers both individual and team based competitions so you receive the benefits of both styles of competitions all in the one dance sport. While competitions are not compulsory we encourage all members from 5 years to adults to give it a go. You would be amazed by how much confidence dancers gain from entering competitions and with a cheersquad of club members supporting every Gungahlin dancer, you will be sure to feel proud.
Our focus as a club for competitions is to teach our dancers how to set themselves a SMART goal that focuses on their skills and abilities, not the skills and abilities of others. For our younger members, this might be as simple as remembering to get their heels together or marching on the correct foot. Teaching them to focus on their own achievements, however small, contributes to our dancers developing a life long involvement in physie and dance.
​
Individual competitions are a fantastic way to help dancers set a goal for them to work towards and build their confidence through performing in front of an audience. The joy on a dancers face when they come off the competition dance floor proud of what they achieved is priceless and the buzz of meeting new Physie friends , wearing a sparkly leotard and performing for Mum, Dad and family is something that becomes addictive for dancers of all ages.
​
The teams competitions are a fantastic introduction to Physie for dancers of all ages. The teams consists of 6 dancers of the same age and are a lot of fun. We enter teams in the offical APDA competitions ever year. Teams is one of the highlights of the year as we make it a special event for all dancers representing the club.
​
Competitions are without a doubt the highlight of the Physie year and we encourage every member to give it a go. We don't have an end of year concert with costumes etc, we have a presentation event where our members perform their syllabus to the audience for one last time. Our perpetual trophies are award at this event and all dancer who have completed the full year of classes receive their recognition trophy.