Photo credit: Pure Funk, Ryan Rico, Natasha Benger
Founded by Kirsten Burt in 2004, Pure Funk Dance Studio has always been a place to inspire dance and nurture any aspiring dancer to grow and feel at home. The words to define the studio have always been ambition and diversity.
With its recent move to Hindmarsh in April of 2022, the ambition is cranked up to 11, as the space is doubled with multiple rooms.
Operations manager and Director Edmund Chau aims to make each class open level so that the fear of being the new kid in class is not present. Now with the increased space, it allows for popular classes to be populated even more.
“I want everyone here to feel welcome, no matter how they define themselves or who they love actually. They can put everything aside for an hour, dance around with friends or some will call them family, and leave the studio with a smile on their faces” says Edmund.
“I want people to come to Adelaide for the resources that we have, to watch everyone grow, I want to build the community, we just want to make everything about this better and bigger” Edmund adds.
The classes work in timetable setting and operate by 10-week terms. An individual class costs $25 and there are deals for 3 classes, as well as multiple-class passes if you want to try out many styles.
What sets Pure Funk apart from other studios is the amount of dance styles they offer. There is vogue and waacking, two similar styles that originated in gay clubs of New York and Los Angeles respectively. Both styles feature certain dance elements and are all about expressing the feminine energy inside you.
There is hip hop and hip hop mini-jams (for the young-uns), a style all about inclusion in community and skill level, originating from the Bronx in the ’70s from a whole lot of nothing and a whole lot of imagination. In that same universe is popping, originating in California, with an emphasis on flexing the muscles to accent the beats of the music.
Other styles include heels, all about expressing femininity and sexuality through movement, K-POP, covering choreographies from popular Korean pop songs and contemporary, fusing styles of modern ballet and jazz into one natural style.
The Pure Funk team is always looking to organise events for the dance community of Australia, having recently hosted A La Maison, Adelaide’s first ever Vogue ball at Jack & Jill’s Basement, as well as the Exchange Dance Camp, which brought dancers and teachers from New Zealand, USA and Canada under one roof for a weekend of dance education, growth and community bonding.
Pure Funk Dance studio is currently running some holiday workshops on Wednesday and Friday. Once the new term begins, the studio will be training for their upcoming showcase in Early December. If you would like to come experience the environment, read up on the annual battle event on November 5 here.
Try out a class and join the community!
Where: 35 Manton St, Hindmarsh SA 5007
Follow Pure Funk on Facebook and Instagram to register for a class, stay updated on class times and events.
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