ABOUT US
MISSION STATEMENT
“So you think you can’t dance? Bet I can teach you! “
“I am here with a purpose… to inspire, uplift, love and empower all students that attend our Classes.”- Yolanda Thomas (founder)
We provide a friendly, supportive community with no judgement for the adult ABSOLUTE BEGINNER who has always wanted to learn to dance.
Let go of your limiting beliefs in dance and watch it spread into other areas of your life.
The added benefit is that you will learn a skill that makes you ‘considerably cooler than you were yesterday’ ;-)-)
CREATION OF GROOVE ZONE
After teaching adults for over 10 years at the prestigious SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY CLASSES Yolanda realized most adults who had never danced before were too scared to even join a BEGINNER class.
There is a fine line between being out of Comfort Zone and being traumatized!
So how do you start?
From this need Yolanda created the first ADULT ABSOLUTE BEGINNER HIP HOP CLASSES in Sydney and classes quickly sold out! She discovered 4 Fundamental Grooves that run through ALL Hip Hop dances that could be easily taught. It wasn’t about teaching steps, it was about teaching GROOVE!
Relocated to Los Angeles in 2013, she still has extraudinary instructors continuing to teach her methods in Sydney.
BEGINNER HIP HOP CLASSES
Discover the joy of dancing with our Beginner Hip Hop Classes!
- Join our supportive community
- Designed for adult absolute beginners longing to dance, our classes offer a welcoming environment in Sydney, Los Angeles, or online.
- Even if you feel you have “3 left feet,” don’t let fear hold you back!
- Experience our unique ‘Absolute Beginner’ level, tailored below average beginner classes.
- Learn the essence of hip hop Groove and master cool moves for the dance floor.
- Benefit from over 100,000 students’ worth of teaching experience, focusing on four key grooves.
- We understand everyone learns differently and tailor our approach accordingly.
- Commit to our courses and see rapid progress – feel less awkward after just four lessons and even land professional gigs after eight!
ADULT HIP HOP CLASSES
Have you always wanted to learn to dance, or just look cool on the dance floor?
- Learn to dance with style at Groove Zone’s adult hip hop classes! It’s never too late to start.
- Avoid feeling out of touch or uncoordinated in kids’ classes. Our classes welcome ages 18 and up, with a mix of guys and girls, mostly in their 30s.
- Boost your confidence and fitness while having fun and expanding your social circle.
- Perfect for singers, actors, musicians, and performers to enhance body awareness.
- Busy schedule? Try our online beginner hip hop dance lessons at your own pace.
- Prefer privacy? Opt for private lessons with owner Yolanda, available both in-person in Los Angeles or online worldwide.
- Stop making excuses and start dancing. Life’s too short to wait until you lose your health.
- Break free from your comfort zone and join the Groove Zone, where we specialize in adult beginner hip hop classes and beyond.
- Get out of your comfort Zone and into the Groove Zone!
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
YOLANDA- LA
Yolanda is the owner of Groove Zone, originally from Sydney, Australia. She delivers highly motivational & engaging adult hip hop dance classes.
She specializes in teaching and building confidence in beginners in Dance, Vocals & Stage presence and is an award winning Vocalist/ Performer/ Songwriter/ Choreographer & charting recording artist.
She co-authored numerous wikiHow articles as an ‘expert’ in Dance for Beginners, which have millions of views.
A one stop shop for choreography and Casting including DREAMWORKS TV in LA and GOOGLE in Sydney.
She won Choreographer of the Year for International Hip Hop Competition BATTLEGROUNDS, Australia, for her work with jnr dance crew –STARTIME KREW.
Choreographed and appeared in MTV‘s ‘Full Tank’, which featured Yolanda choreographing finalists of CLEO Bachelor of the Year.
Australian national dance tours include: dancer/rapper for COCA COLA and joining REEL 2 REAL while they promoted their Iconic smash hit “I like to move it, move it!”
Yolanda was featured as 1 of 100 Influential and Inspiring Australian women for internationally recognized designer Camilla Franks coffee table book “Women of the World” released nationwide.
As a vocalist she has perfromed with names like Johnny Depp,and with members of: Guns n Roses, INXS & Pink
MANUELA- LA
Manuela Oliveira, Australia/Portuguese and based in LA is a well recognized Dancer and Choreographer, her work has been displayed on Hit TV Shows, TV Commercials, Music Videos and been on some of the biggest Stages!
Credits Include:
USA: Performance Consultant and choreographer on NBC’s The Voice for 3 Seasons in LA. She worked alongside coaches Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Ceelo Green and Blake Shelton, bringing out the best of each Artists performance as well as staging the coaches opening performances.
Assisted Paula Abdul on X-Factor USA.
AUSTRALIA: Choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance for 3 seasons, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards as Dancer and Choreographer.
MALAYSIA: Choreographer, Creative Director and Guest Judge on So You Think You Can Dance for their 2 seasons and worked on wardrobe for contestants, lighting, staging and with the production team.
PORTUGAL: In 2023 Choreographer and Dancer for Pop Artist Diogo Picarra for the International Portuguese Music Awards.
ARTISTS: Manuela has Danced for Rihanna at the MTV Video Music Awards, Jennifer Lopez, Samantha Jade, Luke James, Sara Bareilles, Grace Valerie, Bera (Russian Artist) Touring the US and more…
Manuela has been apart of many TV commercials Nationally and Internationally around the globe for brands such as, Adidas, Nike, Toyota, McDonald’s and more.
Manuela has Inspired many with her achievements and continues to share her passion through teaching Dance and choreography with over 18 years of teaching Experience throughout Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Florida, LA, NYC!!