The Academy of Dance

History

We hope that in reviewing our website, it will become evident that the Academy of Dance is truly unique among the ballet schools in Spokane Valley. Our program is geared toward the development of the whole child.

Although our dancers have a ton of fun in our classes, the main goal here is to create an environment that encourages self-discipline, focus, persistence when challenged, confidence, fitness, courtesy and respect toward others and one’s self, critical thinking skills, musicality, memory skills, self-esteem...and yes, great ballet technique.

Classes are limited in size and individual attention is given to each student during each class period. The highly skilled and experienced faculty at the Academy has trained many dancers who have gone on to professional careers in major ballet companies and in the commercial dance world including Hollywood and Broadway.
Many, many of our students have received scholarships to prestigious colleges and universities. Personal achievement, not competition, is the goal here.

The Academy has been honored seven times by being selected as one of only two schools in the state to represent Washington at the Dance Excellence! International Festival for Young Dancers.

Our students have been chosen to perform at Coca Cola Olympic City during the 1996 Olympics, at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, at the 1996 Olympic Wrestling Trials, at Dance Festival Northwest and for Paramount Show Services.

Locally, students from the school perform with Allegro Baroque and Beyond, Ballet Spokane, Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater, Spokane Children's Theater, Spokane Civic Theater, Spokane Symphony, Spokane Theatrical Company, and Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Opera.

As with most dance studios, our school produces an annual student performance called (this year) Summer Concert 2008. Unlike a typical studio recital, the performance that we have is a fully produced ballet into which all of the students from Ballet Prep A and up are woven. Last year we produced a beautiful ballet called “The Seasons”. It told the story of a young man who is lost in the forest in Winter. He is saved from freezing by the Winter Queen and sent on a trip through the seasons of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. On the journey he meets many friends, falls in love with the Princess of Summer, and is married to her by the King and Queen of Autumn. The roles of the King and Queen of Autumn were danced by guest artists from Ballet Metropolitan. Exposure to these beautiful professional guests was both fun and inspiring for our dancers. We also presented a tribute to the Broadway musical, “Wicked” that was danced by our jazz students.

Participation in Summer Concert 2008 is not required, but is highly encouraged. It is very motivating to be working toward dancing in something as exciting as a real dance concert. This year, the concert was held at Central Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of Central Valley High School. The programing for the concert and enrollment forms will be distributed in November.