Center Dance

Picture This: a Journey into the Wordless

The Center Dance Studio is pleased to announce “Picture This: a Journey into the Wordless,” our special Fall ’21 Choreography Lab Series. Students in Spinning Yarns, Story Arc and Theme & Variation will draw inspiration from The Eric Carle Museum’s newest exhibition, Speechless: The Art of Wordless Picture Books, to build dances celebrating this unique literary genre. A performance will take place at the end of the session.

Spinning Yarns (1 hour and 15 minutes, grades 3-4) introduces students to the language of dance, inviting them to explore movement in a creative, nurturing environment. Picture books serve as entry-points for authentic, movement-based storytelling. Students consider such choreographic elements as space, body, time and relationship as they work together to build dances inspired by favorite texts and their own imaginations. 

And check out Mixed Ages Spinning Yarns (1 hour, grades 1-4) an outdoor, family-friendly class perfect for siblings who love to dance together, younger kids who bloom in the company of older peers, and older kids who thrive in a leadership role. 

Story Arc  (1.5 hours, grades 4-6) offers a creative approach to building dances in this lab that grounds students in composition through technical and improvisational activities. Using literature and their own writing as a platform for exploration, students will explore concepts such as formation, relationship, effort and action as they are introduced to a wide variety of choreographic tools. Students will work collaboratively and independently to structure original dances that are rich, meaningful and inspired.

Theme and Variation (1 hour and 45 minutes, grades 7+) encourages students to stretch themselves — both creatively and physically — in a supportive, community-oriented atmosphere. Students will apply their technical dance skills to a wide range of choreographic tasks, exploring movement dynamics, spatial design, time factors and relationship. Democratically selected themes and literary texts will inform collaborative dance building; students will also write across a variety of genres and use their work as choreographic material. By rooting students in the basics of Laban Movement Analysis, students will learn to constructively critique and refine their original ensemble works.

Fall Choreography Labs will run as 10-week sessions.

Rhythm & Rhyme: A Tap Class for Kids!

Tap. Snap. Flap. Clap; Snap. Flap. Clap. Tap!

Welcome to Rhythm and Rhyme, The Center Dance Studio’s inaugural tap technique class for elementary schoolers! Get your tapping toes ready to learn steps such as the Buffalo, the Shirley Temple, and the Cramp Roll; pull on your thinking caps to invent some steps of your own! Together, we will find our rhythm, and tap the time away!

Rhythm & Rhyme 1 (grades K-2): Thursdays, 4:30-5:15 PM
Rhythm & Rhyme 2 (grades 3-6): Thursdays, 5:15-6:15 PM

Winter/Spring ’23 sessions begin Thursday, 1/12, and run until 5/25.

Register ONLINE, or email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com for more info!

Center Stage: All That Jazz

Curtains up!

The Center Dance is thrilled to announce Center Stage: All That Jazz, a spin-off of our popular musical theater dance class. Like the original, this class will introduce kids to choreography straight off Broadway; a new highlight: foundational jazz technique! Students will master a jazz square, rock a flick kick, and cover some serious ground performing an across-the-floor slide! (All with magnificent jazz hands, of course). 

Whether your child is an aspiring performer, a Broadway enthusiast, or simply looking for a fabulous way to kick off the weekend, Center Stage: All That Jazz is the place to be!

Recommended for kids in grades 4-6. No prior experience necessary. 

Classes will meet on Fridays at 5:15 PM, September 10th-December 10th, at The Center Dance Studio: 321 Main Street, in Amherst. Tuition is $190.

A FREE TRIAL CLASS will be held Thursday, August 12th, at 5:30 PM.

To pre-register, reserve a spot in our fall session, or request more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com. 

It’s YOUR turn in the spotlight. Enroll today!

Center Stage Summer Intensive

Curtains up!

The Center Dance is thrilled to announce our Center Stage Summer Intensive: a marvelous medley of musical theater, jazz and improvisational dance styles. Students will work with the fundamentals of theatrical dance, learn choreography straight off of Broadway, and master a “step, ball change!” Our weeklong program will culminate in an showcase of students’ work. 

Whether your child is an aspiring performer, a Broadway enthusiast, or simply looking for some fun physical activity, our Center Stage summer intensive is the place to be! 

When: July 29th-August 2nd, 9AM-3:30 PM
Where: The Center Dance Studio, 321 Main Street, Amherst, MA
Tuition: $385

Recommended for kids entering grades 5-9.

It’s YOUR turn in the spotlight; enroll TODAY!

Story Ballet – new section added!

Our Sunday morning OUTDOOR Story Ballet has so many fans, we decided to add a second section! Join our 10AM class while spots still remain!

Story Ballet (45 minutes, ages 3-6) invites young dancers to explore the world of ballet through an imaginative lens. Using imagery and stories as inspiration, students will engage with the vocabulary and principles of classical ballet. Our interactive, developmentally appropriate class structure nurtures students’ enthusiasm for dance while cultivating focus and a growth mindset. Caregiver participation welcome!

When: Sundays at 10 AM; April 11th-May 30th
Where: Groff Park
Tuition: $115

Register

Masks will be mandatory for participants over the age of 2. Classes will be structured to support a safe distance of 6 feet between individuals from different households. 

For more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com. 

Big Fun For Little Feet!

Watch your child bloom in Garden of Verses; a gentle, joyful introduction to creative movement for toddlers ages 1.5-3 and their caregivers. Using imagery, rhyme and song, children are guided through simple yet foundational movement patterns that promote kinesthetic awareness, coordination and focus. Storybook pages spring to life as children reimagine timeless classics and embody beloved characters; props, instruments and costumes enhance the magic. How hungry is your little caterpillar? Join us in Garden of Verses to find out.

Our OUTDOOR classes will be held at Groff Park in South Amherst, where children can safely gather for friendship and fun, stories and dance!

Time: 10-10:45 AM
Dates: April 11th-May 30th
Tuition: $115

In accordance with state and local guidelines, masking is required for children ages 2+. Classes will be structured to support a safe distance of 6 feet between individuals from different households. 

For more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com. 

Spots are going quickly, so register today!

Theme & Variation Choreography Lab

As we mark one year since COVID-19 took hold of our world, it seems important to remember: though this pandemic is global, its impacts are far from universal. In Theme & Variation, students will consider four different artists’ impressions of the pandemic, and collaboratively build a dance that reflects the diversity of experiences lived over the past year. An informal OUTDOOR performance will be held in June (date TBD).

Theme and Variation (90 minutes, open to Intermediate & Advanced ballet students) encourages students to stretch themselves — both creatively and physically — in a supportive, community-oriented atmosphere. Students will apply their technical dance skills to a wide range of choreographic tasks, exploring movement dynamics, spatial design, time factors and relationship. Democratically selected themes and literary texts will inform collaborative dance building; students will also write across a variety of genres and use their work as choreographic material. By rooting students in the basics of Laban Movement Analysis, students will learn to constructively critique and refine their original ensemble works. 

Class will meet Monday evenings from 5-6:30 PM, April 12th-June 7th, in the Great Meadow in North Amherst. Masks are required. 

Tuition is $180. 

For more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com. To register, visit our Square Store.

Story Arc Choreography Lab

What is YOUR story arc? 

This is the question that students will consider as they build dances reflecting their experiences of 2020-21; the growth and the loss, the monotony and the discovery, the anxiety and the hope – the tremendous change. By engaging creatively and physically with the many feelings brought forth by the events and circumstances of the past year, kids in grades 4-7 will realize their agency as authors of their own narratives. An informal OUTDOOR performance will be held in June (date TBD). 

Story Arc (75 minutes, grades 4-7) offers a creative approach to building dances in this choreography lab that grounds students in composition through technical and improvisational activities. Using literature and their own writing as a platform for exploration, students will explore concepts such as formation, relationship, effort and action as they are introduced to a wide variety of choreographic tools. Students will work collaboratively and independently to structure original dances that are rich, meaningful and inspired. 

Class will meet Thursday afternoons from 4-5:15PM, April 15th-June 10th, at Groff Park in South Amherst. Masks are required. 

Tuition is $150. 

For more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com. To register, visit our Square Store.

“I Am the Storm” Choreography Lab

“Nature is strong and powerful. But, you are strong and powerful, too.” 

After the year we’ve lived through, our children already know this. The Center’s next session of Spinning Yarns invites them to dance this truth in a choreography lab based around Jane Yolen’s stirring new picture book, I Am The Storm. 

Students’ technical skills and movement vocabulary will develop as they consider such choreographic elements as space, sequence, rhythm and relationship. Working together, they will flex their creative muscles and stretch their imaginations to build an original piece of choreography. An informal OUTDOOR performance will take place in June (date TBA). 

Class will meet Friday afternoons from 4-5PM, April 16th-June 11th, at Groff Park in South Amherst. Masks are required. 

Tuition is $120. 

For more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com. To register, visit our Square Store.

Spring thaw…

Spring is just around the corner. Let’s dance our way there!

The Center’s outdoor classes allow kids to safely gather for friendship and fun, stories and dance! A new 4-week “mini-session” begins next Sunday, March 7th at Groff Park in South Amherst.

Story Ballet (45 minutes, ages 3-6) invites young dancers to explore the world of ballet through an imaginative lens. Using imagery and stories as inspiration, students will engage with the vocabulary and principles of classical ballet. Our interactive, developmentally appropriate class structure nurtures students’ enthusiasm for dance while cultivating focus and a growth mindset. Caregiver participation welcome!

Sundays at 10 AM; 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28
Tuition is $60

Masks will be mandatory. Classes will be structured to support a safe distance of 6 feet between individuals from different households. We encourage kids to dress for the weather – rain pants and boots are welcome!

Register ONLINE through our secure Square Store.

For more information, email thecenterdanceschool@gmail.com.