ABOUT US

Our goal at Creative Dance Arts is to provide a strong foundation in quality dance technique to every student. Whether they be pursuing a professional career or are a recreational dancer, there is a place for everyone in the CDA family. Our classes are arranged by age and skill level to ensure social and developmental appropriateness. We strive to maintain a healthy balance of discipline and fun and encourage each student to reach their full potential.

2037 Route 9 is conveniently located 1/4 mile north of Ushers Rd off Exit 10 of the Northway. We have a spacious lobby, dressing room and 3 studios with sprung floors and marley overlay. The lounge is equipped with TV monitors for viewing the studios. For many of us, it is “home away from home” and is furnished as such!

We have a comfortable dressing room for the dancers as well as a large lounge area for families. 3 spacious studios are equipped with sprung subfloors and top grade Marley vinyl with a wood look appearance. This floor is designed to provide a non slip surface for the dancers and shock absorption to the joints. The floor trim is vented to allow the subfloor to “breathe” keeping moisture OUT. Our lounge area has TV monitors to view classes in progress. The Observation windows in the front studios are NOT tinted for the safety of your children. Instructors want to know WHO is entering the building and watching at all times. Students will become accustomed to observers as they grow, after all, dance is a performing art!

Dancers should wait for their class in our spacious dressing room. When classes change, teaching assistants will retrieve and deliver students at the beginning and end of each class. Please label all belongings with students' names.

During morning and afternoon classes until 7pm we offer a full service COFFEE BARRE within the studio. While waiting for your dancer, you may enjoy Coffee, Tea, Lattes, Frappes, Real Fruit Smoothies and various snacks in our comfortable lounge. For your convenience we also provide free Wi-fi while you relax!

Within Creative Dance Arts we stock a full run of quality dance shoes, leotards, tights, warm ups and custom fashion wear. Capezio shoes, Sansha canvas ballet, Euroskin tights, Motionwear, Capezio, Bodywrappers, Wear Moi Leotards, KD Dance Knitwear and accessories like dance bags, hair snoods, CDA Jazz Pants are all available. Special orders can also be placed at any time, email Miss Patti: dance@creativedancearts.org or see the attendant at the COFFEE BARRE.

We expect each student to be appropriately attired for class. The dress code is in place to teach us discipline, pride in appearance and is necessary for the teachers to assess placement and bodylines. We also ask you to cover your leotard and tights while entering and exiting the building. All hair chin length or longer needs to be pinned down. (NO PONYTAILS in any class.) Ballet and Tap combo classes (age 3 -7) wear plain, skirtless black leotard, pink tights, pink ballet slippers, and black tap shoes. All classes Level I and up may wear a plain, solid color, nonmetallic leotard. Tights for ballet are pink, all other classes are tan. Jazz and tap shoes are tan. Solid black jazz pants may be worn to jazz, tap and modern. Ballet classes may wear ballet sweater shorts/hipwarmers and legwarmers.

To provide quality dance instruction in a safe, nurturing and productive environment.

To encourage all students from the pre-professional to the recreational dancer.

To expose students to a variety of styles always focusing on technique.

To give back to the community by sharing our gifts at area events.

To create quality performances with age appropriate material and costuming.

To encourage our students to study outside our school at various conventions, master classes and studios.

Ultimately to love and appreciate the many faces of Dance as an art form.

We expect each student to conduct themselves in a respectable and courteous manner at all times. Parents are expected to escort elementary aged children to and from the building. Attendance is crucial to the progress of the individual and the class as a whole, therefore we expect a phone message if a student is unable to attend.

Tuition is auto billed to credit card or debit card MONTHLY (on the 27th of the month prior). Inclement weather cancelations will be left on the answering service and posted on our Facebook page. Please refer to your brochure for the school calendar as we do not observe any individual school vacation days.

Creative Dance Arts, originally named The Donna Smead School of Dance, was founded in 1976 by Donna Turner. Thanks to Donna’s passion for dance and her giving spirit, her first teaching assistant, Patti Friedman was inspired to pursue a dance teaching career. After receiving an Education degree and returning to the area after college, she has been owner/director since 1999. Patti has continued to maintain the high standards for quality dance education that Donna had begun decades earlier.