Training dancers, Shaping people.
At Columbia Dance, we believe that ballet training not only helps you become a good dancer, it helps you be a good person. We feel passionately that art revives us and inspires us, giving children a leg up on loving who they are, and giving that gift back to the world.
Columbia Dance is dedicated to offering excellence in classical ballet training and a variety of other dance forms. We also offer a diversity of performance experiences for young dancers. Each season, we present a full length Nutcracker, which has become a seasonal tradition in our community. Spring brings our annual Choreographer’s Showcase, designed to encourage young, pre-professional choreographers. And finally, we present our annual production, Columbia Dance Spring Showcase, an eclectic repertory concert featuring the students of Columbia Dance, guest choreographers and works by our faculty.
Company Alumni have found careers in professional dance companies and careers as teachers, lawyers, doctors and leaders in the community. Our Alumni have danced professionally with Attack Theatre, BodyVox, Éowyn Emerald & Dancers, Georgia Ballet, Idaho Dance Theatre, Young Americans Japan Tour and Midwest US Tour, The Juilliard Dance Ensemble, Nashville Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, North Atlanta Dance Theatre, Northwest Dance Project, Nguyen Dance Company, The Pillow Project, and Rasta Thomas’ Bad Boys of Dance.
Mission Statement
Columbia Dance’s mission is to present dance as a life-enhancing experience for our students and our community by setting high artistic standards in classical ballet education and performance, while creating a positive, nurturing, and challenging environment where dance appreciation thrives.
At Columbia Dance We Value:
Inclusiveness – children of all ages, genders, and body types are embraced, instructed, and presented as valuable members of our community.
The Whole Dancer – the life skills that dance training cultivates are given as much value as the more specialized technicalities of the dance form. Self-discipline, self-confidence, respect, wellness and teamwork are emphasized in our studios.
Quality Instruction – professional dance instructors work as a cohesive faculty to provide a nurturing learning environment where high expectations are set, aspired to, and ultimately met through student dedication and faculty mentorship.
Performance Opportunities – our dancers are given the platform to share their art form with their community and to be a part of something bigger than themselves by participating in large productions with public audiences. They interact with choreographers and teachers, stage crew, volunteers, and their fellow dancers to contribute to the magic of our Nutcracker and Spring Performances.
Promotion of the Arts – via partnerships with area corporations, businesses, schools, private enterprise and other community arts organizations, we are invested in keeping art alive and well in our community.
View our 2023 Annual Impact Report
Columbia Dance was a member of Regional Dance America/Pacific Region from 1997-2018. Starting 2019, Columbia Dance is now a proud member of The Ballet Alliance, an organization whose mission is to raise the standards of American ballet through education, performance, and community engagement.
