Ballet Classes for Kids
Ages 8-11
Ballet classes for kids: Children's ballet I & II in our 2018 dance recital. American Dance Institute is well known for excellence in dance instruction. Notice how confident they are in their choreography. Not one is looking to a teacher in the wings for instruction. This is the quality difference.
Recent School Awards
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The American Dance Institute was rated as one of the three best dance schools in Seattle.
Is There An American Dance Institute Dance Studio Near Me?
Six spacious dance studios in four locations including Greenwood, Wedgwood, Magnolia, and Shoreline.
In addition to the Kids Ballet classes for children ages 8-11 on this page, American Dance Institute offers a comprehensive selection of adult ballet classes, ballet classes for ages 5-7, ballet & tap dance combo classes for ages 5-7, ballet for ages 12-14, and ballet classes for teenagers.
About our Ballet Classes for Kids
Ballet Course Descriptions
Class Schedules & Location
Summer 2022 Class Schedule
June 27, 2022 - September 1, 2022
Click For Summer 2022 Class Schedule
Winter/Spring 2022 Class Schedule
February 7 - June 16, 2022
Click For Winter/Spring 2022 Class Schedule
Spring 2022 Class Schedule
March 28, 2022 - June 16, 2022
In addition to our Fall, Winter/Spring, and Summer Sessions, we will be offering a special Spring Session for new beginning students of all ages. Our Spring Session runs from March 28, 2022 through June 16, 2022.
Spring Class Schedule
What Do Our Ballet Lessons for Kids Include?
All of our Ballet Lessons for Kids ages 8-10 include barre, center, stretching, adagio, and allegro work. We focus on the physical and intellectual understanding of how and why each movement is executed. With our structured teaching methods, your child will progress further, quickly and safely. Whether you are experimenting to see where your child's interests lie are or have an aspiring dancer, our ballet classes will satisfy you.
Most of our Ballet classes for kids are offered twice a week. It truly expedites the muscle memory allowing dancers to progress much more quickly when they attend class multiple times per week. If you can only attend once a week, we would still love to have you. Just expect that there will be a difference in technical ability from some of the other students by the end of the session.
The Importance Of Teaching Via Ballet Syllabus
Ballet is a journey. As ballet students progress in their training, their bodies grow stronger, muscle memory improves, and their confidence grows. This combination of benefits allows them to continuously build on the skills and choreography learned in earlier classes. It is critical that they not be taught new positions and steps before their bodies are ready for the challenges those steps demand.
As your child progresses, they may be assigned a new teacher. You will want that teacher to continue with the same syllabus and not change with every new teacher. That results in inconsistent, haphazard student progression and it can be risky if they don't have the proper foundation to build on.
This is why a carefully developed syllabus is so important. Your child's physical health, safety, and progress is consistent, safe and seamless over many years. Their confidence and self image grows as well and who doesn't want a confident child with a healthy self image? :)
Ballet Dance Classes for Kids Dress Code
Girls wear short sleeve cotton leotard (Bloch style #CL5402) in pastel blue, pink tights and pink Ballet slippers. No skirts/tutus please except for special skirt days.
Boys wear dance belt, black tights, white t-shirt and black or white Ballet slippers. All long hair should be secured in a bun. Shorter hair should be pulled back off the face and in a ponytail if it fits.
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Why Our Classes Are Non-Competitive
"Young children have yet to develop a healthy perspective with which to frame ballet's competitiveness. Bad experiences can damage a child's self image and dampen their enthusiasm for ballet. To protect fragile self-images, we encourage young students to first discover their 'own best self', not to compare themselves to others who may have more or less natural ability."
Elizabeth Chayer - Founder, Director of The American Dance Institute
These little ballerinas will touch your heart...
This video is a performance from the May 2018 Greenwood-Phinney ArtWalk event. These little ballerinas, ages 9-12, performed beautifully and touched every heart in the audience.
Meet Your Ballet Teachers
Elizabeth Chayer
Originally from Fort Collins, CO, Margaret holds a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has been a member of Louder than Words Dance Theatre in Denver, CO and most recently with Keshet Dance Company in Albuquerque, NM.
Margaret's Bio
Originally from Fort Collins, CO, Margaret holds a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has been a member of Louder than Words Dancetheatre in Denver, CO and most recently with Keshet Dance Company in Albuquerque, NM.
Margaret has directed the pre-professional programs at Mountain Dance in Fort Collins, where she also grew up dancing. At Keshet Dance Company, her teaching experience was diverse and included teaching Adaptive dance, working with dancers with disabilities.
Margaret is a dance and teaching artist with an affinity for improvisation, and a desire to explore the infinite ways her body moves. As a teacher, she takes pride in guiding others’ discoveries of their dancing bodies, and wants everyone to feel empowered to take up space in the world.
Margaret is new to Seattle and incredibly excited to get involved with the dance community and to be joining the staff at ADI.
ADI instructor Margaret Behm with students Sara, Jessica, Carly, Sophia and Ann at our first Junior/Teen Intermediate Jazz class at our new Magnolia studio. Great work tonight girls. So happy to have you in our ADI family.
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Dakota Crist teaches dance and serves as the Shoreline Office Manager for American Dance Institute.
Dakota relocated to Seattle in 2013 and holds a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts. She received her early dance education at the Creative Dance Center in Helena, MT.
As a young dancer, she attended Joffrey South, American Academy of Ballet, and Ballet West's summer intensives. Her love of dance drove her train pre-professionally with Ballet Montana and as a company trainee with Sacramento Ballet.
After graduating from Cornish, Dakota shifted her focus to dance education. She has been teaching dance since 2009 and has taught for ADI since 2018.
In 1991, at the age of 4 began dancing with American Dance Institute. She participated in and taught dance classes while she attended the University of Portland. She is now pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching.
9 student reviews.
Classes Amy Teaches
Ballet
Parent Toddler
Pre-Ballet
Children's Ballet
Testimonials /Comments
I like how she works with the girls, firm but not mean. She has a fun way of showing of correcting them by using examples of the difference.
Heather B.
ADI Parent
Amy is consistently awesome and she has boosted my daughters confidence and love for ballet!! She has a would quiet teaching style that is fun and enjoyable!!!
Xanasha R.
ADI Parent
Consistently awesome!
Johnna E.
ADI Parent
6 additional students rated Amy 'Consistently Awesome -5 stars'.
Amy's Bio
In 1991, 4 year old Amy boldly announced to her mother that she was ready to be a dancer. Her mother obliged and Amy has been dancing with American Dance Institute ever since progressing through our Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet, Children’s Ballet, Junior Ballet and Teen/Adult Ballet programs.
She participated in and taught dance classes while she attended the University of Portland, but she pursued her passion for language, majoring in English and German. She is now pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching.
She has always loved the welcoming atmosphere at ADI, and was thrilled to join the teaching staff at ADI in 2011. Amy teaches Parent/Toddler, Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet and Children’s Ballet.
Amy executing an attitude derriere position with the Pacific ocean as her backdrop.
Amy playing at the beach and showing off her attitude devant ballet position.
Amy executing a grand plie in the first position.
Maia grew up in Seattle and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre with a minor in dance from Northwestern University and a Masters degree in Dance Pedagogy from the University of the Arts in Helsinki.
Maia Nowack
While at Northwest, Maia trained with and danced for various Chicago-based dance artists.
While in Finland, Maia taught courses at the University of the Arts and Espoo Dance Institute and completed a thesis based on leading a collaborative learning and performance creation process with students from a vocational program in contemporary dance, as well as performing with other artists there.
In Seattle, Maia has also taught for Seattle Children's Theatre.
Maia says her goal as a teacher is to always be open to and work genuinely with each students' situation and experience while spreading the joy of exploring our movement possibilities.
Maia taught here at the American Dance Institute from 2016-2018 before leaving to pursue her Master's degree. We are so happy to have her back in the fold.
Maia grew up dancing in Seattle, then went to Northwestern University in Evanston where she graduated suma cum laude with a Bachelors in Theatre and a minor in Dance. While there, she performed in works by Chicago based choreographers including Jeff Hancock, Joel Valentin Martinez, and Maray Gutierrez.
She has also participated in Strictly Seattle and Dance This! intensives in Seattle. She has taught both drama and dance to students in the Evanston School District, and interned at Seattle Children's Theatre, where she is now a teaching apprentice.
Maia Nowack and her pesky friend.
Adult tap students Christine and Cheryl with instructor Maia Nowack in our first tap class in Magnolia.
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Emily Helman
Ballet, Pre-Ballet
At the age of 13, Emily attended the School of American Ballet summer course in New York City and later was invited to join the school's formal training program.
After New York, Emily moved to Boston, MA for two years as a trainee with the Boston Ballet, where she danced with Boston's Corps de Ballet.
On days off Emily enjoys hanging out with friends and family, going on adventures, hiking, photography, and exploring Seattle with her sister, who also lives in Seattle.
In 2007 she moved to Seattle where she continued her training with the International Ballet Academy.
Victoria has performed for various dance companies such as International Ballet Theater, Evergreen City Ballet, ARC Dance, City Opera Ballet, Olympic Ballet Theater and Katy Hagelin Dance Project.As a choreographer she has collaborated with the Seattle International Dance Festival, Katy Hagelin Dance Project, Bohemia, Drybones Artist Collective and Le Faux.
Victoria truly enjoys teaching and has been doing it since 2009 for numerous schools in Seattle.
Ainsleigh Orwin
Mommy Daddy & Me, Pre-Ballet, Creative Dance, Jazz, Ballet, Jazz, Modern
Currently finishing up her last year at UW, she has expanded her love for dance by exploring improvisation and choreography.
Ainsleigh has performed in 3 UW Dance Concerts and recently choreographed, filmed, and edited a dance film for the 2021 Dance Majors Concert.
She has taught summer classes and camps in her hometown and with Metropolis Dance in the Seattle area. Ainsleigh graduates this June from the University of Washington with two degrees - one in Dance and one in Biology.
Aside from dancing and teaching, Ainsleigh loves to go on hikes and nature walks, travel (pre- COVID), sing, and play with her roommate’s puppy!
Lauren Cook
Mommy Daddy & Me, Pre-Ballet, Creative Dance, Jazz
She has been teaching since
she was 16 and graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in Dance.
Lauren also practices meditation and yoga, and enjoys hiking and cuddling with her cat, Cleo, and dog, Cali.
Children's Ballet I class dance performance at our 29th annual dance recital in June 2018.
Testimonial
My 9 year old daughter took dance classes at American Dance Institute. She loved her class and teacher, Miss Kara. They learned technique, musicality, rhythm, as well as teamwork. I find the atmosphere supportive and non-competitive. The philosophy is to nurture a love of dance and movement. The teaching is upbeat, fun, and encouraging. I highly recommend ADI! -Susan F. (Former ADI Parent)
In The Media
Seattle's Moscow Ballet auditions 2017, American Dance Institute
KOMO Television's Seattle Refined videotaped portions of Seattle's Moscow Ballet Nutcracker auditions and they interviewed participants at American Dance Institute's Greenwood Studios. Their show aired Tuesday, September 19th at 3 pm on Channel 4. You can watch the show now Behind The Scenes Of The Cutest Nutcracker Auditions.
American Dance Institute and other greater Seattle dance students performed with the famous Moscow Ballet at the Paramount Theater in November 2017.
Kara Burrows waits with her Jr. Ballet students just before their performance at a Greenwood Phinney art walk event.
They've done well. Taking their final bow, the audience obviously appreciates their talent and how well they are progressing.
What Parents Think About The American Dance Institute?
Where Do Children Learn Confidence, Self Expression, Discipline & Passion?
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