Preschool Creative Dance
For Ages 3.5-5
About Our Preschool Dance Classes For Ages 3.5-5
Continuous learning
Does your child love to move when you play music? Play music, and they will dance around the room.
The best creative children's dance activities and lessons engage your child's imagination. Expanding their movement vocabulary in our creative classes is so beneficial. We make learning fun, which is why this is the perfect preschool activity for your child.
Our creative dance and movement classes work on things like developing body awareness, loco-motor skills, strength, and flexibility.
We introduce your child to movement concepts such as levels and directions in space, pathways, and qualities of movement. Your child will see, feel, and experience moving fast, slow, sharp, smooth, strong, light, etc.
For example, they will take one movement that feels very familiar to their body and, with the instructor's guidance, make it into a dozen different movement variations.
They’ll try it high, low, backwards, upside down, with a partner, etc. It’s all wrapped in fun creative themes, and it opens up unlimited possibilities to move, express, and relate to the world around them.
Fall Session Classes
Session Dates: September 16, 2024 - February 9, 2025
Scroll for any additional class listings
Dress Code For Creative Dance
Girls wear black cotton tank leotard, pink footless tights, and bare feet.
No skirts/tutus please! Except for special skirt days.
Boys wear black shorts or sweats, white t-shirt, and bare feet.
These items can be picked up at Centerstage Dance Shop, 5261 University Way NE
or ordered online at Discount Dance Supply and use school code TP120018.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a young child's creative dance lesson last, and how often should they attend?
- Our classes are 45 minutes long, and your child should attend once per week.
What clothes are required for a creative dance class, and does my child require any specific dance shoes?
- Girls wear black cotton tank leotard, pink footless tights, and bare feet. No skirts or tutus, please! Except for special skirt days. Boys wear black shorts or sweats, a white t-shirt, and bare feet. No shoes are allowed.
What skills will my child learn from creative dance courses, and how will they benefit from them?
- Our creative dance classes work on things like developing body awareness, loco-motor skills, strength, and flexibility. We introduce your child to movement concepts such as levels and directions in space, pathways, and qualities of movement. Your child will see, feel, and experience moving fast, slow, sharp, smooth, strong, light, etc.
Is it a drop-off program, or are parents permitted to remain and supervise their child during the class?
- At American Dance Institute, parents have the option of staying and observing class in our viewing rooms, which have comfortable seating and large viewing windows.
Meet your Creative Dance Teachers
Dakota Crist
Assistant Director & office manager
BALLET, MOMMY & ME & CREATIVE DANCE
Dakota Crist had her earlier, training in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, and Modern Dance at Diane’s Dance Works in Helena, Montana, then went on to study at Creative Arts Center in Helena, Ballet Montana Academy and Sacramento Ballet. Dakota relocated to Seattle in 2013 and holds a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts.
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.
Ainsleigh Orwin
Office Manager,
Ballet, hip-hop, mommy & me & creative Dance
Ainsleigh Orwin began dancing at the age of 5 at Village Dance Arts in Claremont, CA where she was trained in RAD curriculum ballet, as well as modern, jazz, hip-hop, and tap. In 2017, Ainsleigh moved to Seattle to continue her education at the University of Washington. She currently holds a B.A. in Dance and B.S. in Biology (Physiology) from UW.
Ainsleigh has been teaching since she was 17, starting at her home studio and branching out to teach summer camps and outreach classes in elementary schools. Her passion for teaching and dance led her to American Dance Institute after graduating from UW in 2021.
Justine Huggins
Office Manager, ballet, creative, and mommy & me
Justine has been a student of dance since she was 5 years old, starting with pre-ballet at ADI! She studied ballet into adolescence before shifting to focus on modern dance. She has studied other styles; including hip-hop, jazz, and flamenco. Dance has always been her happy place, and she loves to bring that same joy and belonging to young dancers as a teacher.
Justine serves as office manage for our Greenwood office and she is also a student at the University of Washington working towards a bachelors in English.
Grace Smith
Administrative Assistant, Mommy & Me, Creative Dance, & Ballet
Heather McRobbie
Mommy & Me, Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet, & Hip Hop
Janae Walla
Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, & Creative Dance
Testimonial
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"Enroll your children in the American Dance Institute and relax. "
"It was here, at the American Dance Institute, that we, as parents, realized that we could relax and enjoy watching the growth of my daughter's dance skills. She was never made to feel that she wasn't good enough. She was always excited to come, every time. I think it is partially due to the culture here which is welcoming, comfortable and has an inviting atmosphere for children of all ages, genders, for adults and parents, everybody. It is like a neighborhood community school."
Ebba Lucander- Entrepreneur, Activist, ADI Parent for 5 years
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At the American Dance Institute in Seattle, Washington, we believe in nurturing young creative minds through dance education that transcends the ordinary. Parents witness the magic of transformative learning as their toddlers embark on a journey filled with laughter, emotion, and self-discovery within our vibrant studio. Through our incorporation of elements of Brain Dance methodology, children build self-esteem, explore the world of visual arts, and develop music appreciation skills while dancing to the rhythm of their favorite songs. We encourage critical thinking and understanding of the Earth and sky through storytelling and creative dance . Our thorough lesson plans, which combine creativity with the accuracy of choreography and rhythm, help each child become a storyteller and develop them into budding dancers. Our organization thrives on the principles of improvisation and encourages children to reach for the stars, much like the beloved characters in the 2013 film "Frozen." In Seattle, we foster a love for dance that goes beyond technique, instilling a deep sense of knowledge and creativity in every child.
At the American Dance Institute in Seattle and Shoreline, Washington, we offer creative dance classes that spark the imagination of kids. Our neighbors include enchanting Woodland Park Zoo, Red Mill Burgers, and Taco del Mar. Our young dancers attend creative dance live in all of the neighborhoods around our Seattle and Shoreline schools, like Loyal Heights, Ballard, and Green Lake. They dance like joyful carousel riders. In neighborhoods like Hawthorne Hills and Greenwood, our students discover the beat of hip hop dance and the grace of ballet.