Classes & Workshops

Driving Directions

Creative Dance Center is located in the beautiful Haller Lake Community Club in a residential neighborhood just off Aurora Avenue North.

12577 Densmore Avenue North is just south of the North 128th Street and Densmore Avenue North intersection.

From Aurora Avenue North, go east on N 128th Street. Northbound on I-5, take the NE 130th Street exit. Southbound on I-5, take the NE 145th Street exit.

From either exit, head west and turn south on Meridian N and west on N 128th.

Parking & Additional Info

We have plenty of free parking. Our office is located next door to the studio, just to the north at 12583 Densmore Ave. N.

Visit tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/ for convenient bus routes from your neighborhood.

Here are the dates we’re in session for the 2020-2021 School Year:

Fall 2020

Session I: Seven-Week Session for all classes from Monday, September 14, 2020 through Saturday, October 31, 2020.

Session II: Six-Week Session for all classes from Monday, November 2, 2020 through Saturday, December 19, 2020.

Creative Dance Center Holidays: no classes November 23 – 29, 2020 and December 21, 2020 – January 3, 2021.

Winter/Spring 2021

To be determined based on COVID-19 phasing and Safe Start directives from our State Government.

For the health and safety of our students, faculty, and community, our studio classes are currently being held online over Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic. We miss you all! We are so happy to provide opportunities for connection and joyful dance in the virtual space. Our skilled teachers have been instructing online since March and the feedback for our virtual classes has been fabulous!

Our studio location at Haller Lake Community Club remains closed until further notice while classes continue online. We will update our students and community as COVID-19 phasing, safety, and protocol information becomes available. For the most up-to-date information please check the Homepage and Announcements sections of this website. Any additional questions about closures can be directed to bronwen@creativedance.org.

We are excited to offer our Brain-Compatible Dance Education classes online while COVID-19 precludes gathering safely in the studio. CDC’s virtual classes are taught by our award-winning faculty, all experienced in leading fun and engaging dance classes over Zoom since Creative Dance Center moved online in March.

You should have a clear, safe space to move – CDC students have been dancing in their living rooms, bedrooms, playrooms and basements! For the best virtual class experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer. Make sure your device has plenty of battery life!

Before registering please review these tips from Zoom to make sure you have the technology needed to participate successfully. Please familiarize yourself with Zoom in advance to prepare for the online learning experience. A hardwired connection is recommended over wifi. Check out helpful tips here and here to improve your Zoom connection.

Please see our Zoom info in the drop down above for tips while we continue offering our classes online for the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families!

Welcome! Our Caregiver-Child classes include Nurturing Baby and Family Dance (formerly Caregiver/Toddler, Caregiver/Tot/Child, and Caregiver/Child). Children and adults should wear comfortable clothing (we get down on the floor!) and we dance in bare feet. 

When we are back in studio, in our main lobby you will find a poster easel with the Dance Concept we will be exploring that week in class as well as any important information. The upper studio is right off the main lobby. If the doors are open to the studio come right in and introduce yourself and your child to your teacher. If the doors are closed, please wait in the lobby until your teacher invites you in. If your class is in the lower studio, take the interior stairs to the lower level and introduce yourself and your child to your teacher. Only water bottles are allowed in both studios, no other food or drink. Food and other drinks are allowed in our waiting room.

The waiting room, off the main lobby, has wifi, tables, chairs, toys, crayons, paper, and a library of wonderful books for children and adults. We have a girls dressing room/bathroom and a large all-gender ADA equipped restroom on the main floor. There is an all gender restroom on the lower level as well. Please keep your valuables and personal belongings with you at all times. You may bring your belongings into both studios. At the beginning of class your teacher will welcome everyone, share printed resources about classes at CDC as well as helpful tips for having a fun and playful experience with your child/children in dance class!

Please see our Zoom info in the drop down above for tips while we continue offering our classes online for the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families!

Pre-Class Prep for classes in the Studio:
How exciting! A drop-off, independent dance class is a big step – as much for parents and caregivers as it is for preschoolers! We have close to 40 years teaching experience with this age group. We understand every child and caregiver is unique and we also have some tried and true tips and recommendations to make this transition a smooth one.

Please arrive a few minutes early to support your dancer’s transition into class. Separation anxiety is eased when there is ample time for greetings and good-byes. In our main lobby you will find a poster easel with the Dance Concept we will be exploring that week in class as well as any important information. We have a girls dressing room and bathroom and a large all gender ADA equipped restroom on the main floor. There is an all gender restroom on the lower level as well. If your class is in the lower studio take the interior stairs down to the lower level. If your class is in the upper studio please wait in the lobby and your teacher will invite you in to the studio when they are ready for students. Please introduce yourself and your child to your teacher.

We invite you stay for the first 5 minutes or so, then quietly move into an area where students do not see you. This allows students to bond with each other and their teacher and maintain focus in a more effective way. Our lobby and our waiting room are right off of the upper studio for those taking class on the upper level. For classes in the lower studio, parents/caregivers are welcome to stay on the stairs (which are out of sight but easily accessible if you are needed by the teacher) or move upstairs to the waiting room. We ask that you plan to stay on-site during your child’s classes in case you are needed. If you do need to leave CDC while your child is in class, please confirm with your teacher that your child has adjusted to being on their own before leaving. Always notify your teacher if you will not be on site during class.

Director Terry Goetz is at the first class of new sessions to help ease this transition for young dancers and their parents and welcome everyone. Each situation that may arise is handled on an individual basis. Our waiting room has wifi, tables, chairs, toys, crayons, paper, and a library of wonderful books for children and adults. Our instructors will communicate with you if there are any issues that come up regarding separation and participation in class. We do our best to resolve these issues keeping in mind what will work best for the individual child and the class as a whole. If your young child is not ready to dance on their own, Parent/Child class may be more developmentally appropriate. Please call Terry Goetz, Director, at 206-363-7281 if you are unsure of appropriate class placement for your child or email terry@creativedance.org.

First Time Transition Tips

Please prepare your child by letting them know they will be dancing with their teacher and other children and that you will be nearby in our waiting room or on the stairs. We ask that you plan to stay on-site during your child’s classes in case you are needed.

Class Attire & Bathroom Breaks

Make sure your child uses the bathroom right before class, and have your dancer wear clothes they can handle on their own (take on/off) for bathroom visits during class. Be aware our teachers cannot accompany students to the bathroom while they are teaching so caregivers of students that need restroom assistance must stay in the building during class. Email bronwen@creativedance.org if you anticipate separation issues at your first class or if you have additional questions/concerns.

By Age Group:

For adults, we recommend wearing dance or exercise clothes. 

For children, we recommend dance clothes such as leotards, leggings, footless tights, t-shirts, sweatpants or shorts, dance skirts, etc., bare feet. 

For toddlers, we suggest dance or play clothes, bare feet. 

By Class Genre:

Ballet shoes are optional for Pre-Ballet K and required for Pre-Ballet 1 and Ballet I/II & III classes. 

For Hip Hop classes please wear indoor-only soft-soled dance sneakers or athletic shoes.

Please keep valuables and personal belongings with you at all times. Do not leave valuables unattended. Dancers are encouraged to bring valuables and water bottles into the studios while taking class. CDC is not responsible for lost or stolen belongings. Food and drinks other than water are only allowed in our waiting room on the main floor.

Registration and payment of tuition is required to ensure a place in class. Registration in current classes does not guarantee a space in upcoming sessions. Full tuition is due at the time of registration. If this presents a hardship, contact bronwen@creativedance.org to discuss paying in 2 installments or applying for financial aid. Classes without sufficient enrollment will be canceled. Tuition may be pro-rated after the 2nd week with a $10 pro-rate fee. 

CDC offers two types of discounts for families registering more than one child within a session. You must contact bronwen@creativedance.org to get a Coupon Code BEFORE you register online. You will not receive the discount without the Coupon Code.

Sibling Discount: For siblings registering in different classes within the same session, or in the same class that is not Family Dance (see below), we offer a 5% discount on the tuition of each class. Email bronwen@creativedance.org for the Sibling Discount Coupon Code BEFORE registering for class.

Family Dance Discount: For families registering more than 1 child in a single Nurturing Baby, Family Dance (formerly Caregiver/Toddler, Caregiver/Child, or Caregiver/Tot/Child), we offer a 50% discount for the second and/or third child. Email bronwen@creativedance.org for the Family Dance Coupon Code BEFORE registering for class.

Office Hours to receive Coupon Codes are Monday through Thursday 8:00 am – 2:00 pm.

CDC offers rolling admission, so you may register at any point during the session for any class that is not marked full. Classes may be prorated after the 2nd week of the session. A $10 prorate fee will be assessed. You will need to contact bronwen@creativedance.org in order to register after the 2nd week of the session. Summer Session classes are not prorated.

Classes and camps without sufficient enrollment will be canceled and refunded in full.

Financial aid is available based on need. An application will be sent to you at your request and must be received at CDC before you register. Email: bronwen@creativedance.org

When we are back in the studio, we have several Visiting/Observation weeks throughout the year.

Creative Dance Center schedules Visiting/Observation Weeks approximately halfway through and during the last week of our in-studio sessions. Visiting Week is meant for families to observe their child’s class and see the progress that is being made and to witness the fun! If your child is taking a drop-off class, these two Observation weeks are the only time parents are invited to observe classes. We feel it is important to develop bonds with instructors and peers and that the presence of parents/caregivers may impede this opportunity for bonding. Many teachers do invite parents in to watch free dancing or student choreography at the end of each class. Check in with your teacher about this. 

Winter/Spring students in independent drop-off classes including Creative Ballet, Creative Dance, Creative Modern, Hip Hop, Pre-Ballet, Ballet, and Modern classes have the opportunity to perform with their class in the Afternoon of Dance, CDC’s “not your typical recital” school shows. Students share skills they have developed and their creativity with family and friends at Shorecrest Performing Arts Center, usually in mid-March.

View more information about the Afternoon of Dance on our Performances page.

You may make up missed classes in any comparable class during the current session. If your child will miss a Zoom class, please contact Terry at terry@creativedance.org to learn about virtual class make-up options and arrange for a Zoom invite to a make-up class. 

Make-up classes cannot be carried over to the next session.

For in studio classes, do not come to class if you or your child is sick. Make up your missed class after health has returned.

If class is not working out for you or your child, you may withdraw from class and request a refund before the 3rd week of the session. We will refund the remainder of the session and charge a $10 processing fee. Refunds are not offered after the 3rd week of the session.

For the most updated information, you may always check the Home Page or our Announcements page.

Zoom Classes: if class is canceled for some reason, you will be notified by email. The studio will remain closed until further notice, and all classes will continue online. We will continue to update our students and community as COVID-19 phasing, safety, and protocol information is updated.

Emergency closures for in-studio classes: Though CDC often closes when Seattle School District has snow closures, please check the home page of our website for up to the date info and individual class information. Classes canceled due to snow closures may be made up in another comparable class during the current session.

Visit our Resources for free articles on Brain-Compatible Dance Education and the BrainDance, along with books and DVDs written and produced by Anne Green Gilbert for purchase.

We also have music by Eric Chappelle that beautifully supports BCDE and BrainDance. 

Plus! We’ve curated a list of our favorite things from arts organizations to book authors, as well as links to shop for dance supplies.