Classes & Workshops

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 for the 2023-2024 School Year:

Covid Information and Guidelines for In-Person Classes and Camps

We are excited to dance with you! To ensure the health and safety of our students, families, staff, and faculty, the Creative Dance Center follows or exceeds federal, state, and/or local COVID-19 public health requirements and guidelines. The Creative Dance Center remains responsive and will adjust safety protocols as needed.

Creative Dance Center has the following health and safety protocols in place: hand sanitizing stations available throughout the building; sinks for hand washing with soap on both upper and lower floors; air purifiers located in both our upper and lower studios. Masking is welcome but not required.

Please review COVID-19 guidelines from the WA Department of Health HERE. Following these guidelines will keep our community safe as we dance together.

Please contact darrah@creativedance.org with any additional questions about COVID-19 guidelines.

As of March 1, 2022 the King County vaccine verification requirement is no longer in effect in King County. At this time the Creative Dance Center is not requiring proof of vaccination to attend classes, camps, or programming.

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

In our main lobby you will find a poster easel with our Dance Concept of the Week as well as important communication. 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

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 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. Students should be in dance clothes with hair back from face and bring a full water bottle with them into the studio. 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 of the Week. 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.

At your first class we invite you stay for the first 5 – 10 minutes, 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 the session to help ease this transition for young dancers and their caregivers and to 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, Caregiver/Child or Family Dance 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

By Age Group:

For adults, we recommend wearing dance or exercise clothes. 

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

For toddlers, we suggest dance or play clothes, bare feet. For babies we recommend a onesie and bare feet/legs.

By Class Genre:

Ballet shoes are optional for Pre-Ballet K-1 and required for Pre-Ballet 1-2 and Ballet I/II & III classes. For proper ballet shoe fittings, CDC recommends Centerstage Dance Shop in the U District.

For Hip Hop classes students must bring indoor only, clean-soled sneakers to change into for class. 

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.

CDC offers two types of discounts for families registering more than one child within a session. You must contact registrar@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 registrar@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 registrar@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.

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: darrah@creativedance.org

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, Dance & Art, 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. 

The Afternoon of Dance is scheduled for Sunday, March 10, 2024. Please save the date for this special event!

Note: Covid-19 may affect our ability to hold the Afternoon of Dance school show. We will send updates as needed.

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

During Fall/Winter or Winter/Spring Session, if class is not working out for you or your child, you may withdraw from class and request a refund by the 4th week of the session. We will refund the remainder of the session and charge a $15 processing fee. Refunds are not offered after the 4th week of the session.

During the Summer Session, CDC Administration must be notified 1 week prior to the start of classes or 2 weeks prior to the start of camps to receive a refund. A $15 processing fee will be levied for classes and a $25 fee will be levied for camps.

Email Darrah Parker at darrah@creativedance.org for information on how to process a refund.

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.

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.