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Dance technique in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance

Cleveland’s Premier Dance School

No matter your age or experience, every dancer can spread their wings and dance their way to personal excellence at Cleveland City Dance.

Since 1965, CCD has served as the premier dance school in the Greater Cleveland area, offering a variety of dance classes for children, teenagers, and adults.

Combining decades of experience, our professional dance instructors come from across the United States to bring the finest of artistry and technique to dancers of all ages throughout Northeast Ohio.

We look forward to dancing with you and being a part of your journey!

Call 216-295-2222 to Enroll Today

Meet Our
Instructors

Dance Programs for Students of All Ages

Dance education focuses on the individual, and at Cleveland City Dance, we recognize and celebrate how minds and bodies develop differently from individual to individual.

Our educated and experienced instructors work patiently with all of our students, communicating and providing one-on-one conferences with families every step of the way.

We also believe it is essential to stay focused and physically engaged at any age. In addition to our children’s classes, we offer a variety of in-person and virtual programs for teens, adults, and individuals over 55.

Are you ready to begin your journey as a dancer?

Call 216-295-2222 Today
Ballet in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
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Modern dance in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
Boys Ballet
JAzz in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
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Modern dance in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
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Tap dance in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
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Hip-hop dance in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
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Conditioning in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance
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Ballet

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Join Us for an Enriching, Confidence-Building Experience

Cleveland City Dance invites you to take a look at our many resources and learn more about dance education and what we have to offer.

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CIty ballet in Cleveland, OH ❘ Cleveland City Dance

Resident Home of the City Ballet of Cleveland

Every year, Cleveland City Dance students celebrate their hard work and demonstrate their growth by auditioning and performing for the City Ballet of Cleveland, a pre-professional, non-profit ballet company.

Students may audition for the company in the spring, audition for the Uniquely Cleveland Nutcracker in September, and Story Ballet performances in January.

Testimonials

“We love Cleveland City Dance! The instructors are all very professional and offer a wonderful, supportive, high-quality dance education. It has become a second home to our whole family… nurturing each of us in our dance journey… everyone and anyone can flourish artistically, physically, and emotionally.“
‒ Naomi H.
“The boys’ class has given my son, Evan, a new perspective on dance and he really looks forward to his weekly lesson. I have seen an increased awareness of his body that has proved to be most helpful in his sports performance. I am grateful for the opportunity Evan has to explore the arts in a fun and well-structured environment. The solid basics that he is learning will allow him to enjoy the arts for a lifetime.”
‒ Kathy B

“What a place! Great environment, positive energy, amazing teachers with professional dancing backgrounds who are knowledgeable and dedicated to the student’s development advancement.”
‒ Michael M.

“Cleveland City Dance is a Northeast Ohio community treasure. Our child has thrived at this school as a dancer and as an adolescent. The staff are nurturing professionals who give the students excellent training while also taking a developmental approach to caring for the social-emotional well-being of the child/young person…”
‒ Tracy W.

“My daughter has been taking classes here for 10 years. The teachers push her to be her best every day in a kind and supportive way. She cannot wait to get to dance class each and every day. Truly a positive experience.”
‒ Heather P

“I have many people in my life who I am inspired by daily, namely my dance teacher and
studio director.
In a world where men primarily dominate the artistic and choreographic staff of dance studios and companies, her success in running a studio that offers both quality training and a tight-knit community is unique and inspiring. Among other skills, I have acquired in my time dancing,
I attribute my work ethic to the environment that she has facilitated at our studio.
She encourages me and my fellow classmates to work hard and eagerly tackle new challenges.  Under her instruction, I have learned to accept constructive criticism and constantly strive for self-improvement, not just in dance, but in all aspects of life.”
‒ Grace

For more information or to enroll, contact us at 216-295-2222 today!

Cleveland City Dance

Monday-Thursday:
9:00 AM ‒ 1:00 PM
4:15 PM ‒ 9:00 PM

Friday:
10:00 AM ‒ 1:00 PM
4:30 PM ‒ 7:30 PM

Saturday:
9:00 AM ‒ 2:30 PM
Sunday:
Closed
13108 Shaker Square
Cleveland, OH 44120
Get Directions!
Contact

Phone: 216-295-2222
Email: info@clevelandcitydance.com

Most Loved Dance Studio 2022!

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Lisa Kuhnen is a Cleveland native who has spent the past twenty years travelling the globe as a professional dancer and singer while making NYC her home.  She has danced at Carnegie Hall with Sarah McLachlan, sang for the Prince and Princess of Monaco with Andrea Boccelli, and appears in Jordan Matter's Dancers After Dark with Alan Cumming. She toured the Americas with the world renowned musical Cats and has taught musical theatre to children in Shanghai.  She has performed aboard the "Most Luxurious Cruise Ship Ever Built," the Regent Seven Seas Explorer as lead singer. Lisa is a certified personal trainer, a certified barre instructor and a full-time barre and cycle instructor for Lifetime Fitness in Beachwood.  She has taught students at New York's well-known professional dance studio, Steps on Broadway.  Here she was mentored by the world's best lyrical jazz teacher, Suzi Taylor.  Growing up in Cleveland, she was a student at Dennis Nahat's Cleveland Ballet and was trained in Cecchetti Method through grade 5. Lisa holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University where she concentrated in dance.

Anthony began dancing at the age of 21 after suffering an injury while playing collegiate sports. In his 10+ years of dancing, Anthony has had the privilege of performing in numerous music videos and events all throughout the country. Anthony has been able to learn and study dance from training with inlet dance company, the Sarah Morrison dance company and by working with dancers such as Les Twins and now training with a California based crew called Kinjaz. After taking some time away to raise his now 2 year old son, Anthony is very excited to come back to teaching and being a part of the Cleveland city dance family!

Review From A Client of Anthony:

Hi! It’s Vicky here. As I wrote before I’m leaving Cleveland this week and won’t come anymore. Just wanna thank you for everything, your support and help with the portal. We still do paper back home and it was hard for me to do everything virtually. Thanks to the teachers and staff and I may say that Anthony has been the best hip hop teacher I had in Cleveland.

Thanks for everything and hope I can visit again and take some classes one day.
Vicky

Michael, a New Jersey native, trained under the direction of John White and Margarita de Saa at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. While studying under John White and Margarita de Saa, he also had the privilege of working with choreographers Bryan Koulman and Lina Early performing a variety of classical, modern, and contemporary works. During Michael's time at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, he was involved in a small ensemble called Pages to Pirouettes. The ensemble’s purpose is to take storybook ballets, such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Cinderella, to grade schools in the entire Philadelphia area and teach school children about ballet and dance in general. Michael also spent several months studying at the Boston Ballet School prior to joining a professional company. Michael joined The Sarasota Ballet of Florida as an apprentice in 1999 and retired as a principle in 2008.

Including Sarasota Ballet's full repertoire, he performed many leading male roles including Lysander and Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Siegfried, as well as Rothbart, in Swan Lake, Othello in Othello, and the Cavalier in the holiday favorite The Nutcracker. Michael also had the distinguished honor of portraying Don Jose in Alberto Alonso's Carmen, not only on stage but also in the documentary project Dancing in Freedom's Shoes portraying Alberto Alonso's illustrious life and career in ballet. Michael's contemporary repertoire includes many pieces by James Buckley including Business Casual, Centaur, The Rite of Spring, and Anne Frank. He also reset Mr. Buckley's Anne Frank on The Sarasota Ballet in January of 2006. In 2002, Michael had the honor of working with choreographer Christopher Fleming to celebrate the artist Jean Claude Gaugy’s's inspirational masterpiece 'The Awakening'. The work was revealed in Santa Fe, New Mexico to a ballet that reflected the artist's struggle to overcome impossible odds. Michael has received pedagogy training based upon the Vaganova Syllabus, which is the same syllabus he trained under at The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet.

Amelia Foreman was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, and has been dancing since she
was ten. She had started out as a competitive gymnast. Amelia has trained in ballet,
contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop, pointe, lyrical, character jazz, musical theatre, acrobatics and
modern technique. Special skills include tumbling and training in Lyra. Amelia started dancing
at Academy of Dance, in Jacksonville, Fl. Her first two years of college, Amelia attended Florida
State College at Jacksonville, where she was in “danceWORKS” Repertory Company. She
graduated from Troy University, as a dance major of the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Training includes the Florida Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Alonzo King Lines Ballet
summer intensives. She has danced with the Montgomery Ballet and is currently dancing with
Inlet Dance Theatre. She also participated in the DAP Festival and performed multiple times in
Italy. Amelia has taught at Academy of Dance, Dance 4 Life, The Company Performance Center,
Patti Rutland Jazz, the Montgomery Ballet, and other local dance and gymnastics studios.

Orlando Mercado (aka X-Factor) was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and moved to Cleveland
in 2008. Orlando has been dancing since he was 15 focusing on hip-hop training with multiple
instructors including former member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team Daisun Santana
(aka Bz Brooks). He continues to train and learn other forms of dance styles because he believes
dancers are limitless to what they can learn and do.

In 2010, Orlando and his dad Angel founded the dance group Evolution when Orlando was 15
and were awarded Best Dance Group of The Year by Cleveland Magazine. When 17 ,Evolution
competed in Ohio's Best Dance Crew taking second place overall. Evolution was together
through 2016, then Orlando founded Limitless in 2017. Orlando was part of the 2014 and 2015
downtown Cleveland New Year’s event. He has performed for Spanish artists Cosculluela, Plan
B, and Yomo, as well as Montel Jordan, Flo Rida, Biz Markie, MGK and Lil Jon, and local
artists local artists such as K. Davis, Bori Q, J Jigs, Jonathan El Romantico and many more.
Orlando x-factor continues performing throughout Ohio.

Orlando had the privilege to travel to Atlanta, Florida, and Chicago to teach master classes and
perform at multiple events and studios. He has taken classes with Alex Fetbroth, Laura Edwards,
Tony Tzar, Lee Daniel, Tony Bellissimo and Parris Goelbel who all have danced and
choreographed for celebrity artists such as Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber and many more.
Since 2011 Orlando has worked as a professional dancer/entertainer including with the
Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team and teaches at multiple studios winning awards and national
competitions. and local recreation centers in greater Cleveland.

Vivian is a current trainee with Inlet Dance Theatre who holds her BFA in dance and BSEd in exercise science from The Ohio State University. Her training is primarily in contemporary, jazz, tap, African, and ballet, as well as mat and reformer Pilates. She teaches dance and group fitness classes to children and adults and engages in dance science research in addition to her artistic practice. Using her dance and personal training background, Vivian weaves dance and science as the foundation of her work to guide others to find their love of movement through community-based practice.

Annette Gaetana Ellis graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance with a concentration in Modern, and a Minor in Business Management. Her dance background started in Classical Ballet and Circus Arts. Before her college career, Annette was One of Three Americans to represent the United States in the Geneè International Ballet Competition 2018 in Hong Kong. She also had the opportunity to perform on Broadway in the Actor’s Fund C.T.F.D 31st Jubilee directed by Anne Marie DeAngelo, Disney’s NYC Summer Stage, Brooklyn Art Museum’s Basquiat Exhibit, and was a member of Boston based company Mystique Illusions Dance Theatre. At Point Park she has had the opportunity to perform works by Kiesha Lalama, Rozanna Sweeny, Rocker Verastique, and Judith Leifer-Bentz. Annette also had the honor of being a choreographers assistant to professor Jason McDole and former Associate Artistic Director of Complexions, Jae Man Joo

Lydia is originally from Fullerton, CA, and began dancing at her mother’s studio when she was 3 years old. She attended summer intensives held by Marin Dance Theatre, Backhaus, Entity Contemporary Dance, and Cecchetti USA. From 2017-2022, Lydia taught contemporary and ballet classes and coached soloists at CF Dance Academy. She danced in and choreographed a variety of concept videos during Covid. Lydia danced with Emergent Dance Company, directed by Megan Pulfer, for their 2021 season before moving to Ohio. She trained with Inlet Dance Theater as an Apprentice from 2022-2023.