Classes at Cleveland
City Dance

In Modern Dance, get ready to explore the body’s basic movement impulses and breathe, leap, and hop your way to rhythmic, spatial, and performance excellence. Modern Dance can help you nurture and enhance your strength, flexibility, and inner motivation for movement.

Looking to build your core strength, improve your flexibility, and lengthen your muscles? Conditioning can help you develop a healthy awareness of your posture, body movements, and breath through resistance training. Based on Pilates, this program can produce the same results as those who take ballet classes consistently.

We have three sessions at CCD. The Academic School year September through the end of May and two Summer sessions. Current students enroll during the Spring prior to the upcoming Fall academic school year. CCD holds auditions for new students as well as allowing students to take a trial class during the sessions for class placement. See registration process. You do want to register early as many classes fill to capacity before the start of the session.

Fall session (September through May) Early registration begins in April.
Summer session (June through mid-August). Early registration begins in March.

They are currently enrolled in Boys’ ballet, jazz, modern, tap and hip-hop. See 10 Reasons Why All Boys Should Dance.

It is not uncommon to have a few boys in dance classes. If you are concerned about your son being the only boy, sometimes it helps to have them ask a friend to join them to try the class together. We offer a boys’ only ballet classes on Fridays for ages 7-16 during the school year and in the summer we also offer a boys’ only camp.
Ballet originally began as a masculine art incorporating skills from fencing. Ballet skills and muscular development can be very supportive of sports. Dance also offers boys a sense of accomplishment, so they stand out from the crowd. Ballet is more difficult than competitive sports. The strength that is utilized must be concealed to appear effortless. Dance enables boys to increase their coordination and athletic strength for sports. For example: in basketball, the leg strength generated from dance offers greater power to jump higher to reach the basketball hoop. The agility from petite allegro (fast footwork) increases the speed required in all sports, especially to change one’s direction on the field.

Some courses for the younger classes are age specific. (Adults are not allowed to take children’s classes for ages 3-12.) Others will have a variety of ages based on physical
preparedness and mental maturity. We place students so they will be able to continually work on the basics as well as challenge themselves. If a student is placed in a level that is too advanced, they run the risk of injury as well as frustration, nor will they be strong enough for the strenuous nature of the level.

We do not offer a free trial class. There is a trial rate fee of $25.  For some young students, it takes 4 –8 classes to become acclimated to the studio environment, feel the progression of a class, and make new friends.

Yes, we do have a waiting list option for classes. If classes do not have four registered students, one week prior to the semester then the class will be canceled.  Four people need to be registered for the entire semester for a class to begin.  This enables Cleveland City Dance to guarantee the teacher a class. In 2020, we began offering live streaming for all classes so you may train at home as well.

Please tell us what sort of class(es) you are seeking.  We can start a waiting list and see if we have a teacher and a convenient studio time available.  The class will begin once we have at least four people registered.

Yes, we do have viewing windows for classes. We have parent observation several times a year and the final week of the summer semester.  During observation week,  students invite their families to sit in on class and get to know the teacher more. Please see our school calendar. https://clevelandcitydance.com/classes-programs/#schedule

Yes,  the viewing windows are always open. We have parent observation several times a year and the final week of the summer semester.  During observation week students invite their families to sit in on class and get to know the teacher more. Please see our school calendar. https://clevelandcitydance.com/classes-programs/#schedule

If your child has a great amount of energy and enjoys moving, we recommend several other options. There is Jazz & Tap Combo for 3-5-year-olds; beginning jazz and beginning tap for 6 years and up; or beginning hip-hop for students 7 and up.  These classes are fun with energetic music and offer a great cardiovascular workout.  Many children develop enjoyment for ballet, as they get older and want to build more strength and or aspire toward a career in dance.

Jazz is based on the technical dance styles seen on Broadway and in the LA scene.  The training is based on a strong ballet background and emphasizes dynamic movements and  passionate acting skills. Jazz warm-up is without a ballet barre and it incorporates some familiar terminology from ballet in parallel emphasizing isolations, core strength, and flexibility. 

Students may start Beginning Jazz at age 6.

Hip-Hop adds urban moves to jazz technique in an energetic fast-paced setting as seen in music videos and on the live concert circuit incorporating acting with more “attitude”.  Students will learn fundamentals and strengthening techniques such as body isolations, breaks, and dynamic moves. Students may start Beginning Hip-Hop at age 7.

Ballet helps to enhance your upper body and arms movement, which is essential to develop proper alignment, balance, and finesse. Ballet steps are used in tap as well.

For dancers ages 9 and up with previous experience,  it is best to attend a trial/evaluation class prior to the start of a session for appropriate placement. When students enter the class at the beginning of a session, they are evaluated for class placement with various goals. We want to place a dancer to be challenged and grow as an individual. We also strive to promote the development of self-esteem.   

Please be assured that all our students’ progress is evaluated throughout the year.  If a class change is needed, we will notify you of the necessary change within two weeks of the academic school year.  Physical strength, maturity, focus, and discipline are considered when evaluating students. Our teachers are very experienced and know what is necessary to progress from one level to the next.  We take your child’s best interest to heart.

It is rare that a child is not mature and focused enough to participate in a structured classroom environment.  If a child is unwilling or unable to participate in the group setting or is distracting the class, we will speak with the parents to see if some activities can be implemented at home to assist their child.

Many students will remain in a class level for two to three (2-3) years. The lower-level students receive an evaluation prior to the end of school. This includes preschool ballet, pre-ballet, beginning ballet, and jazz & tap combo. The studio has evaluations at the end of each session for the Upper Division.

Summer students are evaluated at the end of the summer term.  Typically, the lower-level students will continue at the same level from summer to fall.  Upper-level students can grow quickly in the summer due to the accelerated program and will be placed accordingly.

You may request a conference with the teacher and director after the evaluations should you have any concerns or questions. 

Yes, we have three shows.  The younger children ages 3-7 dance in an intimate setting at the school.  The annual Studio Spring Concert for the Upper Division has two shows, and the City Ballet of Cleveland show is in May at the Breen Center for the Performing Arts. 

The lower-level classes, which include preschool ballet, pre-ballet, and jazz & tap combo, have free performances in May at the studio in an intimate and non-stressful setting.  The Company performs for the students for free at the end of the class presentation with a story ballet such as Alice in Wonderland, Carnival of the Animals, and Peter & the Wolf. 

There is no performance at the end of the summer semester.  The Level I, Level II, and the Intermediate/Advanced camp do have an opportunity to perform at the Saturday Open house at the end of the summer.

You will want to speak with the director, Courtney Laves-Mearini of CCD in person.  Once your dancer has been evaluated, we can discuss an accelerated program appropriate for your child according to their desire whether it is ballet, jazz, modern, musical theater, college, dancing for the cruise lines, or other commercial work.  Ballet is the basis for many of the dance art forms and should be considered even for those wishing to pursue musical theater.

Auditioning for the City Ballet of Cleveland, a501 (c) 3 non-profit ballet company, is an option for those who want the opportunity to perform with more frequency and are ready to devote more time to serious training involving additional weekly rehearsals.

We have extensive financial, dress code, and studio general policies.  They are here on our website along with the annual calendar which are emailed at time of registration.

10-class cards are for adults only.  These cards cannot be used for beginning level classes, as consistency in classes is the key to progression and we do limit the class size. We recognize the need for flexibility with family and work schedules; however, a class card does not register you for a class nor hold your space in a class.  Class cardholders will not be able to take a closed/full class.  A class will be cancelled if there is NOT a minimum of four (4) individuals registered for the entire semester.

• Class cards expire six months from date of purchase.
• Semester discounts do not apply to class cards.
• There are no refunds for unused class cards.

No, we do not offer ballroom, tango, or salsa dance classes. A Flamenco teacher is offering classes at Cleveland City Dance.

Yes, $15 discount on monthly tuition.