7 Places to Take Summer Dance Classes in Metro Phoenix

Phoenix-area dancers have been busy this year, performing in diverse settings from the Crescent Ballroom to Desert Botanical Garden. And this summer, several of the dancers you've seen on local stages are sharing their tips and techniques in various dance classes around town.

Some classes are for experienced dancers, but many are for adult beginners. In some cases, older teens are also welcome to participate. Here's a look at studios offering summer dance classes – including several with classes taught by big names on the local dance scene, from choreographer Liliana Gomez to aerial arts specialist Gavin Sisson.

Ballet Arizona
Open dance classes for adults and teens ages 14 and older include beginning, intermediate, and advanced ballet. Students can pay $18 per class, get a six-month 10-class card for $150, or buy a six-month 20-class card for $275. Ballet Arizona also teaches ballroom dance for $10 per class (or $18 per class for couples). Jazz, American tribal-style belly dance, modern, and Horton Technique classes are $15 each. Horton Technique incorporates movements and expressions drawn from Native American, Afro-Caribbean, Japanese, Javanese, and Balinese cultures. All classes are held at the Ballet Arizona studios. Find more information on the Ballet Arizona website.

CONDER/dance
CONDER/dance, which presents the annual Breaking Ground dance and film festival, is hosting a five-day workshop with choreographer and dancer Danielle Agami, founder and artistic director for Ate9 Dance Company in Los Angeles. Agami trained with Israeli contemporary dance choreographer Ohad Naharin, creator of a movement language called Gaga. The workshop takes place July 25 to 29 at ASU's Tempe campus and includes Gaga movement, Ate9 repertory, improvisation, and Q&A time. The workshop is open to professional dancers and dance students ages 18 and older. Find more information on the CONDER/dance website.

Fifth Row Dance Studios
Summer dance offerings at Fifth Row Dance Studios include courses in flamenco, hip-hop, and choreography. Introduction to flamenco for adults happens on Monday nights, with additional flamenco classes offered several days each week. All hip-hop classes are at the intermediate/advanced level. Choreography classes have a different focus each month. Classes are $10 to $15 each – or, in some cases, $65 for a five-week session. Find more information on the Fifth Row Dance Studios website.

Mesa Arts Center
EPIK is offering choreography classes with its dancers and guest choreographers through most of August at Mesa Arts Center. EPIK specializes in urban, contemporary, and fusion dance styles. Their classes are offered Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights on a drop-in basis for $8 per class. Mesa Arts Center is also offering two three-week belly dance sessions starting in early August, which cost $40 per session. And CaZo Dance Company, a recent artist-in-residence with the [nueBOX] new works development program, recently began offering drop-in classes in contemporary dance, ballroom dance, and contact improv – each costing $10 per class (or $85 for 10 classes). Find more information on the Mesa Arts Center website and CaZo Dance Company Facebook page. 

Metropolitan Arts Institute
Scorpius Dance Theatre is offering aerial arts classes this summer at Metropolitan Arts Institute. Aerial classes include instruction in basic and intermediate aerial fabric skills with Gavin Sisson and cost $20 each. Liliana Gomez — whose choreography has been performed at diverse settings including the Desert Botanical Garden, Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Tempe Center for the Arts, and {9} The Gallery – is teaching an intermediate creative modern dance class on Monday nights at Metropolitan Arts Institute. Classes will focus on improv and dance combinations that explore modern dance techniques. Find more information on the Scorpius Dance Theatre website.

Phoenix Center for the Arts
Phoenix Center for the Arts offers belly dance and contemporary modern dance classes on Wednesday nights, as well as ballet basics on Thursday nights. These 90-minute, drop-in classes are $10 each. Find more information on the Phoenix Center for the Arts website.

Phoenix Theatre
The Summer of Dance program at Phoenix Theatre runs through July 28. Classes take place Monday through Thursday between 6 and 9:40 p.m. inside the Hardes Theatre and main stage rehearsal hall. Classes include hip-hop, burlesque/Fosse, turns and leaps, tap, musical theater, techno ballet, and contemporary. Monthly passes are $75, and the "All You Can Dance" pass is $130. Find more information on the Phoenix Theatre website.