The Dance Department of The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts is dedicated to providing a broad education that challenges the students artistically, intellectually and physically and to prepare qualified students for college, conservatory and professional careers in dance and related professions.

All courses and departmental activities are designed to accomplish the following goals:

• To develop artistic and creative potential through a sequentially developed curriculum in both technical and theoretical dance courses
• To provide performance opportunities at the appropriate level
• To acquire the basic principles of choreography
• To increase an appreciation of dance as an art form
• To broaden an understanding of other art forms and their relationship to dance
• To develop an understanding of physiologically sound movement principles
• To expand the students understanding of historical and cultural expression of dance
• To maintain a standard of excellence
• To initiate community involvement through volunteer services and performances
• To instill a sense of ethics and professionalism

ABT Program

SCPA is proud to include the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE National Training Curriculum, a breakthrough 8 level program that combines high quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development. The ABT National Training Curriculum consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to provide the highest quality ballet training to dance students of all ages and skill levels. Primary through level 5 will be taught by ABT Certified Teacher, Ellen Warkentien, who successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum.

and have graduated from the following higher education institutions as Dance Majors: