Welcome to Vashon Center for Dance!
Vashon Center for Dance (VCD) is honored to have served the Vashon Community for more than 2 decades. Whether students are pursuing a career in dance, or study dance because they love it, all students are provided the same excellence in training in a supportive, challenging, and nurturing environment. Confidence, dedication, self-motivation and creative thinking are qualities and skills we seek to instill our students – qualities that will serve them well in all aspects of their lives. Our two spacious studios are in the historic Oddfellows Hall, which we refer to as the “Blue Heron Education Center”.
Education Programs
Spring Term COVID Safety Protocols
Beginning in Spring Term, which starts on April 17th, we will no longer require proof of vaccination for students of any age.Masks are required for instructors and students over the age of 2. Parents of children who require special health considerations should contact Registrar, Joy Ghigleri, at 206-259-3005 so that adjustments can be made to individual class policies. We will continue to practice the following COVID protocols:
- All staff and instructors are fully vaccinated.
- Windows are open during class for increased ventilation.
- High contact surfaces are wiped down frequently.
- Students, staff and instructors must stay home if they have had exposure to someone with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID, or if they or someone in their household are experiencing any COVID symptoms (including fever, congestion/runny nose, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, cough, shortness of breath, chills, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, vomiting, or any other symptom identified by the CDC as identified with COVID).
- We will communicate quickly and openly to parents in the event of any suspected or confirmed exposure to COVID. In the event of a confirmed positive case, we will contact local health officials and follow their guidance on next steps.
Note for student performers: In order to participate in a dance or musical theatre production on the Kay White Hall stage, all students must show proof of vaccination, OR test negative for COVID on the first day of loading into the theater AND again on the day of the first performance. To facilitate this process, we will set up a testing station in which VCA staff will witness the testing and results of a parent/guardian administered rapid test. Parents/Guardians will need to purchase their own tests and bring them to the testing station with their student. We recommend BinaxNOW kits, available through Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and Amazon. We will reach out with more information for students involved prior to their production dates.
*We will continue to monitor the local and overall COVID case numbers and will require all students and instructors to wear masks if cases increase significantly. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the shifting Covid landscape.
Scholarships available!
The deadline to register for Winter Term dance classes is January 7th. The deadline to apply for winter dance scholarships is December 13th.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have financial aid available to make dance classes accessible to any student interested.
Please click the link below or contact BHEC Registrar for more information:
joy@vashoncenterforthearts.org
For more VCD Performances Click Here
For info, registration, and questions please contact us at 206-259-3005
Creative Movement – WAITLISTS
Creative Movement - WAITLISTS
Ages: 3-4
Monday Session: Apr 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 2:45-3:30 pm
Tuition per session: $150 General | $140 Member
Instructor: Elise Ericksen
Location: Upstairs Studio
Friday Session: Apr 22-June 17 | 3-3:45 pm
Tuition per session: $165 General | $155 Member
Instructor: Elise Ericksen
Location: Upstairs Studio
A fun-filled introduction into the world of dance where children explore their imaginations through music and movement as they develop motor skills, rhythmic awareness, coordination, and balance in a nurturing environment. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Primary Ballet/Tap – WAITLIST
Primary Ballet/Tap
Ages: 4-6
Monday Session: Apr 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 3:45-4:45 pm
Tuition: $185 General | $175 Member
Instructor: Elise Ericksen
Location: Downstairs Studio
Friday Session: Apr 22-Jun 17 | 3:45-4:45 pm
Tuition: $205 General | $195 Member
Instructor: Vadne White
Location: Downstairs Studio
The Primary level students will be introduced to both Ballet and Tap. Miss Elise and Miss Vadne will keep them engaged by incorporating fun and structured activities that supports skill acquisition and prepares them for the next level of Ballet and Tap. Students learn stage skills and how to work as a team. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Ballet II
Ballet II
Ages: 7-8
Mondays, April 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 4-5 pm
Tuition: $185 General | $175 Member
Instructor: Vanesa Wylie
Location: Upstairs Studio
Building on the content of Ballet I, Ballet II students continue their learning journey in Ballet. They will warm up at center, then learn how to string steps together into combinations. Class time will also be dedicated to learning their part for our annual Spring Concert in June (*performance fee included).
Find out more »Ballet/Tap I
Ballet/Tap I
Ages: 6-7
Mondays, April 18-June 13 (skip May 30) | 4:45-5:45 pm
Tuition: $185 General | $175 Member
Instructor: Elise Ericksen
Location: Downstairs Studio
Miss Elise develops awareness of alignment and basic ballet and tap vocabulary and technique. Class will include basic center work and across the floor exercises that tap into imagination and develop musicality. Students learn stage skills and how to work as a team. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert in June (*performance fee included).
Find out more »Intermediate Modern and Choreography
Intermediate Modern and Choreography
Mondays, Apr 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 5:00-6:00 pm
Tuition: $185 General | $175 Member
Instructor: Vanesa Wiley
Location: Upstairs Studio
Miss Vanesa teaches students the movements that are the foundation for classical modern dance and helps students develop their creative voice. Contractions, spirals, basic floor work, and the concepts of Modern dance (space, time and force) are the building blocks of Modern dance and are taught in a manner that is encouraging and fun. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Intermediate Tap
Intermediate Tap
Mondays, Apr 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 5:45-6:45 pm
Tuition: $185 General | $175 Member
Instructor: Miles Wingett
Location: Downstairs Studio
Building on the fundamentals of tap, students will work on their rhythm hoofing, time stepping, improvisational skills, and more! Must have tap experience. Class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Advanced Jazz
Advanced Jazz
Mondays, Apr 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 6:00-7:15 pm
Tuition: $220 General | $210 Member
Instructor: Vanesa Wiley
Location: Upstairs Studio
Miss Vanesa gives a fabulous class for advanced dancers in our treasured American dance genre that includes a warm-up, stretching, across the floor combinations and fun choreography that builds every week. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Adult Tap
Adult Tap
Mondays, Apr 25-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 6:45-7:45 pm
Tuition: $120 General | $110 Member
Instructor: Miles Wingett
Location: Downstairs Studio
Whether you're lacing up tap shoes for the first time or dusting off an old pair, this class is for you! We'll start off with the basics and quickly move in to more advanced techniques and combination work inspired by the heyday of Broadway!
Find out more »Advanced Modern
Advanced Modern
Mondays, Apr 18-Jun 13 (skip May 30) | 7:30-9 pm
Tuition: $255 General | $245 Member
Instructor: Vanesa Wiley
Location: Upstairs Studio
Modern dance is important training for all dancers. Miss Vanesa’s experience teaching and choreographing this style of dance is extensive, and her classes are fun and energetic. At this level, Graham, Cunningham, Limon and other modern disciplines are covered. Class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Adult Ballet
Adult Ballet
Ages: 13+
Tuesday Session: Apr 19-Jun 14 | 2:15-3:15 pm
Tuition: $155 General | $145 Member
Instructor: Kathleen Bonner
Location: Upstairs Studio
Thursdays, Apr 21-Jun 16 | 6:30-7:30 pm
Tuition: $155 General | $145 Member
Instructor: Kathleen Bonner
Location: Upstairs Studio
One of our two weekly adult ballet classes taught by island dancer/teacher/choreographer Kathleen Bonner. Class focus is technique, choreography, and fun.
Find out more »Pre-Professional Ballet
Pre-Professional Ballet
Tuesday Session: Apr 19-Jun 14 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Tuition: $155 General | $145 Member
Instructor: Sana Tepley
Location: Upstairs Studio
Thursday Session: Apr 21-Jun 16 | 3:00-4:15 pm
Tuition: $190 General | $180 Member
Instructor: Vadne White
Location: Upstairs Studio
Pre-Professional Ballet is a companion class to Ballet V & VI and provides advanced training to dancers who are serious about their craft and have a desire to dance at the professional and/or collegiate level.
Find out more »Ballet III
Ballet III
Ages: 8-11
Tuesdays & Fridays, Apr 19-Jun 17 | 4:00-5:30 pm
Tuition: $460 General | $445 Member
Instructor: Vanesa Wylie & Elise Erickson
Location: Downstairs (Tuesday) and Upstairs (Thursday) Studios
At this level, dancers train twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) for skill acquisition and injury prevention. Dancers will be introduced to turns, more intricate combinations, and proper technique will be a focus. If the student would like to participate in our annual Spring Concert in June, rehearsals are an additional 45-minute session following the Tuesday class.
Find out more »Ballet IV Pre-pointe
Ballet IV Pre-pointe
Tuesdays & Thursdays, Apr 19- Jun 16 | 4:15-5:45 pm
Tuition: $460 General | $445 Member
Instructor: Vadne White, Madeline Morser, Sana Tepley
Location: Upstairs (Tuesday) and Downstairs (Thursday) Studios
Ballet IV meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, and combines elements of pre-pointe and beginning pointe work, as well as intermediate combinations, stretches, turns, and jumps. Twice weekly training is the minimum requirement for skill acquisition. Pointe and pre-pointe students will meet separately on Thursdays for technique training. If the student would like to participate in our annual Spring Concert in June, rehearsals are an additional 45-minute session following the Thursday classes.
Find out more »Ballet III Spring Concert Rehearsal
Ballet III Spring Concert Rehearsal
Tuesdays, Apr 19- May 31 | 5:30-6:15 pm
Performances: June 3-5
Tuition: $90 General | $80 Member
Performance Fee*: $50
Instructor: Vanesa Wylie & Vadne White
Location: Downstairs Studio
Students will work with VCA choreographers to learn and rehearse 2 or more roles in our annual Spring Concert in June. (*performance fee waived if paid in Winter term)
Find out more »Ballet IV Pointe
Ballet IV Pointe
Tuesdays, Apr 19-Jun 14 | 5:45-7:15 pm & Thursdays, Apr 21- Jun 16 | 4:15-5:45 pm
Tuition: $460 General | $445 Member
Instructor: Vadne White, Madeline Morser, Sana Tepley
Location: Upstairs (Tuesday) and Downstairs (Thursday) Studios
Ballet IV meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, and combines elements of pre-pointe and beginning pointe work, as well as intermediate combinations, stretches, turns, and jumps. Twice weekly training is the minimum requirement for skill acquisition. Pointe students will meet with pre-pointe students on Thursdays and will meet with ballet V-VII on Tuesdays for technique training. If the student would like to participate in our annual Spring Concert in June, rehearsals are an additional 45-minute session following the Thursday classes.
Find out more »Ballet V-VII
Ballet V-VII
Tuesdays, Apr 19-Jun 14 | 5:45-7:15 pm & Thursdays, Apr 21-Jun 16 | 4:15-5:45 pm
Tuition: $460 General | $445 Member
Instructors: Vadne White & Sana Tepley
Location: Upstairs Studio
Students at this level are trained in intermediate to advanced pointe work, partnering, controlled adage, adept petit allegro, as well as more advanced combinations, turns, and jumps. Scholarly articles are shared with students in the areas of conditioning, nutrition, wellness, flexibility, and more. Twice weekly training is the minimum requirement for skill maintenance. If the student would like to participate in our annual Spring Concert in June, rehearsals are an additional session following classes.
Find out more »Ballet V-VII Spring Concert Rehearsal
Ballet V-VII Spring Concert Rehearsal
Tuesdays, Apr 19-May 31 | 7:15-8:30 pm & Lead Dancers on Thursdays, Apr 21- June 2 | 5:45-6:30 pm
Performances: June 3-5
Tuition: $150 General | $140 Member
Performance Fee*: $50
Instructors: Vadne White & Sana Tepley
Location: Upstairs Studio
Students will work with VCA choreographers to learn choreography and rehearse for our annual Spring Concert in June. (*performance fee waived if paid in Winter term)
Find out more »Advanced Choreography
Advanced Choreography
Wednesdays, Apr 20-Jun 15 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Tuition: $155 General | $145 Member
Instructor: Madeline Morser
Location: Upstairs Studio
Sometimes choreography can look like that scary blank sheet of paper before the essay is written or the painting is painted. But what if you knew how to expand, reverse, invert, and morph a single move into twenty new moves? This class is the toolbox builder for both new and continuing choreographers level V and above. Every two or so classes, we will begin work on a new element or tool of choreography, discussing what we have made, and viewing examples of professional work exemplifying the same concepts. Students are encouraged to use the material they create in this lab style class for their own choreography, as pure experimentation, or any combination thereof.
Find out more »Beginner Tap
Beginner Tap
Ages: 7-11
Wednesdays, Apr 20-Jun 15 | 4:00-5:00 pm
Tuition: $205 General | $195 Member
Instructor: Joy Ghigleri
Location: Downstairs Studio
Trying on tap shoes for the first time or looking to expand on skills from our tap/ballet combo classes? Let’s get you learning the fundamentals of tap dance! We’ll have you shuffling, paddle and rolling in no time! No dance experience required. Class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Beginning/Intermediate Contemporary
Beginning/Intermediate Contemporary
Wednesdays, Apr 20-Jun 15 | 4:15-5:30 pm
Tuition: $240 General | $230 Member
Instructor: Madeline Morser
Location: Upstairs Studio
This class is aimed at introducing level III and IV dancers to Contemporary dance. An umbrella term for various mixtures of Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, and foreign dance styles, Contemporary dance is a wonderful opportunity to dive into learning complex, detailed, and satisfying phrase-work to a variety of pop and indie music choices. Following a full body warm up standing, upside-down, and on the ground, we will learn across the floor progressions and longer phrases. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Advanced Lyrical
Advanced Lyrical
Wednesdays, Apr 20-Jun 15 | 5:30-7:00 pm
Tuition: $280 General | $270 Member
Instructor: Madeline Morser
Location: Upstairs Studio
Hone your fluidity, expression, and grace in Advanced Lyrical! Lyrical dance is most often defined as a combination of ballet and jazz techniques, with emphasis on graceful, fluid motions that often mirror the lyrics or theme of the music. Class will start with a center warm up including both standing exercises and daily workshops for jumps, turns, and falls to be used in phrase-work. We will use the second half of class for traveling progressions as well as longer phrases/group dances. This class is an advanced level open to level V dancers and above. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Musical Theatre Dance
Musical Theatre Dance
Wednesdays, Apr 20-Jun 15 | 5:45-6:45 pm
Tuition: $205 General | $195 Member
Instructor: Miles Wingett
Location: Downstairs Studio
Broadway-style dance set to the music from your favorite musicals. Class will combine elements of both jazz and tap and will emphasize performance and stage skills. Class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Advanced Contemporary
Advanced Contemporary
Wednesdays, Apr 20-Jun 15 | 7:00-8:30 pm
Tuition: $280 General | $270 Member
Instructor: Madeline Morser
Location: Upstairs Studio
Advanced Contemporary includes a full body warm up wtih combos standing, upside-down, and on the ground followed by phrase work and some feel-good across the floor progressions. Let’s have a blast with our favorite music while taking apart and getting into the knitty-gritty details of timing, floor-work, inversions, and a powerful grounded center. We will also begin building a group piece in class. This is an advanced class open to level V dancers and above. The class will perform in our annual Spring Concert production in June (performance fee included).
Find out more »Ballet IV Spring Concert Rehearsal
Ballet IV Spring Concert Rehearsal
Thursdays, Apr 21-Jun 2 | 5:45-6:30 pm
Performances: June 3-5
Tuition: $90 General | $80 Member
Performance Fee*: $50
Instructors: Madeline Morser & Vadne White
Location: Downstairs Studio
Students will work with VCA choreographers to learn and rehearse 2 or more roles for our annual Spring Concert in June. (*performance fee waived if paid in Winter term)
Find out more »Adult Belly Dance
Adult Belly Dance
Ages 17+
Thursdays, Apr 21-Jun 16 | 7:30-8:30 pm
Tuition: $155 General | $145 Member
Instructor: Maya Krah
Location: Upstairs Studio
This course incorporates Basic Bellydance isolation techniques with Flamenco, Cabaret, and Raqs Sharki classical stylings. You'll learn several short phrases of movement comprising our "dance language" and be able to take those dance phrases to build your own solo by the end of Spring! Mainstream bellydance is divided into two broad categories of dancers: with and without hand cymbals (zills). We are no zills, all frills in this class!
Find out more »Belly Dance for Teens – Interest List
Belly Dance for Teens - Interest List
Ages 12-19
Thursdays, Apr 21-Jun 16 | 6:30-7:30 pm
Tuition: $155 General | $145 Member
Instructor: Maya Krah
Location: Downstairs Studio
This course incorporates Basic Bellydance isolation techniques with Flamenco, Cabaret, and Raqs Sharki classical stylings. You'll learn several short phrases of movement comprising our "dance language" and be able to take those dance phrases to build your own solo by the end of Spring! Mainstream bellydance is divided into two broad categories of dancers: with and without hand cymbals (zills). We are no zills, all frills in this class!
Find out more »