BALLET | JAZZ | MODERN

BY TONY WILLIAMS DANCE CENTER

Introducing – Tony Williams Dance Center @ Academy of Creative Arts. TWDC of Jamaica Plain is known for Urban Nutcracker.

Fall Classes

  • Tuesday 4-5pm - Ballet (Ages 8-10)
  • Tuesday 5-6pm - Jazz/Modern (Dance Combo) (Ages 8-13)
  • Tuesday 6-7pm - Ballet (Ages 11-13)
  • Tuesday 7-8pm - Ballet for Teens/Beginner Adults

Fees: $20/class
Students: 12 - 16 students per class
Location: 12 A Street, Burlington, MA 01803
Day/Time: 1 hour class every week

We are proud to boast one of the most diverse class offerings, faculty, student and parent populations in the Greater Boston Area. We offer a graded ballet program, with many performance opportunities and a yearly recital. We also provide authentic instruction in Ballet, Hip-Hop, Salsa, Modern, Lyrical, Flamenco, Modern, Jazz and Rhythm Tap, for children and adults.
Tony Williams is a dance pioneer and retired international ballet star. Tony Williams, a charter member and former principal dancer of the Boston Ballet. His career continued with the Joffrey Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet of Portugal, and the Norwegian National Ballet. He returned to his native Jamaica Plain to open a dance school and produce the popular Urban Nutcracker. In 2015, he founded the Tony Williams Ballet – a racially diverse company that is reflective of the changing diversity of Boston. Widely respected as a progressive dance educator, Williams has won the Dance Teacher Magazine Award and Wheelock Family Theater’s Wheel Award.

Dress Code

What to wear? We’re here to offer guidance on how to dress for class. See below:

Students are expected to wear the appropriate attire and shoes, based on the class, as listed.  Students not in proper dress code will be asked to sit out. Dress code is for the proper dance training of your child, and is not optional.

All Students:

  • Hair MUST be neatly and tightly pulled back
  • Ballet: girl’s hair must be in a TIGHT, NEAT bun with no flyaways, hair nets preferred.
  • Children: No jewelry except small earrings
  • You may bring a water bottle, but leave it by the door
  • Unless specified, leotards may be in a simple style of your choosing.

Recommended Stores:
Dancer’s Image (driving)
612 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02460 | 617.964.4070
Open 10-530pm (Sat 10-4, Closed Sunday)

Teddy’s Shoes (MBTA- Central SQ) - call first to make sure they have correct style/size/color
548 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139 | 617.354.2987
Open 10-7 (Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5)

Discount Dance (online)
discountdance.com

Ballet

The foundation of all dance forms, ballet takes the student into the world of classical music and teaches discipline, and grace for all dancers. Technique-based training is offered from a young level, teaching correct placement and knowledge of the body as a fine-tuned instrument. We offer a rigorous, graded program beginning with Ballet A-E. Dancers are advanced through the program by skill attainment and age until level E when skill becomes the basis for advancement. At this time dancers are split into 4-5 groups: Intermediate Ballet I, II or IIor Advanced Ballet I or II.  Pre-pointe begins in Intermediate Ballet I & II.  Children who are not prepared for pointe by that level may wish to be considered for Honors Intermediate Ballet which is a supplement off-pointe that is necessary to the curriculum level.  Additionally we have once weekly classes for beginners of all ages or those wishing to become stronger dancers of other disciplines, please see Recreational Ballet/Jazz Combo. It is anticipated that your child will take each level of dance form Ballet C on for 2-3 years each.  Ballet is about REPETITION and learning technique not until understood, but until mastered.  It is unprofessional to advance children based on age rather than technique or whether they would like to be with their friends or other peers.  Advancing children in ballet too quickly can cause injury, and our trained staff have placed your child at the appropriate level for a reason.  Please see the syllabus for more questions. 

*You may wish to take one or all classes of Ballet offered at your age level. At the Int. Ballet I level all classes are twice per week, mandatory including your required supplement (see ballet syllabus for your level). At the Int. Ballet III, Advanced Ballet I and II levels class is mandatory three times per week, plus your additional supplement, plus pointe.  These are all 100% required.  Those wishing to consider ballet less seriously may remain in our graded Ballet program A-E and/or attend our Recreational Ballet/Jazz Combo classes.  No exceptions except those taking Honors Ballet or Boys Ballet as a supplement.

**Please contact the TWDC office dustintwdc@gmail.com for placement for children ages 7 and above.  Ages 3-6 will remain in Ballet A or B based on age exclusively.

***Dancers in Int. Ballet I and beyond are required to take their additional class supplement each year.  Those classes include: Conditioning, Modern, Lyrical, Variations, etc depending on the year and those classes are purposely schedule around your child’s ballet classes.  If you have any questions please contact Dustin at dustintwdc@gmail.com for the appropriate class for your child AFTER you’ve checked the Ballet Syllabus on another page of this website.

Jazz/Modern

A stylized form of American dance using many rhythms to coordinate and strengthen the body. Various styles include musical theater, traditional, funky, and hip hop. We strive to incorporate the styles of such greats as Jack Cole, Matt Mattox, Gus Giordano, Luigi and more.  *All students in jazz E or above must also be enrolled in a ballet class.

make sure to toggle to your correct class listing for the most accurate requirements!

Amanda.jpg

About the Instructor : Amanda Walker

A native of Tallahassee, FL, Amanda Walker trained at the Southern Academy of Ballet Arts and Pas de Vie Ballet, Inc. with Natalia Botha and Charles Hagan (formerly of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater), and Gwynne Ashton (Ballet Mistress for such companies as PBT and Royal Winnipeg Ballet). She holds a B.A. in Dance- Performance from Mercyhurst College (now University) in

Erie, PA under the direction of Tauna Hunter. She has also danced and trained with such organizations as Lake Erie Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet SDP, the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, and the International Flamenco Festival. Amanda worked for 9 seasons with the Chattanooga Ballet, in Chattanooga, TN, where she was a Principal Dancer and Senior Instructor. While there, she was the 2006 recipient of the Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship for artistic excellence in dance performance. She has also been a Guest Artist for several companies in the Southeast and taught Master Classes at various schools and summer intensives. During her training and career, she has danced principal and soloist roles in many ballets, including Coppelia, Les Sylphides, Giselle, Pas de Quatre, Swan Lake, Serenade, Dracula, Firebird, Paquita, and The Nutcracker, as well as in commissioned works in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz. Amanda has just completed her M.A. in Dance/Movement Therapy and Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She currently teaches in the Boston area at Tony Williams Dance Center and Center Stage Dance Studio.

Payment and Missed Class Policy:

Training requires consistency in order to achieve the most benefit. However, we understand that students may occasionally need to miss a class. Use the following guidelines to ensure that you get the most out of your classes at The Academy of Creative Arts. 

  1. Your fees are due on or before the first class in a month
  2. Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card
  3. If you pay for several months in advance and cannot complete all months, we will refund months not used when notice is received before the beginning of the month
  4. If you or your child plan to miss a class - 48 hour advance notice is required - so another student can be accommodated - if the student does not provide 48 hour notice, student can coordinate the make-up class with the instructor.
  5. Your monthly fee pays for your space in class for the month. It is your responsibility to make up classes if you or your child miss the class. 
  6. Only one makeup class will be offered each month. During any month that you are enrolled, you may make up a class by attending any other appropriate session (please coordinate with the instructor for scheduling the make up class).  Make up classes should be completed within 60 days of missing the class. Fees for missed classes are not refundable.
  7. If you are having trouble scheduling a make up class, please let us know and we will try to accommodate you
  8. Class timings and schedule are subject to change

We wish you a wonderful learning experience - these policies are required so that we can be respectful of the instructors time and commitment. 

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMANTORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS

Academy of Creative Arts / Creative Academy, Inc. admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.  It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.