Our Dance & Wellness Philosophy

Our Dance & Wellness classes, ensembles, and lessons provide a nurturing environment for students of all ages and skill levels.

Our approach to dance instruction is rooted in our Collaborative Choreography Initiative (CCI), which is unique to NMS. We believe that when students are involved in the choreographic process, they benefit socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. In other words, they benefit as a whole person.

Through CCI, our teaching artists establish a safe environment that accommodates each student’s needs and enables all dancers to work collaboratively to create original choreography. Students learn tools, ideas, and strategies for developing choreography, including the ability to analyze and articulate movement. They practice higher-order thinking skills and life skills such as problem-solving, leadership, cooperation, and team-building as they work to create and refine dance phrases with their classmates. Students build confidence in themselves, both as people and as dancers, while collaboratively building a finished piece for our year-end performance.

Our Wellness classes complement our Dance classes. We bring an artistic and creative focus to our fitness-based classes that isn't found anywhere else. Our Wellness classes welcome everyone in our community who is interested in improving their health, fitness, and quality of life.


We invite you to watch this video to learn more about our student-centered, integrative teaching philosophy,
as well as the benefits of studying Dance & Wellness at Neighborhood Music School.

Our Dance & Wellness Faculty