Piroue-What?? Ballet and Dance Class Roundup

When my three year old daughter proudly declared, “I am ready to do ballet! When can I go to my ballet class?,” I had instant mom guilt that I had not diligently researched this ahead of time. I hadn’t dreamt of ballerina buns and tutus and sweet pink leotards. I am a bit more of a tomboy, so this question about ballet sent me into a panic because I knew NOTHING. Luckily I have a nice group of mom friends who seem to know the answer to all the things. Their responses calmed my plié-ing and pirouetting fears a bit because Chattanooga has many great options for ballet and dance classes, but also left me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I didn’t quite realize that I would have to decide whether my daughter was more of a “ballet girl” or a “dance girl,” or whether we would want weekend classes or weekday, or whether they had a performance at the end, or what that performance would be like, and where it would be held. I quickly learned that there are many options ranging from low-key classes with an observation at the end of the session, to bit more intense classes with a showcase in costume as the final performance. After sifting through websites and Facebook pages and text messages from friends, I decided that it might be helpful to have this information in one place to help some of you other clueless moms like me find direction.

Here is my roundup of Chattanooga dance and ballet classes (note that this information is subject to change and is as accurate as I could gather, so don’t quote me on it!):

Ballet Tennessee

Location: John A Patten Recreation Center in Lookout Valley

Classes: Primary Division: Creative Movement for 3-4 year olds, Pre-Ballet for 5-6 year olds, Primary Ballet for 6-7; Junior Division: Junior Ballet for ages 8-15, Junior Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Tap in classes divided by age for 8-15 year olds

Sessions: fall semester is 15 weeks (August 15-December 10), spring semester is 16 weeks (January 16-May 13)

Cost: 1 class per week is $145 per semester

Contact: http://www.ballettennessee.org; 423-821-2055

Center Stage Dance Studio

Location: 246 Depot Street, Soddy Daisy, TN, 37384 and 6855 Mountain View Road, Ooltewah, TN 37363

Classes: Mommy and Me classes for 2 year olds; Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop and Tumbling for ages 2 and up; schedules vary for Soddy Daisy and Ooltewah locations and can be found on their website

Sessions: Open Enrollment year round, with 8-10 performances a year, including the Nutcracker and a Christmas and end of the year performance

Cost: $49 a month for one person for one session, with a family maximum for 1 child of $125, 2 children for $150, and 3 children for $175

Contact: www.centerstagedancetn.org; 423-320-8447

Chattanooga Ballet

Location: 817 North Market Street, Chattanooga, TN, 37405 and a second location at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church

Classes: Creative Movement for 3-4 year olds; Pre-Ballet for 5-6 year olds; Grade 1-4 Ballet, Intermediate and Advanced based on age and experience level

Sessions: fall term (August 22-October 29), winter term (October 31-February 11), and spring term (February 13-April 29), with the last week of class being an observation week

Cost: $95 to $220 per session, depending on the class, for a ten week session

Chattanooga Dance Theatre

Location: 5151 Austin Road, Suite A, Hixson, TN, 37343

Classes: Creative Movement for ages 2-4 years old with a parent; Primary Dance for 4-6 year olds; Ballet I-VIII and Advanced Ballet for ages 6 and older based on age and experience levels; Modern/Jazz for ages 6 and up based on age and experience levels; Community Hip-Hop and Acro Dance. A detailed class schedule can be found on their website.

Sessions: fall semester and spring semester, with a showcase in May of each year

Cost: 1 class per week/ $45 per month, 2 classes per week/ $75 per month, 3 classes per week/ $95 per month, 4 classes per week/ $110 per month, 5 or more classes per week/ $120 per month; class card $130 for ten classes; drop-in is $14 per class; discounts for multiple family members

Contact: www.chattanoogadancetheatre.com; 423-760-8808

Karen Horton Dance Studio

Location: 3517 Hixson Pike, Chattanooga, TN, 37415

Classes: Combined 1, which is a combination of ballet and tap for 3-4 year olds, is 45 minutes long; Combined 2, for 4-5 year olds, and Combined 3 for 5-6 year olds. They also offer Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Irish Step, Contemporary, Pointe, and Acro Dance for children and adults.

Sessions: August 22, 2016 through May 28, 2017 with open enrollment. Registration information is available on their website or you can stop by and potentially try the first class.

Cost: they do not provide prices over the internet, but you can call the studio for pricing information. One class for one student is $46 per month with a discount table if you take multiple classes or have multiple family members enrolled.

Contact: http://www.freewebs.com/karenhorton; 423-875-6720

Scenic City Dance Studio

Location: 6025 Lee Highway, Suite 401, Chattanooga, TN, 37421

Classes: they offer a Tiny Tots program for ages 3-5 with classes in Creative Movement, Tiny Tot Acro, Mini Ballet/Tap, and Mini Acro with a detailed schedule on their website; for older students, they offer classes in Ballet, Jazz, Acro, and Hip-Hop

Sessions: September 6-May 26 with possible participation in the Nutcracker, the Cinderella Ballet, and a Season Showcase at Lee University on June 3

Cost: 45 minutes per week/$50 per month, 1 hour per week/$60 per month, 1.5 hours per week/$65 per month, 5 hours and up/$175 per month; 10 percent family discount for immediate family; more detailed pricing information available on website

Contact: http://www.sceniccitydance.com; 423-702-5062

Southern Sparkle Dance Studio

Location: 4421 Highway 58 Suite 5, Chattanooga, TN 37416

Classes: Ballet, Tap, and Tumbling (combined) class for 2-3 year olds; Ballet/Tap or Jazz/Hip-Hop and Tumbling for 3-4 year olds; Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Acrobatics and Tumbling for 5-6 years olds; for 7-9 and 10-18 year olds there are multiple class offerings in these categories that can be found on their website

Sessions: Session #1: August to December (open enrollment during entire first semester; anyone can register at any time); Session #2: January to May (open enrollment until March 1 in order to prepare for the Spring Showcase), June and July Summer Sessions. There are a Winter and Spring Showcase at the end of each sessions for the students to showcase what they have learned.

Cost: 30 minutes/$30 per month, 45 minutes/$45 per month, 60 minutes/$60 per month, 2 hours/$74 per month. Full pricing is available on the website; prices are discounted as the monthly time increases and there is a $200 per month family maximum.

Contact: http://www.southersparkledance.com; 423-505-0182 or 423-668-8419

Weave

Location: 4413 Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37411

Classes: A Mommy and Me class for 2 year olds; a Wittle Weavin’ class for age 3 and ages 4-6; additional classes in Hip-Hop, Tap, Jazz, Classical Ballet, Abnormal Ballet, and many others as well as a detailed schedule can be found on their website.

Sessions: they have a calendar available online, and you can drop-in and participate in the classes you choose and pay the drop-in rate, or you can choose a particular dance style. See pricing below.

Cost: drop-in rates of $15 per class or $20 for two classes back-to-back on the same day, a 10 class punch card for $99, or a monthly open company membership for $45 per month for 1 style per month, $75 for 2 styles, $99 for three, or $150 for unlimited membership (the open company memberships are ideal for people who want to train on a weekly basis and participate in the annual Showcase).

Have we missed any classes? Let us know by leaving a comment and we’ll be sure to add them to the list!