According to Susan Armijo, the Centre’s Owner, Centre For Dance (CFD) is Dallas’ premier dance studio for children and adults. They provide dance training of the highest quality, allowing dancers to reach their full potential in a positive environment. Whether for fun or intensive training, CFD has a class tailored to fit anyone’s needs. Their goal at CFD is to provide dancers of all ages with the best dance education possible. Classes start for children at 18 months old! Featured in Dallas Child Magazine, on Fox 4’s Good Day and WFAA Channel 8’s Good Morning, Texas!
In Susan’s opinion, their studio is different from other studios for a number of reasons. For instance, they limit their class sizes at CFD to make sure every student gets the hands on attention they need to progress and reach their dance goals. Also, Susan is a very active owner. She runs her own office; she teaches classes; she helps clean dances for their competition teams; and she attends every convention and competition with her students. Her wonderful husband helps her in the office, and their families know they can reach Susan and her husband anytime they have a question or concern.
Susan is very proud of her dancers that have achieved their goals, in dance and in life. Whether making their college dance team or nailing an audition, she loves watching her dancers “get it!” The moment they have been working on a specific movement or technique and it clicks and they master it or when their teams hit the stage and they come off knowing they nailed it! The pride shown on their face warms Susan’s heart and she cannot help but celebrate their accomplishments. All of these moments make her proud.
From Susan’s experience, the biggest mistake she sees her younger dancers make involves their commitment level in learning and perfecting their craft. If they don’t take the time to warm-up and stretch properly, they risk the threat of injury. CFD spends time in classes teaching proper stretching and warm-up techniques, and they preach dance injury prevention. She believes the students must also learn to train in all styles of dance, and give more than 100% in classes. They cannot just be there in class – they must be present in all sense of the word. Train in all genres, with different instructors, and become the most well-rounded and marketable dancer they can be. For her older dancers, it is stepping out of their comfort zones and not letting their egos get the best of them. Susan stresses they need to keep their mind open, train hard, stay humble, and push themselves harder tomorrow than they did today.
CFD’s goal is to continue mentoring and training the best dancers possible. They want each dancer to leave their studio with the full confidence that they can achieve anything.
Susan founded Centre for Dance in an effort to offer the Dallas dance community a positive, high-level, well-rounded dance environment. They welcome all levels, all backgrounds, and all ages from 18 months of age to professional adults. Their classes and instructors are positive, motivating and nurturing. They have classes for serious dancers working in the industry or dancers just looking for fun.
Centre for Dance has three award winning competitive teams – Protégé, The Officials and Surge. Protégé is a thrilling opportunity for girls and boys from 4 to 18 years of age. They train in all genres of dance, and compete in Jazz, Hip Hop and Musical Theater. Protege performs at local festivals and parades, entertaining the metroplex with their up-beat and fun choreography. The Officials is a group of dancers who are passionate about hip hop. The team’s enthusiasm for one of the most popular forms of dance lifts this high energy group to the top of their game. Not only do The Officials compete, they also attend conventions and perform at a number of events in the area. Surge is their Elite Performing Company. It is an amazing opportunity for dancers 8 to 18 years old to the learn self-discipline and poise necessary to become the artist they dream of being. Company members train hard to learn the lessons of teamwork and improve individual skills. The dancers on this team train and compete in all forms of dance including tap, ballet, acro, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, and more.
CFD expanded this past August to offer more classes, more space, and more options. They now have five studios with various flooring so that all dance styles have the best surface for their genre. Wood flooring, Marley, sprung floors, rooms with 8 foot mirrors, barres with height option for their smaller dancers.
Centre for Dance offers classes for children as young as 18 months old. Children can immerse themselves in the art of dance at Centre where they offer traditional classes such as jazz, ballet, pre-pointe, musical theatre, lyrical, modern, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and tap, taught by teachers with years of training and a true passion for dance. If fitness or gymnastics is your goal, you can hop into one of their Acro or Strength & Conditioning classes. They also offer three classes for drill team members or aspiring members: Drill Team Stretch & Style, Drill Team Kicks & Tricks and Drill Team Prep. Additionally, they have a variety of classes for adults, including Pro Team Prep and Hip Hop.
In addition to their classes, the Centre for Dance is home to several other programs including Music Together (a music program from birth to kindergarten), adult tae kwon do, Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, Plano East Coast Swing, Hip Hop Heels, country and western for high school team dancers and adults, as well as the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blue Dancers . . . the NFL’s first and only co-ed hip hop dance team.
If you would like more information about at the Centre for Dance, visit their website at http://www.centrefordance.com, call them at 972-248-1112 or email them at office@centrefordance.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and connect with them on Instagram.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Susan Armijo of Centre for Dance.
