JCC Dance at Squirrel Hill

Dance with Us!

About Dance at Squirrel Hill

The JCC offers classes that explore a variety of dance styles. Classes for school-age children and teens are organized by all levels. Students advance based on their ability to perform given steps. Adult dance classes are appropriate for first-time as well as previous dancers unless a level is specified.

Facilities: Two fully equipped studios:

  • Kaufmann Dance Studio
  • Robinson Dance Studio

Dance Director: Kathy Wayne is a graduate of Point Park College with a B.A. in dance. Her professional credits include Tokyo Disneyland, Caesar’s Atlantic City and many productions with the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Philosophy: Our goal is to help your child gain poise, flexibility, strength and an appreciation for the art of dance.

Registration

  • Participants must be registered before the first class begins.
  • If your child is in Level 3 or above, please call the Director to discuss your child’s placement.

Dance Recital

  • Our annual dance recitals are held in May/June.
  • Costumes are mandatory for participants in the dance recital and must be purchased by parents in January.
  • Students must be registered in January to participate in the dance recital.
Young kids in ballet class
Teens on stage performing a dance

Dance Classes

Preschool Classes

Creative Movement: Ages 3-4
Dancers will learn all about music, movement, coordination, spatial relations, and the basics of ballet. Classroom focus will be on appropriate etiquette, respect for others, and self-confidence. The class will follow basic principals of Creative movement: understanding space, time, body, and movement concepts. Dancers will utilize various props and pretend to be different kinds of animals, fairytale characters, and objects in nature.

Pre-Ballet: Ages 4-5
This class is for dancers who are ready for a more structured class than creative movement. Dancers will perform various stretches and strengthening exercises that will help to increase their flexibility and understanding of how their muscles coordinate to help them dance. They will learn the beginning basics of positions of the arms and feet, as well as learning basic ballet steps. Dancers will also be taught to travel from one corner of the room to the other by way of basic turns, leaps, and jumps.

Pre-Ballet/Tap: Ages 4-5
This class has the same pre ballet component with an additional 15 minutes of beginning tap. Tap skills are taught with an emphasis on coordination and musicality.

School Age Classes

Ballet (Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced)
Dancers will start the class at the ballet barre to work on classical technique, executing combinations at different musical tempos and counts. They will be taught about maintaining correct posture, and building strength, and how to put several steps together while holding correct body placement. Dancers will stretch then come to the center for floor work and across the floor combinations.


They will learn the names of the steps as well as what they mean in French. The difference between Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced classes is based on age and the level of detail offered by the instructor, The higher the level the more serious and structured the class is.

Tap
Tap is the ultimate in rhythm training. Rhythm, musicality, and sound clarity skills are introduced; each level builds on the previous one. Dancers learn a vocabulary of tap steps that will be used to develop fun and interesting choreography.

Jazz
Jazz dance incorporates modern dance, dance styles from Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies, and street, folk, and popular dance. Students must be at least 7 years old.

Hip Hop
Hip Hop dance is a fusion dance genre that incorporates elements of popping, locking, breaking, jazz, ballet, tap dancing and other styles and is performed to hip hop music.

Kids in hiphop class
Kids in tap class
Teens in ballet class

dress code

General Dress Code

Hair: Long hair must be pulled back in a neat bun for ballet class. Headbands or clips or ponytail can be used. If your child is coming from our early childhood or after school program, please make sure to send the proper hair accessories including bobby pins for making buns.

Shoes: All shoes must be labeled with your child’s name inside.

  • Ballet slippers required for ballet class

  • Black tap shoes required for tap class
  • Black jazz shoes required for jazz class

Clothing: Dancers are expected to have appropriate dance attire for all classes. If your child is coming from our early childhood or after school program, please make sure to send their dance clothing to school with them.

Ballet/Tap/Jazz Dress Code

Ages 3-4:

  • Pink or black leotard (no attached skirt) and pink tights or
  • Black jazz pants and white shirt

Ages 5 and Up:

  • Pink tights any style leotard in the following colors or
  • 
Black jazz pants and white shirt
  • 
Ballet/Tap Level 1: Light Blue Leotard
  • 
Ballet/Tap/jazz Level 3: Burgundy Leotard

  • Ballet/Tap/jazz Level 4: Navy Leotard

  • Ballet/Tap/jazz Level 5: Black Leotard
  • 
Ballet/Tap/jazz Advanced-Black Leotard

Hip Hop Dress Code

  • Jazz pants, leggings, shorts, or tights
  • Leotard or T-shirt
  • Sneakers or jazz shoes
Ballerinas sitting on stage
Kids in hiphop class

Dance Photo Gallery

Students hugging their dance teacher

Kathy Wayne, Director, graduated from Point Park University with a B.A. in dance. Her professional credits include Tokyo Disneyland, Caesar’s Atlantic City and the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Kathy Wayne

Christa Cummings is from Tampa, Florida and began training in dance at a young age. She started dancing at a local studio called New Tampa Dance Theatre (NTDT), where she trained in ballet, jazz, modern and tap. Christa has also attended numerous summer intensives such as Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, Chautauqua Institution, Nutmeg Conservatory for the
Arts, Florida State University and Tulsa Ballet.

Christa continued her training at Point Park University receiving her BFA in Dance, concentrating in jazz. Throughout the summers, she would dance at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay where she performed their new show “Fiesta Festa”.

Shortly after graduating, she made her professional debut through RWS Entertainment Group by dancing with Azamara. Azamara is a luxury boutique cruise line that travels the world. On her second contract, Christa had the pleasure to be promoted to the Dance Captain and the Company Manager. Recently, Christa had the honor to go back home and choreograph for her home studio, NTDT, and work at J&R Summer Camp as the Dance Specialist. Now, Christa is thrilled to be a faculty member at the JCC School of Dance teaching the next generation of dancers.

Christa Cummings

Anya Epstein is a Pittsburgh native who recently graduated from Muhlenberg College with a Bachelors in both Theatre and Dance. During her time in college, she worked with many choreographers such as Earl Mosley, Megan Flynn, and Randall Smith, performing in premiere works and learning from these artists. Anya was also fortunate enough to choreograph two new works for the stage, one alongside her co choreographer Arianna Cacioppo, as well as work on her solo performance, How would one go about performing herself (part one, part two). 

She spent this past summer in Durham, North Carolina at the American Dance Festival, where she performed with Monica Bill Barnes & Company, and was a part of a new work by George Staib. Anya has also studied anatomy and dance science, with research in injury avoidance and safe dancing practices.

As a teacher she works to create a positive environment of learning with a mix of play and collaboration to get her students thinking on their feet. She is excited to be a part of the dance program here at the JCC!

Anya Epstein

Mara Greer is a performer, teacher, and director/choreographer.

She performed on Broadway in A Christmas Story, The Musical as well as the 1st National Tour of Shrek the Musical. As a director/choreographer, she has worked at Paper Mill Playhouse, Seattle 5th Ave, the Fulton Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, Gateway Playhouse, Music Theatre Wichita, Broadway at Music Circus, The Cape Rep, Front Porch Theatricals, Palm Beach Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Tuacahn, and Pittsburgh CLO.

She has taught for studios across the country as well as Beyond the Stars Dance Convention, Company Dance, and Thrive Dance Experience. Mara received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan.

Mara Greer

Meghan Phillips began her dance training at South Dayton Dance Theater, an RDA affiliated pre-professional company in Dayton, Ohio. She later earned her BFA from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance graduating Summa Cum Laude. There she performed works by George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, Michelle Thompson Ulerich, Stuart Loungway, Brian Enos, and Taryn Kaschock-Russel. She was also selected to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts for a semester where she performed choreography by Kim McCarthy and Graeme Murphy.

Meghan joined Confluence Ballet last season after spending three years at Ballet Quad Cities. She has had the pleasure of performing featured roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Mina in Dracula, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Firebird in The Firebird.  She has also originated lead roles in contemporary works by Julia Erickson, Courtney Lyon, and Emily Kate Long.

As a choreographer, Confluence commissioned Meghan to choreograph a new work, New Ground, which premiered in June of 2022. Meghan has created several works and notably was chosen to present On The Night Plain at the 2018 American Dance Guild Festival in NYC. She is also a passionate teacher who enjoys sharing her knowledge and encouraging future generations.

Meghan Phillips

Marina Wright is a Pittsburgh-based interdisciplinary movement specialist. She grew up dancing at Longwood Performing Arts in Kennett Square, PA.

While in high school, she performed with Longwood Dance Company and served on the studio’s faculty. Marina graduated from James Madison University in 2017 with a B.A. in Theatre & Dance and a B.S. in Kinesiology. As an undergraduate, she performed with the Associate and Contemporary Dance Ensembles, working with choreographers including Doug Varone, Maurice Fraga, faculty members, and her peers. She also served as the dance program’s Student Technical Director, a role encompassing lighting design, stage management, and stage electrics. Marina has attended summer intensives with the Rockettes, George Mason SummerDance, Pushing Progress, Transform Arts, and the José Limón Company.

Since moving to Pittsburgh, she’s been involved in the local theatre and dance scene as a student, a volunteer, an instructor, an electrician, and an enthusiastic audience member. Marina is currently on faculty at Albright Dance Stars in Monroeville and the JCC in Squirrel Hill, as well as a theatre technician with Bob Steinbeck & Associates. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Marina is a second-year graduate student in the University of Pittsburgh’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Marina Wright

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