WHY CHOOSE Wellspring?


SIMPLY MODERN MOVEMENT

At Wellspring Dance Academy, we place value in training our students to be authentic, judgement-free, creative community members. Our students receive individualized attention in small classes while they build solid technique and repertoire. Making dance accessible to all remains a core aspect of our academy.


Spring Concert 2021

Student Concert (Spring 2021)

ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITMENT

Wellspring Dance Academy is committed to upholding an anti-racist, anti-othering, and anti-abusive dance space. Our instructors uphold a student-centered learning approach informed by SEL (social and emotional learning) practices. All families and students are welcome and celebrated for their identities that make them unique, such as race, gender, sexual identity/expression/orientation, and economic level of freedom. Through the support of our partners, we train our faculty to embrace and be accountable for anti-abuse, anti-othering, and anti-discriminatory policies and procedures within our organization.


Meet OUR PARTNERS!

Dancer Education Equity Association
Kalamazoo Youth Development Logo
KC Ready 4s Logo

Academy testimonials


WSDA PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM

Starting as early as age 8, our students can transition into our pre-professional training program. Each May we have formal testing during regular weekly classes. This year’s testing week is May 6-11, 2024. If you are absent during this week of class, alternate arrangements for testing must be initiated upon your request. Otherwise, your student will continue their placement in their current level. Advancing students will be presented an official certificate with their level of distinction at the student concert in June. The levels of distinction are Pass, Pass with Merit, Pass with Honors, and Pass with High Honors. Only then may a student register for the next level of placement. 

We place importance with training in each level for 2 consecutive years through the logic of Year 1: we learn and grow, Year 2: we thrive and show. This allows for students to practice their learning through being both a follower and a leader in each level. It also offers the opportunity to solidify skillsets, hone technique, and thrive through consistency. Some students may require more than two years in a level, while others may test and advance through a level after one year. Ultimately all level placement is based upon the proven skill of your dancer(s).  

Benefits: Students benefit through testing as it serves as a skill assessment documenting student’s progress. It improves training and helps to build confidence. Each student will receive a detailed rubric outlining their proficiency both technical and artistically with detailed comments.

Student Concert (Spring 2021) Dancer arch backed with arms in fifth position

Student Concert (Spring 2021)


The Bamboo Theory
“The bamboo is one of the most successful plants in the world, because of the preparation it goes through beneath the ground, before the ‘extend’ of its development is apparent to the observer. A bamboo plant spreads by first extending roots and tendrils beneath the soil – before the plant ever surfaces. This has the effect of giving the plant a firm hold on the essentials of water and nutrition – and the extensive physical foundation to sustain the mature plant before the first shoots appear above the surface. Once it does begin to ‘shoot’ however, it does so quickly and efficiently, because all the required elements are in place, and the mature bamboo plant is resistant to almost all natural threats in its environment – including typhoons, because it is flexible and every element of its structure supports every other”.
The Nurtuary: http://www.thenurtuary.com/the_bamboo_theory.html

Wellspring Dance Academy’s curriculum and progression carefully nurture foundation skills and strategies designed to create a cumulative effect. This is applied to develop the foundation of young learners in dance education through fostering a love of dance first, and building community, authenticity, and creativity in a non-judgmental environment allowing for dancers to shine into young adulthood.