Fine Arts Classes

Explore Our Fine Arts Classes

Specializing in dance, theatre, music, and more, we offer a wide range of fine arts classes for infants to adults. In-studio, virtual, private, and semi-private lesson options available. Contact us to learn more!

Young Children’s Division Classes (Ages 6mo-6yrs)

We have carefully designed our young children’s dance program to nurture our young students’ natural desire to dance. Our curriculum is presented in a fun and entertaining way that enhances the child’s coordination, musicality, and creative ability. Learn More…

The visual arts continue to be a vital form of communication in a world where gaps of distance and language are continually shrinking. Our children’s art classes also provide a chance for our students to escape, giving them the freedom to create their own reality, putting their own thoughts, emotions, and feelings into a work of art that is uniquely their own. Each student will learn color mixing, observational drawing/ painting, the fundamentals of line, shape, color, pattern/texture, and proportion/scale!

Katie Deese sees that music can be a wonderful combination of physical, mathematical, language, and artistic education. Through voice and piano lessons, she strives to provide students with a well-rounded approach to theoretical and historical context while providing an environment in which they can learn new forms of emotional expression. Traditional techniques and repertoire mixed with modern selections and occasional silliness allow for solid foundations in a fun, relaxed experience.

We are excited to bring this exclusive music class to Wilmington. Music Movers is an early childhood music program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, accompanied by adults. 

Junior Children’s Division (Ages 7-12yrs)

In our junior division dance class, we aim to provide a friendly, nurturing environment where each student can continue to advance and grow in their dance technique. At this level, we emphasize classical dance training and proper classroom etiquette. In this class, students will learn proper terminology, musicality, and technical skill while deepening their love and appreciation for the art of dance. In this division, we offer ballet, contemporary/jazz/modern, tap, conditioning, acro/tumbling and hip-hop for ages six and over. Learn more…

Jazz Dance is a performance dance technique and style that first emerged in the United States in the early twentieth century. This style of dance consists of fancy footwork, big leaps, and quick turns and though it was born out of the jazz era music it has since evolved to utilize pop, contemporary, Broadway, and hip-hop genres. Our teen jazz and tap class is perfect for students preparing to meet the demands of WCFA’s company and apprentice programs or students who are older beginners. This teen class is taught with the same structured format as other Jazz and Tap technique classes but with allowance for students to move at a slower pace to master fundamental technical skills.

Dress Code: Grey or Mint leotard

Our Teen Ballet class is designed to cater to recreation beginner and immediate students. This class, taught by our own Conservatory director Cory Smith, is perfect for students new to ballet or for students who require a supplemental class to work on their technique. We highly recommend this class for students wishing to join WCFA’s Company and Apprentice programs.

Dress Code: Grey or mint leotard

At the Wilmington Conservatory, modern classes are taught by Lesa Broadhead, and focus on the beginning and intermediate levels of the Lester Horton Technique, strengthening and stretching the human body to prepare the dancer’s instrument to be expressive, and possess the ability to adapt to a variety of other dance styles. A typical modern class will explore warming up the body by incorporating roll downs, lunges, movement studies, and progressions across the floor, exploring low, medium, and high levels of space. Bella Lewitzky, a former Horton Dancer, said in Dance Perspectives (Autumn 1967), that “Lester developed a technique which tested the capacity of the body to move from the cultures, architecture, and artifacts of Africa, Asia, and Native Americans.”

At the Wilmington Conservatory, we grow and nurture art appreciation and instructional skills from a very young age. Kids love to express themselves creatively because that’s what they need! Following their lead, we take kids on a multi-medium journey. Our classes for our younger students are super fun and playful, emphasizing the age-appropriateness of process, over product! Each student will learn color mixing, observational drawing/ painting, the fundamentals of line, shape, color, pattern/texture, proportion/scale, and set design! Our goal is to introduce the younger generation to artists throughout history, while cultivating a lifelong love of art!

Katie Deese sees that music can be a wonderful combination of physical, mathematical, language, and artistic education. Through voice and piano lessons, she strives to provide students with a well-rounded approach to theoretical and historical context while providing an environment in which they can learn new forms of emotional expression. Traditional techniques and repertoire mixed with modern selections and occasional silliness allow for solid foundations in a fun, relaxed experience.

At the Wilmington Conservatory, our Theatre Class covers all elements of drama such as stage vocabulary, stage direction and movement, ensemble building, imagination and creativity, voice and body (verbal and non verbal), and character development! These skills assist students in building confidence on and off stage. We use techniques such as monologues, storytelling, short skits, games, and musical numbers in class to teach these skills.

Yoga can play a critical role in every dancer’s training regiment. At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, our yoga classes are open to all, as well as dancers. This class, taught by Lesa Broadhead, is Vinyasa Yoga which focuses on coordinated yoga poses and focuses on breath flow from one pose to the next. In the article How Yoga Can Help You Become a Better Dancer, Grier Cooper outlines the many benefits of yoga aligning body, mind, and spirit. Yoga encourages precision focusing on fine-tuning proper alignment building the foundation from the ground up. The standing poses, as well as balancing poses, use the musculature needed for developpés, battements, jumps, adagio, etc. The backbends in yoga will produce a much sought after arabesque.

The synchronization of breath in Vinyasa Yoga carries over to dance making the dancer aware of breath, which ultimately will avoid unnecessary and unwanted injuries. Developing an increased inhale and exhale will link breath to the way movement is executed. Twists keep the dancer’s spine pliable, and the gentle pressure to the internal organs from twisting detoxifies. Inversions reverse the blood flow improving a dancer’s circulation. The brain is calmed and restored through relaxation, and this relaxation yields lower heart rate and blood pressure. And if the above benefits aren’t enough, improved patterning and memory retention will be carried over to the dance performance.

Dress Code: Gold

Progressing Ballet Technique™ is a revolutionary program for ballet teachers and students by training muscle memory to achieve the best in ballet training. At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, we are thrilled to be the only dance studio in the region to offer a fully certified PBT program since 2017 and two certified instructors. Progressing Ballet Technique is a program developed by Marie Walton-Mahon to help students advance in all dance forms by training muscle memory via focusing on stability, weight placement and alignment. Our Progressing Ballet Technique™ classes at WCFA are designed to cater to both intermediate to advanced level students. 

Pointe technique resulted from a desire for female dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like during the early 1800’s ballets. Pointe technique is part of Classical Ballet that concerns pointe work, in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. Pointe work is performed while wearing pointe shoes, which employ structural reinforcing to distribute the dancer’s weight load throughout the foot, thus reducing the load on the toes enough to enable the dancer to support all body weight on fully vertical feet.

To go “En Pointe”, requires extensive training and practice to develop the strength and technique for pointe work. Typically, dance teachers consider factors such as age, experience, strength and alignment when deciding whether to allow a dancer to begin pointe work. For the health and safety of a dancer and as a prerequisite for pointe training at the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, students prepare by taking Pre-Pointe classes and exercises for a minimum of one to two years before going “En Pointe”.

Tap Dance originated as a form of communication, and Michaela Batten still feels it should be used as just that. She feels as though your feet are your instrument and should be used to create music. She teaches a form of tap dance called “rhythm” tap. Her class at the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts incorporates music theory as well as the history of tap dance over the last century. Students learn everything from the traditional “shim Shim” to how to “swing” a tap step. She instills the traditions of tap dance and uses them to venture into a more modern approach to tap dancing. Although tap dance is done primarily with the feet, Michaela believes it’s called tap “dance” for a reason and encourages students to express more of a full body movement in class. Students work hard on rudiments and basic toe-heel movement to strengthen feet, leading to faster footwork and more complicated trick steps.

Acrobatic Dance, or Acro as dancers and dance professionals commonly refer to it, is the beautiful fusion of classic dance technique and the precision and athleticism of acrobatic and gymnastic elements.

Although Acro’s roots can be found in traditional Chinese dance, it has recently grown in popularity due to productions like Cirque Du Soleil and mainstream media programs like Dance Moms. Acros is especially challenging style for dancers to master, as training in dance, acrobatics, and gymnastic elements are required. Acro training includes balancing, limbering, tumbling and partnering, based in flexibility and strength. At WCFA, our dancers train with our Acro instructor Shane Baptista, to build body strength to use these techniques in unique and rigorous choreography.

Senior Division (Ages 12+)

In the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts senior division, we offer a variety of recreational classes as well as classes specifically designed to develop pre-professional and career oriented dancers. Selected dancers have the opportunity to attend multiple ballet techniques and pointe classes each week. In addition to their comprehensive class schedules, rehearsals, performances, master classes, and special events, senior division dancers benefit from mentorship. Senior division students benefit from building more personal relationships with their teachers who may offer professional mentorship towards auditions, colleges, summer programs, scholarships, and career opportunities. Learn More…

At the Wilmington Conservatory, modern classes are taught by Lesa Broadhead, and focus on the beginning and intermediate levels of the Lester Horton Technique, strengthening and stretching the human body to prepare the dancer’s instrument to be expressive, and possess the ability to adapt to a variety of other dance styles. A typical modern class will explore warming up the body by incorporating roll downs, lunges, movement studies, and progressions across the floor, exploring low, medium, and high levels of space. Bella Lewitzky, a former Horton Dancer, said in Dance Perspectives (Autumn 1967), that “Lester developed a technique which tested the capacity of the body to move from the cultures, architecture, and artifacts of Africa, Asia, and Native Americans.”

Progressing Ballet Technique™ is a revolutionary program for ballet teachers and students by training muscle memory to achieve the best in ballet training. At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, we are thrilled to be the only dance studio in the region to offer a fully certified PBT program since 2017 and two certified instructors. Progressing Ballet Technique is a program developed by Marie Walton-Mahon to help students advance in all dance forms by training muscle memory via focusing on stability, weight placement and alignment. Our PBT classes at WCFA are designed to cater to intermediate to advanced level students.

Classical Ballet is a style of dance known the world over for its rigorous technique, flowing and precise movements, lithe aesthetics, and ethereal qualities. This style is not only characterized by tradition but employs techniques and tools (pointe shoes, tutus, etc.) which have been handed down over the centuries. Classical Ballet encompasses many stylistic variations that relate to the origin of their development: the French School, the Vaganova (Russian) method, the Cecchetti (Italian) method, the Bournonville method, the Balanchine (American) method, and the Royal Academy of Dance (English) method.

At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, we offer numerous levels of classical ballet instruction, from beginner to company level. Our renown instructors guide our dancers not only in their technique but in the training and exercise needed to develop their ballet skills in a safe and fun environment. Out of respect for ballet’s origins, vocabulary is taught in French and dancers are expected to maintain proper studio etiquette. 

Pointe technique resulted from a desire for female dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like during the early 1800’s ballets. Pointe technique is part of Classical Ballet that concerns pointe work, in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. Pointe work is performed while wearing pointe shoes, which employ structural reinforcing to distribute the dancer’s weight load throughout the foot, thus reducing the load on the toes enough to enable the dancer to support all body weight on fully vertical feet.

To go “En Pointe”, requires extensive training and practice to develop the strength and technique for pointe work. Typically, dance teachers consider factors such as age, experience, strength and alignment when deciding whether to allow a dancer to begin pointe work. For the health and safety of a dancer and as a prerequisite for pointe training at the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, students prepare by taking Pre-Pointe classes and exercises for a minimum of one to two years before going “En Pointe”.

At WCFA, we are thrilled to offer teen/adult ballet and contemporary classes for both beginner and intermediate students. The ballet class consists of classical ballet exercises at barre, center, and across the floor. These classes are customized to the needs of the individual dancer, allowing flexibility, and encouragement for the dancer to move at their own pace in a stress free and fun environment. Both the contemporary and ballet classes run an hour long and dancers are encouraged to wear dance and yoga attire for class. 

Yoga can play a critical role in every dancer’s training regiment. At the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, our yoga classes are open to all, as well as dancers. This class, taught by Lesa Broadhead, is Vinyasa Yoga which focuses on coordinated yoga poses and focuses on breath flow from one pose to the next. In the article How Yoga Can Help You Become a Better Dancer, Grier Cooper outlines the many benefits of yoga aligning body, mind, and spirit. Yoga encourages precision focusing on fine-tuning proper alignment building the foundation from the ground up. The standing poses, as well as balancing poses, use the musculature needed for developpés, battements, jumps, adagio, etc. The backbends in yoga will produce a much sought after arabesque.

The synchronization of breath in Vinyasa Yoga carries over to dance making the dancer aware of breath, which ultimately will avoid unnecessary and unwanted injuries. Developing an increased inhale and exhale will link breath to the way movement is executed. Twists keep the dancer’s spine pliable, and the gentle pressure to the internal organs from twisting detoxifies. Inversions reverse the blood flow improving a dancer’s circulation. The brain is calmed and restored through relaxation, and this relaxation yields lower heart rate and blood pressure. And if the above benefits aren’t enough, improved patterning and memory retention will be carried over to the dance performance.

At the Wilmington Conservatory, we grow and nurture art appreciation and instructional skills at every age. Young Adults love to express themselves creatively because that’s what they need! Following their lead, we take our students on a multi-medium journey. Each student will learn color mixing, observational drawing/ painting, the fundamentals of line, shape, color, pattern/texture, proportion/scale, and set design! Our goal is to introduce the younger generation to artists throughout history, while cultivating a lifelong love of art!

Katie Deese sees that music can be a wonderful combination of physical, mathematical, language, and artistic education. Through voice and piano lessons, she strives to provide students with a well-rounded approach to theoretical and historical context while providing an environment in which they can learn new forms of emotional expression. Traditional techniques and repertoire mixed with modern selections and occasional silliness allow for solid foundations in a fun, relaxed experience.

Theatre Class covers all elements of drama such as stage vocabulary, stage direction and movement, ensemble building, imagination and creativity, voice and body (verbal and non verbal), and character development! These skills build confidence on and off stage. We are using techniques such as monologues, storytelling, short skits, games, and musical numbers in class to teach these skills.

Tap Dance originated as a form of communication, and Michaela Batten still feels it should be used as just that. She feels as though your feet are your instrument and should be used to create music. She teaches a form of tap dance called “rhythm” tap. Her class at the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts incorporates music theory as well as the history of tap dance over the last century. Students learn everything from the traditional “shim Shim” to how to “swing” a tap step. She instills the traditions of tap dance and uses them to venture into a more modern approach to tap dancing. Although tap dance is done primarily with the feet, Michaela believes it’s called tap “dance” for a reason and encourages students to express more of a full body movement in class. Students work hard on rudiments and basic toe-heel movement to strengthen feet, leading to faster footwork and more complicated trick steps.

Acrobatic Dance, or Acro as dancers and dance professionals commonly refer to it, is the beautiful fusion of classic dance technique and the precision and athleticism of acrobatic and gymnastic elements.

Although Acro’s roots can be found in traditional Chinese dance, it has recently grown in popularity due to productions like Cirque Du Soleil and mainstream media programs like Dance Moms. Acros is especially challenging style for dancers to master, as training in dance, acrobatics, and gymnastic elements are required. Acro training includes balancing, limbering, tumbling and partnering, based in flexibility and strength. At WCFA, our dancers train with our Acro instructor Shane Baptista, to build body strength to use these techniques in unique and rigorous choreography.

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