en Avant School – Academic Year 2024/2025
en Avant School of Dance
August 19, 2024 – May 31, 2025
Photo by Bruce Fram
The Nutcracker Suite 2023 at Eastside College Prep
Dance Classes at
en Avant School of Dance – Mannakin Theater & Dance’s academy in East Palo Alto!
1841 Bay Rd
Sign up for a free trial class today by calling or emailing our office!
650-300-9291
epa@mannakindance.org
Programming for Ages 2.5-14 Years of Age
en Avant School of Dance is pleased to announce our fall programming in East Palo Alto. Experience ballet, flamenco, music, and folklorico classes from professional dancers and master teachers in East Palo Alto.
Tuition and Registration
- Tuition is based on a tiered scale according to family income.
- All participants who wish to receive subsidized pricing need to submit their income verification. Please see our income verification page for more details.
- New students pay a registration/material fee of $125 which includes ballet bag, uniform, ballet shoes and more. Due upon registration. See more below!
- Family discounts available
- No refunds on tuition or registration fee.
Click the button below to register:
Class sizes are limited to 12 dancers for Saffron level and up. Class size is limited to 10 dancers for our Mint level and 8 for our youngest level, Purple. Please look for the different classes and teacher available as we offer ballet, Mexican Folklorico, and Flamenco.
Classes are held at the dance studio at en Avant School — 1841 Bay Rd, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
This MTD program is supported by the California Arts Council, San Mateo County Arts Commission, and The Atkinson Foundation to bring your family high level dance training.
The mission of en Avant School is to bring high-quality dance training, tailored tutoring and after-school care and regular performing opportunities to underserved youth and families by overcoming the persistent obstacles of cost and proximity.
We believe that dance is a powerful cultural medium that ties us to the global human experience, as well as our specific ethnic heritage. At en Avant School, the study of dance and academics are intertwined to help build a well-rounded young person with the capacity to meet the challenges presented by an ever-changing world.
New students must pay a registration/material fee of $125 which includes all essential dancing materials including:
- Uniform Leotard
- Ballet Slippers
- Skirt or Tutu (girls)
- Dance Bag
- Tights
- Hair Supplies
Traci Cottam
Photo by Steven Trumon Grey
Traci Cottam, Director of Education, lives in San Francisco, CA and currently assistant directs and dances with Mannakin Theater & Dance. Traci spent ten years in New York City, dancing with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, New Chamber Ballet, and CelloPointe. Recent projects have included guesting with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens; dancing in Signals from the West, Bay Area Artists in Conversation with Merce Cunningham at 100; and Marco Pelle’s T+I at Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. She has performed classical and neoclassical ballets with Neglia Ballet in Buffalo, NY. Originally from Utah, Traci graduated from Brigham Young University with her BA in Dance.
Traci has choreographed work presented in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Lake Tahoe. She currently teaches at en Avant Dance in East Palo Alto and is guest faculty member at Tahoe Youth Ballet. She has taught around the United States in New York, Utah, California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Montana.
Astrid Arvelo
Astrid Arvelo She formally began her ballet studies at the Terpsicore Comprehensive Dance School. At the age of 15, she joined the stable dance corps at the Nuevo Mundo ballet in Caracas, under the artistic direction of the teacher, director and prima ballerina from Venezuela Zhandra Rodriguez, who was a principal dancer at the American Ballet Teatro and Hamburg Ballet.
In 2018 she competed at the Miami International Ballet Competition USA where she won the Silver Medal in the fourth division category. In 2021 she moved to the United States to continue her career as a dancer and sharing her experience as a ballet teacher, dancing and in different companies in Miami such as Dimensions Dance Theater (Entrenar) of Miami and Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami as Soloist and Corps of Ballet under the artistic direction Heriberto Jimenez.
She currently lives in California dancing as a guest in different companies in the area, and is working at Western Ballet as a teacher and guest dancer.
My focus is on being able to share all my experience and learning in a responsible way with all those passionate about the world of ballet.
Leah Dorman
Leah Dorman began dancing at the age of 4 at Ballet Petit under artistic director Peggy Peabody. She fell in love with flying around the ballet studio and performing on stage, and has danced and/or taught at the studio ever since. In her teens she expanded her dance repertoire to include modern, jazz, and contemporary classes at Ohlone College, helped choreograph multiple original ballets with BP’s Jr. Company, and began assisting with the 3-4 year old pre-ballet classes. As a student her favorite roles included the Rat Queen in The Nutcracker, the Wolf in Peter and the Wolf, and Stepsister in Cinderella. She has also performed with a few local dance companies including in Mannakin Theater & Dance’s The Nutshell performance in 2020. Leah is thrilled to begin teaching at en Avant School after substitute teaching a few times in fall 2022. When not dancing, Leah can usually be found conducting cell biology research as a data scientist in San Francisco.
Marina Elana
Marina Elana is hailed as a “dancer of distinction” by The NY Times, Marina Elana has spent the past fifteen years performing alongside the likes of Soledad Barrio, Alfonso Losa, Pastora Galván, and Alejandro Granados. Marina has been a company member of the renowned Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca since 2012 and has toured with them extensively both nationally and internationally. Marina has presented her choreography in the Inside/Out Festival at Jacob’s Pillow, New York International Fringe Festival, the Queensboro Dance Festival, and Stanford University’s NEXT Performance Series. In 2019, Marina’s production Tattooed with Fanny Ara premiered at the historic Presidio Theatre in San Francisco to critical acclaim and was lauded by dance critic Rene Renouf as “one of the most effective flamenco performances I have ever seen.”
As an educator and community builder, Marina has taught masterclasses at Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, University of Southern California, UC Santa Barbara, University of Washington, Williams College, and New York University in NYC and Abu Dhabi.
Alexis Bartlett
Alexis Bartlett grew up in Sydney, Australia and now lives in the Bay Area, working as an artist, graphic designer, and ballet teacher. Growing up, she danced seriously as a student in the RAD method, and then pursued the visual and graphic arts. She has danced throughout adulthood, and moving to the US has given her the opportunities to rekindle her love of all things ballet. In Summer 2022 Alexis performed the role of Odile in Mannakin Dance’s Swan Lake Suite. She’s very excited to be joining the Mannakin team: to pass along the love of dance to the next generation as well as continuing her own dance endeavors.
Rolana Smith
Rolana Smith lives in East Palo Alto with her husband and her two young dancers, who have been dancing with en Avant for 4 years. Rolana has loved dancing since a child and has taken classes in an array of different dance styles, including ballet, jazz, belly dancing, and tap. She has performed with en Avant School of Dance, and loved working behind the scenes as a “ballet mom”. Rolana has worked with children and youth for 15+ years in youth ministry, coaching, childcare, and raising her own daughters. She is excited to teach a Mint class in the Fall. Rolana’s day job is supporting women as a Women’s Pastor in Palo Alto, and spends her free time biking, playing games, and cooking.
Mia Burrell
Mia Burrell is a native of San Jose, CA. She has over 25 years of folklorico dance experience. She has been able to travel to Mexico to learn foklorico from master teachers and has been teaching in the bay area for the past 8 years. She is currently the co-artistic director of Ensamble Folclorico Colibri and is active in Aztec dance circles as well.
Meliza Gomez
Meliza Gomez is an East Palo Alto native with a passion for organization, teamwork, and efficiency. She has helped new businesses get the recognition they deserve and exceed their potential. Since the age of fifteen she has taken the role of a youth mentor and she passionately helps guide her peers to success. Meliza brings a wealth of leadership and interpersonal skills wherever they are needed.
With a love for her community and dedication to supporting others she excels at creating a productive work environment and believes in the power of collaboration to achieve shared goals.
Outside of work, Meliza is dedicated to personal growth and community advocacy. With a commitment to professionalism and a positive mindset, she looks forward to making a meaningful impact in her community and in the world of dance with her role as Office Administrator and Youth Mentor at en Avant School of Dance.
Photos by Alexis Bartlett
The Nutcracker 2022 at Eastside College Prep
