en Avant School – Academic Year 2023/2024
en Avant School of Dance
invites you to our in-person ballet and dance classes!
Sept 5, 2023 – May 31, 2024
Photo by Bruce Fram
Pinocchio 2023 at Eastside College Prep
Ballet 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
Photos by Alexis Bartlett
The Nutcracker 2022 at Eastside College Prep
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, music, and folklorico classes from professional dancers and master teachers in East Palo Alto.
Tuition and Registration
- One class/week is $85/month/child
- Two classes/week is $150/month/child
- Three classes/week is $210/month/child
- Four classes/week is $260/month/child
- New students pay a registration/material fee of $125 which includes ballet bag, uniform, 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, and 10 dancers for our youngest level, Purple. Classes listed are primarily ballet based and incorporate rhythm, tap, storytelling and arts and crafts.
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, The Atkinson Foundation, and Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund to bring your family high level dance training.
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
Nathan Cottam
Photo by Hans Halberstadt
Nathan Cottam is a dancer and choreographer devoted to welcoming more people into the appreciation and performance of dance and theater arts. Raised in Buffalo, New York and the Mountain West, Nathan was exposed early in life to music and drama, finally joining them together in the study of ballet at Brigham Young University.
After completing a BS in sociology, Nathan went on to earn a Master of Fine Art in Dance from the University of Arizona. He has performed with many companies including Oakland Ballet, Bay Pointe Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre and the Serbian National Ballet in Belgrade. In 2013 Nathan founded Mannakin Theater and Dance to showcase his own choreography and artistic vision. With his company, Nathan has created many new dances, produced three tours of Serbia, and conducted outreach with Syrian and Afghani refugees in Bulgaria and young children in East Palo Alto, CA.
Traci Finch
Photo by Steven Trumon Grey
Traci Finch 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.
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.
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.
