Adult repertory classes begin the week of October 7th and culminate in performances in Casco Bay Movers’ Holiday Shows on Saturday,

December 21, at 6 and 8 p.m. 

Repertory classes are designed for adult dancers interested in deepening their dance practice by learning choreographic work for performance. They focus on choreography only, and therefore, participation in repertory classes requires students to take the preceding technique class.

Intermediate Hip Hop with Hannah Ranco | Mondays, 7:45-8:30 pm

Oct 7 – Dec21 | $195 

Intermediate Contemporary with Emily Getchell | Tuesdays, 8:15-9:00 pm 

 Oct 8 – Dec 21 | $195 

Inter/Advanced Tap with Alycia Frost | Tuesdays, 6:45-7:00 pm and an additional 60-minute rehearsal

Oct 8– Dec 21 | $115 

Click here to register.

The following classes are offered in 7-week sessions:

Dance with Me for 18 mos & up with a caregiver, Mondays from 9:00-9:30 am

Danceimgation I for 3-4 years, Mondays from 4:00-4:30 pm

Danceimagintion II for 4.5-6 years, Mondays from 4:30-5:15 pm

Dance with Me for 18 mos & up with a caregiver, Wednesdays from 9:00-9:30 am

On My Own for 3-5 years, Wednesdays from 9:30-10:15 am

Discover Acro Dance for 4-6-year-olds, Fridays from 4:00-4:45 pm

Session II dates: Oct 23 - Dec 16

7-week Series: 30-minute class: $95 per session | 45-minute class: $100 per session

~no registration fees ~

Our classes for young dancers are designed to introduce children to the creative and expressive world of dance and allow them to develop their natural movement ability in a multi-sensory environment. Music, movement, visuals, and props will enhance your dancer’s love of the art form, and the unique conceptual approach to dance education will provide a strong foundation for technical and cognitive growth.

Click here for more information or go straight to the registration page

Dancers in our Young Dancers Programs have been busy in the studios! During September, we focused on learning classroom routines such as entering the studios quite calmly and reading our bodies for all of the exciting dancing to come, being active listeners, and caring classmates. While teachers have their individual styles, we all follow a similar class plan. An essential piece of our warm-up is the BrainDance, which sequences through eight fundamental movement patterns of early human development. We also follow developmentally appropriate, concept-based programming that builds throughout the year. Early in the month, we began with the concept of "place," discovering how we can move in one spot or use locomotor movements to travel through the general space. Fall is an overarching theme, and you may have heard about dancing in and around the leaves, noticing their shapes, colors, sizes, and, most importantly, how they flutter through space and float to the ground. Our book of the month, The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger, helped bring this theme to life!

Early this month, we learned of the untimely passing of a beloved member of our CBM community. Shamou was part of our family for decades, sharing his incredible musical talent as an accompanist and teaching those lucky enough to be in the studio with him to be kinder, more joyful, and compassionate humans. Shamou worked with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co., Mark Morris Dance Company, ODC /San Francisco, San Francisco Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, David Dorfman Dance, Boston Dance Collective, Prometheus Dance Company, and many more. Most recently, Shamou served as Music Director for Dance at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. He spent his summers in Maine with his wife, Laura Faure, Founding Director of the Bates Dance Festival, and he occasionally popped in to play for a class while in town. We will carry his spirit in our dancing hearts.

Click here to read more about Shamou and to share your memories with Laura.

Click here to listen to his music on Spotify.

Dance Church® with Natalie Gotter Thursday, October 24, 7:00 -8:15 pm

Dance Church® is an all-levels movement class taught by professional dance artists that offers a fun and inclusive approach to dancing. Designed for people of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and identities, Dance Church is a communal space for people who want to move their bodies. Dance Church classes are offered in dance spaces across the country. Our mission is to bring the joy and release of dance to every body, while supporting dance artists and partner organizations, and making connections between class takers and the dance world.

Natalie Gotter is the newly appointed Director of Training Programs at the Bates Dance Festival.

Click here for more information and to register.

Teaching artists Rose Hutchins and Hannah Ranco will perform in "Narratives in Motion" at Freeport Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets and information.

Vanessa Beyland is choreographing "Songs for a New World" at the University of Southern Maine and "Shrek" at Windham High School. Both will open in November, so stay tuned for details!

Kristin Sutton presents Thriller Throwdown in Monument Square on Friday, October 25, at 5:30 pm. Click here for information.

Sheila Bellefleur, CBM Founder, began an in-depth study of Gyrokenesis® and completed pre-training earlier this month. Her vast knowledge of dance and anatomy makes her classes an inspiring experience. Catch her at the studio on Thursday evenings, 5:45-6:45 p.m., for Beginner Jazz through mid-November.

Isabel Ball is in Alaska and is participating in an artist residency this month. We look forward to welcoming her back to the studio for classes the week of October 20th and hearing all about her adventures!

Play to Win in our PYD Fundraiser!

PYD students are selling raffle tickets ($10) throughout October to help support their scholarship and education fund. Purchase a ticket at the front desk or from one of the PYD dancers for a chance to win fabulous prizes each day in November! 100% of proceeds go directly to benefit the programs of Portland Youth Dance, a 501(c)3 organization based out of Casco Bay Movers. Portland Youth Dance provides a non-competitive dance company and free classes for community members throughout Greater Portland.

Upcoming PYD Performances:

Sunday, October 20: Fall into Art at Collective Motion Arts Center

Company & PYD2 perform at 3 pm & Crew will perform at 5 pm

Friday, October 25: Thriller Throwdown in Monument Square

Members of PYD will perform in this epic Halloween event! Click here for information on this fantastic event produced by CBM teaching artist Kristin Sutton!

Upcoming PYD Community Classes:

Hip Hop for Ages 7-12 Years

October 19th – December 14th, 2024 | 11:30-12:15 pm

A fun dance class taught by Portland Youth Dance Company and Crew members.

Students can perform in the Casco Bay Movers Holiday Show on Saturday,

December 21st. Register here.

Dancers are invited to wear their costumes to class from Thursday, October 24, through Wednesday, October 30.

Thank you for leaving accessories such as masks, wands, and play weapons at home.

We have built an extra Thursday into our fall schedule to accommodate the break on Halloween! If desired, dancers may also take any level equivalent class as a make-up class.